https://books.google.dk/books?

id=ZIdU-
sD0KiwC&pg=PA3&hl=da&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://books.google.cz/books?id=ZIdU-
sD0KiwC&pg=PA3&hl=cs&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

As improvisers we are always looking to create new harmonic concepts or to find new ways of
soloing over traditional changes that are innovative and creative. Actually, for the past sixty
years jazz musicians have been playing the same basic set of standard tunes, each generation
making their stylistic mark on the history of the music. This is a lot of development and after the
innovations of Parker, Trane, Miles and countless others it seems like every possible way to play
over these progressions has already been done…twice.

One area left to really explore, though, is chromatic improvisation and from listening to some of
the great players today, it seems that this concept is becoming an essential part of the vocabulary
for modern jazz musicians. Now, this is not just using chromatic scales or playing free jazz, but
constructing lines, patterns, triads and arpeggios that move in different directions chromatically;
a concept that has infinite possibilities. For example, look at the figure below of a very simple
line using this structure:

In the above example, the line is composed of whole steps that descend chromatically. This same
idea can be applied to larger intervals (fourths, sixths, tritones, etc.), triads (major, minor,
diminished, augmented and inverted) and even chord progressions to create new possibilities for
improvisation. Players today like Dave Liebman and George Garzone have explored these
concepts in depth and have even developed their own methods for chromatic improvisation.

This trend really began with Miles in the mid-60’s when he was playing with his second great
quintet with Wayne, Herbie, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Because of the freeness and daring
of this group, playing complex chromatic lines really worked well, especially with a rhythm
section that could go anywhere at any moment.

Check out this video of the quintet playing Joshua and listen to how Miles uses chromatic lines
and patterns throughout his solo…actually, check out everybody’s playing, this whole band is so
killing it’s scary.

Where to start

Playing these close chromatic structures works well over modal and complex progressions, as
well as conventional changes simply for the fact that these types of lines have no strong tonal
center. When you use these devices in effective places within your solos though, they can add
harmonic tension and forward motion to your lines. The trick is to incorporate these patterns into
your playing and technique after establishing an approach to improvising that is diatonically
based.

When we learn music theory and start to improvise, we use material that is based largely upon
diatonic construction or modes of the major scales. Gradually, as we progress, we add some
altered or non-traditional scales like the octatonic, diminished, or whole tone scales to our
vocabulary. Still, at the core, everything is rooted to diatonic modes and their resulting
progressions.

Coming from this type of musical education, lines that move in intervals and patterns not found
in the traditional modes (i.e. chromatic movement) can feel foreign at first and will take some
work to get them in your ears and under your fingers. What you must do to gain familiarity and
eventually facility with these patterns, is create exercises aimed at acquiring this technique. Start
simple with isolated exercises and then slowly build upon those concepts until you are creating
your own vocabulary.

Practice in 4 Directions

Just as practicing your diatonic scales in all four directions covers all possible variations,
shedding these chromatic patterns in all four directions will ensure that these lines will be in your
fingers. For our purposes here, we’ll take one intervallic pattern (whole steps moving
chromatically) and explore it ‘s variations. Start with this example and take it through all four
directions ascending and descending:

Down Down

Down Up

Up Up

Up Down
Emphasize Goal Notes

Once these exercises become comfortable, start to think of how you can use these devices in
your soloing. Playing with these kinds of lines can be especially effective in creating momentum
in your lines towards a goal note or strong arrival point. One of the reasons this technique is so
effective is that the chromaticism acts as a harmonic tension, building towards a resolving note.
Try aiming for a chord tone as the arrival point of your chromatic based line.

In the following example over the chord E -7, the resolution point of each chromatic structure is
a chord tone (the root, 3rd and 5th):

Chromatic lines over ii-V’s

Continuing with the idea of aiming for goal notes over one chord, try to write down some lines
that work over a progression and resolve on the final chord. Since ii-V’s occur in countless
standards, having some new material to navigate this common progression will be very
beneficial. Try constructing a line built upon ascending and descending chromaticism, for
example:

Where to go from here

Approaching improvising from this type of mindset opens up new possibilities because the
structure of the line and relationship of the intervals become the focal point rather than the
accompanying chords. The above examples are only a glimpse of what is possible when you
incorporate close chromatic structures into your lines. Just keep watching that clip of Miles to
see what’s possible. Here are a few things to think about and to look into to expand your
technique and knowledge of chromatic concepts:

 Continue the chromatic exercises in 4 directions for all intervals

 Work out short phrases or licks and move them up and down chromatically in sequence
 Check out Dave Liebman’s book A Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody
 Look up George Garzone’s DVD based upon his Triadic Chromatic Approach
 Also, Jerry Bergonzi‘s book  Thesaurus of Intervallic Melodies is very extensive and useful

Basic Bebop Reharmonization

If you took a quick survey and asked a few people to describe the components of bebop, you
might come up with some answers like: “fast tempos, lots of notes, Charlie Parker, Dizzy
Gillespie, b9’s, b5’s, altered dominants, diminished scales.”

