How to: Improvisation on ii-V-I Progression (2-5-1) with Pentatonic Scales - Jazz Guitar Lesson
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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Jazz Lesson: Improvise on ii-V-I with Pentatonic Scales - Jazz Guitar
Here are THREE solutions to improvisation on the ii-V-I cadence using nothing but pentatonic scales. The lesson was designed for Jazz guitarists, but the ideas can be applied to any instrument, of course. :-)
See the complete lesson on the blog here:
www.jazzguitar...
Soloing with pentatonics can give your jazz improvised melodic lines a neat little "angular" or modern sound. There exist several ways to solo on the ii-V-I, but here are the suggestions/tips from the video ... once again: only pentatonic scales for Jazz guitar are used here.
The first solution:
On Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 use Am, Bbm, Bm pentatonic scales.
(notice that the three pentatonics are ascending by half-steps)
The second solution:
On Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 use Em, Eb7, Em pentatonic scales.
The third solution:
On Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 use Am, Db7, Bm pentatonic scales.
This last one is my favorite. On the Dm7, the A minor pentatonic gives a nice Dm9 sound. On the G7, we get something very similar to the so-called altered chord/scale. And on C major chord, the B minor pentatonic outlines some sort of lydian-sounding major chord (has the #11 degree).
Don't forget to take a look at the series of FIVE introductory video lessons on the pentatonic scales ... especially parts 4 and 5 for the applications on several types of chords:
Pentatonics - Part 1: • Jazz Guitar Lesson: Pe...
Pentatonics - Part 2: • Jazz Guitar Lesson: Pe...
Pentatonics - Part 3: • Jazz Guitar Lesson: Pe...
Pentatonics - Part 4: • Jazz Guitar Lessons: P...
Pentatonics - Part 5: • Jazz Guitar Lesson: Pe...
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never seen a more sincere teacher than you. Thank u for ur generosity
Thanks for watching!
Dear friend , I have 57 years and I could never play jazz , I never understood the Greek modes and other methods , now with your wise explanation , I find it more understandable , easier to understand , always touched on pentatónocas scales and how you combine them is genial.quiero agraderte with all my heart because you were the first person to open my cabeza.Desde Argentina THANK YOU !!!
Expect the google translator does his job well because .Perdón not speak English !
Your video is just as good now as 6 years ago. That is a great way to play 2-5-1.
best free guitar lesson on youtube
This is a great lesson. The material was clearly and logically presented and immediately applicable. Thanks for this - I learnt a lot from it.
Thanks for watching! :-)
Дорогой мой незнакомый друг, от всего сердца благодарю тебя за этот урок, в котором ты так легко и доступно дал мне то, что я искал долгое время!
Низкий поклон тебе за твою работу!!!
After years of searching. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for ! Thank you soo much
Fantastic lesson, it's great for us who are trying to wrap our heads round jazz improvising, helps simplify some moves and is a great starting block! Thanks!
recently, when i discover your lessons I feel inside a big revolution. I enjoy and follow your lessons with passion and always be grateful with you for show new ways expanding the horizont. Thanks!
+Nock Music Thanks! :-) Glad you like the lessons.
Hey Nock, Thanks for the comment! Glad you like it.
so cool and fantastic material you are presenting here
Thank you, David! I'm glad you are enjoying the material. :)
Damn, finally someone teached me how to sound that cool. Thank you...
Mind blowing. Thank you for this!
I'm a new convert. Haven't picked up my guitar yet to apply it. (I'm an old dog looking to do new tricks) So far just listening and learning, but you are really making it understandable and unlocking doors for me! I can't thank you enough.
This is exactly the lesson I was looking for, very useful. Thank you so much.
Man this is AWESOME!!! Thanks so much....!!!! I can now halfway decently navigate through a ii-V7-I lol...this lesson opened so much more for me. Way to go man!!!
R'nole Em Thanks for watching!
Finally something new on this topic. All the other videos, materials simply take it for granted that G7 is played as G7altered, so Bbm is okay, and then noodle on Am|Bbm|Bm (or maybe play DM for Dm7). By the way, I found that Em for G7 is nice as well, a it has the major third.
