mikedodge

The dashes in these measures represent beats, the chord gets beat one, and the dashes count out the remaining beats. Some people use slashes instead of dashes when typing out progressions. The dashes and pipe signs look a lot better than the slashes with pipe signs. Plus if you have a 'slash chord" in your progression it throws the whole slash and pipe sign out the window because it gets really messy.

Here's a progression I use to warm up with, it's actually a trimmed down version of Stan Kenton's Minor Riff tune, and using "chard and dash" measure/beat breakout:

4/4 ||: Dm7 - - - | Dm7 - - - | Dm7 - - - | Bbm6 - - - :||

I'm pretty sure Kenton's version is similar to this:

4/4 ||: Dm - - - | Dm7#5 - - - | Dm6 - - - | Bbm6 - - - :||

In that progression those Dm chords are really just Dm with the 5th moving up chromatically each measure until reaching the last Bbm6 chord.

This first progression is a nice progression to practice switching from D Natural Minor to Bb Melodic Minor.

Speaking of 'slash chords'...

I've listed some 'slash chords' below. When you see a 'slash chord' you play the first part as the chord, then you place the second part as a single note below the chord, so as a bass note.

B7/F# has a B7 chord with F# added as a low note, like these two:

E--------7---
B---2----7---
G---2----8---
D---1----7---
A--------9---
E---2-------

D/G has a D chord with G added as a low note, this these:

E-----------------
B---3---3---7----
G---2---2---7----
D---0---4---7----
A-----------10---
E---3---3-------- And you can use either your thumb or 2nd finger for that note on the low E string.

Make sense?

I have a stupid habit of pushing chord progressions...

Here's a simple two chord progression with many things flushed out of it:

It's in 3/4 time...and make sure you repeat it so you get the tensions and resolutions as it progresses...

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Pretty much C# Natural Minor, with A Lydian if you will (one in the same pitch-wise)

Here's some great examples to progress it Diatonically and Cadence wise...

Example 1:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m/E - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7/B - - |

The C#m/E could just be a straight E Major chord if you want, but with just these two bass notes it just sounds fresher (reminds me of Ani Difranco a bit)

Example 2:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m/E - - | C#m/F# - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7/G# - - | Amaj7/B - - |

The C#m7/F# could be a C#7sus11 Quartal chord (C# F# B E or F# B E G#)

Example 3:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m/E - - | F#m7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7/G# - - | B7 - - |

This is still all Diatonic but the B7 at the end gives it a new flavor.

Example 4:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | B7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | G#7 - - |

Now the B7 is a walk down from C#->B->A adding some direction, but the G#7 is our forst non-Diatonic chord, but Cadence wise the G#7 takes us back to the C#m chord by way of a V7-Im Cadence.

Example 5:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Adim7 - - |

The Cdim7 and Adim7 are enharmonic to each other so they can actually be inter-changed with each other and Ebdim7 as well as F#dim7. Try it:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Cdim7 - - | Both using Cdim7

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 - F#dim7 | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Cdim7 - Ebdim7 | Mixing the dim7 chord up on beats 1 and 3.

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 Ebdim7 F#dim7 | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | F#dim7 Ebdim7 Cdim7 | A different dim7 chord for each beat moving in one direction!

The combination are BASICALLY endless!

Example 6:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | E7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | G#7 - - |

This is nothing more than creating a V7-I Cadence for each chord change, a V7-I for E7-Amaj7 and a V7-Im for G#7-C#m

Example 7:

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Emaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | G#m - - |

This again is creating V-I Cadences for each new chord but keeping it ALL Diatonic Emaj7->Amaj7 and G#m->C#m are V-I Cadences within the C# Natural Minor/A Lydian Diatonic structure.


-----------------------------

Play them all in order...


3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m/E - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7/B - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m/E - - | C#m/F# - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7/G# - - | Amaj7/B - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m/E - - | F#m7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | B7 - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | B7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | G#7 - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Adim7 - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Cdim7 - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Cdim7 F#dim7 - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Cdim7 Ebdim7 - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | E7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | G#7 - - |

3/4 ||: C#m - - | C#m - - | C#m - - | Emaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | Amaj7 - - | G#m - - |

Now, interchange between them all and see what you can come up with!!!

