Collaboration in music is often thought of as something that happens between performers. But it can also occur between composers and the musicians who bring a composition to life. A recent performance of my saxophone quartet revealed just how powerful that partnership can be.

One evening while I was playing piano at a local Sheraton Hotel, I performed Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Major. A couple approached the piano afterward and told me they recognized it as the theme from The Eddie Duchin Story. The piece meant so much to them that from then on, every time they came in for dinner, they asked me to play it again. And each time, the gentleman left me a five-dollar tip. I often tell my students that story when they begin learning that Chopin classic.

Understanding the tritone is essential for mastering jazz harmony. In this article, I explain what a tritone is, why it defines the dominant seventh chord, and how the tritone substitute can transform your playing.