Sick, I never get bored of this stuff... Thank you 😊
Glad you enjoy it! :)
Buenísimo maestro. Gracias y saludos desde España. Spain
really give me a lot of ideas to use pentatonics on jazz !! Thank u !
The best quick lesson!!!
Thanks :)
Primera vez que veo este video ... Excelente contenido, gracias por compartirlo. Saludos
The Bbmi outlines the alterations of G7 the #9 (Bb/A#),b5/#11 (C#),#5 (Eb),b9 (Ab) are all used, When a V7 precedes a IMaj the added tensions add lots of effective color to your lines and make solos much more interesting when used effectively.
Nicholas Dickman The minor pentatonic is simply......R............b3..x...4...x...5.............b7..x....R...............................................X= option or passing notes.....................................................................................If you drop D tune...you'll simply see scales broken in half easier.You need to learn how to break scales in havles....because you can alter it once you get to the 5th. Sometime you don't ascend a full octive.if the chords are just ringing 1,b3,5. The rest is 5...............b7...x.......R.........................................................................................................R..............b3....x.....4....x...5.............b7...x.....R....................................................... major scale............................................................................................................. 5........6........7....R...................................................................................................R.......2........3....4.................................................................................................... My point is the front and second half of the scale has the same intervals. Why is it important for you to practice playing those option notes?when over a dominant chord...You'll simply stress the maj3 more or use that as one of the arpeggio. maj interval in the front and minor in the second half. The harmonic minor is simply in reverse. Minor in front...Major on the second half. When you vamp the V as Phrygian dominant. The major3 of that chord simply pulls you into the ROOT of the I chord. that's why it's call the leading tone... When you go to the melodic minor....you'll simply vamp the IV chord with a maj....as you did with the V in the harmonic minor. Now the I is minor IV and V are maj....Both are dominant chords as well. You can also vamp the ii with a maj instead of diminish.It too has a maj3 and b7The double harmonic scale is simply b3, #4, b6 When you play the Major harmonic. You using the major scale as your ROOT ...yes? It's simply a b6...It simply turn the IV chord into a minor.What you get is I, V as maj....IV as minor It's actually easier and less confussing if you just play modes accordingly.in other words...Play the MAJOR pentatonic over major chords.it has the 1, 3, 5 basic arpeggios in it....if you want to play b7 or maj 7 to harmonize with whatever how you want to color your chords...then play whatever the hell note you're using to extend that chord..If you play a #9...play the #9....Whatever tickle you're funni bone how you wanna call playing the fucken b3 into the maj3...Would it tottaly fuck you up is you play b2 into the root? LmAO....... In other words,...you can vamp modes in and out.Some people term it axis pitch.
Nick Dick?
WOW! What an extremely informative & thorough series on pentatonic scales. I would love to see you do a series on how to use various other pentatonic scales. For example, if you take the 1,3,4,5,&7 from any diatonic scale, you end up with a pentatonic scale. Your approach to using these 'other' pentatonics would be valuable beyond measure. Thank you for sharing your knowledge & experience.
Thanks a million Marc, this is what I've been looking for for years. You made it look like it's nothing, I wish I could understand the concept more intelligibly like you. I'll stick to your teachings and listen more to them. You're really great both as master jazz guitarist and as a teacher. Thanks, Capt Wise.
+Emmanuel Owoeye-Wise Hey thanks! Glad you liked it. :-)
+Emmanuel Owoeye-Wise (PS I'm far from mastery LOL)
Another killer lesson Mark. Thank you.
i made the same face you did and said to myself something very similar in 9:30 "that's crazy stuff". thank u so much for these lessons, inspiring as hell!
Happy to be able to inspire. :)
Oh! thanks very much you re giving me the keys to open other ways of playing,l know the pentatonic scale s for years but I didn't know how to get out of it . Thanks for giving me the keys to explore other ways of playing guitar.
Have fun! :)
Life's strange sometimes, I came here for soloing stuff and I was blasted by the comping you played while playing the rythm parts ;-)
Thanks! We have a few comping lessons on our channel if you are interested!
