# Maj7-heavy Jazz Songs



## Preciousyetvicious (Apr 15, 2013)

Hello there, jazz aficionados! Per my teacher's instructions, I am practicing Jazz comping using 7th chord inversions. Memorizing and applying one inversion at a time, I am up to using three Maj7 inversions, so I am looking for some Jazz tunes that have a bunch of Maj7s in them that I can practice with the iReal app.

I've already practiced the crap out of Dindi and Saga, so I'm just wondering if anyone could help me out in picking some new ones to add the the list.

Thanks!


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## Indigenous (Apr 15, 2013)

Bright Size Life comes to mind.


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## JPMike (Apr 20, 2013)

I would suggest you, get a Real Book and learn tunes from there. Like iReal but in a book. 

Also, most jazz standards are structured from iim7-V7-IMaj7. I would suggest to get down your basic dominant7, minor7 and major7 chords and then start learning tunes. 

The first tune it would be really easy to learn and play over is, "Mack the Knife". I don't really wanna suggest more tunes since you might get confused. The way you see chords can also include Maj7 chords in there, like as the same chord with tensions but rootless (if the root is being played by the bass). The possibilities are quite many.


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## fwd0120 (Apr 20, 2013)

Continuing on what JPMike was saying, a song I would recommend getting the chords down with is All the Things you are. It is one of the must-learn standards. jazzguitar.be has a good tutorial for the harmonic structure. In fact, I would check out that site for a lot of stuff. I also recommend picking up a few jazz CDs and find a real book.


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## JPMike (Apr 20, 2013)

fwd0120 said:


> Continuing on what JPMike was saying, a song I would recommend getting the chords down with is All the Things you are. It is one of the must-learn standards. jazzguitar.be has a good tutorial for the harmonic structure. In fact, I would check out that site for a lot of stuff. I also recommend picking up a few jazz CDs and find a real book.



I would recommend it, but it's a 32-bar song, not easy to remember especially as a beginner. 


Btw, are u a member in jazzguitar.be?


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## fwd0120 (Apr 20, 2013)

JPMike said:


> I would recommend it, but it's a 32-bar song, not easy to remember especially as a beginner.
> 
> 
> Btw, are u a member in jazzguitar.be?



Good point, it is pretty long, especially for a beginner... I probably got in over my head when it was the first tune I learned, but I don't regret it.  I'll check my copy of the RB and see if I can remember something that would work for him.

OP - you may find some good songs on youtube as well.

Btw, I'm not actually a member, but I frequent the site pretty often since I decided to learn last summer.


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## Trespass (Apr 21, 2013)

All The Things You Are is not a "long song".

A long song to me is one that has a difficult to remember structure.

ATTYA is just a circle of 4th key center movement in the key of Ab major, the harmony itself being apart of Abmajor, until bar 7 and 8 - which still follows the root motion of Ab major, but instead is a surprise V-I in the key of C.

That's the first 8 bars/phrase of the song.
The next 8 bars is the same harmonically, but in the key of Eb major

The 8 bar bridge is two long form II-V-Is 
(long form= 4 bar II-V-Is [One bar of II, one bar of V, two bars of I])
in the key of G major and then E major, with the last bar being the dominant of A1's cycle.

The last 8 bars is a call back to the root motion with "surprise" non-diatonic motion, ending with a II-V-I in Ab major.

*Simplified Analysis:*

A1 - 8 bars // Ab major // circle of 4th root motion starting on relative minor (Fm7)
A2 - 8 bars // Eb major // Exactly the same harmonic formula as A1
B - 8 bars // G, E // Long form II-V-I in G, then E with dominant of A3's chord for final bar
A3 - 8 bars // Ab major // Re cap of A movement, with surprise F#13 to add drama (climax) and break up monotony of repeating the pattern a third time.
Root motion is descending to the (Cm7, Bo7, to Bbm7) II-V-I in key of piece


Melody - Mostly is the 3rds and 7ths of the underlying harmony


**This was done entirely from memory
----

Take a pencil and a Real Book (6th ed is good) and go through songs and attempt to identify chord relationships/functions. This will do a lot for memorizing tunes.

