Which Scales should I Play over a Minor 2-5-1 in Jazz?

Are you confused about minor 2-5-1 scales?

Hi …!

This is Julian from the Jazz Tutorial YouTube channel.

I just got asked a great question from Cris from Scotland:

“I am confused about the scales from which the minor 2-5-1 chords are built. Can you tell me which scale or scales I play from over the minor 2-5-1?”

Absolutely - the minor 2-5-1 is a common area of confusion because it has moving parts. You can play the minor 2-5-1 different ways, with different chords and scales…
Let’s start from the beginning:

First - there are two types of 2-5-1:

The major 2-5-1 is most common: D min 7 - G7 - C maj 7.

(90+% of 2-5-1s are the major kind).

The minor 2-5-1 is somewhat rare: D half-diminished - G7 - C min-maj 7.

All 3 chords in the minor 2-5-1 are built from the harmonic minor scale:

C harmonic minor scale = C D Eb F G Ab B (major 7th).

So to build a minor 2-5-1 progression in C minor - you’ll built all 3 chords from these notes…

The ii chord starts from D - D F Ab C…

The dominant 7 (V7) chord starts from G - G B D F…

And the i chord is built from C - C Eb G B…

Each chord is a 7th chord, so you just play up in 3rds from the root note (1 3 5 7), sticking with the notes in C harmonic minor scale.

Now does that mean you can play C harmonic minor scale over all 3 chords?

No - while it would sound ‘consonant’ to play C harmonic minor scale over all 3 chords (i.e. no wrong notes), it wouldn’t sound like you’re playing jazz…

There are specific jazz scales that a jazz musician has to play - otherwise you won’t sound like you’re playing jazz.

So here are the scales you can play from over the:

D half-dim / ‘D min 7 b5’ - the ii chord: (D F Ab C):

Play D locrian scale (D Eb F G Ab Bb C - think ‘Eb major scale’)

Or D half-diminished scale (D E F G Ab Bb C - think ‘F melodic minor scale’)

G7 - the dominant 7 (V7) chord: (G B D F)

Play G Phrygian-dominant scale (G Ab B C D Eb F G - think ‘C harmonic minor scale’)

G altered scale (my favorite: G Ab Bb B Db Eb F - think ‘Ab melodic minor scale’)

Or G diminished scale (G Ab Bb B C# D E F).

C min-maj 7 - the i chord: (C Eb G B)

Play C melodic minor scale (C D Eb F G A B - minor scale with major 6th and major 7th).

Or - change the chord to C minor 7 (which is common) and play C dorian scale (C D Eb F G A Bb).

So you see that there are multiple scales you can play over each of the 3 chords - which makes the minor 2-5-1 hard to pin down…

Also, the I chord is often changed to a minor 7 chord - rather than the original minor-major 7 chord (C Eb G B).

The simplest set of 3 scales you can play are:

D locrian scale (Dø chord) - G Phrygian-dominant scale (G7) - C melodic minor scale (C min-maj 7)

And for a more sophisticated and modern jazz sound you can play:

D locrian scale (Dø chord) - G altered scale (G7) - C dorian scale (C min 7)

And one more advanced option you might like to try is:

D locrian scale (Dø chord) - G diminished scale (G7) - C dorian scale (C min 7)

I recommend printing this email out and trying out all of the chord / scale options at the piano - and decide which combination you like best…

Just play each chord in your left hand (Dø - G7 - C min) - and then run up and down each scale in your right hand above the chord…

Make a note of which ‘3 scale combination’ you like best - and then stick to that…

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