Marc ___I like the way you think / and make it understandable to others. Thanks !
Thank YOU, Donn! I'm really glad this information is helpful. :)
great lesson! the 1/2 step approach is a great solution for rock players like myself who are trying to expand their horizons and are taking baby-steps into fusion :)
i'd be interested to know why this works also...
+chris howard Thanks for the comment! Glad you like it!
Regarding your question, I will pass this onto M-A Seguin, and he'll answer shortly.
+chris howard Hey chris. To understand how it works, please read the blog posts associated with this pentatonic series of videos here: www.jazzguitarlessons.net/jazz-guitar-lesson-ii-v-i-improvisation-using-pentatonic-scales/
You have helped me on my quest with tips or an improvised manner skill in this music and I finally found you .Awesome dude
Really like the lines you were coming up with, I might have to transcribe a couple of them.
Nicholas Dickman Thanks. Have fun. :-)
Really nice Marc great taste
this lesson is truly amazing.. very inspiring and mind-opening.. thanks! well done
+roberto tomasini Thanks! Glad you liked it.
This is just awesome, Marc. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to jazz guitar, and you are so fast, and the video is so packed with information that I'm gonna have to slow it down and watch over and over again to get it all. I just started you comping 101 course, and I'm loving it. It's just hard to know where to jump in, because there is so much to learn. Thank you so much for all that you do!
Subscribed!
This is awesome.
Very practical
Can you do a video for minor 2 5 1 ? thanks !
You are doing great lessons, Mark.
Thanks Al, I appreciate it :)
love it...plz update more modern playing!!
Wah this is a powerful tool
May you use it well! ;)
👌🙎
Cool lesson! Thank you.
Amazing ❤️
thank you for this man! great and simple way to approach soloing
merci beaucoup pour votre video !!
Merci à vous :)
Jazz Guitar Lesson: Improvise on ii-V-I with Pentatonic Scales - Jazz Guitar - UA-cam buff.ly/1AdVIa1 #jazz #guitar #pentatonics
+jazz guitar lessons Awesome lesson, i can find quite alot of use for organ playing for this concept. Do you have a recommendation for a pentatonic over minor IIVIs? (IIm9b5)? And also what to play on the 6 chord of a 1625-progression?
Very inspiring, Marc. Based on your E-, Eb dominant, E- idea; I came up with something that works well for me. I love the e-minor over the dm especially for bending because you bend right into chord tones. The em over c Maj7 is great and I'm familiar with that. I stumbled across F minor over the 5 chord. It'd easy to remember and get to going from e minor.....and you can use f minor f blues, f nat and dorian. thanks again! The trick with all of this, I think, is to (at first) slow down and create nice melodies.
Kawika Meg Glad you're inspired by the "pentatonic tricks" in this video. Thanks! :-)
Vraiment superbe lesson, très claire, calme , merci
This is Fantastic !! Thank you very much,..... beautiful playing !!
+Chris Farrugia Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it. :-)
By any chance, how can you sing that notes along while you pluck it............ it's lovely.
Fantastic lesson!
Thank you for mentioning any instrument! I am working on this with a ukulele. I am limited for available notes but I am getting the idea of it. Now for a LOT of work !
Thanks! Cool ideas
Thanks Nicholas! :)
Awesome! I'm subscribing after watching this video!
Richard Garcia Thanks for watching. :-)
Great lesson!
Thanks!
awesome lesson
Thank You! I am very happy to read that you like it!
Omg thank you! Getting started in jazz and this really helps!!!
Thank YOU for watching! We are so glad the information is helping. :)
vraiment excellent ton channel ! pourquoi je suis pas tombé dessus avant ???
hey bro u are,an awesome teacher . Thank u .
ill learn something here
tkx! . Good way to use the "boaring pentatonic" . Pentatonic God will thank you!
Thansk a lot! I love how you sing your phrases. If you can make a tutorial of that would be awesome!! Thanks again
Thanks for watching, Piero! That's a great idea. We will keep that in mind :)
Amazing video. Exactly what I've been looking for for years! Would you mind shortly explaining WHY these solutions work? I love how it sounds, I'd just like to understand why I Iove how it sounds! Thanks again so much.