What's also great to enforce this, is to take a relatively diatonic tune and play it with friends. Every run through the chords, go up a semitone. Do all the transposition on the spot in your head. I'd recommend something simple like "Blue Bossa" or "Beautiful Love" to start.

Assuming everyone takes 3-4 chorus solos, you'll run through all twelve keys in 5-6 minutes. After that, start calling out random keys.

This is actually pretty easy to do for a lot of tunes. Blue Bossa, for example, is harmonically just 
Im7, Im7, IVm7, IVm7, 
iim7b5, V7Alt, Im7, Im7,
bIIIm7, bVI7, bIImaj7 (I see it practically as "go to m3 of parent key, play m7. That's the IIm7 chord in the IIm7/V7/Imaj)
(Or simply as a long form II-V-I on the bIImaj7 of the parent key)
iim7b5, V7Alt, Im7, Im/V7alt,


It's basically a 16 bar blues.
Organize phrases into 4 and 8 bar phrases, as well as A sections and B sections. Makes this all super easy.


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## JPMike (Apr 21, 2013)

I have to say Trespass, you are really into it and know what you're talking about. I won't disagree with you that ATTYA is not a "long song" but for a beginner it might not be the best for a start. I personally like to see tunes through arpeggios, and underline the harmony through my playing. I avoid linear playing, plus I haven't studied my guide tones resolutions yet. 

I totally agree with the OP to start on a shorter tune, like Blue Bossa, I think it was one of the first "jazz" tunes I learned (even though is a bossa). 

Btw, transposing simple songs is a great idea. I might actually do it. 

Thanks,
Mike

Edit: I just your sig. lol.


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## JSanta (Apr 21, 2013)

Blue Bossa was one of the first songs my jazz teacher gave me. The great thing about that tune are not only chord shapes/transitions that might be challenging coming from a rock background, but is really fun to play around with the same chords all over the neck. You can have a lot of fun learning to solo over that song as well. I've been playing around with some harmonic minor runs on that one recently and it kind of opened my eyes on to how you could make something really interesting over a standard.


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## Trespass (Apr 22, 2013)

Absolutely Mike, I get that. I'm just saying that jazz tunes, by their nature, are usually pretty easy to remember once you start thinking like a composer/arranger.

I start beginners out on tunes like Summertime, Blue Bossa and Autumn Leaves, and usually get a tune like ATTYA as a longer term project.

Triads, pentatonic scales, certain 4 note chords are usually what I target with approach notes and side-slipping. Triads allow me to weave in and out of key, approach notes keep 3rds and 7ths on downbeats - grounding the improvisation to the song.


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## JPMike (Apr 22, 2013)

Trespass said:


> Triads, pentatonic scales, certain 4 note chords are usually what I target with approach notes and side-slipping. Triads allow me to weave in and out of key, approach notes keep 3rds and 7ths on downbeats - grounding the improvisation to the song.



I am no pro regarding jazz, I have been studying jazz around 1 and a half years now. There are times I have crazy drive and lust to learn but sometimes I find myself trapped in my own self, not being able to break through bad habits and the same ideas over and over, in other words phrasing, even that's comping or soloing. 

You use triads, as in 1-3-5? or as Upper structures? Or even better you use triad pairs? 

I can use 1-3-5 triads (major, min, dim, aug) but sometimes it's so limited that I get easily bored going on the same triad all the time. That's why I use mostly arpeggios. Well, I haven't expanded my triads into using them as upper structures or as in triad pairs. 

But what happens, is fast tempos and let's say tunes like Rhythm Changes (Oleo, Anthropology, etc). I stick on the Dom chords and their resolutions. 

