How To Master The MINOR 2-5-1 Progression [3 ‘Levels’]
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- ►► FREE: Get the minor 2-5-1 guide that includes all the tabs, notation, scale diagrams and practice tracks from this lesson → becomeabassist.com/minor-2-5-...
When I got serious about my improvising, I loathed playing over minor 2-5-1 progressions.
Give me a 12-bar blues? I was fine - I could play over that all day.
A major 2-5-1 - no worries…
But the minor 2-5-1 jumbled my mind, left me confused and felt awkward under my fingers - it felt like I’d be stuck playing only root notes for the rest of my life.
It turns out, I was making a grievous mistake.
I was trying to jump straight to the hard stuff without taking care of the basics first. I was trying to be a ‘Level 3’ bassist when I should have been focusing on Level 1.
So today, I want to show you the 3 ‘levels’ of the minor 2-5-1 progression; from the easiest - which you can probably do right now and sound great - to the more advanced, which will make you sound like a legit, heavy-hitting player.
Learning how to deal with the minor 2-5-1 in this order will save you the headaches and confusion and make sure you stay musical through all the levels.
In this lesson, you’ll learn:
► 2 stupidly simple ways of improvising through the minor 2-5-1 (without needing a masters degree in music theory)
► How to break away from only playing the roots of the chords
► 2 ‘advanced’ methods of playing through the minor 2-5-1 (Do this and you’ll sound like you know exactly what you’re doing…)
To get the most out of this lesson, I HIGHLY recommend you actually try all 3 levels with your bass in hand. It’s one thing to passively watch a UA-cam video, but it’s another thing entirely to actually play along with the track and try these ideas out for yourself.
To make things as easy as possible though, the practice track from this lesson (as well as a handy PDF guide with all the tabs, diagrams and notation) is available as a free download on the Become A Bassist website. Just go here:
becomeabassist.com/minor-2-5-...
Fill out the form on that page and I’ll send you everything you need to start ‘leveling up’ your minor 2-5-1 playing. I’m sure that once you know the different levels, you’ll have a much easier time mastering the minor 2-5-1 than I did.
And of course, like I say in the lesson, you only have to go as far as you want with these 3 ‘Levels’. If you’re happy staying in the first level, and you can do it in a musical way, you don’t necessarily need to even think about the 2nd and 3rd. You always have the option to ‘level up’ if you want to.
Good luck with the lesson and happy playing!
Cheers,
Luke
P.S. Here are some of the resources I mention in the video:
The Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass (Essential for getting your head around Level 2 and 3):
www.becomeabassist.com/ug-modes
‘Zero-Scale’ Improvising - This dives deep into the method from Level 1 and is also just a bunch of fun:
• "Zero-Scale" Bass Solo...
[Chapters]
0:00 Intro
1:32 Minor 2-5-1: Simplified
3:39 Level 1: 2 Stupidly Simple Ways Of Playing Over The Minor 2-5-1
6:10 Level 2: A More ‘Sophisticated’ Way Of Playing The 2-5-
8:42 Level 3: The ‘Legit’ Way Of Improvising Over The 2-5-1 On Bass
15:51 How To Master The Minor 2-5-1
#minor251 #becomeabassist #basslesson
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Do you have any chord progressions you’re struggling with right now? What other progressions would you like broken down like this?
Luke
I run into 6 2 5 1. The 2 is a minor and the one a dominant or major 7. So what changes should you make in this scenario? Thanks, this was helpful.
Giant Steps! :)
No seriously, Rhythm changes 1-6-2-5. I can play some pretty ok walking bass over it but can't solo on it to save my life!
@Virgil Stanford - In a 6-2-5-1 in a major key, the 6 and 2-chords will usually be minor or minor 7s, the 5 chord will be dominant and the 1-chord will be major. It sounds like what you're playing is more major key based rather than minor key based, although I could be wrong. If it IS in a major key, then this video will help: ua-cam.com/video/vm3gniIDGfY/v-deo.html
@Stephen Cook - I know what you mean about the rhythm changes thing. My guess is that when you're trying to solo, you're seeing all these chord changes going past really quickly and you feel the need to outline ALL of them. That's what we're 'trained' to do as bass players when we're playing walking lines - outline EVERY chord change. When it comes to soloing though, you don't *have* to do that. In fact, it's probably best if you don't outline every single change otherwise you'd never take a break in your playing. I'd recommend getting more comfortable harmonically 'generalizing' rather than being super specific about every single chord. The results will most likely be more musical, and when you can do this, it becomes relatively easy to 'stack' more of the harmony on top of your playing and weave in some more of the changes.
Check out this video for a method of playing more melodically to get started though: ua-cam.com/video/ZXuRaC8ZjxY/v-deo.html
@@BecomeABassist Thanks Luke
My solos over basic 145 stuff are pretty boring. How can I make it more interesting?
