Common key change movements in jazz

[Slave_New_Wurld]

I'm talking slow jazz here. I'm just after some fresh ideas for effective key changes.

 

Some examples:

 

Gm7 C7 Bbm7 Eb7 Fmaj7

 

Dmaj7 C#m7b5 F#7 Bm7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7

 

Any effective key changes you particularly like to use?

[joenovice]

I dont think of those as key changes but chord changes.

 

Check out FALL by W. Shorter

 

C#min, B13, E7sus7, Cmin, etc.

 

 

or Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum by Shorter

 

Eb7#11, D7#9, Gmin, Abmin, Bmaj7#11, etc.....

[gennation]

Some of the magic of ii-V's and ii-V-I's lie in using them you change keys.

 

First of all you can play almost any combination of ii-V's move to any key and it'll all sound pretty cohesive.

 

Like try:

 

|| Am7 D7 | Cm7 F7 | Bm7 E7 | F#m7 B7 | etc...etc...

 

I'm pulling these off the top of my head, but you can see that even if you keep grabbing more at random the pretty much fit.

 

Now try this with key changes...

 

let's say we have a song we are in the key of C and we want to change to the key of...F#.

 

Play a C chord or any progression in C...just before the point you'd like to change to the new key...play the ii-V of the new key, F#, then land on your new key...

 

So, you play G#m7 then C#7 then F#.

 

I'm pulling this off the top of my head...

 

| Am Dm | F G#m7 C#7| F# |

 

You can see the chords in the key of C, then moving to the ii-V of the new key, F#, plants you right into the new key.

 

I don't know how this sounds moving from F to G#m7, but I know for a fact that even if there is confusion for a second that the ii-V of the key will land you nicely into the I.

[Slave_New_Wurld]

Originally posted by gennation Play a C chord or any progression in C...just before the point you'd like to change to the new key...play the ii-V of the new key, F#, then land on your new key...

 

Actually this is a method I use an awful lot, and thought was a BAD habit - but you've reassured me that it's just a natural way to shift into another key - thanks

[Slave_New_Wurld]

Originally posted by joenovice I dont think of those as key changes but chord changes.

 

Eh? There were key changes in those progressions weren't there or am I going loopy here?

 

 

Originally posted by joenovice Check out FALL by W. Shorter C#min, B13, E7sus7, Cmin, etc. or Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum by Shorter Eb7#11, D7#9, Gmin, Abmin, Bmaj7#11, etc.....

 

Excellent examples, just what I was after.

[joenovice]

 

Originally posted by Slave_New_Wurld Some examples: Gm7 C7 Bbm7 Eb7 Fmaj7 Dmaj7 C#m7b5 F#7 Bm7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7 Any effective key changes you particularly like to use?

 

 

The second one is a change of key. Start out in D and change to G. The (C#m7b5 F#7 Bm) could be called key Bmin but that's the same as D major in my book.

 

The first one is no key change. The Bbm Eb7 function as substitution chords. That is, they still have function in the key of F even though they are non-diatonic. Bbm is the borrowed-IV chord and Eb7 is called a "back-door dominate."

 

They also function together as ii-V but they do not resolve naturally and remain in the key of F.

[joenovice]

 

Originally posted by Slave_New_Wurld Excellent examples, just what I was after.

 

 

 

These are some great changes! I picked them out because they are not "key based" changes. They tend to relate more to voice-leading.

 

I think that is the biggest component of jazz that goes understudied at first.

 

 

Voice-leading makes great changes and better solos.