Chord sequence

Abm7, A7, Dmaj7, F7, Bbmaj7, Db7, Gbmaj7

A♭m7 A7 Dmaj7 F7 B♭maj7 D♭7 G♭maj7

Tempo 120 BPM

Rootless Shells Guide tones Rooted shells Rooted Drop 2

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

Customize each chord

Abm7
A7
Dmaj7
F7
Bbmaj7
Db7
Gbmaj7

Analysis

Heard in Gb major

Each chord's roman numeral and role in Gb major
Chord	Numeral	Role
A♭m7	ii7	Subdominant
A7	V7/♭VI	Secondary dominant of bVI
Dmaj7	♭VImaj7	Borrowed from Gb minor
F7	V7/III	Secondary dominant of III
B♭maj7	?	Outside the key (IIImaj7)
D♭7	V7	Dominant
G♭maj7	Imaj7	Tonic

Progressions in these changes

All the chords

Coltrane Changes in Gb

John Coltrane's substitution for a ii-V-I: the music passes through three keys a major third apart, I, bVI and III, each reached by its own dominant, before arriving home.

Scales to play