Blues with ii-V in Ab

Tritone substitutes

Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Bbm7 A7 Ab7 A7

Each dominant 7th that resolves down a fifth becomes the dominant a tritone away, which shares its 3rd and 7th, so the bass moves by half steps.

Related ii chords

Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab7 Bbm7 Eb7

Each dominant 7th gets the ii chord of its own ii-V before it, half a dominant's time each.

Passing diminished chords

Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Adim7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab7 Eb7

Diminished 7ths on the half steps between chords a whole step apart, or in place of a dominant whose 3rd is a half step above the chord before.

Basic Blues

I7 | IV7 | I7 | % | IV7 | % | I7 | % …

In Ab: Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Eb7 Db7 Ab7 …

The 12-bar blues in its simplest form, with dominant 7th chords on I, IV and V; the most commonly played progression in jazz.

Jazz Blues

I7 | IV7 | I7 | % | IV7 | ♯iv°7 | I7 | VI7 …

In Ab: Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Db7 Ddim7 Ab7 F7 Bbm7 …

The blues as jazz musicians usually play it: a #iv°7 passing chord in bar 6, VI7 leading to a ii-V in bars 9 and 10, and a I-VI-ii-V turnaround in the last two bars.

Bebop Blues

I7 | IV7 | I7 | v7 I7 | IV7 | ♯iv°7 | I7 | iii7 VI7 …

In Ab: Ab7 Db7 Ab7 Ebm7 Ab7 Db7 Ddim7 Ab7 …

A bebop blues: the jazz blues with a ii-V into IV in bar 4, a ii-V into ii in bar 8, and a iii-VI-ii-V turnaround in the last two bars.

Bird Blues

Imaj7 | viiø7 III7 | vi7 II7 | v7 I7 | IV7 | iv7 ♭VII7 | iii7 VI7 | ♭iii7 ♭VI7 …

In Ab: Abmaj7 Gm7b5 C7 Fm7 Bb7 Ebm7 Ab7 Db7 …

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.