How to Nail Invisible ii - V - I’s
One of the best ways of improvising solos that sound more “pro” is with invisible ii - V - I’s.
Now, you’re probably wondering: what on earth is an invisible ii - V - I?
Before we get into it, we should start by quickly defining what a regular ii - V - I is.
Here goes…
A ii - V - I is a three part chord progression.
Let’s Memento this explanation and work backwards from the I chord.
The I chord is the tonic chord, or as I like to call it: the destination chord. It’s our target, i.e. where we end up.
The V chord is the dominant chord – the chord with tension that is then released by resolving to the tonic. Put another way, the dominant chord is a chord that moves. It wants to go somewhere.
As for the ii chord, its official name is the pre-dominant chord. It has less inherent movement than the dominant chord, but there’s still some tension there, being that it’s not as resolved as the I chord.
We can boil the ii - V - I down to two parts with this analogy: the ii - V is the journey, and the I chord is the destination.
Now, what about these mysterious invisible ii - V - I’s?
Take a look at this 12-bar blues progression:
Yes, there’s a ii - V - I in the turnaround (last four bars), but by improvising over a few invisible ii - V - I’s inserted throughout the progression, you can add a ton of interest to your solo. (The chords in red represent invisible ii - V’s which resolve to their corresponding I chords.)
By implying this additional harmony, you can make your solos sound way more exciting and hip, especially on simple chord progressions on blues, funk, and pop tunes.
So, the next time you see a potential destination chord (just about any chord can function as a destination chord), set it up by implying an invisible ii - V "journey" progression in your improvised solo.
Lastly, to really nail these invisible ii - V - I’s, you need a strong soloing vocabulary that sounds great and makes sense with your musical style and skill level.
Which brings me to my new series of ii - V - I lick books, Sick Licks.
Clickity-clack the link below to check out each and every book, plus all the bundles.
https://go.jeffschneidermusic.com/sick-licks
Check out that link toda so you can:
Inject the highest quality licks into your solos that’ll make listeners go “Woooo!”
Get the Classic books so you can finally get that bebop and hard bop sound you’ve been after
Get the Blues books so you can play lines with so much soul you’ll give everyone in the room permanent stank face
Get the Modern books so you can add chromatic, intervallic, and “out” lines to your solos and sound hipper than ever before
Get the Level 1 books so you can sound like a pro on ii - V - I progressions in any genre, even if you’re a beginning improviser
Get the Level 2 books so you can advance your playing to a whole new level and improvise solos that sound so good you’ll make others want to transcribe YOU
Smile to yourself as friends and family ask you, “When the heck did you learn to play like that?!”
Never improvise a boring solo again. Sick Licks will give you soloing practice material for many years to come
Improvise with confidence knowing you have hundreds of licks at the ready and that you’ll never run out of things to play
Here’s the link once more:
https://go.jeffschneidermusic.com/sick-licks
Happy Shedding,
Jeff