While all of these are true of the music, one of the most overlooked, but surprisingly simple
devices of bebop is that of super-imposing chords over existing changes.

Aside from the essential rhythmic and melodic characteristics of the music, the practice of
reharmonizing common chord changes, whether implied melodically by the soloist or explicitly
stated harmonically by the rhythm section, was crucial to the innovations of bebop.

Dizzy Gillespie talks about this concept in his book with Al Fraser, To Be, or Not…To Bop:

We found out what the composers were doing by analyzing these tunes, and then added substitute
chords to songs like “Night and Day,” “How High the Moon,” “Lover,” “What is this Thing
Called Love,” and “Whispering.” When we borrowed from a standard, we added and substituted
so many chords that most people didn’t know what song we really were playing. “How High the
Moon” became “Ornithology” and “What is this Thing Called Love” became “Hot House.” …
That was our thing in bebop, putting in substitutions. (p.207)

Many of the reharmonization techniques of the musicians of the 1940’s centered around super-
imposing or substituting progressions, most commonly through the use of ii-V7’s, over the
existing progressions of traditional standards. These traditional pop-tunes were predominantly
composed of basic harmonies: Major chords (triads), minor chords, & V7 chords, and contained
simple chord progressions that had little harmonic motion.

The progression below is an example of a static V7 chord commonly found in these traditional
tunes:

Instead of playing over a static V7 sound for two bars, bebop musicians would play a ii-7 chord
for one bar and the V7 for the second bar:
Or, the original V7 chord could be replaced with its tri-tone substitution:

Reharmonizing standards

Many standards that we play today are reharmonizations of traditional songs and show tunes.
Musicians have substituted chords and created new melodies over these same group of tunes for
years. As different aspects of harmony have been explored through time, different
reharmonization techniques have been used.

Understanding the fundamentals of reharmonizing standard chords, as was common in bebop, is

crucial to creating long, flowing lines and improvising in a modern style. The harmonic
breakthroughs in jazz are built upon the harmonic knowledge of the previous generation of
musicians. To truly understand this music, you must study this evolution of harmony and
innovation.

Replacing V7 with ii-V7

As the above example shows, it’s a simple, but important concept to substitute a ii-V7 for a plain
old V7 chord (E7 —> B-7 E7). This concept works equally well whether you’re implying it
through the lines of your solo or actually reharmonizing the chords of a tune. Scores of players
since the bebop era have used this technique effectively over countless harmonies.

The examples below illustrate how bebop musicians utilized this ii-V7 reharmonization over the
popular songs of their day to create new compositions:

Whispering

Whispering, a traditional standard written by John Schonberger in 1920, is composed of mostly

static V7 chords. Take a look at the first 16 bars of the chord progression:
Reharm: Groovin’ High

Dizzy Gillespie based his 1945 tune, Groovin’ High, on the changes to Whispering. He did this
by adding substitute chords to the static V7 chords, thereby creating a progression with more
motion. Below are the first 16 bars of Groovin’ High:

Instead of staying on the V7 chords for two bars, he simply puts a ii-7 chord in the first bar and
resolves to the V7 chord in the second bar. For example the | D7 | D7 | in mm. 3-4 becomes | A-7
| D7  |. The same technique is used in mm. 7-8 and in mm. 11-12, | V7 | V7 | becomes | ii-7 | V7 |.

(Back Home Again in) Indiana

Written in 1917, Indiana was a very prominent pop-tune and was played frequently by Louis
Armstrong. The changes for the first 16 bars are shown below. Like many traditional tunes,
notice the use of predominantly I and V7 chords and the two bar stretches of dominant chords:

Reharm: Donna Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAjr-J-T6g

Donna Lee is known for its intricate melody and fast tempo, but its method of reharmonization is
surprisingly simple. Once again the bebop technique of replacing static V7 chords with ii-V’s is
employed:

 
At the key points in the tune where a V7 chord is resolved to the I chord, a ii-V7 is inserted. This
substitution technique works equally well, whether you are implying a ii-V7 over a two bar V7
chord (mm. 5-6) or a one bar V7 chord (m.8).

The clip below illustrates this evolution from traditional music to bebop perfectly. In it you can
hear Parker playing the head to Indiana and by the last 8 bars of the melody he is mixes it with
the melody to Donna Lee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYWKwjBvR90&feature=channel_video_title

Utilizing descending ii-V7’s

Blues

The 12 bar blues is one the central forms of jazz. The blues has grown from its I-IV-V-I
beginnings to the 12 bar blues we’re familiar with today, and continues to evolve harmonically.
(Refer to this article on Learning the Blues for more on the progressions possible within the
blues.) Every musician and innovator has dealt with the blues in their own unique way and Bird,
Diz, and their peers were no exception.

Reharm: Blues for Alice

Parker reharmonized the blues by super-imposing ii-V’s over static dominant chords. He
achieved this by adding a series of descending ii-V’s, both chromatically and by whole-step, to
the progression to add more harmonic interest. This is commonly referred to as “Bird Blues,”
and can be found in tunes like Blues for Alice, Freight Train, and the first four bars of
Confirmation.

