Tag: II-V-I

Piano day (1h 20m)

  • Harmonising Lydian scale with 7th chords — 30m
    • All keys starting on C around the cycle of 4ths
  • ii — V — I’s in major keys in shell voicings through the full cycle of 4th  (Dan Haerle, skill 40, both pages at 80bpm) — 30m
  • Minor to dominant cycle progressions (two skills recap from Dan Haerle book) — 20m

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Harmonising Lydian scale with 7th chords — 40m
    • All keys starting on F around the circle of 5ths (pattern: I▵7 — II7, I▵7 — iii7, I▵7 — #ivº7, etc.) at 70bpm
    • All keys starting on C around the cycle of 4ths (same pattern, same speed)
  • ii — V — I’s in major keys in shell voicings through the full cycle of 4th  (Dan Haerle, skills 40 both pages) — 30m
  • Shell voicings recap (3-6-9 major, 3-6-9 minor, 3-7-9 major and minor) at 100bpm without stopping around the cycle (skills 7-9 from Haerle book)

Observations

That’s pretty cool! I didn’t realise that I’ve actually got better at playing rootless chords in the right hand. When I first started Dan Haerle’s “Jazz Piano Voicing Skills”, it was really uncomfortable to play voicings like 7-3-5 or 3-6-9 or 4-6-9 because I was so used to block chords, but after intentionally switching to some heavy stuff (like polychordal progressions and ii — V — I’s in different keys) from the same book where author kind of assumed that you’re already familiar with voicings, I sort of internalised them along the way, although it felt really tough. Bottom line: playing hard stuff that assumes that you’ve already got the basics actually helps to solidify them basics 😄).

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • ii — V — I’s in major keys in shell voicings (7-3-5 — 3-7-9 — 7-3-5) through the cycle of 4th  (Dan Haerle, skill 40) — 45m
    • With click at 80bpm quarters
  • Blues pentatonic scale + soloing — 45m
    • 12-bar blues in LH (7th chords), scale runs & patterns in RH — C-, F-, A#-, D#-, G#-, C#-
    • Just scale with both hands — C- — D#-

Bass day (1h 30m)

Skipped one piano day because of the production deadline (I played piano during the process anyway, so there’s an excuse, lol)

  • Chord tones (Phil Mann) — 1m
    • Major, minor and diminished triads in all inversions around the cycle of 4ths (gradually increasing tempo with each pass)
    • Augmented triads in root inversion around the cycle
  • Walking bass lines (Scott Devine) — 30m
    • Recap ii — V — I lines in G-
    • ii — V — I shapes over Autumn Leaves in Eb-

Observations

Tempted to hang out in the “new comfort zone” — right outside the old one — need to move on to the next course!

Bass day (1h 40m)

  • Chord tones (Phil Mann) — 1h
    • Major triads in all inversions through the cycle (44bpm calling the notes / 80bpm silently)
    • Minor triads in all inversions through the cycle (same)
    • Diminished triads: in root inversion (74bpm), in 1st and 2nd (without click)
  • Break
  • Walking bass lines (Scott Devine) — 40m
    • Bossa & Samba over Autumn Leaves in G-
    • Recap ii — V — I lines in G-, apply to Autumn Leaves in G-
    • R — 3 — P5 + chromatics + some ii — V — I patterns over new track (All Of Me by Gerald Marks)

Observations

ii — V — I patterns do really work! (Even when played not exactly over ii — V — I progression, they still do because of the very stable sound of it — well, assuming you’re not playing them to some crazy modulation). Also, talking about cycle of 4ths, here’s the Normal Human Version™ of it for diminished arpeggios practice (if you, like me, try to avoid double flats and weird things like Cb or Fb):

Cº | Fº | A#º | D#º | G#º | C#º | F#º | Bº | Eº | Aº | Dº | Gº

For minor I do play Bb- and Eb-, but that’s it for flat keys. Sorry Mr Wooten!