This brings back memories when I was in jazz based music highschool a couple years ago. Back then, I was still playing violin and was the only violinist in the whole highshool. We had to learn about 2-5-1 in music theory and I was always so confused as a classical musician. I wish I had switched to bass sooner.
I know what you mean and it's not just classical musicians that struggle with the minor 2-5-1s. I really hated songs that used a ton of them when I was in school. I always ended up playing the same thing all the time until I finally figured out some other options.
Thanks Luke! Nice to hang out with you on a Friday. I loved improvising on Level 1 and 2, I will need to work on my Level 3. Great lesson as always.
Thanks so much Thomas! And yes, there's definitely a bit of a gap between Level 2 and 3, but you can do it!
Really helpful stuff, Luke. Thanks so much. I appreciate the levels as well as application to soloing rather than it being static exercises.
Glad to hear it @Randy R. - And exercises *can* be good, but actually applying them to music is where the magic happens!
These are the best lessons that I have tried on improvisation - you explain it all really well and I have thoroughly enjoyed working through the levels - although level three is a challenge!
This is a great lesson to one of my favourite tracks and one to have fun with. Thank you so much for all your fantastic videos. You have helped me enormously on my lockdown journey learning bass
So awesome to hear @nola baylis!
this is so helpful--ty much--back to woodsheddin!
Thank you Luke. This is very helpful for me.
That's what I love to hear @Steve Horninger - thanks for letting me know!
Thanks for existing
I do my best. Lol
Excellent thanks for sharing.
You're more than welcome @Wilfredo Mendez
Thank you so much for helping to make this lesson much easier for me, to understand. Once I learn good bass materials. I never let it go, this information is a holy treasure, also I never wish to witness a finely constructed and tuned bass guitar being thrown across a room into wall, this is an abomination what a SIN 😈 because some student lost patience. You have to be on the JAZZ Kool baby...😎 For me when I learn anything on my bass it becomes mine forever. FUN to do as I wish, one note at a time, I'll put her down come back later,but throw my Fender bass into a flipp'n wall. Hell To the NO!!!!
it's great channel 💗❤💗❤
so very very cool👆 i really enjoy it 🎧👍
Your lessons are excellent. I use it a lot to change my usual patterns and do music theory by memorizing the modes. I repeat audio dictations on Band-in-a-box and play at the same time. I play a 5-string bass so I don't move up and down the neck less (I'm quite old and I'm starting to have trouble with my arms), could you do some 5-string specific lessons? Well done and thank you.
Band In A Box is definitely a great learning tool @Gara Mabasse. I don't have plans on making any 5-string specific lessons at the moment, but if I did, what would you like to see in them?
man, this stuff really helps, even if I switched to a guitar
also,
do you do bass tabs? if you do, can you do "Goin' Blind" by KISS? that bass groove is really epic
I am really dying to know what make and model is your bass! Also thanks for your great no bs material!
COOL !!!
Luke, Thank you so much for these valuable lessons... I’m learning more on theory, so sorry for the lengthly question. This song (in A-minor) used the E7 rather than the Em7 for the 5th chord; is that typical for the minor 2-5-1 progression, or did the writer choose this chord for that ‘Passing’ note to the 1 chord? If so, do you reserve that sharped 3rd for passing to the 1 chord? .... thanks again for all you do on UA-cam.
Great question B Dav - The 5-chord as a dominant (E7 in this case) is *way* more common than the 5-chord as a minor 7. The 3rd of that chord is the 'leading tone' of the key aka. it's only a half-step away from the root rather than a whole step. It provides a way more satisfying resolution when it goes to the 1-chord than using the minor 7 chord, plus it also provides extra tension to the 5-chord, specifically, the tritone between the 3rd and 7th of the dominant chord.
In short though, when you see a minor 2-5-1, you'll pretty much always see the 5-chord as dominant and the 1-chord going back to a 'regular' minor chord. The raised note doesn't stick around.
Thank you for your response. Again, thank you for the wealth of great bass lessons.
That’s a gorgeous bass. What kind is it?
Thanks, a great lesson. Where can I find the backing track?
The track comes in an email once you confirm your address (so the system knows you're a real person). If you can't find it, try checking your 'junk' or 'spam' folders in case it gets routed there by mistake.
Hi Luke can you teach pulp fiction song on bass
How To Master The MINOR 251 Progression Pent 3 Levels BASS CHORDS, Cannot downlosd the backing tracks for this lesson only the pdf, thanks
The backing track is in the email you would have received after requesting the downloads @Sydney How.
How you doing brother?
Doing well! Hope you are too!
@@BecomeABassist I am doing great, thank you very much...
Luke I haven't get any mail from you lately, are we cool ?