First, take a look at the first 4 bars of a “standard” 12 bar blues progression:

In the first 4 bars of Blues for Alice, Bird uses a sequence of ii-V7’s descending by whole-step:
After the first bar, he inserts a minor ii-V7 starting a half-step below the tonic and continues with
ii-V’7 moving down by whole-step. The goal of both progressions is to resolve at the Bb7 in the
fifth bar, but the reharm gets there in a way that creates more harmonic interest. (This is also the
progression to the first 4 bars of Confirmation.)

Now take a look at the next 4 bars of the blues progression (mm. 5-8):

And compare that to the second 4 bars of a Bird blues:

Again, the goal of both progression is to resolve at the G-7 in the 9th bar, but the way they arrive
at that point is important. Here Bird uses a sequence of ii-V7’s descending by half-step.

Rhythm Changes

The chord progression to Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, or rhythm changes as it’s commonly
referred to, has been one of the most used chord progressions in jazz.  Ever since George played
the progression himself, as he does in the clip above, hundreds of melodies have been written
over these familiar changes.

Reharm: The Eternal Triangle

This tune is from the famous record Sonny Side Up with Diz, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Stitt.
Here, the bridge of rhythm changes is reharmonized using the concept again of descending ii-V’s
over a static V7 chord. Instead of the standard progression of V7’s on the bridge:
 

On the bridge of Eternal Triangle, we have the following progression:

For this reharm, a sequence of descending ii-V7’s is used for the entire 8 bars of the bridge. The
progression starts a half-step above the root and descends by half-step until the final B7.

Tri-Tone substitution

Another important device used by the musicians of the bebop era was the use of tri-tone
substitutions. Frequently, the V7 chord was substituted with a V7 chord a tri-tone away (Db7
instead of G7). This accentuates the b5 and b9 of the dominant chord and creates a descending
bass line in the context of a ii-V7-I: | D-7 Db7 | C |. Below are some examples of tri-tone
substitutions found in The Eternal Triangle and Groovin’ High.

Eternal Triangle Bridge:

Take a look at the last bar of the bridge. The next chord after this bar is Bb, the I chord beginning
the A section. Normally, you would see a V7 or ii-V7 of the tonic, leading back to the I chord:
or

But, in Eternal Triangle the ii-V7 to Bb is substituted with a ii-V7 in E, (F#-7 B7), a tri-tone
away:

Groovin’ High

Another example of tri-tone substitutions used in chord progression reharmonizations is the 9th
bar of Groovin’ High. The chords starting in the 9th bar of the original tune, Whispering, look
like this:

Instead of staying on the I chord (Eb) for two bars and moving to the ii-V7 (F-7 Bb7),  a iii – VI
progression is implied over the static two bars of Eb:

Simple enough, but on top of this he uses a tri-tone substitution for the VI chord and the V7
chord:

The result is a chromatically descending bass line that resolves to the I chord, Eb.

Incorporating this concept

Once you’ve studied this idea of reharmonization, it’s time to start using these devices in your
own solos. The first step of course is to transcribe and develop language over ii-V7s. After
you’ve done this, begin to super-impose this language over V7 chords. Remember, anytime that
you see a static V7 chord you can imply a ii-V7 over the chord, even if it isn’t being played by
the rhythm section.

This is a very important concept and is one of the foundations of modern jazz. To fully grasp this
concept you must study the origins of this sound in bebop and understand how it was used to
reharmonize common progressions. From there you can begin to implement these devices into
your own playing and in-turn, create your own innovations.

Read related articles

 Jazz Contrafacts and Reharmonization: A Creative Approach to

 Building Your Repertoire Part II: 10 Key Tunes
 7 Harmonic Breakthroughs that Completely Changed My Playing
 How to Use ii Vs to Activate Static Progressions
 Stuck on Rhythm Changes? Here Are 4 Coltrane Concepts…
 Two-Five Substitutions in a Flash

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Creativity in its most basic form is simply the act of taking something old and making it new…

Whether you’re a novelist, an architect, an engineer or an improviser, artistic creation stems from
a desire to make something new within the existing confines of your craft. To put a personal
stamp on your art form and to have your voice heard in some way.
For musicians this revolves around our personal interpretation of the fundamentals of music:
sound, melody, rhythm and harmony.

However, creative inspiration doesn’t just appear out of the blue like a bolt of lightning, instead
it slowly reveals itself through the diligent study of previous generations and the mastery of
established skills. Schools of thinking must be studied, styles are to be imitated, and techniques
will need to be ingrained.

“Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”~Albert Einstein

The study of jazz improvisation is a perfect example of the progression of creating the new from
the old. This idea of continual reinvention and self expression is prevalent throughout the history
of this music and you’d be hard pressed to find a lasting piece of music or style that didn’t have a
direct line back to the creative work that came before it.

Take the process of transcribing a solo for instance: starting with the musical language from a
previous generation, learning it slowly and eventually making it your own. An old musical
language ingrained and interpreted into new musical language.

