ii V I Madness
This is a tutorial on improvising over the ii V I chord progression. Jazz players may immediately recognize this type of progression, but it occurs in all kinds of music. Getting to recognize it so that you can be ready to solo is just the starting point.
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 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,” written in Roman numerals, refers to the root movement in the chord progression. The Roman numerals represent the scale degree of the major scale of the key where you’d find these root notes. “I” always represents the root of the key you’re in and the other Roman numerals follow in the typical scale pattern. 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, that is, whether a Roman numeral is written in capital letters (upper case) or not (lower case). 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).
The first lick incorporates enclosure chromaticism for the first four eighth 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).
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The following lick makes use of some of the arpeggios that are hidden within each parent scale.
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This next lick jumps around a fair bit but is a lot of fun to play. Listen out for that eleventh in Bar 3.
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Example 4 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.
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Here is the first of our minor ii V i licks. This one incorporates a more angular approach using mainly sixth intervals.
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Here is a real killer. This is a minor ii V I lick using an angular (”jumping around”) approach with superimposed suspended triads, which are found within the forms of each of the chord’s related modes. This is also a technical challenge, so please ensure you adhere to the suggested fingering and picking indications. Remember that 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 it as it will result in an undefined sound.
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Well, I really hope you enjoyed these licks – they are a challenge, but well worth the practice. I hope to see you next month for another lesson. This is Nick Kellie signing off!
About the author
Having taught at Europe’s top two guitar schools, Nick has now decided to start a school of his own - Modern Guitar School. Nick writes all the course curriculum and is Guitar Department head. You can find out more about Nick at his website.
