Two-five-one Bebop type chord progression
This section introduces songs written to explore improvisation concepts. This example is from the song Song for Sonny and shows how to practice substitution arpeggios on a two-five-one progression.
The
first
eight
bars
of
Song
for
Sonny
involve
no
less
than
three
key
changes
(á
la
Coltrane’s
in/famous
Giant
Steps). It
starts
out with
ii
V
I
in
C
Major,
followed
by
the
same
in
Bb
Major
and
G
Major
before
an
A13
chord
in
bar
8
brings
it
back
to
C
Major.
This
section
uses
the
substitution arpeggio
from
respectively
the
major
and
minor
3 rd
(remember:
IIIm7
on
the
IMaj7, IIIm7b5
on
the
I7
and
bIIMaj7
on
the
Imin7).
Every
phrase
is
based
on
this
substitution arpeggio
. The
result
is
not
an
exciting
”solo”,
but
a
good
work‐out
to
familiarize
yourself with
how
chords
and
arpeggios
connect.
By
playing
from
any
note
of
the
arpeggio,
you learn
how
to
visualize
it
on
the
neck.
Song for Sonny by Bo Vibe
Download the guitar e-book for the full song!