However, this concept of musical reinvention and adaptation isn’t only limited to the practice of
learning solos, creativity can also be applied to the Great American Songbook.

Below we’ll look at two common techniques utilized by the greatest improvisers in expressing
their inner creativity through the popular songbook: the Contrafact and Reharmonization.

Jazz Contrafacts

A contrafact is a new melodic composition written over the chord progression to a preexisting
tune.

For example, Charlie Parker’s tune Ornithology is a contrafact of the standard How High the
Moon – a new melody composed over an existing chord progression.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_WGESXII44

The contrafact stems from a desire to create something new, a creative inclination to take a
different approach within an existing framework.

However, the contrafact is not an exclusively jazz phenomenon, the tradition of taking an
existing song and altering it started in the 16th century. During this time the lyrics for secular
songs were often replaced with religious text. In doing so the harmonic backdrop was preserved
while a more “meaningful” text was applied.

This technique was adopted by and especially suited for the improvising musicians of the 1940’s.
These musicians started exploring and performing a collection of popular tunes that we still play
today.
In informal jam sessions and club dates these pop tunes were used as “proving grounds” for new
musical ideas. Musicians like Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were not dealing with lyrics, but
instead simple pop melodies that they replaced with their own creative inventions.

“I found that by using the higher intervals of a chord as a melody line and backing them with
appropriately related changes, I could play the thing I’d been hearing.”~Charlie Parker

Parker expresses this musical sentiment referring to his experimentation over Ray Noble’s
standard Cherokee. Take a listen to Parker’s contrafact KoKo on Cherokee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-KxxIS5sA

Check out this NPR story on KoKo for a little more insight.

Tunes like Ornithology, Koko and Donna Lee were the natural result of the experimentation and
study of these standards.

It’s important to keep in mind though, that an effective contrafact is not just another blues head
or rhythm changes tune or haphazard melody over a familiar progression. For the greatest
improvisers, the contrafact was a way to explore a new harmonic, melodic, or rhythmic concept
– to instantaneously stick with tradition and move it forward.

Here are a few common jazz contrafacts that you’re probably encountered:

 What is this thing Called Love = Hot House

 How High the Moon = Ornithology
 Indiana = Donna Lee
 Sweet Georgia Brown = Dig
 You Stepped out of a Dream = Chick’s Tune
 Just You, Just Me (Just Us -> Justice)  = Evidence
 Lady Bird = Half Nelson
 All the Things You Are = This is for Albert

Charlie Parker Contrafacts

Charlie Parker is without a doubt one of the most important innovators in American music.

Even today many of his tunes continue to be studied and performed by improvisers around the
world. However the majority of these tunes aren’t free standing through composed musical
pieces, they are contrafacts or “head charts” written on top of blues changes and rhythm changes
and other popular standards.

Bird used the popular standards of his time as a vehicle for his musical vision, a way to bring to
life the musical ideas he was hearing in his head. Coming through the preexisting chord
progressions of these tunes you hear the hallmarks of Parker’s musical style: his rhythmic acuity,
harmonic sophistication, and a linear melodic ease.
Here are some of the contrafacts that Bird wrote over the chord progressions to Rhythm Changes
and Blues:

Rhythm Changes:

            Anthropology

            Celerity

            Chasing the Bird

            Constellation

            Kim

            Moose the Mooch

            An Oscar for Treadwell

            Red Cross

            Shaw Nuff

            Steeplechase

            Thriving from a Riff

Blues:

        Au Privave

        Billie’s Bounce

        Bloomdido

        Cheryl

        Cool Blues

        Laird Baird

        Mohawk

        Now’s the Time

        Parker’s Mood

        Relaxin’ at Camarillo

        Si Si

Lennie Tristano Contrafacts

Another improviser searching for a new sound within the popular repertoire of the 1940’s was
the pianist Lennie Tristano.

Like Bird he took the chord progressions of popular tunes and created new melodies that
incorporated the musical concepts he was working on. Listening to the tunes of both players, the
concept of the contrafact is the same, however you can immediately hear how Tristano’s
melodies reflect one unique musical style and Bird’s another.

Below are some common Tristano contrafacts composed over the chord progressions to some
well known standards:

Ablution    =    All the things you are

April    =    I’ll Remember April

Crosscurrent    =   I Got Rhythm

Lennie-Bird    =    How High the Moon

317 East 32nd    =    Out of Nowhere

Also, check out this informal duo recording of Charlie Parker and Lennie Tristano playing “I
Can’t Believe that You’re in Love with Me” to hear these two styles back to back.

Reharmonization

The second technique of reinventing the standard songbook used by improvisers is

reharmonization – altering a chord or sequence of chords in a song’s progression while retaining
the original melody and structural outline of the tune.
After experimenting with altering the melody through the contrafact, the next logical step is to
actually change the chord progression of a tune – reharmonization. For example, take a look at
the normal 12 bar blues progression and Bird’s reharmonization of the blues:

12 Bar Blues

Bird Blues

Certain chords have been altered or substituted to create a more dense harmonic motion, yet the
overall form of the tune remains the same. You can also check out this article, Basic Bebop
Reharmonization, for more on this concept.

Here are a few common reharmonizations that you’ll probably encounter at some point in your
musical journey:

Blues  =  Blues for Alice

Rhythm Changes = Eternal Triangle

How High the Moon  =  Satellite

Rosetta  =  Yardbird Suite

Coltrane Reharmonizations

“I’ve found you’ve got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light.”~John
Coltrane

In the late fifties John Coltrane began to experiment with reharmonization and the concept of
non-diatonic or chromatic third relationships. Below is an example of this reharmonization
technique he created on a ii-V7-I in the key of C.

In Coltrane’s reharmonization of the standard ii-V7 -I progression shown above, the new key
centers are Ab, E and C. The basic outline is still D-7 to G7 to C, but he doubles the harmonic
motion and introduces new key centers moving by chromatic thirds.

Additionally, related dominant chord (V7) is then placed before each of the key centers to
accentuate its arrival.
Below is a list of tunes that Coltrane tunes and reharmonizations that utilize the above chord
relationship:

 Body and Soul

 But not for Me
 Fifth House  = Hot House
 Countdown = Tune Up
 Spring is Here
 Satellite = How High the Moon
 26-2 = Confirmation

An evolving standard

Perhaps the best way to illustrate the use of contrafacts and reharmonization is to take one
standard and look at how different musicians have played it. Let’s take Cole Porter’s song “What
is this thing called love.”

What is this thing Called Love: Cole Porter, 1930

Here is the Clifford Brown and Max Roach arrangement of What is This Thing Called Love.

a) Hot House: Tadd Dameron, 1945

This melody composed by Tadd Dameron reflects the hallmarks of the bebop movement, a
chromatic melody, rhythmic complexity, and altered chord tones.

b) Subconscious-lee: Lee Konitz, 1949

Lee Konitz studied with Tristano and the influence of the pianist is obvious in his composition.

c) Fifth House: John Coltrane, 1959

Coltrane took the progression to What is This Thing Called Love? and applied his chromatic
third reharmonization.

Below is an excerpt from Coltrane’s notebook showing his reharmonization Fifth House. Here
you can clearly see the chromatic 3rd relationships he’s implying in his solo over the ostinato
bass line in the A section and again the same reharmonization on the bridge.
All four of the above tunes are based on that original Cole Porter chord progression and melody.
With Tadd Dameron’s Hot House and Lee Konitz’s Subconscious-lee you can hear the creative
approach of the contrafact – new melodic content over an existing chord progression.

However in Coltrane’s Fifth House you can immeadiately hear how a reharmonization can
completely change the character of the original tune while retaining the original tune form.

The same process, for instance, could also be done with How High the Moon:

a) Ornithology

b) Lennie – Bird

c) Satellite

How to approach contrafacts and reharmonizations

Improvisors have been playing the same core group of standards for the last sixty or more years.
In that time, a lot of musical innovation has happened and much of it has been applied to the
standard songbook.

Oftentimes when we first get into jazz we listen to the newest albums, the newest artists, and the
newest tunes. We go directly for the hippest stuff (like contrafacts and reharmonizations) and try
to start learning improvisation right then and there. It’s easy to forget that everything new and
creative has a point of origin.

Trying to start your musical education with a reharmonization or a contrafact is like jumping into
a movie trilogy and starting with the third installment. It’s confusing and maddening to keep up
with the story. What’s going on? Who’s that guy? Wait…what?? 

If you skip the background story you’re going to be very confused and discouraged. The same is
true if you jump right to Satellite without understanding or knowing How High the Moon.
Approached like this both tunes easily seem unrelated and completely different.
In reality, the group of standards that musicians often play are more connected and related than
we think. Time and again we encounter the same progressions and types of harmonic movement
in the tunes we’re learning and performing. Over the years as the music evolved so did the
approach to the collection of popular tunes.

To truly understand the evolution of the Great American Songbook you need to start at the
beginning, and this means understanding where your favorite contrafacts and reharmonizations
come from.

Building Your Repertoire Part II: 10 Key Tunes

In a recent post: A Blueprint for Building Your Repertoire, I outlined some ideas to ponder while
creating a repertoire of tunes. Concepts like how to learn, listen to, and how to approach the
Great American songbook as you prepare to build your own repertoire.

However, the real work begins when you get into the practice room and start learning these tunes
one by one. As I mentioned in the previous post, you don’t have to start over every time you
learn a new tune. Many of the songs that are standards are related in some way, whether it’s a
similar harmonic progression, form, or melodic construction.

For this article, I’ll expand on the ideas of form and harmonic construction and their use in the
standard jazz repertoire.

Looking at form

Many jazz standards are written within the same common forms: 12 bar blues, 32 bar AABA,
and 32 bar ABAC. If you understand the construction of these forms and can hear the different
sections, your work at learning all these tunes will be significantly easier.

AABA
One of the most common forms for jazz standards is the 32 bar AABA format, 8 bar A sections
and an 8 bar bridge. An immediately recognizable example of this form is the chord progression
rhythm changes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hx59GG1dl4&feature=BFa&list=PL2584AA0BF2F5692A&index=31

Some other common 32 bar tunes in AABA are: Confirmation, Body and Soul, Easy Living,
Have you Met Miss Jones, I Mean You, Lazy Bird, A Night in Tunisia, Softly as in a Morning
Sunrise, Take the A Train, etc.

ABAC

The other common form you’ll encounter as you build your repertoire is the 32 bar ABAC form,
8 bar sections once again, but here the second B is slightly altered making it a C. A good
example of this form is the tune There Will Never Be Another You:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkncqiIRmtM&feature=related

Some other 32 bar tunes in ABAC are: Airegin, But Not for Me, Ceora, Days of Wine and Roses,
Four, If I Were a Bell, Just Friends, Like Someone in Love

Looking at harmonic progressions

ii-V7’s and turnarounds (iii-VI-ii-V7)

In every standard that you’ll encounter, with rare exceptions, there will always be a ii-V7 or
turnaround at some point in the chord progression. If you’re able to immediately recognize this
progression, whether it’s in the tonic key or another key, you’ll be able to figure out the
progressions to countless standards and retain them much faster.

Tunes beginning on unusual chords

Another aspect of harmonic progressions that will help you to quickly build a repertoire, is to
look at the first chord of the tune. Many standards begin on the I chord or a ii-V7 in the tonic, but
some do not and it’s worth knowing what those are.

A few tunes in the standard jazz repertoire begin on chords that are unrelated to the I chord or
even begin in a completely unrelated key. For example, take Stella by Starlight. This tune begins
on the #iv chord, E-7b5, while the tune is in the key of Bb. Knowing and hearing that Stella
begins this way, as well as other tunes that don’t begin on the root, will be a great advantage.

Some other tunes that begin on unusual chords as well are: All the Things You Are (begins on the
minor vi chord), Caravan (begins on the V7b9 chord), Just Friends (begins on the IV chord),
Night and Day (begins on b VI the chord), What is this Thing Called Love (begins on the half-
dim.V chord), etc.

Reharmonizations
The final aspect of looking at harmonic progressions, is to know which standards are
reharmonizations and to know the original tune that these reharms came from. One of the devices
musicians during the 1940’s (Parker, Diz, Bud Powell, Art Tatum, Monk, etc.) used to create
new harmonies, was to reharmonize the popular standards of the day with the concepts that they
were developing.

Charlie Parker is famously quoted about his revelation over the tune Cherokee in Nat Hentoff

and Nat Shapiro’s book, Hear Me Talkin’ to Ya:

I’d been getting bored with the stereotyped changes [harmonies] that were being used all the
time. … I found that by using the higher intervals of a chord as a melody line and backing them
with appropriately related changes I could play the thing I’d been hearing. I came alive.

Much of the bebop language was built upon existing forms and harmonic progressions. Knowing
where this language came from and how these concepts were built are essential. By studying the
original forms and tunes that these reharmonizations were derived from, it will become much
easier to understand and add these tunes to your arsenal.

10 Key Tunes

By studying and memorizing ten key tunes you can cover the majority of the progressions and
forms you’ll encounter in every other tune. If you truly learn these key standards, aurally and
mentally ingraining the harmonic progression and form of each tune, every other tune you go to
learn will be much easier. In turn, making that huge list of tunes seem much smaller.

Ultimately, you can get great benefit from learning any standard correctly and, since many of
these tunes are related, there is overlap from tune to tune. This list of ten tunes, consists of tunes
that are the most prominent and beneficial to creating a versatile repertoire.

Blues

The 12 bar blues is one of the most standard forms in jazz. If you learn the blues in all keys,
you’ll cover V7 sounds, ii-V’s, and minor ii-V7s in every key. Plus the blues is the perfect
platform to develop a melodic idea throughout a simple progression.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udL8L_XztNU
Charlie Parker reharmonized the blues by developing a way of inserting ii-V’s into the 12 bar
blues progression to create more harmonic interest. Throughout the first eight bars, he utilizes ii-
V7’s descending in whole-steps and then half-steps. This is commonly referred to as a “Bird
Blues,” and can be found in tunes like Blues for Alice, Freight Train, and even the descending ii-
V’s in the first four bars of Confirmation.

Ryhthm Changes

Just like the blues, knowing rhythm changes inside and out in all keys is essential for any serious
improviser. Being able to creatively navigate the I-VI7-ii-V7 progression throughout the 32 bars
of rhythm changes takes some work, but the payoff is tremendous because this progression is
present in nearly every standard. Also, the progression on the bridge of V7 chords moving
around the cycle of fourths (in the key of C: E7-A7-D7-G7) is extremely useful to know and
invites the possibility of reharmonization, such as the substitutions found in The Eternal
Triangle.

Cherokee

This 64 bar AABA tune by Ray Noble was a standard when Parker began experimenting with
substitutions over the changes and continues to survive to the jam sessions of today. The difficult
part of this tune lies in it’s tempo and in navigating the descending ii-V’s on the bridge which
begin a half-step above the tonic key.

