STUDY

GUIDE

Luca Mantovanelli
20 Jazz Licks: Advanced

JTCGUITAR.COM
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 2

INTRODUCTION

In this three-part package, I’m going to show you some of

my strategies for soloing over classic jazz progressions, using
a mixture of common chord progressions and actual jazz
standards.

We’ll work on short licks and phrases, longer lines and then work right up full
16-bar choruses. That way, you can decide how you want to use them – you
can focus on playing through specific changes or learn the full pieces, as
solo “études”.

In this Advanced volume we’ll do more work on some of the progressions

covered in the Intermediate volume, also three more classic jazz tunes.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 3

CHAPTER 1

JAZZ STANDARD – ALL THE THINGS

YOU ARE
This is one of the all-time classic jazz standards, and it’s
essential study for any serious jazz player.

It’s a long structure, so we’ll work through it in three parts. Like “There Will
Never Be Another You” in the Intermediate volume, this song is built around
a lot of 2-5-1 progressions, both major and minor, and extended sequences
from the circle of 5ths. If you need to do more focused work on major and
minor 2-5-1 progressions, check out the Beginner and Intermediate sections.

LICK 1 – Here are the first 8 bars, and we start by moving through the circle
of fifths (backwards, so we’re moving in 4ths): F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db. Then we drop
chromatically from Db major to C major, via a 2-5-1 (Dm7-G7-Cmaj7).

The simplest approach is to treat bars 1-4 as a VI-II-V-I (6-2-5-1) in Ab major

(Ab Bb C Db Eb F G) using that as your main scale. I played a little phrase
around the b9th and #9th (Fb and Gb) over Eb7, giving a Superlocrian sound.
You could stick with the same scale over Dbmaj7, but I play a Dbmaj9
arpeggio. And then I play a Baj7#5 arpeggio (comes from G Superlocrian)
to create tension before we resolve to the C major chord. You could also
interpret this as a G augmented triad leading into a Superlocrian scale line.

LICK 2 – Now, the second part, and this is exactly the same progression as
Lick 1, but moved up a 5th. So we now have a run through the circle of 5ths
from C to Ab and then a 2-5-1 into G major.

The simplest approach, therefore, is to use the Eb major scale (Eb F G Ab

Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced
CHAPTER 1 4

Bb C D) for all chords from Cm7 to Abmaj7. For extra spice, I played an E7
arpeggio (tritone substitute) over the Bb13, resolving to the Bb note over
Ebmaj7. Then there’s an Abmaj7 arpeggio, and I use an Ebm/maj7 arpeggio
to create tension over the D7 chord (its notes are all in D Superlocrian)
before resolving to the G major chord.

LICK 3 – In the third part, we have 2-5-1 progressions into G major and E
major. We start here in A Dorian (A B C D E F# G) which will also work as
G major over Gmaj9. Notice how I add some chromatic approach notes to
the chord tones of D7 and then there’s a chromatic enclosure leading to
the B note (the major 3rd) which starts the Gmaj9 arpeggio. We then drop
smoothly down to the F#m7b5 arpeggio, starting the 2-5-1 in E major. I play
a B7#9#5 chord and B Superlocrian (B C D Eb F G A) descending line, leading
into E major. The final C7 altered chord takes us back to the home key of F
minor: here I play a C7#9#5 arpeggio. If you’re playing over the full song, we
then repeat the A section (Lick 1).
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 5

CHAPTER 2

12-BAR JAZZ/BLUES PROGRESSION

You might already know the 12-bar blues as a classic building
block of blues and blues-rock, but it’s also an important tool
in jazz.

The only difference is that we often use more complex chords, or add
little II-V-I fragments. We’ll keep it pretty simple here – it’s a pretty straight
progression in Bb major, but notice how the turnaround drops from the I
chord (Bb7) to the VI chord (G7) and then resolves through the cycle of 5ths
(G7#5-Cm9-F13-Bb13).

LICK 1 – The basic principles here are the same as in the Intermediate
section, but the lines are technically more difficult to play. When you play
faster, you usually have to keep the theory more simple, so I’m mostly
working around arpeggios with chromatic passing notes.

LICK 2 – We start with some classic bluesy phrasing in bars 1-4, using Bb
minor pentatonic (Bb Db Eb F Ab) as a framework, and adding the major
3rd (D) over the Bb7 chords. In bar 5, I play an outside pattern comprising E
major and Bb major arpeggios (tritone substitutes) to create a lot of tension.
After the G7b9 arpeggio in bar 9, I then use lots of chromatic approach notes
to connect the chord tones through Cm9, F13 and Bb13.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 6

CHAPTER 3

JAZZ STANDARD – DONNA LEE

Donna Lee is a classic of the bebop era, so watch out for the
250bpm tempo!

There are two sections, so we’ll look at a few ideas for both parts.

LICK 1 – We start in straight Ab major (Ab Bb C Db Eb F G) but note how I

play that minor 3rd (Cb or B) to give a bluesy sound over F7 (the VI chord).
From the Bb13 we shift to Bbm7 and this starts a 2-5-1 back to Ab major.
Then there’s a REALLY quick 2-5-1 into Db (Ebm7-Ab7-Dbmaj7) – at this kind
of tempo, you just have to grab some chord tones.

The Db major is the IV chord in Ab major, and it shifts here to Db minor – a

common trick in jazz and pop. Notice how I target the E (or Fb) note here, the
minor 3rd of Db minor. We follow the circle of 5ths through F7 to Bb7 (bar
13), and notice my tritone-shifting pattern here, targeting E and Bb notes.
That then shifts to Bbm, starting a 2-5-1 back to the home key of Ab major.

LICK 2 – Another run through the A section, so take some time to compare
my note choices with Lick 1. I’m doing the same Bb/E tritone trick in bars 13-
14, this time with full Bb major and E major triads.

LICK 3 – This is the B section of the full Donna Lee progression. The first
three chord changes are the same, but then we go to C7, alternating several
times with Fm7. An easy trick is to work mostly around F minor (F G Ab Bb
C Db Eb) for both chords. This section ends with two 2-5-1 moves into Ab
major.

LICK 4 – Back to the A section, so study this alongside Licks 1 and 2,

Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced
CHAPTER 3 7

comparing what I do for each chord change. Because of the high tempo, you
usually just have to have a few basic templates for ideas you can explore
over each chord type (major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, m7b5). In bars 13-14, I
went for an even bolder tritone idea than before, now alternating Bb and E
major chords over an E pedal tone... over a Bb7 chord!

LICK 5 – Here’s another run through the B section. Again, compare with what
I did in Lick 3, especially for those repeating Fm9 and C7 chords.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 8

CHAPTER 4

JAZZ STANDARD – GIANT STEPS

Now, the BEAST! John Coltrane’s Giant Steps is one of the
most famous and most feared jazz tunes.

The chord progression is an ingenious piece of music theory, and a real

challenge for improvisers, especially given the fast tempo.

We don’t have space to analyse every bar here, but I’ll explain the basic
structure and leave you to analyse what I did over five takes.

LICK 1 – First, let’s talk about how Coltrane played over his Giant Steps
progression. He made extensive use of a little 4-note pattern, playing the 1st,
2nd, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale for each chord. This is what I did here in
bar 1 and a few other locations. As an exercise, why not try doing that for all
chords?

LICK 2 – Let’s look at the chord structure. Coltrane takes three major
tonalities, a major 3rd apart: B major, G major, Eb major. He then moves
through these tonalities in different groups of three. We start with B, then the
D7 leads us (a V-I change) into G. Then the Bb7 leads us (another V-I change)
into Ebmaj7. We play this chord for a whole bar, and then the Am-D7 chords
are a II-V-I progression leading us to G. Then the process repeats, this time
moving through G, Eb, B major (bars 5-8). In the Lick 3 notes, we’ll examine
the rest of the progression...

LICK 3 – Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the theory

behind bars 1-8, but what happens next? We’re a bit more relaxed for bars
9-16, using II-V-I progressions to move between the three tonalities. So, we
start in Eb major in bar 9, and then the Am7-D7 change takes us to G major,
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced
CHAPTER 4 9

and the C#m7-F#7 takes us to B. Then we’re back to Eb major again, before
cycling back to the start again.

LICK 4 – Now that you have a better idea of the theory behind Giant Steps,
you can hopefully analyse my lines more easily. Always think about which
of the three tonalities (B major, G major, Eb major) we’re in, and where we’re
going next. Am I playing the 1235 scale line, or an arpeggio? Am I using
chromatic passing notes or an enclosure to reach the next target note?

LICK 5 – Coltrane’s solo on the studio version is pretty insane – almost

entirely 8th notes for 11 choruses. It set a whole new benchmark for post-
bebop jazz, with Coltrane’s “sheets of sound” approach to melodic phrasing.
However, you don’t have to do that. Try leaving space, playing minimal
melodic lines. Or use chords, as I did in this take.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 10

CHAPTER 5

JAZZ STANDARD – IMPRESSIONS

Now we’ll return to John Coltrane’s “Impressions”, which we
also studied in the Intermediate section.

This is totally unlike everything we’ve studied so far, because it has long
stretches of just two chords: Dm7 and Ebm7. These don’t really work as
normal chord changes; they’re complete changes of tonality. This is a typical
example of modal jazz, and this is the same structure as the Miles Davis
tune “So What”.

LICK 1 – This is the first section of the backing, playing over a static Dm7
vamp. You can learn more about the concepts I use for this tune in my JTC
masterclass “Mapping the Modes”. I start here in D minor pentatonic (D F
G A C), expanding to full Dorian (D E F G A B C) in bar 6 and adding some
chromatic notes. At the end, I use A minor pentatonic (A C D E G). All
these notes are in D Dorian, but by focusing specifically on an alternative
pentatonic, you create a different melodic sound.

LICK 2 – Still playing over Dm7, we start with a Dm/maj7 arpeggio, the C#
(major 7th) hinting at the melodic minor scale (D E F G A B C#). In bars 9-10
I play a legato arpeggio line using Bm7b5 (or Dm6) and Fmaj7.

LICK 3 – Here’s the second half of the progression, with both Ebm7 and Dm7
vamps. Mirroring Lick 1, I start here with Eb melodic minor (Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
D). We switch back to Dm9 and I play a chromatic line before playing a series
of F and G major triads, both of which are found within D Dorian. This is a
concept called “triad pairs” and I covered it in my JTC masterclass “Groove
and Timing vol 1”.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Jazz Licks: Advanced 11

CHAPTER 6

JAZZ STANDARD – LADY BIRD

For the last two licks, we’re going to return to Tadd
Dameron’s “Lady Bird”, a classic of the Cool and Hard Bop
eras of jazz.

It’s basically in C major, but we take an unusual detour into Ab major in the
middle. We’ll study the progression in two parts.

LICK 1 – Here’s the first part of the progression. We covered most of the
basic concepts in the Beginner and Intermediate section, but I’m playing
much faster lines this time. I start with E minor pentatonic (E G A B D) over
Cmaj7 chord, leading into a Cmaj7 arpeggio. I use F Dorian (F G Ab Bb C
D Eb) through the Fm9-Bb13 change, and then another Cmaj7 arpeggio in
bars 5-6. Then I use Bb Dorian (Bb C Db Eb F G Ab) over Bbm11 and an A13
arpeggio idea (tritone substitution) over Eb13, taking us into the second
section...

LICK 2 – Picking up from the 2-5-1 into Ab major, I’m basically focusing on
Bb Dorian and continuing that through to Abmaj7, where it functions as Ab
major. Then we’re in A Dorian (A B C D E F# G) for the 2-5-1 into G (remember,
we don’t actually get to G). The final 2-5-1 leads back to C major, and I use D
Dorian (D E F G A B C) over Dm7, G Superlocrian (G Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F) over
G7, resolving to the C major.

Congratulations on getting through all the licks! Hopefully you’ve had a great
time learning something new, I’ll see you in the next one!

Luca M
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Luca Mantovanelli
20 ESSENTIAL PENTATONIC LICKS: ADVANCED

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