Avoid note

Avoid note is an informal term used in jazz to describe pitches that are potentially problematic in a harmony.

Definition

In jazz parlance, avoid note is a term that is sometimes applied to pitches that might clash with a harmony. An F against a C major chord could be considered an avoid note because it lies a semitone above the third, an interval which was historically heard as dissonance.^[1][2][3] Treating the F as a passing tone is a simpler way to use it in a melody over a C major chord.^[4]

Jazz chords can be voiced in so many different and complex ways, that nearly any note can be incorporated into a harmony.^[1] When the C major triad is extended by thirds into a second octave, the F reappears as the 11th of the chord. 11ths are common chord extensions in jazz. They are often raised by a semitone to create a mellower major 9th against the third of a major chord.^[5]

The sixth scale degree in the Dorian mode might be considered an avoid tone because it can imply a dominant chord.^[2]

See also

• Eleventh chord
• Thirteenth chord
• Tritone
• Chord-scale system

References

1. Terefenko, Dariusz. Jazz Theory: From Basic to Advanced Study. Second edition. Taylor and Francis, 2017. 79.
2. Nettles, Barrie (1987). Harmony 3 (PDF). Berklee College of Music. pp. 15–17.
3. Haerle, Dan (1980). The Jazz Language: A Theory Text for Jazz Composition and Improvisation. Miami, Florida: Studio 224. ISBN 978-0-7604-0014-2.
4. Humphries, Carl (2009). The Piano Improvisation Handbook (1st ed.). San Francisco: Freeman: Backbeat Books. p. 280. ISBN 0-87930-727-7.
5. Nettles, Barrie (1987). Harmony 1 (PDF). Berklee College of Music. p. 34-35.