All the Things You Are

A tune that every improviser should know and one that take significant work and study to create
original and interesting ideas over. The first chord begins on the vi chord which takes some
getting used to. Also, by learning this standard, you’ll be covering ii-V’s in five keys.

How High the Moon

This tune has a very useful progression in the first four bars: going from the Major I chord to the
parallel minor i chord, and again in the next four: Major bVII chord to a parallel minor bvii
chord. This concept is also used in tunes like On Green Dolphin St., I’ll Remember April, and
even going from the I7 to the IV7 chord in a blues progression. This standard is also the basis for
Bird’s reharm Ornithology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OvoRjrY32U&feature=fvst

 
Stella by Starlight

Often viewed as a beginning tune for improvisers, Stella has some uncommon progressions that
are anything but easy. One tricky aspect is that the tune begins on the #iv chord, (E-7b5 in the
key of Bb). It’s somewhat confusing when you don’t start a tune on the I chord, so starting on the
#iv will take some dedicated mental and aural work to get it down. Stella is also a great work out
for minor ii-V’s: the opening measure is a minor ii-V and the last 8 bars have a series of minor ii-
V’s descending by whole-step.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h6cEVW0Bqg

Indiana

This traditional tune is probably not familiar to a lot of people, but everyone has surely heard of
it’s bebop incarnation: Donna Lee. Before learning Donna Lee, check out Back Home Again in
Indiana and the progression will be much clearer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px2vtKa-O3c&feature=related

Whispering

Like the tune Indiana, Whispering is another traditional tune that is more recognized for it’s
reharmonization by Dizzy Gillespie: Groovin’ High. In the first four bars, the progression moves
from the I chord to the VII7 chord, which is not encountered all that often. Getting this tune
down is a great preliminary step to learning Groovin’ High.

Lover

Lover is a great work-out for a progression that descends chromatically. The original moves root
wise down by half-step and the bebop reharmonization moves down chromatically with ii-V7’s.
By learning this tune you’ll nearly cover ii-V in every key and

Sweet Georgia Brown

This standard, 64 bars long, focuses on going around the cycle with V7 chords. Starting on the
dominant VI chord, it moves around the cycle until reaching the tonic. The tough part here is the
tempo and having language over V7 chords for extended periods of time. Some other melodies
written over the changes to Sweet Georgia Brown are Mile’s Dig, Clifford Brown’s Sweet
Clifford, and Kenny Dorham’s Windmill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdhBASkVENo

Start with one

Learning standards, just like transcribing solos, is difficult and slow at first, but once you get past
your first one, things get easier every time. Many times we try to tackle difficult tunes or too
many tunes at once before we have the basics down. Start with the blues and simpler tunes and
build your repertoire from there one standard at a time.

These ten standards are just the beginning to building a solid repertoire of tunes. The list above
doesn’t cover every harmonic progression that you’ll encounter, but will give you a solid
foundation to navigate the majority of tunes out there.

Remember that your method of learning is key here for internalization and advancement. Listen
to it -> Sing it -> Play it. By following this simple process, anything that you are learning will
be automatically ingrained. As you study and memorize these ten tunes and develop an in-depth
knowledge of form and harmony, you’ll have a great foundation for building your jazz
repertoire.

Stuck on Rhythm Changes? Here Are 4 Coltrane Concepts That’ll Set You Free
By Eric <="">

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Every improviser has to face it at some point…

We’re talking about those 32 bars of music that you know as Rhythm Changes.

Sure it’s easy enough to sing the melody…

And you’ve heard all the recordings of famous musicians playing circles around this familiar
chord progression.

But when it comes improvising your own solos it can be tough.

A single scale doesn’t work and the chords are changing too quickly to think about music theory
or those fancy lines you’ve memorized.

To sound great on this tune you need something else…

Time to learn from an expert

So what are you going to do?

You can look in books for patterns. You can think about music theory. You can even try to fake
it with a few scales.

But that’s not music…at least not the kind you would pay to hear at a concert.
To start playing the way you envision, you need to get answers from someone that knows what
they’re doing. And that means searching for the best recordings and learning why those players
sound great.

When you transcribe the solo of a master musician and figure out why it works it’s like having a
mentor tap you on the shoulder to say, “Hey, instead of that stuff you’ve been playing, try
playing it like this!”

Let’s take a listen to John Coltrane’s solo on Oleo from the album Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis
Quintet:

Sounds great, right? Now what you can learn from this solo that will change your own playing?

Today we’re going to break down four key concepts from Coltrane’s solo to find out why it
sounds great. Along the way we’ll give you some essential practice exercises to develop these
techniques in your own solos.

Let’s get started…

I) Improvising over I-VI-ii-V’s

The first step to improvising over Rhythm Changes is learning how to play over a single chord
progression… I – VI – ii – V7.

This chord progression might not look that important at first glance, yet it’s in nearly every
standard that you’re going to play.

From Rhythm Changes to the blues to the turnarounds in countless standards this is a progression
that you need to master.

