The Coltrane Matrix is not only a standard substitution over ii-V movement, but is also an effective way to understand harmonic substitutions and relationships in general. One of the most challenging aspects of improvising over the Matrix is negotiating the frequency of chords moving in more distantly related key centers. In short, it can be difficult to create melodic lines that connect fluidly together through voice leading. In this etude I introduce an easily played line that minimizes the typical “jagged” movement of the chords, while using interesting harmonic choices connected by half-step voice leading. Take a look at the example below:

I start on the 5th of Cmaj7 and connect it to the 9th of Eb7; the Eb7 resolves to the +11 (D natural) of the Abmaj7, which then connects to the root of B7; the B7 resolves to the +11 of E7, which connects to the root of G7 (as you can see, this is simply a transposition of the previous measure); the G7 makes a simple 4 to 3 resolution to Cmaj7. You might also notice that the line can be seen as simply connecting two different diminished scales together. One scale in the first two measures (C, Eb, F# and A diminished), and a second in the third measure (C#, E, G and Bb diminished).

My aim in composing this etude was to find a melodic line that had minimal intervallic movement while still expressing the movement of the harmony. It has a nice linear melodic quality, too. A great way to open your ears would be to practice this with a backing track, especially in playing it in contrast to the arpeggiated notes of the actual Matrix chords. I highly encourage you to take this concept and find other ways to build “minimally moving” lines over the Coltrane Matrix.

If you’d like to go deeper into the Coltrane Matrix, please consider my ebook, The Coltrane Matrix: 40 Melodic Ideas in All 12 Keys. If you’d like to explore a simple concept that can help you go deep into finding altered harmonic colors to use over Dominant 7th chords and ii-V-I progressions, take a look at my ebook, Melodic Minor Scale Jazz Studies. And if you want to learn how to develop endless amounts of melodic possibilities by using chromatic voice leading to connect triads, check out my ebook, Four-Note Diatonic Triad Cells. Click the link below to download a free pdf of this etude: