Lesson Goal: To learn the basic chord voicings for the minor 2-5-1 chord progression in all minor keys–by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
iiø7-V7-i: Basic Chord Voicings
The minor 2-5-1 (iiø7-V7-i) chord progression in the key of Cm is Dø7-G7-Cm.
Here is the most basic way to play these chords–with chord roots in the bass and closed position chords with voice leading in the right hand…
In addition to seeing how the tones in each chord stack up vertically, it’s also important to see how the individual voices move horizontally through the chord changes (traced by the red arrows)…
Pattern Recognition: (1) Right Hand: From Dø7 to G7, the top two voices move down scale-wise while the bottom two voices remain the same. (2) Right Hand: From G7 to Cm, So remains the same, the leading tone Ti resolves up to Do, and the bottom two voices move down scale-wise.
Special Note: For many jazz ballads, a simple minor triad is the most appropriate choice for the tonic chord. Depending on the mood of the piece, color tones such as “6” and “7” may be added.
Homework
Using your ears and knowledge of scales and chord structure, play this iiø7-V7-i pattern in all 12 minor keys arranged around the cycle of dominants…
Listen to an example at 120 beats per minute…
Play-along Tracks
Of the score above with a two bar count off at 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, & 180 beats per minute…
Playing along at a variety of tempos is a highly effective way to discover and tighten up every loose screw in your thinking, technique, and rhythm. And as you do so, you’ll automatically internalize an enormous chord vocabulary–by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle!
learn more… Jazz School
Leave a Reply