DISCUSSION OF BACKCYCLING

reed to john:

Backcycling is essentially working backward from a place you want
to get to.

For example suppose you want to get to a Cmaj7 chord.

Well you can work backward and look for chords that would resolve
to the Cmaj7.

For example:

G7 Cmaj7
Dmi7 G7 | Cmaj7  |
Emi7 A7 | Dmi7 G7 | C
Dbmaj7 Cmaj7 |
Abmaj7 Dbmaj7 | Cmaj7 
Abmaj7 Dbmaj7 | Dmi7 G7 | C 
F#min7 B7 | Cmaj7 |

I mean there are a million of different things you can do depending on
the tune.

Some are pretty standard, some more unusual.

So why is this any different from just working forwards?

Well in a way it is the same though sometimes by looking where we want
go and working backwards we will see things differently.

Sometimes we can interrupt a forward flow as long as we use a convincing
backcycling method. In other words we already have set in motion where
we are going and we just take a little detour.

For example, suppose a tune ends:

Dmi7 G7 | C   |    |

If the tune starts on C then we might cycle backward from C and
use

Dmi7 G7 | Emi7 A7 | Dmi7 G7 |

Or take a tune like "All the Things You Are" in Ab.

The end is:

Bbm7 | Eb7 | Abmaj7  |       |

But the beginning chord is Fm so we do:

Bbmj7 | Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Gmi7b5 C7 |

To make a better motion to the beginning of the tune
for repeats.

But now that we have this idea we can take it further and try:

Bbmi7 | Eb7 | Dmi7b5 G7 | Gmi7 C7 |

You would never think of this by working forward.

By using these techniques you can come up with all types
or rehamonization possibilities. Some which will work and
some which won't.

[later]

Also :

Bbmi7 | Eb7 | Abmi7 Db7 | Gmi7 C7 |

If I worked on it for a while I could come up with other
possibilities.