Jazzity

Blues

Bird Blues in Ab

The blues as Charlie Parker reharmonized it: a major I chord, then ii-Vs falling by step through the first four bars and by half step through bars 6 to 8.

120 BPM
Practice in all 12 keys
  1. A♭maj7 Imaj7
  2. Gm7♭5 viiø7 C7 III7
  3. Fm7 vi7 B♭7 II7
  4. E♭m7 v7 A♭7 I7
  5. D♭7 IV7
  6. D♭m7 iv7 G♭7 ♭VII7
  7. Cm7 iii7 F7 VI7
  8. Bm7 ♭iii7 E7 ♭VI7
  9. B♭m7 ii7
  10. E♭7 V7
  11. Cm7 iii7 F7 VI7
  12. B♭m7 ii7 E♭7 V7

Four-note rootless voicings in their two forms, with the 3rd or the 7th on the bottom, played over the root.

Customize each chord
Meter
4/4
Form
A-B-C
Bars
12
Usual key
F

In F the first four bars run Fmaj7, Em7b5 A7, Dm7 G7, Cm7 F7, each ii-V pointing a step lower until the last one lands on IV. Bars 6 to 8 bring it back down to ii with ii-Vs a half step apart: Bbm7 Eb7, Am7 D7, Abm7 Db7. Learn the chords as a run of ii-Vs and practice them slowly with guide tones before bringing the blues scale back in.

Reharmonize Analyze these changes

Variations