Flute · Level 5 · Intermediate

The I–vi–ii–V turnaround in A♭ major on Flute

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THE SHORT ANSWER

The turnaround circles through four chords, two beats each, to lead back to the start of a tune. It trains faster chord changes inside a bar.

A♭maj7

A♭ major seventh

Notes: A♭ · C · E♭ · G

♭lowmiddle♭middlemiddle♭middle
Register

Fm7

F minor seventh

Notes: F · A♭ · C · E♭

low♭lowmiddle♭middlemiddle
Register

B♭m7

B♭ minor seventh

Notes: B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭

♭low♭middlemiddle♭middle♭middle
Register

E♭7

E♭ dominant seventh

Notes: E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭

♭lowlow♭low♭middle♭middle
Register
1
A♭maj7Fm7
2
B♭m7E♭7
3
A♭maj7Fm7
4
B♭m7E♭7

HOW TO PRACTISE IT

Six steps to a clean loop.

  1. Play each chord as an arpeggio, one note at a time: A♭maj7, Fm7, B♭m7 and E♭7. Press play on the card, then match each note.
  2. Keep a steady air stream between notes; for the higher notes, aim the air a little higher instead of blowing harder.
  3. Set the tempo to 60 BPM and play the progression with one chord per bar. Change on beats one and three; keep the hands moving on beat four.
  4. Play the chord tones one at a time, one note per beat, tonguing each note lightly (“too”).
  5. Raise the tempo to 80 BPM once you can play the loop three times without stopping.
  6. Record one take, listen back and check for two even chord changes per bar.

Listen for

Aim for two even chord changes per bar. A common mistake is letting the second chord in the bar arrive late.

Why it works

Each root falls a fifth (or rises a fourth) to the next — the circle of fifths in miniature.

A♭ major has 4 flats; its relative minor key is F minor.

Questions

What are the chords in Imaj7–vi7–ii7–V7 in A♭ major?

In A♭ major the progression is A♭maj7 Fm7 | B♭m7 E♭7 | A♭maj7 Fm7 | B♭m7 E♭7.

What is the key signature of A♭ major?

A♭ major has 4 flats. Its relative minor is F minor.

Is this lesson right for my level?

This is a level 5 lesson (intermediate). If it feels too hard, start with “A descending bass line”.

Your hands learn faster than your eyes.

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