Piano Blog

You can approach the creation of a jazz piano lick over a 7-3-6 or minor 2-5-1 chord progression just as you would for a 2-5-1 lick in a major key. You can use

• • chord tones
  • arpeggios
  • triplets
  • a line that moves up and down
  • approaches to chord tones.

  Here is an example for a lick using these elements that you can use whenever you come across a minor 2-5-1.

  

  • • The first bar consists of notes that are just moving up and down the F major (or D minor) scale, starting on the flatted fifth of the Em7b5 chord, Bb.

    

    The F major scale

    

    • • The last Ab is an approach to the following A, which is the beginning of an arpeggiated A minor 7 chord. The line then moves down again diatonically. The bar ends with another approach.
      • This time it moves to the root D of the following Dm7 chord. What follows is a small rhythmical motive with two eighth notes followed by one quarter note, moving down the diatonic scale again. The lick ends on D.

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