***** Absolutely, here's the blog post www.jazzguitarlessons.net/jazz-guitar-lesson-ii-v-i-improvisation-using-pentatonic-scales/
Thank you so much! Really helpful stuff and exactly what I've been looking for.
jazz guitar lessons Nice lesson ! You throw me off when you sing the notes ..
Ibanez guitars I can't help it! :-)
great video congrats
hi you are very helpful ,, thanks a lot of attention ..
You are very welcome!
I can see this is old. And I didn't see anyone mention it. But all three of your suggested pentatonic scales come out of the diatonic scale called Db Lydian-Dominant (or in another mode called Ab Jazz Minor).
Great as usual! Many thanks! When are you making a lesson about comping? It would be great to understand how you did your comping on this lesson while we were supposed to be soloing ;) Please please please...
+My UA-cam Journey LOL Yes. Love comping like that. There's the Drop 2 challenge here: wp.me/p5XbsZ-ZP and also the "comping lesson of your dreams" here: wp.me/p5XbsZ-d5
Thanks for the comment! Glad you like it!
Regarding your question, I will pass this onto M-A Seguin, and he'll answer shortly.
Nice lesson. For that last one would be good to change the G7 13 chord to a G7alt since Db pentatonic has all the altered tones in it
The hardest scale/chord combination for me to 'hear', is Bbm pentatonic over G7. It seems to work as some kind of G whole tone lick-C#,D# and F, but I'm also hearing it as a Gm7 b5 arpeggio? I guess it could be played both ways???
As for Am and Bm over Dm7 and CM7, I'm also hearing this as C major pentatonic and D major pentatonic as well as D suspended pentatonic and E suspended pentatonic. I guess it can be played all these different ways which gives a lot of potential options,variations and combinations...
And I almost forgot-There's also enclosures going on to-Bbm to Db can enclose Bm at the very least. There's more I'm sure but I haven't found them yet... Also the actual half steps present can also be used to breakup the whole step minor third intervals of the pentatonics. Plus also there's lots of nice fourths going on e.g. B,E etc, etc
Thx man ... God bless you ...
Thank you, Ahmad! Glad you're enjoying our videos. :)
Parabéns ! com esta lição vou poder dar um fraseado jazzístico nos meus improviso em bossa nova
happy to help!
היי אחי שיעור מדהים כל הכבוד לך !!!! אלוף
Very good 👍 thank you 😉
you are the man!!!
hey Mrrc .......ok took your D dorian bebop scale ---into the Bb pentatonic --to some C major riffs with some chromatic ....this is getting to be fun .......thanks
Right on :)
@@jazzguitar ok so now i like useing the G diminished scale instead of the Bb pent over G alt and into E minor pent over the C maj .............but im told i shouldn t because Galt has an F and the G diminished has F#...........im new at this but it sounds cool to me even if its not correct ??? .... any thoughts ?
Brilliant!!
Thanks!
+Nock Music Thanks to you, for watching.
Thanks for the comment! Glad you like it!
Love this.. thanks for posting. .
Thanks, great lesson!
Thank you for watching :)
Glad you found it helpful!
So much appreciated! Funny as I hear this so often in guitar solos (at least), and I'm always like, what the hell are they doing, and just assume I'll never know! Thanks!
Glad it helped!
Bravissimo insegnante : bravo et simpatico !!!
Hey,thanks a million you've been a big help : )
Great video my friend! I am so glad I found your videos. By the way, your voice sounds good when you scat! Et j'ai entendu que tu as étudié à Montréal --- Bravo! OK A bientôt!
Hi Axel, Thanks for the comment! Glad you like it!
beautiful ...thanks :)
Was a bit sceptical when I saw your guitar😂 but I like this. More ammo in the jazz arsenal. Liked and subbed cheers
Thanks for the sub :)
Yhank you man ❤️
You're welcome! :)
you are awesome!
Thanks for your awesome comment! I hope to see you soon again!
great ! thank you !
Incredible lesson! Love the idea of trading solos with you through the video, really helped out! New subscriber.
Question: Why exactly did you pick Am, Bbm, and Bm pentatonic to fit over this 2/5/1? Why does this work?
Luc DiGiuseppe Oh ... good question! The theory is described in the blog post. Please find the link in the description. :-)
jazzguitarlessonsnet Sorry, Marc! Not long after I posted that comment I found the link haha. I watched the whole Pentatonics series last night and read all of the posts, safe to say I have a lot to work on in the coming year! Thank you for offering all of this for free, its a great help. Happy New Year to you!
I had exactly the same question… so now I know where to go find the answer… but for a video that someone finds without viewing other videos or blogs - a 30 second precis of where the chosen scales came from would be a damned good idea!
this is great and i love how it sounds. but can you explain WHY these pentatonics work over ii-V-l in C major?
Hey Joon,
Thanks for watching.
That is a good question. To make a long story short, they work because you are still (kind of) "inside" the template of each chord you play AND you are adding extensions and alterations. Let's take a look at the first example for instance: the Am pentatonic scale over the Dm7 chord contains the Root, the 5th and the b7th (of a D chord) BUT you also have the the 9th and 11th in there! The next scale, Bbm pentatonic scale over the G7, contains the b7 and the rest is all alterations: #9, b5, b13, b9.
They basically give you more colours to use over your chords!
Have a look at the associated blog post for explanations with staffs: www.jazzguitarlessons.net/jazz-guitar-lesson-ii-v-i-improvisation-using-pentatonic-scales/
I hope this helps!
OK I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but the second pentatonic B-flat minor sounds terrible with the G7 when I play if I play the same pattern and all three Pentatonix the second one sounds horrible what am I doing wrong?
I'm sorry I did not see this video until now. Brilliant! Thank you for the video. Where are you from?
Thanks for watching, John! I'm from Montreal :)
Can you explain how these pentatonic scales fit into those chord progressions? Thanks! 😊
Hey Marc! You can visit this link and you'll find a more in depth analysis of several ways to fit pentatonics in different chords: www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/jazz-guitar-pentatonics
Gracias.
thank you
Love you
Hi Marc! thnx a lot for these videos! hope to make same skype class with you.
Regards from Brazil!
gentle teacher, thanks for the explanation, and his attention, and my chance to ask many questions, I will ask many questions,
if C is played in F # minor pentatonic F # A B C # impact of the C chord becomes
C -5 (Gb) A B C # (-9 Db) can this be called C -5 and -9 patterns?
such as the C key example played in Eminor being C major 7 because the composition of E minor E G B .. and key C major C E G, C major 7 C E G B .. What do you think? thank you
In this lesson, we are discussing super imposing pentatonic scales over chords. If you put F# minor pentatonic over C major 7, you do get a b5 (or #11) and also a b9. In the case of a C major 7 chord, the b9 is not really a desirable note, unless you are going for "out" sounds. Technically, yes, it would be called the b9 (C# / Db), but it doesn't really sound great over the chord. Hope this helps! :)
I always taught myself to use d minor pentatonic at dm and c major pentatonic at c lol, this gives me a serious englightment
Glad you enjoyed it :) Pentatonics and triads are both simple things that, when reapplied or repurposed, can yield incredibly exotic sounds.
How do u define the roots12356 of the major scale >> Cdega what is Dom Pent>? as u see it
Thanks...
You're very welcome!
Got a quick sub out of me. Fantastic video, thanks
Glad you liked it!
Nice video 🧚♀️ 🧚♀️ 🧚♂️
Glad you liked it!
Great video, thanks can't wait to try it out. The first pic on your blog seems incorrect - it's the same as the third solution, shouldn't it be Am Bbm then B?
+Art Now yes! Just fixed it, thanks. :-)
Wow that was fast, just finished watching one of your other videos - some great info here, thanks!
+Art Now Yeah. I had seen it on Wednesday (I was teaching, and a student pointed out the typo). But you refreshed my memory ... and I got straight to it! :-)