This is the second track on the album, also known as Part II and is basically all about one change. The score I am referring to is in F minor, but I know there are many other transcriptions in different keys but the principles here apply to any key it is played in.
The chord progression is as follows:
Fmin6/9 – B (add9)/F# - Gmin7b5 – C7 – F min – C7
Now, firstly, there is a contradiction or mistake to point out. Chord I is F minor 6/9, which is F, Ab C, D and G. The minor 6 designation means a minor chord with a Major 6th, which would imply the Dorian mode and hence the Eb Major scale. But if we look at the score, we can see that the melody over the F minor chord contains a Db, not a D natural, which would mean the mode being played is F Aeolian, mode VI from Ab Major. So, either the designation of minor 6 is wrong and should be minor b6 or there are both notes being played, which I doubt as Dorian and Aeolian are not very compatible, not like Dorian and Melodic for example.
Why does this matter? Well, the change mentioned in the introduction is next, the F min - B (add9)/F# chord. To know what to play over this we have to investigate its origins and as the key is ambiguous, either F Dorian or F Aeolian, we have a choice when it comes to playing over.
1) In F Dorian (Eb Major) we have the notes: Eb F G Ab Bb C D and the B (add9) chord is B D# F# C#. So we can see that the D# is an enharmonic equivalent of Eb, so that is taken care of, which leaves B and F# and C#. Instead of opting for the bland sound of a B Major arpeggio or one from the key it is from, we can work out a suitable scale or two that sounds great based upon music theory. So From Eb Major, we raise the Bb to B and we have C Harmonic minor (C D Eb F G Ab B). Now we raise the F to F# for C Hungarian minor (C D Eb F# G Ab B) and finally raise the C to C# and we have G Persian natural 6 (1 b2 3 4 b5 6 7). So scale choice 1 is G Persian nat6 over B(add9)/F# which would sound modally as its mode VII, Locrian bb36 (scale no. 20). Lovely choice, I really like it. Just learn it in one octave and try playing over the change from F min – B add9.
2) The second choice is more appropriate, in my opinion, as I prefer to think that the melody is in F Aeolian (Ab Major) which is Ab Bb C Db Eb F G. You can see that because there is already a Db in the Ab Major scale, we don’t need to alter the note to reach C# in the chord as this is another enharmonic equivalent. So, the B chord is again B D# F# C# and the Eb = D# while the Db = C#. You can see now that what Coltrane is doing is using enharmonic equivalents to access unusual sounding chords and modes. That leaves B natural and F#.
The next step is is to raise the Bb in Ab Major to get C Neapolitan minor C Db Eb F G Ab B, where the Db = C# and the Eb = D#. Lastly, raising F in C Neapolitan minor gives us C Db Eb F# G Ab B = C Neapolitan minor #4, mode IV of G Persian. Yup, either way we look at it, the best choice is either G Persian or G Persian natural 6, which when played over the B (add9)/F# it sounds as F# Locrian bb367 and Locrian bb36.
Now that you know that, if Resolution is in your repertoire, take a bit of time to learn a Persian scale, and the play around with it over that change. The rest is just straightforward ii - V - i which I am sure you are perfectly fine with. I am working on a solo guitar arrangement of this piece and will post it on my group when it is finished. Thanks for reading.
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