• How To Play An Advanced 2-5-1 Chord Progression In All Twelve Keys

    in Chords & Progressions,Experienced players,Gospel music,Jazz music,Piano,Theory

    Post image for How To Play An Advanced 2-5-1 Chord Progression In All Twelve Keys

    In this lesson, we’ll be focusing on how an advanced 2-5-1 chord progression can be played in all twelve keys.

    As long as chord progressions are concerned, the importance of the 2-5-1 chord progression cannot be over-emphasized; especially in styles like jazz and gospel music whether they are commonly used.

    Guaranteed: Learning how to play an advanced 2-5-1 chord progression in all twelve keys would take your chordal vocabulary to another level and that’s why you need to invest the next 15 minutes in reading this blog.

    Let’s get started by refreshing our minds on the 2-5-1 chord progression.

    A Short Note On The 2-5-1 Chord Progression

    In a chord progression, the idea is to move from one chord to another. Literally, the chords progress from one tone of the scale to another.

    Due to the fact that scale tones can be represented with numbers, chord progressions are usually notated with numbers. So, from the numbers “2-5-1” it’s easy to see the tones of the scale where the chords progressed from.

    In the key of C major:

    …the progression from chord 2 to chord 5, then chord 1, produces the 2-5-1 chord progressions.

    Using seventh chords we can progress from chord 2 (which is the D minor seventh chord):

    …to chord 5 (which is the G dominant seventh chord):

    …to chord 1 (which is the C major seventh chord):

    Alright! Now that we’ve refreshed our minds on the 2-5-1 chord progression, let’s approach it using more sophisticated chords.

    An Advanced Approach To The 2-5-1 Chord Progression

    The 2-5-1 chord progression can be played with ninth chords for a more sophisticated outcome.

    Chord 2:

    …is the D minor ninth chord.

    Chord 5:

    …is the G dominant ninth chord.

    Chord 1:

    …is the C major ninth chord.

    Let’s go ahead and learn how this advanced 2-5-1 chord progression can be played in all twelve keys.

    Final Words

    Using the approach covered in this lesson, you can also break down and play any advanced 2-5-1 chord progression in all twelve keys.

    Check out some of these advanced 2-5-1 chord progressions.

    All the best!

    The following two tabs change content below.
    Onyemachi "Onye" Chuku is a Nigerian musicologist, pianist, and author. Inspired by his role model (Jermaine Griggs) who has become his mentor, what he started off as teaching musicians in his Aba-Nigeria neighborhood in April 2005 eventually morphed into an international career that has helped hundreds of thousands of musicians all around the world. Onye lives in Dubai and is currently the Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group and the music consultant of the Gospel Music Training Center, all in California, USA.




    Comments on this entry are closed.

    Previous post:

    Next post: