Tritone nomenclature of the classical theory parts company with the blues theory here.

Base it on the Mixolydian scale, which is nothing more than a Major scale with a flatted 7th.

In a G7 chord, the 3 and the 7 are the tritone of G.

That would be the B and the F, respectively.

Don't confuse the tritones within a Major scale as being the tritone of the key as regards Blues.

The tritone of C7 is E and Bb

The tritone of F7 is A and Eb

Try playing a I7-IV7-V7 cadence like that and note the chromatic shift that happens on your keyboard. The I7 to IV7 is motion one half step down, while the V7 is one half step up from the root.

If that don't cross yer eyes, just work with it as there's more to come along those lines. The two five ones and then the Rhythm Changes can all be handles in that "chromatic" fashion once the idea of shells and tritones are added to your mental arsenal. This is where the wonderfulness of the LH comping begins to leave the world of the "regular" western musics and is where jazz, blues, swing, bebop and modern jazz begin to open up and make sense to the player.


--Mac

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