I assure you that I don't plan on watering this column down with scales, modes, and theory. Many people find it boring, and the people who find it interesting have taken it upon themselves to learn, therefore, I don't forsee a need to discuss theory in depth in this column. I will probably make some references to some concepts as I see fit.

Yes, I am a guitarist, but the guitar just happens to be my instrument of choice and the icon that allows me to call myself a musician. It's also one on which I have achieved a level of proficiency on - beyond any of the other instruments I've learned to play. While most of the musicians who subscribe to the Ytsejam or chat up a storm in #ytsejam happen to be guitarists, the universe doesn't revolve around the guitar. I plan on covering topics of interest to people who play musical instruments instead of focusing on guitarists.

This is your column just as much as it is mine. E-mail me! If you have a question, I will attempt to answer it to the best of my abilities. If you want me to cover a topic, I'll carefully consider each and every serious, and even some not-so-serious, suggestions.

Since this is a musician's column, I'll throw out a tidbit of useful information to musicians. So without further ado, I'll give you a taste of chord substitution. Some of you may not have explored this topic, while others of you may have. Basically, there are some "rules" you can choose to follow, but as you know there are no "rules" in music, just a lot of guidelines determined by famous dead white European males over the course of the last few hundred years.

Don't ask me the rules of chord substitution. There is actually only one rule: Use whatever you feel like using! That's right. Granted, some choices may suit the moment better than others, but you learn that through experience, and with a little bit of knowledge.

If you're not sure what chord substitution is, it's just what the name implies. You take a chord from a progression and you just substitute one chord for another. For example, one of my favorite substitutions is the tritone substitution. Take a dominant 7th chord, and substitute it with another dominant 7th chord built on a root note that's a diminished 5th (a tritone, hence the name) above the root of the original chord. For example, you can throw in an Eb7 where an A7 is indicated. A7 is A C# E G. Eb7 is Eb G Bb Db. Here are the tensions (and common tones) that this substitution creates as it relates to A7:

Eb - flat 5 (or #11th)
G - flat 7
Bb - flat 9 (or flat 2nd)
Db - which is also C# or the 3rd

Essentially, what you've done is taken a basic chord and added notes to create extra tension. There are two notes that are common to the two chords, and two notes that add tension. So if you were to play the Eb7 chord in place of an A7 chord, you have enough to imply the A7 with the C# and the G. The Eb7 chord has the 3rd, flat 7th, flat 9th and sharp 11th. The ensemble sound is that of an A7b9#11 chord.

This is just one example of a chord substitution (and a very cool one). They are only limited by your imagination, and creativity.