Butterfly (F minor) - Jazz Analysis & Chords

Harmonic Highlights

• Non-functional chromatic mediant shifts, such as Fm7 to Am7, create a shifting modal landscape that bypasses traditional diatonic cadences.
• Use of upper-structure slash chords (Abmaj7/Bb) creates sophisticated dominant suspensions, providing a “floating” quality by avoiding immediate resolution.
• Extended modal plateaus on Fm11 and Am11 prioritize harmonic color and texture over functional tension-and-release patterns.
• The transition from Dm11 through Bb13 to Eb13sus utilizes cyclical root movement that mimics a ii-V-I but remains unresolved through the use of suspended voicings.

Improvisation Focus F Dorian and A Dorian modal interchange, emphasizing upper-structure extensions (9ths and 11ths) to bridge the shifting tonal centers.

Difficulty Rating 4/5: The lack of functional resolutions and the unconventional root movements require advanced modal fluency and the ability to maintain melodic continuity across non-diatonic shifts.