Chord Progressions in Jazz Chord progressions are a succession of chords played one after another and during a specified duration. On this page you'll find the 10 most popular chord progressions in jazz, a list of songs that use similar chord progressions and the jazz guitarists who recorded these songs. In this lesson you will learn how to recognize these progressions from a Roman Numeral standpoint, allowing you to quickly transpose them to other keys, as well as two different ways to comp through each progression on the guitar. It's important that you learn to recognize these classic chord progressions and that you practice improvising over them, so grab your axe, turn up your amp and let's dig in to these 10 Must Know Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions! Jazz Guitar Chord Progression 1 - ii V I Major iim7 V7 Imaj7% Dm7 G7 Cmaj7% The 2 5 1 progression is without any doubt the most popular chord progression in jazz. I'm not going to give you a list with songs that use this progression, since a jazz standard without a II V I is almost unthinkable. Some jazz standard chord progressions are nothing more then a series of II Vs.

1. Popular Guitar Songs

Popular Guitar Songs

It can be found in countless tunes, in all 12 keys, and with many different permutations, both rhythmically and harmonically. For this reason, it is the best place to start when working on solidifying and expanding your jazz guitar progressions repertoire. Btw, the% symbol means you have to repeat the chord of the previous bar. Here are two examples of how to play this progression in the key of C. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 2 - Rhythm Changes Imaj7 vim7 iim7 V7 iiim7 VI7 iim7 V7 Cmaj7 Am7 Dm7 G7 Em7 A7 Dm7 G7 This chord progression is the first A of a Rhythm Changes.

Olav Torvund's Chord Progressions for Guitar. Blues Guitar New: Blues Guitar lessons in PDF format. I will describe common chord progressions in popular music. Understanding Chord Progressions for Guitar. Il-V-I WITH JAZZ CHORDS Here is the ever-popular Il-V-I progression using our new jazz chords.

'Rhythm changes' are a kind of chord progression that use the same chord changes as ' I've Got Rhythm', a song written by Gershwin in 1930. People started using this progression to jam on and so many different melodies came into being that use the same chord changes. A list of standards that use this progression: Song Title Played By Moose the Mooche Shaw Nuff Cheek to Cheek Mean to Me Isn't It Romantic Long Ago and Far Away Built around the I-vi-ii-V progression, with a slight variation between the first and second two-bar phrases, this chord progression can be deceptively simple, which is why a lot of guitarists don't dig deep when exploring this progression. But, for those that do lift the hood and explore these changes with a bit more detail, you can learn new and creative ways of outlining these oft-used chords, taking your Rhythm Changes comping to new levels of creativity at the same time. Here are two examples of how to comp through these changes to help get you started. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 3 - Descending ii V I Imaj7% (iim7 V7) Cmaj7% Cm7 F7 Imaj7% (iim7 V7) Bbmaj7% Bbm7 Eb7 Imaj7 Abmaj7 This is also a very common jazz chord progression.

Used in tunes such as 'How High the Moon' and 'Tune Up,' descending major ii V I's are a commonly used harmonic device that can prove to be kind of tricky when first learning to navigate these chords. There are 2 modulations in this progression:. The chords start in the key of C major. They modulate to Bb major in the 3rd bar. They modulate again in the 7th bar, this time to Ab major.

Song Title Played By How High the Moon Tune Up Cherokee Joy Spring One Note Samba Solar When faced with descending harmonic patterns such as this, many of us simply repeat the same chords down two frets for each new key. While this can work, more advanced players will find ways to ascend up the neck as the chord progression descends, providing a nice harmonic contrast during these chords. Here are two examples of how you could practice comping through these changes. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 4 - Dim7 Passing Chords Imaj7 #I°7 iim7 #II°7 iiim7 VI7 Cmaj7 C#°7 Dm7 D#°7 Em7 A7 Heard in tunes such as 'Cherokee,' the use of Dim7 passing tones to connect the Imaj7 and iim7 chords, as well as the iim7 and iiim7 chords, in any chord progression are a commonly used and important harmonic device that can spice up the playing of any jazz guitarist. Dim7 chords not only add harmonic tension to this progression, but the chromatic bass line helps to build tension, which is then resolved to the iim7 and iiim7 chords in the following downbeats. Song Title Played By Cherokee Have You Met Miss Jones Joy Spring But Beautiful Ain't Misbehavin' To get you started, here are two ways that you could work on comping these important chords in your practice routine.

Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 5 - Take the A Train Imaj7% II7% Cmaj7% D7% iim7 V7 Imaj7% Dm7 G7 Cmaj7% These chords, which feature the cool-sounding and fun to play II7 chord, are mostly associated with the classic Ellington track 'Take the A Train.' The movement from Imaj7 to II7 to iim7 is one that you will see in many different jazz guitar tunes, including the classic Bossa Nova track 'Girl From Ipanema,' and is therefore worth working on from both a comping and blowing standpoint.

