What are jazz chord progressions?
Jazz chord progressions are sequences of chords that were originally used in jazz music. Jazz songs use lush harmonies and complex extended chords, which add vibrant tonal colors to basic triads.
Most common jazz chord progressions come from what we call “standards.” Jazz standards are well-established compositions that have been played and covered by many musicians over time. A great deal of these songs made their debut in Broadway musicals. One of the most fundamental aspects of jazz is improvisation – so jazz musicians would take chord progressions from these musicals and improvise melodies over them, transforming them into something new.
Like other major and minor chord progressions, jazz chord progressions don’t belong to anyone, especially in their shorter forms. Feel free to use these progressions in your music and tailor them to your own needs. Try different keys and combinations, with original melodies. Something interesting is bound to present itself through experimentation.
Once more – even if you’re not making jazz, this theory will be beneficial to you. Plenty of musicians who aren’t technically “jazz artists” use jazz chord progressions and samples in their music. So why shouldn’t you include them in your songwriting?
One example of this is “Boredom” by Tyler, The Creator. This track features one of the chord progressions we’ll be discussing later, the ii-V-I: