Soloing over three minor chords a whole step apart

**Average Joe** · 03-09-2020, 06:21 AM

This is probably an incredibly simple thing, but I'm enough of a beginner to need a bit of guidance. The jam/group I'm playing with want to take up Davis and Feldman's Joshua. I'm a little uncertain about how to approach that Dm-Cm-Bbm-Cm-Dm set of changes. At the speed they move by I've so far tried to just hit the arpeggios, as well as trying Dm pentatonic or Gm pentatonic over Dm-Cm, moving down a step over the Bbm. That sort of get me through, but it's still a lot of thinking at tempo. Is there a key center, or a simplification that I'm not seeing?

Changes in this link p 14
https://duhoviki.ru/jazz_improvisati...Of%20Miles.pdf

**Drumbler** · 03-09-2020, 09:33 AM

You're overthinking.

Try D Dorian, Phrygian, or Aeolian or a combination and see what sound's best to you.

The chord movement is chromatic.

**mr. beaumont** · 03-09-2020, 10:34 AM

Whew...I think I'd be more worried about that 3/4 section!

Just listening quickly, Miles plays through those changes, not really outlining anything specifically Cm or Bbm...it's all very Dm sounding, the chords seem to provide more tension...or you can just step out there, and then back in over the solid Dm...

I'll listen closer later.

But that shift to 3/4...damn...there's an achilles heel of mine, shifting times...

**grahambop** · 03-09-2020, 11:13 AM

Yes I love that tune but never tried playing it, sounds tricky to me with those time changes, also the bridge has repeats during the solos only.

Soloing over three minor chords a whole step apart-060c4c02-f095-46f9-bab7-4b25b2c119a4-jpg

Soloing over three minor chords a whole step apart-060c4c02-f095-46f9-bab7-4b25b2c119a4-jpg

**rintincop** · 03-09-2020, 12:45 PM

C-7 an Bb-7 both occur naturally in Ab major (4flats) it also the F relative minor

Think: D-7 for 8 bars, (Abmaj, or Bb-7) for 2 bars, then D-7 for 2 more bars,

typical parallel modal

**rpjazzguitar** · 03-09-2020, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

Yes I love that tune but never tried playing it, sounds tricky to me with those time changes, also the bridge has repeats during the solos only.

Soloing over three minor chords a whole step apart-060c4c02-f095-46f9-bab7-4b25b2c119a4-jpg

It's very quick. If you just stayed on the notes of Dm the ear would hear some quick bitonality and it would probably work. My first thought though was to play in Bbmajor except over the Bbm chord in which case I'd lower the D note a half step to Db. For the theoretically minded that's D phrygian to C dorian to Bb melodic minor, but it's too fast to think that way for most people.