ii
V I Madness

By
Nick Kellie

The
term ii V I is heard a lot, particularly in the Jazz idiom. However,
the ii V I is seen in all types of music but may not be used as
explicitly. In this month’s lesson I want to really explore
various ways of improvising through this chord progression.

There
are different approaches to improvising, such as – Scalar, Arpeggio,
Linear, Angular etc. It is important as an improviser to develop
as many approaches as possible, so as to have more choices available
to us in the heat of the moment. Learning licks and whole solos
are both great steps to take when trying to become a fluent improviser.

I
first want to clear a few things up. ii V I refers to the roman
numerals of the root movement in the chord progression. For Example
in the key of C Major, “I” is C, “ii”
is Dm, “iii” is Em etc.
You must also pay attention to the case that the roman numerals
are written in. For example an upper case “I” indicates
that the “I” chord is a Major chord type… whereas
a lower case “i” indicates it is a minor chord type.

ii
V I are generally placed in 2 categories (although there are variants):


  • Minor ii V i

  • Major ii V I

The
common misconception is that the minor ii V i is called minor
because the “i” chord is minor – this isn’t necessarily
the case. It is a minor chord because it belongs to a minor key
and in minor keys, the “ii” chord is a half diminished
(m7b5), whereas in a major key the ii chord is just a straight
minor 7 chord. Therefore, the “ii” chord is what gives
us the indication as to whether it’s a minor or major progression.

So
here is an example of a minor ii V i in the key of A minor:

ii
– Bm7b5, V – E7, i – Am

and
here is a major ii V I in the key of A Major:

ii
– Bm7, V – E7, i – A Major7

 

Now
the theory stuff is out of the way, I want to present you with
various ii V I licks.
The first selections include major ii V I licks which are of a
linear nature, mixing a scalar and arpeggio approach. In terms
of contour, they are a mixture of fairly linear (smooth) and angular
(jump around).


Ex1:
The first lick incorporates enclosure chromaticism for the first
4 8th notes and then pretty much follows each chords related mode
– I have chosen Bb Dorian for bar 1, Eb Super Locrian for bar
2 and implied Ab Lydian in bar 3 (even though I don’t play
it, that would be my choice for that bar).

Click
Here for the Audio (mp3)
Click Here for the
Tab (jpg)


Ex2:
This lick makes use of some of the arpeggios that are hidden within
each parent scale.

Click
Here for the Audio (mp3)
Click Here for the Tab (jpg)

Ex3:
This lick makes use of Eb Phrygian Major in the second bar, this
is an alternative to Eb Super Locrian which we have used in the
other licks.

Click
Here for the Audio (mp3)
Click Here for the
Tab (jpg)


Ex4:
Here is the first of our minor ii V i licks. This one incorporates
a more angular approach using 6th intervals mainly.

Click
Here for the Audio (mp3)
Click Here for the
Tab (jpg)


Ex5:
Here is a real killer. This is a minor ii V i lick using an angular
(jumps around) approach with superimposed suspended triads which
are found within the form of each of the chords related modes.
This is also a technical challenge so please ensure you adhere
to the suggested fingering and picking indications. Remember this
is a line, so the notes need to be separated and must not bleed
into one another – ensure you roll your fingers across the strings
– do not barre as it will result in an undefined sound.

Click
Here for the Audio (mp3)
Click Here for the
Tab (jpg)

Ex6:

Click
Here for the Audio (mp3)
Click Here for the
Tab (jpg)

Well
I really hope you enjoyed these licks – they are a challenge but
are well worth the practice. I hope to see you next month for
another lesson. This is Nick Kellie signing off!