3 Essential Minor 2-5-1 Jazz Lines You Want To Know

Hi everybody, how’s it going? Daniel Weiss here, and today we’re going to take a look over three different phrases in minor that utilize different sounds such as enclosures, bebop language, different superimpositions, melodic minor modes, and all that cool stuff. If you’re enjoying these and you want to check out all 51 phrases over different chords and different chord progressions, you can do so in the link in the description below. Access all 51 videos, tabs, and notation.

Phrase 1: Common Sound in 251 Minor

Okay, so this first phrase is kind of like a common sound within the 251 minor world, at least from my perception, and it utilizes some really core guide elements that make these kind of cadences work. Let’s dive right into it:

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Starting on D minor seven flat five, I’m playing an enclosure into the five flat five in this case:

• One
• Two
• Three
• Four
• And one

Then landing on the flat five on the one and playing a C minor triad, which is diatonic, and then going to the flat three:

• One
• Two
• Three

And then upbeat also on the root, so we have some upbeats over here. We have this:

• One
• Two
• Three

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Then part of the C harmonic minor scale, just looking at it from G, which is also called Mixolydian flat 9 flat 13. I’m playing this phrase, which is basically just a descending scale from the 7 to the 7 of G. You can see that you’re getting some nice qualities here, like the flat 13, flat 14, and the flat 9. Just a cool sound.

Then on the C minor, I’m playing a phrase that is derived from the C melodic minor scale and it sounds like this:

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So you can see this is the flat three, five, six, an enclosure that includes the major seven:

• Major 7
• To root
• Major 7 into the root again
• And then flat 3, 6

Then you have a leap here from the flat 3 to the 6, which is a cool thing:

• Tritone

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So all together, we have this:

• One
• Two
• Three

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Phrase 2: Descending Line with Chromatics and Melodic Minor Modes

So this next line is going to be a descending line that incorporates some chromatic ideas as well as melodic minor modes and some arpeggios that are superimposed over different chords. So check it out:

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In this phrase, I’m starting off from the seven of D, which is C, going into G, which is the 11. So already you can kind of see the sound, then utilizing some chromatic passing notes:

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I’m landing on the flat 13 of G. So:

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When I’m landing on this flat 13, I’m playing some diatonic materials from the G altered, which is F minor 7 superimposed on G7, descending. This is a seven chord that is built off the seventh degree of G altered, so you get this:

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Just a beautiful sound. You know, with all these ideas coming from practicing the different diatonic structures that are built off these sounds. So I’m utilizing a lot of altered melodic minor modes, and I can see there are different diatonic materials, and that’s why I can choose these kinds of superimpositions.

So we have seven four chromatic approach into flat 13, diatonic structure from the altered, and then chromatic into the flat three of C minor. So now we’re on C minor one chord and I’m playing this phrase from C melodic minor:

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So this is the C melodic minor scale:

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And I’m playing this phrase which gives me the:

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Flat three, five, major 7, nine, root, five, and then a chromatic passing tone into the six. So you get this:

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Phrase 3: Utilizing Melodic Minor Modes and Bebop Elements

Okay, so this third and last line is going to be utilizing the melodic minor modes, a few chromatics, and enclosures, with some bebop stuff going on as well. Everything is going to happen within this area, within one position. So let’s begin:

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What we have on this D minor 7 flat 5 chord is a superimposition of a G minor major 7 and 9 arpeggio. So it sounds like:

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Basically, everything is from the Locrian natural 9 mode, which is the sixth mode of melodic minor:

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And I’m playing this phrase. Then when I’m landing on this, you can think about it as the 9 of G minor or the 11 of D. I’m creating this enclosure to land on the flat 13 of G:

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On this G7 altered, first of all, if you don’t know what altered is, it’s the seventh mode of melodic minor. So I’m playing this phrase:

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I’m playing this:

• Flat nine to the sharp nine
• Seven to the sharp five or flat 13
• Flat 9
• And then I’m playing this augmented triad:

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Then on the C minor 7, I’m playing the:

• Nine
• Root
• Five
• Flat three
• Four into the five

So:

• One
• Two
• Three
• Four
• One

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• Two
• Three
• Four
• One

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Conclusion

So here’s something you can start doing: take your favorite jazz tune or maybe a tune you’re working on and pick a few of these elements that I showed you in these lines and start to construct your own line using these elements.

Now, if you’re looking to really solidify your understanding of arpeggios, scales, triads, chromatics, and you want a very structured way to do that, check out Galactic Modern Guitar. And if you want to learn some cool jazz language, check out 51 Galactic Jazz Licks. They are all in the description below.

Also, please make sure to subscribe and like, hit the bell because I’ve been posting every week and I’m gonna keep doing so. That’s it, I’ll see you in the next video.

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