Bebop Piano Lick Lesson II – V(alt) – I

/Steve Nixon/
Steve Nixon

Steve Nixon

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| Last Updated:
July 6, 2015

Here’s a new II – V- I  bebop lick instructional video I just shot.  This particular lick is one of my favorites because it uses alot of the classic building blocks of bebop.   I’ll list some of the more “theoretical” elements of lick that make it bebop. (video below)

1. chromaticism with mostly chord tones on downbeats.

2. approach patterns

3. the bebop scale

4. turning a II-V into just a V (I play just the dominant bebop scale over the II and the V)

5. altered tones

6. augmented arpeggios

7. resolution on the major chord onto to upper extensions ( resolving on the 9 of the I chord)

Bottom line though….it’s a fun lick to play and sounds good regardless of the theory 🙂

This particular lick was inspired by Bud Powell, Lee Morgan, Wes Montgomery, and Joe Henderson.   Enjoy and let me know what you think!

*****

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Steve Nixon

With a career spanning global tours and collaborations with legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy, Steve Nixon is more than just a Berklee-trained pianist. He’s a bridge-builder for the next generation of musicians. As the founder of Freejazzlessons.com, Steve turns his performance experience into accessible education, reaching over 70,000 students each month. He’s on a mission to keep the soul of jazz and blues alive in a world where music budgets are shrinking. Read Steve's full bio here.

15 Comments

  1. moody on April 5, 2012 at 4:40 am

    The last part of the lick – the arpeggio is simply perfect!  The flat 13 give the magnificent jazzy sound! Thank you Steve!

    Reply
  2. Meeze Jelle on April 21, 2012 at 7:07 pm

    Transcribing your licks on fretless bass is making me smile over and over again =)

    Reply
  3. Paul on August 2, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    To me, if you changed the flat thirteen back to a regular thirteen in the second full bar, you could use the whole lick over a C major 7 chord only, and it could be a sweet lick for a cadenza-type thing at the end of a ballad.

    Reply
  4. Amy Lo on September 24, 2013 at 11:55 pm

    I only can play with the scores…

    Reply
    • Steve Nixon (freejazzlessons) on September 25, 2013 at 12:21 am

      Hi Amy. There are tons of lessons on this site that have notation. Keep working on your ear and knowledge of theory and that will help you move away from the score more easily.

      Reply
  5. Leo on August 4, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Great stuff. I am just a sax beginner but i look forward to digesting this info. Many thanks. Leo

    Reply
  6. Morgan on October 27, 2014 at 10:14 am

    Very good Job Steve .I’m a french concertist classical and jazz pianist .I like your work .The transmission is the future of jazz .I make a tribute to Michel Petrucciani for a tour in piano solo .Have a good day Steve

    Reply
  7. Joseph on July 20, 2016 at 2:31 am

    Steve feom begginer side can solo blues over normal major sacel cause sometime it sound off like for instance c major chords soloinf with C major blue scale which its gonna add on few sharps and which major scale dont have sharps so advice me on that on.

    Reply
  8. cantabile on September 16, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    Yes, I also would like to see the written music for this lick. Love your lessons. Thanks alot.

    Reply

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