Other Common Progressions
After the 2 5 1 progression, the next most common major key progression is 1 6 2 5, or 6 2 5 1. Like the 2 5 1 progression, run through the arpeggios of these chords over a backing track of the chords (or better still, practice with another musician and take it in turns to solo or play chords) and then improvise using the arpeggios.
Here is an example played over a 1 6 2 5progression. Learn it from memory and then transpose it to all the other keys.
Here is a progression which covers all the chords in a major key: 1 4 7 3 6 2 5. As with previous examples, memorize both the progression and the individual notes and learn it in all keys.
In many Jazz songs, a 2 5 progression does not lead to chord 1 , but to another 2 5 in a different Key. Here is an example.
Here is a whole solo making use of short 2 5 progressions moving through several different keys. It is based on the chord progression from Duke Ellington’s "Satin Doll". Notice that the eighth notes are played straight rather than swung here. Once you can play the solo, analyze the notes against the chord symbols (all the notes here are chord tones) then transpose it to all the other keys as well as improvising over the progression using both modes and chord tones.
