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Jazz 12 Bar


Jeff1979

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My old Jazz teacher once wrote me out a Jazz 12 bar blues type thing once and ill be dammed if i can find it anywhere...

 

Do any of you guys know the sort of thing im talking about?? Sorry if its a bit vague.

It had a ton of passing chords but all neatly crammed into a 12 bar format

 

 

Jeff

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Well, there's many variations. Here's a few, from simple to complicated (all in key of F, the most common jazz blues key). Mix and match.;)

|F7 - - - | - - - - | - - - - |Cm7 - F7 -|
|Bb7 - - - |- - - - |F - - - |F7 - D7 - |
|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |F - Dm7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|

|F7 - - - |Bb7 - - - | F - - - |Cm7 - F7 -|
|Bb7 - - - |Bdim7 - - |F7 - - - |Am7 - D7 - |
|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |F - Dm7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|

|F7 - - - |Bb7 - - - | F - - - |Cm7 - B7 -|
|Bb7 - - - |Bdim7 - - - |F7 - - - |Eb7 - D7 -|
|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |F - Ab7 - |Db7 - Gb7 -|

|F - - - |Em7b5 - A7 - |Dm7 - G7 - |Cm7 - F7 -|
|Bb7 - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |Am7 - D7 - |Abm7 - Db7 - |
|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |Am7 - D7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|

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Well, there's many variations. Here's a few, from simple to complicated (all in key of F, the most common jazz blues key). Mix and match.
;)

|F7 - - - | - - - - | - - - - |Cm7 - F7 -|

|Bb7 - - - |- - - - |F - - - |F7 - D7 - |

|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |F - Dm7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|


|F7 - - - |Bb7 - - - | F - - - |Cm7 - F7 -|

|Bb7 - - - |Bdim7 - - |F7 - - - |Am7 - D7 - |

|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |F - Dm7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|


|F7 - - - |Bb7 - - - | F - - - |Cm7 - B7 -|

|Bb7 - - - |Bdim7 - - - |F7 - - - |Eb7 - D7 -|

|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |F - Ab7 - |Db7 - Gb7 -|


|F - - - |Em7b5 - A7 - |Dm7 - G7 - |Cm7 - F7 -|

|Bb7 - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |Am7 - D7 - |Abm7 - Db7 - |

|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |Am7 - D7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|



The last one looks along the same lines, lovely stuff, cheers :thu:

Now to be a pain ;) could you tell me whats going on here in the last one :idea:

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The last one looks along the same lines, lovely stuff, cheers
:thu:

Now to be a pain
;)
could you tell me whats going on here in the last one
:idea:

Ah-ha!

This is actually the sequence from Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice", and I think he used it on one or two other blues. AFAIK, often known as Parker changes for that reason.

It can be interpreted a few ways. Generally, it's all either cycles of 5ths, or tritone subs, with some secondary dominants.


|Em7b5 - A7 - | = ii-V of approaching Dm chord. (A7 is secondary dominant of Dm, and Em7b5 is secondary supertonic (ii) of Dm.)

|Dm7 - G7 - | = ii-V of C. (Another secondary ii-V)

|Cm7 - F7 -| = ii-V of Bb. (ditto)

These form a cycle of 5ths altogether (E-A-D-G-C-F-Bb) - this is known as "backcycling" - preceding the Bb with its V, and then working back in 5ths from there. And the cycle actually continues to Eb in the next part:

|Bb7 - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |.
Bbm is a common alteration of the IV chord, but traditionally goes back to I. In this case it becomes the ii of a ii-V, suggesting an approaching Ab. But...

Am7 - D7 - | = ii-V a half-step down from the previous pair.
You could interpret the D7 as a tritone sub for the expected Ab. Or OTOH, you could see the previous Eb7 as a tritone sub for A7, V of the D. (Take your pick ;))

Abm7 - Db7 - | = another half-step descent, obviously on the way to the Gm7-C7 in bars 9-10.
Again, we can think of the tritone sub idea if we want: the previous D7 being tritone of Ab, V of this Db. Or this Db7 as tritone sub of G7, V of approaching C7.
But IMO the chromatic descent is the thing - it's what we hear, and in fact is how cycles of 5ths (in dom7s) work anyway. (Eg, in A7-D7-G7, 3rds drop a half-step to 7ths and vice versa. using Ab7 instead of the D7 simply enhances this movement.)
The half-step-descent/tritone-sub business is obscured or softened by introducing the ii of each V chord. (If the sequence just went Eb7-D7-Db7, bar each, and on to the C7, it would sound quite crude.)

|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - | = ii-V of the key, of course

|Am7 = sub for tonic chord, F(maj7)

- D7 - |Gm7 - C7 -| = turnaround.
Dm7 could be used instead (as in the other sequences) making it a diatonic vi-ii-V. The D7 here is another secondary dominant (V of ii).
Adding the Am7 before makes it iii-vi-ii-V, another cycle of 5ths of course.

