Bill Evans Major 251 Line
Bill Evans was a true innovator – revolutionising the sound of the jazz trio. His unique style influenced jazz pianists that came after him and even those who came before him.
Bill Evans’ signature sound was rootless voicings. When the root is omitted, the chords voice lead as smooth as possible – these voicings are perfect to play underneath your right hand solos.
You can play this line whenever you come across a major 251. In the lesson we start of in the key of Bb major and then transpose the line into a couple of other keys. If you have time, take the line around all 12 keys… it will be a great exercise!
Lesson Downloads
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Bill Evans Major 251 Line Notation File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
Most jazz standards that you come across will contain a 251 progression in some form so it is essential that you know how to construct the 251.
Rootless voicings sound more professional than root based 7th chords and they voice lead much more smoothly in a 251 progression.
To play a rootless voicing we leave out the root of the chord and play one of the upper extensions to get a richer, more colourful sound.
Practice Tips
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Memorise this line in terms of the scale degrees.
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Change the rhythm, add notes in, take notes away. Make it your own.
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When starting out with transcription, you should identify and transcribe lines over 251 progressions. They will be instantly relevant to many of the tunes you are playing.
- Don't forget to transpose the lines around a few different keys, or all 12 if you have time!
The problem I am facing now is I can figure the note out in terms of scale degree in that chord and transpose into different key, However, I don’t feel the melody naturally because I think I used to think of melody in terms of the key that is in. Will that be a problem if I tend to think of melody as the scale degree of the key rather than the chord that is in? I practiced using scale degree of the chord but it really feel awkward. Any advice?
Hey Tina 👋
That’s a cool analysis. One thing I noticed is that in this short phrase, he uses the extensions to build tension and then the primary tones to release it. The ascending bits are all extensions and the descending bits all primary.
Hi Pat 👋🏻
Yes the primary chord tones play an important role in most 251 lines.
A very important point is how Bill resolves into the 3rd of the 1 chord which really grounds the line and keeps the melodic material linked to the underlying harmony.
You might like to check out my course on 12 bar blues improvisation where we explore other related concepts such as approach patterns, enclosures, and chromaticism:
https://www.pianogroove.com/blues-piano-lessons/12-bar-blues-improvisation/
Also be sure to tune into Tuomo’s improvisation classroom where he is giving students a guided approach to start improvising: https://www.pianogroove.com/community/c/classroom/36
Cheers, Hayden