Song Title Played By Take the 'A' Train The Girl from Ipanema Desafinado Mood Indigo Here are two ways that you can work on these chords in the woodshed to help get them under your fingers and in your ears. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 6 - I to IV Imaj7 (iim7 V7) IVmaj7 Cmaj7 Gm7 C7 Fmaj7 For anyone that has played the blues, you know that the movement from a I chord to a IV chord is a commonly heard sound in the jazz-guitar idiom. While you may be most familiar with this progression from a jazz-blues standpoint, you can also apply this progression to a major key situation such as the one seen in the examples below. Song Title Played By Satin Doll Cherokee Joy Spring Have You Met Miss Jones There Will Never Be Another You Working on these two examples, in various keys, will help get this important sound into your ears and under your fingers, allowing you to confidently bring these changes to your jam sessions and gigs in no time. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 7 - IV to iv Imaj7 I7 IVmaj7 ivm7 Cmaj7 C7 Fmaj7 Fm7 iiim7 VI7 iim7 V7 Imaj7 Em7 A7 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 Used by countless jazz composers, compers and improvisers, as well as many pop musicians such as the Beatles to name buy one band, the IV to iv harmonic movement is one that every jazz guitarist needs to have under their fingers from both a comping and soloing standpoint.

The key to learning to play and hear this progression, is the movement from the IVmaj7 to the ivm7 chord. Song Title Played By Moose the Mooche Shaw Nuff All of Me All the Things You Are There Will Never Be Another You Here are a few ways that you could comp through this progression to help get you started. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 8 - Rhythm Changes Bridge (in Bb major) III7 VI7 II7 V7 D7 G7 C7 F7 As we saw earlier, Rhythm Changes is a tune that is full of classic sounding, and must-know, chord progressions. Based off of the cycle of 5ths, the bridge to Rhythm Changes features four 7th chords moving up by a 4th with each new chord in the progression. Though there are only four chords, these changes can be tricky to master, and therefore are worth exploring. To help you get started, here are a couple ways that you could practice playing the bridge to Rhythm Changes. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 9 - ii V I Minor iim7b5 V7 im7% Dm7b5 G7 Cm7% Just like it's major-key cousin, the minor ii V I progression is found in countless tunes from many different composers and improvisers.

Featuring the ever-tricky 7alt chord, this progression can be a bit tougher to master than the major-key version we say earlier, which is why it's important to continue to develop your minor ii V I vocabulary even for more experienced players. Here are a couple of examples to help you get started with comping through this important group of 3 chords. Jazz Guitar Chord Progressions 10 - Stray Cat Strut im7 im7/b7 bVI7 V7 Cm7 Cm7/Bb Ab7 G7 Heard in the classic tune 'Stray Cat Strut,' this minor-key turnaround is one that every jazz guitarist should have under their fingers. With a distinctive bass line, simple yet effective harmonic movement, and a swinging feel, these four chords can add spice to any plain minor-turnaround from a soloing or comping perspective. To get you started, here are two ways that you could comp through this important minor-key turnaround.

Whatsapp for nokia x2. The Blues Progression in Jazz – Basic Progressions in Common Keys Here’s just what you need to play jazz guitar blues progressions: a set of five distinct, progressively more difficult, chord progressions in the key of C, F and Bb. On this page, you will find explanations as to why certain chords are being used/substituted for one another. All the theory is given in the key of C. For a comping lesson with those progressions, refer to this page (w/ video and pdf). The PDFs for the lesson Choose your key: Note: Please, memorize the blues form. In other words: use the PDF to learn, but discard the paper ASAP. 1 – Most Basic Rock / Pop 12-bar Blues (using I7 – IV7 – V7) This is the foundation, the simplest jazz guitar blues there is! Commonly used in traditional blues, blues-rock, pop, rock & roll, funk and seldom used in jazz since the bebop era (the late 1940’s).

2 – Simple 12-bar blues with II-V-I cadence Not quite the jazziest blues yet, but has many elements of it (especially the IIm7-V7-I cadence at the end). This is a great preparation step for the “real” jazz blues with many more chords (see below) Please Note:. bars 9-10-11 are a. first two bars have I – IV in alternation (instead same chord for 4 bars) 3 – Most Common “Jazz Guitar Blues” (w/ sec. Dominants and turnaround) Previous elements are kept here but the “VI” chord is added in bar 8.

Remember this: VI is the dominant of II. Here’s why: In the key of C, A7(b9) in bar 8 is the dominant of Dm in the next bar! We call this a (You should read about this when you can; it should clear up a lot of the “mysteries” within chord progressions for you) Same applies to bar 4 going to bar 5: We have the b9 on the C7 (the I) to raise the tension level and then resolve back to F7 (the IV).

A C7(b9) chord is referred to as an. See also the. 4 – Jazz Guitar Blues with more “meat” (w/ Passing Dim. And interpolation) Business as usual here except for:. chord in bar 6 (very common bass line). The in bars 4 and 8 (see article) These elements are often used by seasoned improvisers and accompanists.

It creates nice textures, especially at slower tempos. It is possible to use passing diminished in other spots (e.g. Check out bar 2). 5 – “Bebop” Blues (aka New York Changes or Bird Blues or Parker Blues) See the post This is a great blues form to improvise over. I like it in the keys F and Ab the most. Listen to the tunes: “Blues for Alice”, “Chi Chi” and “Freight Trane”. The last 4 bars are pretty straight forward as the “juice” is really happening in bars 1 through 8:.

Right away, harmony goes to VIm (the relative minor key) in bar 3. We have in bars 2-3-4 (towards IV in bar 5.).

Then a series of in some sort of side-slipping fashion in bars 6-7-8. The end is a good old II-V-I (+ ) to settle back the harmony and go back to the top again. Wrapping up I hope those 5 jazz guitar blues progressions helped you. Feel free to come back here and re-read the theory, it will make more sense after a few weeks. 😉 Please, consult the other pages/videos in the of this website to continue onto your jazz guitar blues journey.