Ted Greene progression...play each chord for 4 beats...

4/4 ||: Ebm - - - | EbmMaj/9 - - - | Ebm7 - - - | B - - - | Cm7/11 - - - | F7b5 - - - | Bb/9 - - - | Bb - - - |

Code: Select all

  Ebm   EbmMaj/9  Ebm7 B    Cm7/11   F7b5   Bb/9   Bb
E-----------------2---------1-------------------------------
B--7-----6--------4----4----4---------4-----3-------3-----------
G--8-----3--------3----4----3---------4-----5-------3-----------
D--8-----4-------------4--------------3-----3-------3-----------
A--6-----5--------4---------3---------------------------------
E----------------------2--------------5-----6-------6-------------


The I-vi-ii-V progression using dim7 chords to connect each chord:

||: Fmaj7 C#dim7 | Dm7 F#dim7 | Gm7 Ddim7 | C7 Edim7 |

Or like this too...

||: Fmaj7 Edim7 | Dm7 Adim7 | Gm7 Bdim7 | C7 Gdim7 |

The 'ala Steely Dan" chord move chromatically of maj9->7#9 chords...

Code: Select all

    Emaj9   Eb7#9   Dmaj9   Db7#9   Cmaj9   B7#9
E----------------------------------------------
B---7-------7-------5-------5-------3-------3--
G---8-------6-------6-------4-------4-------2--
D---6-------5-------4-------3-------2-------1--
A---7-------6-------5-------4-------3-------2--
E----------------------------------------------


Here's a tune I wrote and recorded a while that has a sweet swingin' progression:

http://test.mikedodge.com/mvdmusic/miked1/jazzyone.mp3

||: G13 Bb13 | Ebmaj9 D7b9 | G13 Bb13 | Ebmaj9 D7b9 | G13 Bb13 | Ebmaj9 D7b9 | Bm7 Bbm6#5 | Am7 Ab7b5 |

Here's chord forms/voicings I used (I named them based on the bass movement):

Code: Select all

   G13  Bb13  Ebmaj9  D7b9  Bm7  Bbm6#5  Am7  Ab7b5
E--------------------------------------------------
B--5----8-----6-------4-----7----7-------5----3----
G--4----7-----7-------5-----7----6-------5----5----
D--3----6-----5-------4-----7----5-------5----4----
A-------------6-------5----------------------------
E--3----6-------------------7----6-------5----4----


Those last 4 chords also resolve nicely to a straight Gmaj7 chord, actually that's how I ended the song come to think of it.

Here's a twist on the descending chromatic bass line in many Minor tunes (ala Summertime, etc...)

||: Gm Gm/M7 | Gm7 Gm6 | Ebmaj7 Edim7 | D7 :||

Voicing idea:

Code: Select all

  Gm  Gm/M7 Gm7 Gm6 Ebmaj7 Edim7  D7
E-------------------------------------
B--3---3-----3---3---3------2------3--
G--3---3-----3---3---3------3------5--
D--5---4-----3---2---1------2------4--
A-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------


Notice the chromatic descending bass line to start, also that the A note in every chord until the last where it moves a full m3 Interval for the last (D7) chord. Throw any of the four enharmonic dim7 chords over that Edim7 chord and resolve it to the nearest D7 voicing to get the thing really moving at the end.

Here's another variation with a kind of gypsy jazz turnaround.

||: Gm Gm/M7 | Gm7 Gm6 | Ebmaj7 Edim7 | D7 Ebdim7 | D7 Ebdim7 | D7 Ebdim7 | D7 Ebdim7 :||

Think of the last four measure as something similar the vibe in Caravan.

Here's a sample voicing:

Code: Select all

  Gm  Gm/M7 Gm7 Gm6 Ebmaj7 Edim7  D7   Ebdim7
E-----------------------------------------
B--3---3-----3---3---6------8-----7----7--
G--3---3-----3---3---7------6-----5----5--
D--5---4-----3---2---5------8-----7----7--
A--5---5-----5---x---6------7-----5----6--
E--3---3-----3---3----------------------------


What's cool about playing over this is that you can play outside over the entire last four measures!