Minor 251 Progression Left Hand Voicings
In this lesson we are going to look at some alternative ways to voice minor 251s with our left hand. I have used these voicings in numerous jazz standard tutorials and so now it’s time for a dedicated lesson so you understand the theory and how to construct these voicings.
In the introduction lesson to the minor 251, we looked at two variations for voicing minor 251s in our left hand. To start the progression, we voiced the II chord – which is a -7b5 chord — in it’s 1st or 3rd inversion.
Depending on which inversion we chose, we moved either the top 2 notes or the bottom 2 notes by half steps in opposite directions to get to the 5 chord with b9 #5 alterations and then dropped down to a Type A or Type B rootless voicing for the I chord.
Lesson Downloads
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Advanced Minor 251 Supplement File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
This lesson is a quick analysis and performance of the left hand voicings in the tune “Alone Together” to preare you for the improv tutorials.
The concepts we’ll be focusing on are target notes, approach patterns and chromaticism. Understanding these principles will give you line structure.
We explore voicings for each note of the dorian mode. Watch this and never again get stuck on what to play for minor chords!
Practice Tips
Before attempting to learn this type of minor 251 voicings, you should be comfortable with the basic minor 251 where we start in the 1st and 3rd inversions of the -7b5 chord.
Once you have a good understanding of that progression, you will feel more comfortable identifying the altered tones and extensions which will help with your understanding of these advanced voicings options and variations.
Hello. Nice video!
On the 5th page, under the “practicing this variation around the circle of fifths, 251 in C minor, it is written: G7 (#9 #5).
Could it be G7 (b9 #5).
The last 251 in C minor, do you mean in F minor ?
Also it is written C7 (#9 #5).
Could it be C7 (b9 #5)
Hi Ioannis,
Thanks glad you enjoyed the lesson 🙂
Yes that’s right, in those examples we include the alterations b9 and #5… well spotted! It’s good that you are taking time to analyse the extensions. I’ve updated the chord symbols in the PDF file.
It’s worth noting that you have a lot of freedom with mixing alterations over altered dominant chords. A nice combination is to play the #9 and then fall to the b9. This adds internal voice movement into the chord which sounds great.
Whenever you see #9, b9 and/or #5 in a chord symbol, you have the creative freedom to choose which alterations to play. This also applies to the chord symbol “alt” where you have the choice of which alterations to include.
Cheers,
Hayden
You didnt mention if we need to practice this chord whit type A type B like we did until now.taking the 2 bellow note and put the forward.so,do we need to do that?(plz tell me we dont-too much chord to memorize haha)
Hi אוראל יעקב,
I have answered that exact questions here in this forum thread: https://www.pianogroove.com/community/t/11b5-voicings-the-minor-251-progression/946
To summarise:
– Get the more basic minor 251 variation down first
– Perhaps learn this advanced variation in 2 or 3 keys, just so you are familiar with the construction
– You will find the more basic ones are much easier to visualise and play, this variation is more challenging
– You will learn these gradually over a longer period of time… it will not happen over night
– Apply them in context of jazz standards and you will retain the information better
Hope this helps 🙂
Hayden
So I have a question – I have only just started to learn left-handed (rootless) voicings and been practicing them constantly both types in major and minor ii-V-Is for the past 10 days or so – man, they take a long time to get slick! I’m still at the stage (especially with the type A voicings) where I’m walking down the notes as I resolve to the tonic while I play (I need to start using the iReal Player practice sessions for them but I’m too scared to!). I am wondering when I’m going to use the rootless voicings. I often when making my own songs will make a melodic bassline perhaps using pentatonic tones rather than chord roots in the bass. I have been surprised how much my ears fill in the roots as I’ve been learning the rootless voicings, and how I can focus on the individual chord tones without the roots – awesome. But I do like the grounded sound of rooted voicings, especially like I say if my bassline isn’t following the chord roots only. So what should I do with them? And how to combine them with rooted voicings? I guess it depends what you want to create, but – I’m stuck!
Hi James,
Yes they do take a long time to memorise in all 12 keys. And even once you have them memorised, you can always find the voicings shapes quicker and so in some ways it is an ongoing exercise for many years.
Maybe it would help to explain how I use rootless voicings:
– If I’m playing with a bass player, such as at a jam night, I will play very few roots all night. The bass player has the root covered and so you don’t need to play it, it allows you to free up a finger for a more interesting note choice.
– When playing in a band, these are my go to voicings when I’m taking a solo with my right hand. This is because they voice lead very smoothly, often just one note changing, and so it frees up your focus and energy into your right hand improvisation.
– When comping in a trio of big band. You can use rootless voicings as a base to build bigger 2 handed voicings. Stacking 4ths or 5ths over the top of left hand voicings gives you some really nice sounds.
– If I pick up a jazz standard for the first time, or one that I am not familiar with, I typically play through with left hand voicings and experiment with different extensions and alterations. I’ll find specific alterations that I like the sound of, and I can then explore them in more detail.
– When I play solo piano, I’d say around 1/5th of the voicings I will play will be rootless. Particularly if my right hand is adding melodic decoration. This adds variety and gives your left hand the opportunity to include extensions and alterations in the chord.
Now an example of what you could do with them…
Let’s take the funky progression video I posted in the forum here: https://www.pianogroove.com/community/t/what-are-your-favourite-bossa-records/91/16
Virtually all of the voicings I am playing in my right hand, are rootless left hand voicings.
By learning and memorising them, I can quickly visualise and target the different extensions and alterations in the right hand as well as the left.
In the video, I am playing roots with my left, and Type A and Type b rootless voicings in my right hand.
If you bassline doesn’t follow the roots, then it might sound unusual. But if it does follow the roots, then those rootless voicings are great to stab and comp with in your right hand.
I hope this helps James.
Let me know if you’d like me to elaborate on anything.
Cheers,
Hayden
Thanks Hayden. I guess that after having not used rootless voicings I just wasn’t sure how I was going to use them. I really like their sound, and they are great from an ear training point of view to hear how – despite being rootless – you can hear not only the individual tones but also the change from the 3rd to 7th, 5th to 9th and 9th to 13th and vice-versa. I think my next step while drilling them is to figure how to add extensions – in a way, having learned the 2-handed rooted bigger voicings I might need to think how I do this!
These are seriously cool voicings – it’s great as well when you start to recognise them day to day in stuff you’re listening to, thanks Hayden. I’m a fan of these voicings – going to spend time on them so they flow as well as the more basic ones now are – cheers!
Hi James – Yeah the #5#9 over the V7alt chord has a real bite to it. Your’ll hear that voicing a lot in funk. I just posted some practice guidance here: https://www.pianogroove.com/community/t/minor-251-practice-guidance/1124 – some important points for learning these tricky progressions. Cheers, Hayden
Smashing, thanks Hayden! 🙂