There are many ways to improvise over chords. One way to do it is to use scales. In this article, I’ll show you 12 jazz scales that are important to know, the chords they sound great with, and how to connect them.
In this in-depth article, you’ll learn:
- Essential scales used in jazz
- The specific chord associated with each scale
- The most important habit for connecting scales
So if you’re ready to go “all in” with jazz scales, this guide is for you.
Let’s dive right in.
TL;DR
If you’re short on time, watch my video on 12 jazz scales that are important for building a jazz vocabulary. I’ll show you everything you need to know from this lesson. In my experience, I’ve noticed that these scales are essential and often used in jazz improvisation.
In the following video, I provide some basic demonstrations of how nice these scales sound when you connect them for your major and minor ii V I’s.
Jazz Scales And Their Chords (Jazz Theory That Also Works For Bass Players)
I’ve organized these jazz scales into 4 sets. The first 3 sets work well in the context of a ii V I progression. The last set sounds great over the blues progression. I hope that by organizing this information by common chord chunks that you’ll likely see on a jazz standard, you’ll be able to apply this music theory more easily.
- Set 1: These scales have mild tension and will work well for your ii chords.
- Set 2: These scales introduce the most tension and sounds great over V chords.
- Set 3: These scales feel like home base and are best suited for major and minor chords.
- Set 4: These scales have a special quality to them and a single scale will work well over an entire blues chord progression, even a jazz blues.
Scales for Minor ii Chords
The ii chord is a great chord for setting up tension that a dominant V chord can offer. Here are a few popular scales used in jazz for ii chords.