Dancing With Duke (II-V-I exercise) - Introduction
With
Ollie WestonOllie Weston introduces 'Dancing With Duke', a Duke Ellington-inspired tune in C major built around the II-V-I progressions you'll practise soloing over.
What's in the course
47 lessons (1h 47m) · 1 free
01. The V-I 'Perfect' cadence
3:28
02. Dominant 7 - Cycle of 5ths exercise
1:24
03. Dominant 7 - Cycle of 5ths using 3rs and 7ths
2:16
04. Rhythmic variations using 3rds and 7ths
2:02
05. "Rhythm Changes" using Dominant 7ths and Cycle of 5ths
1:08
06. The II-V-I progression
1:20
07. II-V-I licks in the style of Parker, Coltrane, Adderley
Free lesson4:15
08. Dancing With Duke (II-V-I exercise) - Introduction
You are here1:15
09. Dancing With Duke (II-V-I exercise) - Performance
4:38
10. II-V-I progression conclusion
0:42
01. Finding the relative minor
1:41
02. Using the Harmonic Minor over the V chord
1:15
03. V-I in A Minor with a b9
4:38
04. Minor V-I in all 12 keys exercise
1:43
05. Phrase for practising minor cadences
1:17
06. Minor II-V-I in a chord sequence
5:04
07. Adding the II chord
1:20
08. Autumn Sun - Introduction and Harmony
3:03
09. Autumn Sun Performance
4:44
01. Introduction to Standards
0:52
02. Among the Stars Introduction
3:54
03. Among the Stars Performance
4:23
04. Undying Love - Expanding a chord sequence
4:42
05. Undying Love - Performance
1:12
06. Undying love - Checkpoint
0:47
07. Take the Express Train - The Turnaround
3:21
08. Melodic line examples for turnarounds
1:22
09. Take the Express Train - Introduction
1:28
10. Take the Express Train - Performance
1:12
11. Take The Express Train - Summary
0:39
01. Introduction to Bebop
1:04
02. 52nd Street Blues - Introduction and Head
0:29
03. 52nd Street Blues - Head using I-IV-V progression
0:45
04. 52nd Street Blues - Adding Chromaticism
2:53
05. Adding Jazz Harmony to the Blues
2:39
06. 52nd Street Blues - Head with II-V-I changes
1:05
07. 52nd Street Blues - Performance
3:01
Lesson transcript
Music Lesson: Understanding Two-Five-Ones in Context
To look at two-five-ones in context, we're going to play a tune called Dancing With Duke, which is inspired by the great pianist, composer, and bandleader, Duke Ellington.
Key & Structure
- The piece is loosely based in C major.
- Expect to see lots of 2-5-1 progressions leading into:
- C major
- D minor
- G7
- C
Additional Two-Five Progressions
There are a few other 2-5s in the piece as well:
-
In bars 3 and 4, there's a 2-5 progression from:
- E minor to A7 (suggesting D major).
-
In the bridge (the B section), there's a 2-5-1 progression into F major, indicating a slight change of key:
- Chords: G minor 7, C7 to F7.
Structure Overview
- The tune follows an AABA structure, totaling 32 bars.
- Take a moment to look through and spot where the two-five-ones occur.
PDF Reference
If you check out the PDF, it includes brackets under the chords, suggesting how the two-five-ones relate to certain keys. This will help you start to spot the relationship between the II chord and the V chord.
Performance Details
The performance of Dancing With Duke will include:
- One time through the head,
- Two choruses of solo,
- And a return to the head to finish.
47 lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Since graduating from the Leeds College of Music (BA Hons) and the Guildhall School of Music (Post Graduate Diploma in Performance), Ollie has built a busy and varied career in music. As a saxophonist he has performed in live and studio settings with artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Tim Minchin, Bonobo, Frank Turner, the London Jazz Orchestra, the Hackney Colliery Band, the Ambient Jazz Ensemble and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He is also the co-leader of the jazz quartet 'Time Is Of The Essence', and composes and arranges material for this and other ensembles.
Ollie is active in music education, currently as course leader for the jazz department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (junior school), where he runs jazz ensembles, big band and theory classes. He has written a series of 'Exploring Jazz' books for Schott Music that are published worldwide and feature on exam syllabuses in the UK. Ollie has also run workshops for Oxford University, Pro Corda Strings and BABSWE, as well as the Guildhall School of Music summer schools.
In his Exploring Jazz Saxophone courses, Ollie takes you from getting started right through to soloing confidently over songs and chord sequences, building the improvising skills that put a real jazz player's vocabulary at your fingertips.
