2-5-1 excercises more interesting
i'm a beginner in jazz piano and i'd be thankful for some advice from you!
at the present i'm working on 2-5-1 progressions, learning them in all keys. i like these progressions but how can i vary them, making them sound more interesting?
i've read about tritone substitutions, they work pretty nice. so in c the v-chord (g7) would get db7. are there any other tricks?
i've tried to change the ii-chord (dmin9) into dmin9/b5 (flattened 5) and the v-chord (g13) into g7/b13 (flattened 13). are these things "allowed"?
i'm just looking for some advice of how to make my 2-5-1 practicing excercises more intereting. thanks for any comment!
There are 4 comments, leave a comment.
a really neat trick i've learned for substituting chords in the ii-v-i is changing one of the chords in the progression with another chord whose root belongs to the diminished chord tones of the chord that's being substituted. so, for example, if the ii chord is dm, you can substitute that with fm, abm or bm. or, if the v chord is g7, you can substitute that with bb7, db7 (tritone) or e7. some work better than others depending on the context, and you can get some really interesting sounds from the combinations you choose. and you can substitute more than one chord in the progression using this method.
but i always try to remember that these are models to help me create a framework for my learning, and i don't have to limit myself to these by making them "rules". something i'm currently working on is first spotting the melody (the highest voice) in the progression at the moment, and using any chord i guess might sounds interesting or beautiful. surprisingly, i found that, as long as it fits with the melody, most substitutions work and produce really neat sounds.
finally, you don't have to substitute chords to make the ii-v-i interesting. take advantage of that v-chord. it's a treasure trove of tensions. if you experiment with the right tensions (b9, #9, #11, b13) and their combinations, you can get very interesting sounds (sorry- i should include the 9,11,13 as well). use chord formulas like the upper structures to experiment with these sounds. it pushes you to hear more dissonant harmonies and use them in your playing.
everything that rywls said, plus you can start adding sustains and resolutions to the v chord.
i don't have time right now to make a graphic or example, but take a look at this:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/scot-ranney/scot-ranneys-jazz-piano-notebook-volume-1/ebook/product-17411140.html#productdetails
and do a "preview" of the book and look at the table of contents. there are some sustain and resolution exercise excerpts (make sure you increase the size of hte preview to a point where the music looks like music.)
i'm not trying to sell you my book :) it's just that there are some good examples of cool things to do to 2-5-1's in it that you can glean even from a glance at the table of contents.
Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
by Scot Ranney on 07/29/2013, 16:49
Jazz Piano Notebook Series
Volume 1 of this educational jazz piano book contains 15 jazz piano exercises, tricks, and other interesting jazz piano techniques, voicings, grooves, and ideas Scot Ranney enjoys playing.
"Latinesque"
Volume 2 has 14 jazz piano exercises and tricks of the trade, and quite a bit of it is Calypso jazz piano related material, including some Monty Alexander and Michel Camilo style grooves. Jazz piano education is through the ears, but books like this can help.
Volume 3 contains 12 jazz piano exercises and explorations by the acclaimed jazz piano educator, pianist, author, and recording artist Tim Richards.
Tim wrote the well known "Exploring Jazz Piano" and "Improvising Blues Piano" books and has several others to his name.
Volume 4 is by Jeff Brent, a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and author of "Modalogy" and other acclaimed jazz theory and education books. In this book Jeff shares detailed analysis of transcriptions of live performances. He covers everything from the shape of the songs to the tricks and licks he uses in improvised lines to the ideas behind his lush chord voicings.
Most Recent Discussions
Articles
Piano for Adoption Scam
Aprender Jazz en Piano
BEWARE: FREE BABY GRAND PIANO SCAM
Oh Tannenbaum for Jazz Piano
Volume 5 of the "Jazz Piano Notebook Series" is Available!
LearnJazzPiano.com File Downloads News
more...
Top Sheetmusic Picks
Jazzy Christmas Arrangements
Cocktail Piano
Best Songs Ever, 6th Edition
Christmas Medley
Moana Songbook
Late Night Jazz Piano
Jazz piano education is cool.
Rock on. Follow your passion.
Sign In
LearnJazzPiano.com Copyright © 1995-2024 by Scot Ranney • website software and design by scot's scripts
LearnJazzPiano.com is For Sale - Serious Inquiries Only