In the key of Bb, I-VI-ii-V7 looks like this:

Audio Player
http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/I-Got-Rhythm-Changes-in-Bb-Copy.m4a

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So how are you going to sound good on this progression? Well, like any musical obstacle, find a
player that sounds great and find out why their lines work.

And this is where that Coltrane solo comes in handy.

When you listen to the solo you probably thought it sounded great, but maybe too complex.
However, if you listen more closely you’ll find that he is using the same musical devices over
and over again.

Here are 3 ways that Coltrane plays over these chords using the same melodic and harmonic
concepts:

Notice how Coltrane uses the same devices in all 3 lines:

 Enclosure on the C
 F Bebop scale leading to the F7
  Melodically changing direction to add interest

Listen to the 2nd line and note how he encloses the C and uses an F Bebop scale to reach the F.

Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy9.m4a

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1. Play the roots of the I-VI-ii-V progression in all 12 keys

2. Play the triad of each chord in every key (ex. Bb triad, G triad, C minor triad, F triad)
3. Pick one of the 3 Coltrane lines from above and memorize it in key of Bb. Start with the
metronome at quarter = 60-70 and gradually increase the tempo until you can play it along
with the recording.
4. Now learn that line in every key, starting with Bb and moving either up or down by half-step.

II) Tritone Substitution

One method that Coltrane uses to add some harmonic interest to his lines is the tritone
substitution.

Simply substituting the V7 chord in a progression with a chord a tritone away. For example, in a
ii-V7 – I in the key of Bb,  the F7 chord would be substituted with a B7:

You’ve probably heard of bebop players using tritone substitutions as a reharmonization

technique, but the technique of substituting chords, especially implied melodically, is something
that all great players do.

Check out how Coltrane uses this technique in his solo on Oleo:

Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy3.m4a

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Instead of following the standard chord progression, he substitutes a Db7 for G7 and a B7 for F7.

Take another listen to those tritone subs (this time at a slower speed):

Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy2-1.m4a

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Note how this substituted progression creates a descending chromatic root movement from Db7
to C to B7 to Bb.

Coltrane utilizes this half-step movement in his solo in the line below. Essentially thinking of
three major triads in a row – Db, C, and B which resolve to Bb in the next

measure. 

Audio Player
http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy4.m4a

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1. Visualize the tritone sub chord for each V7 chord in every key, for example G7 >> Db7
2. Now visualize the tritone substitution within a ii-V7-I progression in all 12 keys
3. Your ability to use these sounds in your solo depends on how fast you can see them in your
mind so make sure you spend time visualizing each key!
4. Take one of the Coltrane tritone sub ideas and practice it in every key

III) ii-V’s on the Bridge

The next challenge of improvising over rhythm changes is the bridge…

Eight bars of V7 chords moving around the cycle of fourths that come back every chorus. What
exactly are you supposed to play over these chords??
This question stumps many improvisers. A sequence of dominant chords that lead right into
other dominant chords. Do you just cut and paste scales?

Not if you want to sound musical.

Let’s check out what Coltrane plays the first time through the bridge:

Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy5.m4a

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The reason that this line sounds good is that he’s playing musical language, not scales. And the
reason his lines have forward motion is that he’s thinking of ii-V’s…

Over each two bar Dominant 7 chord he is implying a ii-V7 instead a static dominant chord. For
example, over the G7 chord he plays D minor to G7:
Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy5.m4a

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1. The concept can of playing ii-V7 instead of just V7 can be applied to any V7 chord that you
encounter. Begin by visualizing the related ii chord for every V7 sound (ex. G7 >> D-)
2. Take the bridge to Rhythm Changes in Bb and visualize a ii-V7 over every 2 bar V7 chord.
3. Do this in every key.
4. Now take a ii-V7 line that you know and apply it to the bridge of Rhythm Changes.

IV) Implying minor and major over V7

Another way that Coltrane approaches these static dominant chords on the bridge is from the b7
scale degree.
For instance a C Major sound over a D7 chord.

Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy6.m4a

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Practice approaching V7 chords from the b7 scale degree. You can start with arpeggios or other
major language that you’ve developed.

(This is the same concept that Fats Navarro’s played over the bridge to Rhythm Changes that we
looked at in this post!)

Audio Player

http://www.jazzadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Miles-Davis-Oleo-Copy8.m4a

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1. Practice visualizing the related ii chord for every V7 chord in all 12 keys (ex. D7 >> A-)
2. Visualize a major arpeggio from the b7 of a dominant chord in every key (ex. G7 >> F-A-C-E)
3. Practice applying minor language that you know over related V7 chords in your solos
4. Play a major 7 arpeggio from the b7 of every V7 chord.

Now it’s your turn

With these four Coltrane concepts you’ll have more than enough material to head into the
practice room.

And if you put these ideas to work in your playing you’ll begin to see Rhythm Changes in a new
light.

However, practicing these concepts is only the first step…

Remember, knowing the theory behind each of these concepts isn’t enough. You need language
to make them musical.

Start by getting inspired with the melodies that Coltrane played and then find new ways to create
your own!