This is a modified excerpt from my e-book, ii-V7-I: 40 Creative Concepts for the Modern Improviser. In this etude I use two different minor key shapes over the ii-V7 in minor keys, that then imply a resolution to the relative major over the minor chord (the I chord) of the tonic key. In the example above, I use an F melodic minor scale to create an interesting, angular melodic shape over the ii chord in the first measure. In the second measure, I transpose the shape (but altering it slightly) to Ab melodic minor. The third measure (the tonic) introduces a new melodic shape that starts out in C harmonic minor. This shape sets up a harmonic tension that seems to “resolve” to the key of Eb (the relative major of C minor). If you play around with it, you’ll hear that the last note (G), sounds more like the 3rd of the Eb major chord than it does the 5th of the C minor.

If you’d like to explore a more in-depth and methodical way to use melodic minor scale shapes over dominant 7th chords, please consider another of my e-books, Melodic Minor Scale Jazz Studies: Tonal Organizations and Applications Over Dominant 7th Chords. Click below for a free, downloadable pdf of this etude. (So that you know: In the flat keys, you’ll see that I’ve notated the second measures in flats. Even though this might make it less obvious which melodic minor scale I’m using,I think it makes the whole thing easier to read and to hear. I hope you agree.)

Minor Shapes Resolving to Relative Minor Over Major-pdf

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