Minor II V I progression - tips to add to your Jazz Vocabulary

The minor II V I progression is difficult because we are not used to finding things to play over m7b5 chords and dom7th chords from the harmonic minor scale. In this video I will go over some ideas that I use when improvising over minor II V I cadences.

All the examples are using a II V I in the key of D minor, so Em7b5 A7(b13) Dm6/9.

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[JensLarsen]

What's your favourite approach for soloing over a minor II V I?

[ruh]

I am obsessed with the first 5 -6 seconds of all your videos. You are a true jazz master.

[joehernandez]

Thanks Jens. This really helped. It made me go back and review and see the upper structure triads in the Em7b5(F major) to help start the lines.

[whiskyngeets]

Love your videos. Cheers from Atlanta, Ga!

[stevenmartinellimusic]

It's 12:27am in Washington State! Everyone is asleep but me! thankd goodness for you!

[estook]

Jens, this was really a great lesson. For me, your playing is quite angular in general (when you are not doing more chromatic bebop lines), but it works so well on minor resolutions.

[omcho]

Great lesson Jens, as always! If i may add, regarding Bbminmaj chord, I kind of see it more as an full altered choice (so basically going Bb melodic minor/altered scale in a whole), than "staying" in harmonic minor scale/mindset. In this case, you play only tones of arpeggio, so it makes no difference basically :), I'm just thinking out loud here. This is probably connected with problem you descibed in one of your videos, I basically can't visualize/concept altered chord in full sense, so I always see altered chord as minmaj from melodic minor scale, that is why Bb minmaj in altered way automatically for me... Have a great year friend!

[TheJamieAbraham]

Brilliant Video Jens, many thanks. I'm transcribing Minor II-V-I's from horn players at the moment. Chet Baker plays a beautiful line in his version of Autumn Leaves which I'm sure you must have heard many times. By the way, I'd love it if you could do a Video on your Guitars :)

[simonband]

Thanks for the cool video! I have a Videorequest if you didnt allready answer that question in another video: How can you use augmented chord arpeggios like for example an F7#5 over Bluesy progressions? Somebody played it and it sounded really cool, but i didnt understand the theoretical background of the playing! Thanks and keep on the good work!

[alwayzblues]

Hi Jens, , great lesson
Quick question for beginners like me. How about just using 2 scales for the minor 251?
i.e. in the key of C use C Melodic minor for the Cm6 and EbMaj for Dm7b5 and G7b9b13. EbMaj has the note C in it that gives a sus sound to the 5. Your thoughts?

[milaortiz]

The aug triad over the b6 grade of the altered scale :)

[eternalrainbow-cjiu]

Airegin, okay impressive...This Tune will make shure if ones playing able to play jazz, I would be very interested to hear you play this song...in total...also when guitarist play without the bess player, what is most interesting to hear is melodie's on them selves, but still with a piano player it is nice to be able to hear all the olours and super imposed ideas of the soloists...Both is Okay, but maybe the most difficult will be without a Piano or chord player...When we talk about solo guitar, I would like to listen to Olaf Tarenskeen, and Ted green...Also very imoressive and very beatiful...if you want to know what I liketo play about minor changes...FmDb7(instead of Gm7b5) C7Fm-F7. I just was working those two weeks on airegin, and recorded something in 16th: 1C(high) 2(low)C 3Bb 4C 5- 6 7B(high) 8(low)C 9Bb10C11(high)Bb12(low)C(so illusory bar is the Fm