Three 2 5 1 Licks (+One Bonus)
ii-V chord progressions are foundational to many styles of jazz. Learning licks is a foundational skill in building a vocabulary for improvisation.
Try out the licks below. Experiment with different articulations that make the lick swing harder or more pleasant to play on your instrument.
ii-V-I Lick #1
Two bar ii-V lick in G major
This lick begins with a descending chromatic line on the Am7 chord. It continues with a D9 arpeggio that takes a brief chromatic detour that resolves to G major.
ii-V-I Lick #2
Two bar ii-V lick in F major
This lick begins with a pickup that implies D7 before heading to a descending G Dorian line. The end of this line anticipates the C7 chord putting it’s third (E) on beat 4. Neighbor tones lead you to the root (C) on beat 1 of the next measure. A C7(b9) outlined in a scalar fashion before repeating the same figure of the previous measure on beat 4, but played a major third down. Finally, a diatonic scalar and arpeggiated approach to Fmaj7 completes the lick.
ii-V-I Lick #3
One bar ii-V lick in D major
This lick is simpler, in part because it’s shorter. The ii-V itself covers only one bar, followed by one bar of D major. It begins with an ascending Em7 arpeggio, followed by a descending chromatic line leading to the fifth (A) of Dmaj7. A diatonic arpeggiated and scalar approach to Dmaj7 concludes the phrase.
Bonus ii-V-I Lick
One bar ii-V lick in D major
This simple ii-V lick was played by trumpeter Wallace Roney on Kenny Barron’s song Voyage. It’s on the album What If? and can be heard at 2:48. Two things that stand out about this lick are that:
It is ascending throughout. This is unusual because licks more commonly descend, like a human voice naturally would when singing.
It is completely diatonic while being continuous 8th notes. With continuous 8th note lines, chromatic notes are often used to make chord tones fall on the beat.
This lick is the only one on this post that begins with a rest. Rests are just as important as notes in music!
This lick goes straight up the D major scale. This results in the following chord tones falling on the beats:
Em7: root (E)
A7: seventh (G), ninth (B)
Dmaj7: root (D), third (F#)
In basic jazz studies, we are taught to try and put the third and seventh on the beat. This lick shows the value of using the root and extensions (in this case, the 9th) on the beat as well. Remember, if what you’re playing serves a musical or emotional purpose, it’s valid!
Conclusion
Thank you for making it all the way down to here. I hope you enjoyed these licks. Try them in all 12 keys.
I’m happy to answer any of your questions at christophermolinari@gmail.com.
I also offer in-person and online lessons to help you advance as an improvisor.