I am currently practising rhythm changes using triads and arps, in slow tempo of course. If I have to play at faster tempos, I am going linear (Bb Major) with G7, F7, Bb7 arps thrown in. It's still a mess for me though at fast tempos.


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## Preciousyetvicious (Apr 27, 2013)

OK, I guess I need to clarify some things.

I actually have already learned my basic 7th chords (major, minor, and dominant), in both E and A barre chord form. As I learned these, I had practiced playing them over "Saga" (not neccessarily memorizing the whole song, just to get used to forming the chords). Once that was established, I moved onto 7th inversions, and have been practicing using each different variant (locating the root on either the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string). The inversions I have down so far are all of the m7s, and now I am up to about three of the Maj7s.

What I have practiced so far are the following:

Saga
Dindi
Blue Bossa (as it has plenty of m7s in it)
L-O-V-E
So Nice (Summer Samba)
Fly Me To The Moon
Autumn Leaves

So all I'm trying to get down at the moment are playing with inversions. And since I'm currently working on getting my Maj7 inversions down, I'm simply asking if any of you out there could simply name any songs with perhaps more than 2 Maj7s that I can practice with. Sure, I could thumb through iReal and look for them myself, but I thought it would be helpful (and more fun) to socialize and bit and ask around. 

Thanks for all your help so far, guys!


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

Is there any reason your practice needs to be song-based? Why not pick a random position and play through the cycle of 4ths, staying strictly in position? That should force you to go through a variety of inversions as the root note shifts around.


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## Trespass (Apr 27, 2013)

celticelk said:


> Is there any reason your practice needs to be song-based? Why not pick a random position and play through the cycle of 4ths, staying strictly in position? That should force you to go through a variety of inversions as the root note shifts around.



This is great.

He definitely has the right idea though: The majority of your practice shouldn't be doing exercises, it should be doing songs. That's a big problem in the jazz world.

Hey JPMike, when I solo, I'm only think about melody and color (also mood, texture). I'm guided by the melody (and it's rhythm) to set the mood/tone. 

What I mention above allows me to do that. When I improvise live, I'm trying to spontaneously compose a new melody as good as the written one. After a first or second chorus, I'll start developing the simple motifs I improvised in the first pass, or I'll riff on the ideas from the melody, and see where it goes from there.

All the other stuff is mood, texture, color and excitement that's filler around the improvised melodies and motifs.

In motif building, I think question and answer, four note cells, interesting rhythms, hitting and repeating interesting intervals (say an F# over a II-V-I in Bb major - surrounding it with a D major arpeggio/triad on each chord, maybe playing chord fragments (2nds etc.) to support that tense-ness), sidestepping, and basic tension/release.

Phrasing structurally (analyse where melodies start in the bar, and where the phrase ends - phrase like that) rhythmically, and in "forward motion" is what you need to do once you have the basics down.


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## Preciousyetvicious (Apr 27, 2013)

celticelk said:


> Is there any reason your practice needs to be song-based? Why not pick a random position and play through the cycle of 4ths, staying strictly in position? That should force you to go through a variety of inversions as the root note shifts around.



That's a great idea! I guess there's no real reason to keep it song-based, I just think it's way more fun.


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## JSanta (Apr 27, 2013)

You'd actually be surprised how much fun you can have playing inversions in certain positions across the fretboard. Songs are fun of course, but the great thing about chords are you can kind of make up your own songs as you learn new shapes. You'll start to learn how to resolve notes and chords you hear in your head and open up the fretboard quite a bit.


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

Preciousyetvicious said:


> That's a great idea! I guess there's no real reason to keep it song-based, I just think it's way more fun.



Well, Trespass is right that there are definitely benefits to structuring your practice in the context of working on particular tunes. It's just that there are occasional situations where that's not practical. The maj7's harmonic function is generally as a resolution, and most progressions are not going to have too many of those, since you want to support the forward motion of your melodic line. An exercise to work out maj7 inversions thus makes more sense.

