Jazz or Honky Tonk Progression

[Monkey Allen]

Can anybody tell me some good jazz or honky tonk type progressions for guitar? I'm after those chugging type progressions that you tend to hear as the rhythm guitar to people like Django Reinhart. There's a song called 'My Blue Heaven' which has that chugging rhythm I'm talking about. They have lots of chord changes I suppose you could say, often in time with the bass. I don't know, that's the best way I can explain it.

Anyway, I would really like to be able to play like that and would like some kind of a start. So if you happen to know any, let me know.

thanks

 

[dementedchord]

my blue heaven is basically..

I l I lIV lIV l
I lV lI lI l for the verse


IV lIV-lI lI l
II lII lV lV l for the bridge.... the - after the IV means to change to minor
soe would make it iv also the II is major where it's normally minor in the key... FWIW the II is really the V/V or secondary dominant...

 

[jdier]

Can anybody tell me some good jazz or honky tonk type progressions for guitar? I'm after those chugging type progressions that you tend to hear as the rhythm guitar to people like Django Reinhart. There's a song called 'My Blue Heaven' which has that chugging rhythm I'm talking about. They have lots of chord changes I suppose you could say, often in time with the bass. I don't know, that's the best way I can explain it.

Anyway, I would really like to be able to play like that and would like some kind of a start. So if you happen to know any, let me know.

thanks

I think the types of chords you are looking for come more from the player's take on the voicings and inversions of the chords, than the changes written down. My gut is that you are hearing and liking II - V - I turnarounds.

Few suggestions:
1. Chords & Progressions for Jazz & Popular Guitar by Arnie Berle. Fantastic book.

2. Hotlicks Joe Pass Video. I do not know if it is even still available, but he covers note for note the sound you are looking for.

3. Get a Real Book (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Book) a seamingly neverending reference book of standards.

 

[famous beagle]

Yeah it looks like you're basically kind of talking about "Rhythm Changes" and that type of thing. There are TONS of variations on it, but the basic deal is this:

||: I | VI7 | ii7 | V7 | iii7 | VI7 | ii7 | V7 :||

and then the bridge or "B" section would be:

| III7 | III7 | VI7 | VI7 | II7 | II7 | V7 | V7 |

In the key of C, this would be like:

| C | A7 | Dm7 | G7 | Em7 | A7 | D7 | G7 |

bridge:

| E7 | E7 | A7 | A7 | D7 | D7 | G7 | G7 |


In practice, this is varied quite a bit. You might see the repeat of the A section as something like this:

| I | I7 | IV | iv | iii7 | VI7 | ii7 | V7 |

Dominant chords are altered, passing diminished chords are used to create chromatic bass lines, sometimes all the minor chords are changed to dominant chords, more ii-V's are inserted, etc. But you asked for the basic idea, and what's written above is pretty close.

Hope this helps.

 

[32-20-Blues]

I like this one, half a bar on each chord:

Gmaj7 - Em7 -/ - Am - D7 -
Gm7 - Cmaj9 -/- Gm7 - Cmaj9 -
Bm7 - Bbm7 - /-Am7 - D9 -
Am7 - D9 -/- Am7 - D9
Gmaj7 - Em7 -/- Am - D7.

Kinda Django.