How To Practice Major & Minor 251s
In this lesson we’re going to explore some rootless 251 practice exercises using the iRealPro App.
If you haven’t already, check out the lessons on the rootless major 251 progression and also the minor 251 progression. It’s important to understand the theory covered in these tutorials.
251s are the most common progression in jazz music so it’s extremely important that you can build and play 251s in all 12 keys. These progressions are essential components of the jazz language and so taking the time to learn and memorise them will greatly benefit your playing.
Generally when we are learning jazz, we tend to repeat the easier key signatures such as C major, and then neglect the more challenging keys such as Gb Major.
In the same way with minor keys, you will probably have a good understanding of the scales and chords in D minor but moving up a half step you may find it challenging to identify the same chords and scales in Eb Minor.
This is one of the reasons why the iReapPro app is very useful, the practice exercises encourage you to practice chords and progressions in all 12 keys to become a more well rounded jazz pianist.
First of all let’s look at how to download the jazz piano practice exercises using the iReal Pro and then also show you some additional features of the app which will help focus and improve your practice sessions.
Practice Tips
Download the iRealPro App - this should be an essential tool in your journey to learn jazz piano.
Next navigate to the forum and browse through the jazz practice exercises. Download any of the major and minor 251 exercises. Remember that you can loop sections of the exercise by clicking and dragging on the bars (or press and drag with your finger if you are using a tablet).
You can also download the 1300 standards pack which gives you the backing tracks for most of the jazz standard repertoire.
Happy practicing!