There are a number of variations you can try on the playing-in-position idea. Use it with a single chord type playing through the cycle of 4ths/5ths, or play an entire song in a single position, adjusting inversions as needed and paying attention to voice-leading in the cadences. To keep things truly random, get a twelve-sided die from a gaming shop and use it to determine the position for a particular practice session; this will prevent you from unconsciously falling into favorite positions. To *really* keep things random, use a second roll to determine the key of the song: the number rolled equals the root note, based on the E string (1=F, 2=Gb, etc.). To make the exercise harder, limit yourself to a 4-string set as well as a position. To make it even harder, limit yourself to a 3-string set, incorporating rootless voicings that use the 3rd and 7th plus a color note; these will be particularly useful for playing with a bassist and/or pianist.


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## Preciousyetvicious (Apr 27, 2013)

celticelk said:


> Well, Trespass is right that there are definitely benefits to structuring your practice in the context of working on particular tunes.



Sorry, what I meant was that *I* have no particular reason, I'm just used to practicing jazz that way. I also agree with Trespass. 



celticelk said:


> The maj7's harmonic function is generally as a resolution, and most progressions are not going to have too many of those, since you want to support the forward motion of your melodic line. An exercise to work out maj7 inversions thus makes more sense.



Ah, I see now. Cool.


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## JPMike (Apr 28, 2013)

I will totally agree with Trespass that all these should be used in tunes and not as exercises. 

For example, I have heard people saying that what's the difference between two particular songs when soloing? Both use ii-V-Is progressions with subdominants, inter polarities and what not, so that means you can approach it the same way. 

Hell no, the melody and the rhythmic construction of it actually, give you the vibe of the song and how to approach it. 

For example, "So What" and "Impressions" are using exactly the same chords and If I remember correctly I think, it's the exact same form with different melodies. The way you will approach each tune is totally different. 



Trespass said:


> Hey JPMike, when I solo, I'm only think about melody and color (also mood, texture). I'm guided by the melody (and it's rhythm) to set the mood/tone.



To be honest, I still find it hard to think the melody in my head when improvising. I have been trying but still needs work. The main problem is when you a changes heavy tune, I have to focus on the changes. Since as I mentioned my approach is mostly chord tones rather than using scales. I use scales, in like 1 meter ii-V/iimin7b5-V7b9, using Dorian-Mixolydian and Locrian6-Mixolydianb9b13. So far the only tune I kinda solo'd according to the melody was "Tenor Madness". I play this tune a lot, so I guess I get the feel of it easier. 



Trespass said:


> repeating interesting intervals (say an F# over a II-V-I in Bb major - surrounding it with a D major arpeggio/triad on each chord,



So you basically, with that F# you transform the Cmin7 to a half-dim, the F7 to a Dom7b5 (symmetrical dominant) and the BbMaj7 to Lydian? (I am thinking the ii-V as arpeggios and the resolution to the I chord as more scalar/linear sound, I think of ii-V-Is as 1 meter the ii-V and 1 meter the I chord.)


Trespass said:


> Phrasing structurally (analyse where melodies start in the bar, and where the phrase ends - phrase like that) rhythmically, and in "forward motion" is what you need to do once you have the basics down.



I haven't done that yet and I am sure it will be some time until I try it. If you hear me play, I kinda go more up and down the arps/scales but with a bit of a twist. So far, I've found that triads give me more of a melodic playing and I add tensions easier.

I am still a noob in jazz, but I am trying to excel as much as I can. It's a magnificent world with so many possibilities. So, whatever I write might be wrong but I am still to understand it. You can always correct me.


