Violin · Level 10 · Expert

Rhythm changes (A section) in D♭ major on Violin

TempoJam chord lessons · I–vi–ii–V–iii–VI7–ii–V · 108 BPM goal

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THE SHORT ANSWER

Rhythm changes is the second most important jazz form after the blues. The A section packs two chords into every bar at a lively tempo.

D♭maj7

D♭ major seventh

Notes: D♭ · F · A♭ · C

♭G 4D 2♭D 4A 2♭A 2
String and finger, first position

B♭m7

B♭ minor seventh

Notes: B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭

♭G 2♭G 4D 2♭D 4♭A 1
String and finger, first position

E♭m7

E♭ minor seventh

Notes: E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭

♭D 1♭D 2♭A 1♭A 2♭A 4
String and finger, first position

A♭7

A♭ dominant seventh

Notes: A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭

♭G 1G 3♭D 1♭D 2♭D 4
String and finger, first position

Fm7

F minor seventh

Notes: F · A♭ · C · E♭

D 2♭D 4A 2♭A 4E 1
String and finger, first position

B♭7

B♭ dominant seventh

Notes: B♭ · D · F · A♭

♭G 2D openD 2♭D 4♭A 1
String and finger, first position

D♭7

D♭ dominant seventh

Notes: D♭ · F · A♭ · C♭

♭G 4D 2♭D 4♭A 1♭A 2
String and finger, first position

G♭maj7

G♭ major seventh

Notes: G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F

♭D 2♭A 1♭A 2E 1♭E 1
String and finger, first position

G♭m7

G♭ minor seventh

Notes: G♭ · B𝄫 · D♭ · F♭

♭D 2𝄫A open♭A 2♭E open♭E 1
String and finger, first position
1
D♭maj7B♭m7
2
E♭m7A♭7
3
Fm7B♭7
4
E♭m7A♭7
5
D♭maj7D♭7
6
G♭maj7G♭m7
7
Fm7B♭7
8
E♭m7A♭7

HOW TO PRACTISE IT

Six steps to a clean loop.

  1. Play each chord as an arpeggio, one note at a time: D♭maj7, B♭m7, E♭m7, A♭7, Fm7, B♭7, D♭7, G♭maj7 and G♭m7. Press play on the card, then match each note.
  2. Stay in first position: use the open string where you can and keep the fingers close to the string.
  3. Set the tempo to 81 BPM and play the progression with one chord per bar. Practise each pair of bars slowly with a metronome, then link them.
  4. Play the chord tones one at a time, one note per beat, with a full, even bow on each.
  5. Raise the tempo to 108 BPM once you can play the loop three times without stopping.
  6. Record one take, listen back and check for even, unhurried changes on beats one and three.

Listen for

Aim for even, unhurried changes on beats one and three. A common mistake is slowing down on the busier bars five and six.

Why it works

Bar five's I7 is a secondary dominant of IV, and bar six borrows the minor iv from the parallel minor.

D♭ major has 5 flats; its relative minor key is B♭ minor.

Questions

What are the chords in I–vi–ii–V–iii–VI7–ii–V in D♭ major?

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

What is the key signature of D♭ major?

D♭ major has 5 flats. Its relative minor is B♭ minor.

Is this lesson right for my level?

This is a level 10 lesson (expert). If it feels too hard, start with “A neo-soul chord loop”.

Your hands learn faster than your eyes.

Reading a chord chart is step one. Play it to a metronome, record it, and hear yourself get better, all in one app.

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The same lesson in other keys

C majorD majorE♭ majorE majorF majorF♯ majorG majorA♭ majorA majorB♭ majorB major

On another instrument

Guitar →Piano →Ukulele →Mandolin →Banjo →Flute →

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