Notice that ii-V pairs can descend in either half-steps or whole steps - they work either way.
In the half-step descent, the V of the first pair acts as bII (tritone sub) of the V in the second pair - so the ii of the second pair is an optional addition, rather like a sus4 version of the V, or a delayed resolution. Try this:
|Am7 - D7 - |Db7sus4 - Db7| - very similar to using Abm7.

In the whole step descent, the V of the first pair is simply V of the ii in the second pair.


To test out the tritone sub effect, try using this variation of the sequence, where some subs have been removed (leaving a cycle of 5ths) and others added:

|F - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |Dm7 - Db7 - |F#m7 - B7 -|
|Bb7 - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |Ebm7 - Ab7 - |Abm7 - Db7 - |
|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |Am7 - D7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|

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Ah-ha!


This is actually the sequence from Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice", and I think he used it on one or two other blues. AFAIK, often known as Parker changes for that reason.


It can be interpreted a few ways. Generally, it's all either cycles of 5ths, or tritone subs, with some secondary dominants.



|Em7b5 - A7 - | = ii-V of approaching Dm chord. (A7 is secondary dominant of Dm, and Em7b5 is secondary supertonic (ii) of Dm.)


|Dm7 - G7 - | = ii-V of C. (Another secondary ii-V)


|Cm7 - F7 -| = ii-V of Bb. (ditto)


These form a cycle of 5ths altogether (E-A-D-G-C-F-Bb) - this is known as "backcycling" - preceding the Bb with its V, and then working back in 5ths from there. And the cycle actually continues to Eb in the next part:


|Bb7 - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |.

Bbm is a common alteration of the IV chord, but traditionally goes back to I. In this case it becomes the ii of a ii-V, suggesting an approaching Ab. But...


Am7 - D7 - | = ii-V a half-step down from the previous pair.

You could interpret the D7 as a tritone sub for the expected Ab. Or OTOH, you could see the previous Eb7 as a tritone sub for A7, V of the D. (Take your pick
;)
)


Abm7 - Db7 - | = another half-step descent, obviously on the way to the Gm7-C7 in bars 9-10.

Again, we can think of the tritone sub idea if we want: the previous D7 being tritone of Ab, V of this Db. Or this Db7 as tritone sub of G7, V of approaching C7.

But IMO the chromatic descent is the thing - it's what we hear, and in fact is how cycles of 5ths (in dom7s) work anyway. (Eg, in A7-D7-G7, 3rds drop a half-step to 7ths and vice versa. using Ab7 instead of the D7 simply enhances this movement.)

The half-step-descent/tritone-sub business is obscured or softened by introducing the ii of each V chord. (If the sequence just went Eb7-D7-Db7, bar each, and on to the C7, it would sound quite crude.)


|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - | = ii-V of the key, of course


|Am7 = sub for tonic chord, F(maj7)


- D7 - |Gm7 - C7 -| = turnaround.

Dm7 could be used instead (as in the other sequences) making it a diatonic vi-ii-V. The D7 here is another secondary dominant (V of ii).

Adding the Am7 before makes it iii-vi-ii-V, another cycle of 5ths of course.


Notice that ii-V pairs can descend in either half-steps or whole steps - they work either way.

In the half-step descent, the V of the first pair acts as bII (tritone sub) of the V in the second pair - so the ii of the second pair is an optional addition, rather like a sus4 version of the V, or a delayed resolution. Try this:

|Am7 - D7 - |Db7sus4 - Db7| - very similar to using Abm7.


In the whole step descent, the V of the first pair is simply V of the ii in the second pair.



To test out the tritone sub effect, try using this variation of the sequence, where some subs have been removed (leaving a cycle of 5ths) and others added:


|F - - - |
Bbm7 - Eb7 -
|Dm7 -
Db7
- |
F#m7
-
B7
-|

|Bb7 - - - |Bbm7 - Eb7 - |
Ebm7 - Ab7
- |Abm7 - Db7 - |

|Gm7 - - - |C7 - - - |Am7 - D7 - |Gm7 - C7 -|



Excellent and detailed explanation, Jon. Well done, sir!

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