Chord Progression Patterns For Improvisation and Ear Training

Here is a jazzy chord progression that can be practiced as patterns. Melodic and harmonic patterns are good for helping improve improvisational playing. They are also good for improving in playing by ear.

* The "Rise Within Us" Pattern
The first pattern comes from within the contemporary gospel musical vocabulary. I call it the "Rise Within Us" pattern because I first heard it in a song by the same name. The song was written by Israel Houghton, bandleader of "Israel and Nu Breed," a modern Christian R & B band.

The Rise Within Us pattern goes like this:

D-9 --> C/E --> F maj. 7 --> G --> A-7 (or G/A) | F#-9 --> E/G# --> A maj 7 --> B --> B/C#

(and back to D-9)

Of course, to make a recurring modulating pattern, that modulates through the entire Chromatic Scale, you can add the passing chord of B or B7 and then resolve on A-9 and start the pattern over.

Try it! It's fun, and you'll sound like a jazzy composer in no time.