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## Trespass (Apr 28, 2013)

JPMike said:


> To be honest, I still find it hard to think the melody in my head when improvising. I have been trying but still needs work. The main problem is when you a changes heavy tune, I have to focus on the changes. Since as I mentioned my approach is mostly chord tones rather than using scales. I use scales, in like 1 meter ii-V/iimin7b5-V7b9, using Dorian-Mixolydian and Locrian6-Mixolydianb9b13. So far the only tune I kinda solo'd according to the melody was "Tenor Madness". I play this tune a lot, so I guess I get the feel of it easier.
> 
> So you basically, with that F# you transform the Cmin7 to a half-dim, the F7 to a Dom7b5 (symmetrical dominant) and the BbMaj7 to Lydian? (I am thinking the ii-V as arpeggios and the resolution to the I chord as more scalar/linear sound, I think of ii-V-Is as 1 meter the ii-V and 1 meter the I chord.)



F# is being pulled from a D maj triad (or a Dmaj b6 four voice chord). 
F#/Gb over F7 would imply F7b9. F# over Bbmaj7 would imply maj7#5 or maj7b13 depending on context.

You're thinking too hard. In a blues, if I wail on a b5, no one thinks I'm trying to reharm the chord. It's just tension to be released. Sometimes the rhythm section might follow me (in a jazz quartet example) and reharm it as a minor ii-V to Imaj, but I think mostly they'd play some kind of modern ambiguous cluster or quartal/quintal thing that moves in and out of key.

Or, if it's a very trad gig, they might just play 3-7 and stay out of the way of what colors I'm hitting, if they aren't sure.

The thing is, both of us know where the natural points of resolution are in the song. So we'll all resolve that tension on those points, and it'll sound "dramatic".



> I haven't done that yet and I am sure it will be some time until I try it. If you hear me play, I kinda go more up and down the arps/scales but with a bit of a twist. So far, I've found that triads give me more of a melodic playing and I add tensions easier.
> 
> I am still a noob in jazz, but I am trying to excel as much as I can. It's a magnificent world with so many possibilities. So, whatever I write might be wrong but I am still to understand it. You can always correct me.



Take a tune and try just improvising on the melody. Make all over your runs resolve on the same held notes the melody holds.
Play with the exact same rhythmic pattern as the melody (so yeah, play quarter note to whole note solos in "Autumn Leaves" as a phrasing exercise)

Slide into chord tones and sustain the note. Stop, breathe, let a few beats go by and play a short line that connects the 3-4 of one bar with the 1 of the next. Phrase like a blues player (an old school one, maybe like BB King, Albert King, Albert Collins), but with American songbook melodies.


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## Trespass (Apr 28, 2013)

celticelk said:


> Well, Trespass is right that there are definitely benefits to structuring your practice in the context of working on particular tunes. It's just that there are occasional situations where that's not practical. The maj7's harmonic function is generally as a resolution, and most progressions are not going to have too many of those, since you want to support the forward motion of your melodic line. An exercise to work out maj7 inversions thus makes more sense.



Wayne Shorter, a ton of modern tunes (Gloria's Step for example, Naima, all a lot of slash chord tunes, modal tunes like Saga of Harrison), latin tunes all use lots of non-resolution major 7s.

Besides, any m7 can be played with a major7 built off the third. (Ebmaj7 arpeggio over Cm7, for example) 7sus4 is often played as a 13sus4 by playing a major7 off of the 7th (Gbmajor over Ab7 would be Ab13sus4) see: Earth Wind and Fire.

Most modern subs are built off of moving major7s (see: Glasper, Rosenwinkel, Moreno)

Edit:
I can build a ton of practical, great sounding maj7 subs for every single chord type either with maj7, maj7b5, or maj7#5 four voice chords.


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## Preciousyetvicious (Apr 28, 2013)

Trespass said:


> Wayne Shorter, a ton of modern tunes (Gloria's Step for example, Naima, all a lot of slash chord tunes, modal tunes like Saga of Harrison), latin tunes all use lots of non-resolution major 7s.



Ah, thank you! This is what I was looking for.


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