Master “Minor” Rhythm Changes
As you most likely know, back in 1930 George Gershwin wrote “I Got Rhythm” based on the major I-VI-II-V progression which is the basis for hundreds of standards, as well as the initial portion of what jazz musicians refer to as…. “Rhythm Changes”.
Today this progression and its variations is widely regarded as essential for any aspiring jazz musician wanting to achieve proficiency in both comping and improvising. Having said that…. did you know that the I-VI-II-V also exists in minor and is prominently featured in a great number of minor-key standards?
I’ve got news for you! Developing mastery over a minor I-VI-II-V is equally as important as doing so over its major counterpart! Therefore in my newly posted lesson, I get you started on a learning journey using 18 Minor Standards that start off with this progression!
I also show you how you can recycle some Charlie Parker “rhythm changes” phrases to use over these minor standards. Finally, you get to learn some useful chord voicings organized over this progression.
PDF & AUDIO DOWNLOAD:
The “Master Rhythm Changes Minor” lesson files, can be downloaded for $10.50. The download includes the following files: PDFs with 10 Charlie Parker phrases converted to minor in regular notation with TAB, the “18 Standards” examples, and several Chord-Scale mapping studies for the minor I-VI-II-V progression. Also MP3s of all the examples, as well as Band in a Box and Midi files!
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Richie,
This is some really amazing and really extensive material.
About thirty years ago, when my wife and I still lived in Santa Cruz, California, I took a couple of jazz guitar lessons from a local musician, who worked at that time in a local music store. I do not remember his name or exactly what he taught me, but I do remember that he showed me some really great-sounding substitute chords for Rhythm Changes. I wish that I still had the notes that I took from his lessons, but my wife and I soon moved to a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills in California, where we lived for 16 years, and I continued to work remotely for a Santa Cruz company as a computer programmer / analyst. In 2021, my wife and I moved to Grover Beach, California, which is on the coast quite a few miles south of Santa Cruz. The notes that I took regarding my lessons with the Santa Cruz guitarist got lost during one of the two moves that my wife and I made during the last thirty years. Nevertheless, some of the material in your latest lesson seems to ring a bell.
During the 16 years when my wife and I lived in the Sierra Nevada foothills, I often played music with my chiropractor. He was a sax player, and he also played piano. We practiced as a duo for a few years, and we also went once each week for a year or two to Davis, California to play in a beginner’s jazz band that was associated with the University of California at Davis. In 2011, I began a seven-year-long once-per-week gig with a group that played in the bar and restaurant downstairs in the hotel that was at that that time still called the Imperial in the small town of Amador City, California. We played for three or four hours every Wednesday evening during happy hours, and many, if not most, of the tunes that we played were swing jazz tunes. We also played most weekends at farmer’s markets, wineries, and private parties. Yes, I believe that we played Rhythm Changes.
I am currently involved in a return visit to your Bebop course. I started this course a few years ago, but at that time I simply was not playing enough guitar to do the necessary daily practice routine. I will let you know how I am doing with Bebop. Given that I am studying your Bebop course, I will probably will not have enough time to do much with your new chord melody course when it comes out, but I will certainly buy the books and take a look. I also will continue to work with the system of chords that you suggest. I assume that “Polyphonic Jazz Guitar” indicates the simultaneous multiple musical lines that occur during well-resolving chord melody presentations.
Thank you.
Regards,
Duncan
duncanherring@volcano.net
Thanks Duncan, glad it was helpful! The essence of Rhythm Changes (I-VI-II-V), whether major or minor, is in over 50% of the standards we play. Sometimes it’s not evident right away because there are so many substitutions for these changes! The Polyphonic Jazz Guitar series will demonstrate this in detail. For now enjoy the BGIS!