Twelve Keys

Voicings, scales, lines, and progressions — every exercise in all twelve keys.

Interactive Tools

Beyond the exercises — interactive reference tools for exploring chord-scale relationships, intervals, and harmonic geography.

★Reference Tool

Chord-Scale Map

Pick any chord; see the scales that fit, hear them played over the chord, jump to the matching exercise.

★Reference Tool

All Scales

Every scale in the library, grouped by family (modes of major, melodic minor, harmonic minor, pentatonics, blues, bebop, symmetric).

Left-Hand Foundations

Shells, rootless voicings, and the diatonic vocabulary that everything else is built on.

The Cycle Shell Voicings01 ii–V–I through all twelve keys, with guitar comping diagrams Shells with Color Three-Note Voicings02 Add the 9 (or 13) to every shell, in all twelve keys Rootless Voicings Bill Evans Voicings03 Four-note rootless ii–V–I across all twelve keys Bud Powell Left Hand The Minimal LH Voicing04 Root + ♭7 (or root + 3) two-note voicings, ii-V-I in twelve keys The Turnaround iii–vi–ii–V–I05 Five-chord wraparound in all twelve keys, shell voicings Tritone Substitution Reharmonisation06 ii–♭II7–I — same shell, new chord name, chromatic bass Reharm the V Seven Ways to Replace a V707 Catalog of common V7 substitutions in a ii-V-I, twelve keys Diatonic Sevenths Scale Harmonisation08 All seven 7-chord qualities of the major scale, every key Secondary Turnaround iii-VI7-ii-V-I09 Five-chord turnaround with the vi as a secondary dominant

Minor-Mode Voicings

ii⁰-V-i cadences, minor turnarounds, and the cadential moves that distinguish minor harmony.

Minor ii–V–i The Minor Mode10 Half-diminished ii, dominant V, minor i — twelve keys Minor ii-V-i with ♭9 Altered Minor Cadence11 iiø → V7(♭9) → i, the natural altered V for the minor key Minor Turnaround ♭III - ♭VI - iiø - V - i12 Five-chord wraparound in the minor mode, twelve keys Diatonic 7ths in Minor Natural Minor Scale Harmonisation13 The seven diatonic 7-chords of natural minor, every key Backdoor Progression Alternative Cadence14 iv → ♭VII7 → I, twelve keys

Full Song Forms

Twelve-bar blues, rhythm changes, Coltrane changes — the architectural shapes underneath the repertoire.

Twelve-Bar Blues The Foundation Form15 I⁷–IV⁷–V⁷ over twelve bars, all twelve keys Minor Blues The Minor 12-Bar Form16 im7 – ivm7 – ♭VI7 – V7 over twelve bars, all twelve keys Bird Blues Parker's 12-Bar Form17 Major blues with descending chromatic ii-V chains, twelve keys Blues Stride LH Blues Comp Styles18 The boom-chuck LH applied to a 12-bar blues, twelve keys Blues Walking Bass Blues Comp Styles19 LH quarter-note bass line, RH shells on the backbeats, twelve keys Rhythm Changes The 32-Bar Form (A Section)20 I-vi-ii-V cycling, eight bars × twelve keys Boogie Blues Shuffle Blues Comp Styles21 LH 1-3-5-6-♭7-6-5-3 ostinato shuffled in eighths, twelve keys Rhythm Changes Bridge The 32-Bar Form (B Section)22 III7 → VI7 → II7 → V7, each held two bars, twelve keys Blues Rootless (Evans) Blues Comp Styles23 LH 3-13-♭7-9 rootless A-form whole notes, twelve keys Coltrane Changes The Major-Thirds Cycle24 I – ♭III7 – ♭VI – VII7 – III – V7 – I, twelve starting points Blues Pedal Point Blues Comp Styles25 LH I-note pedal under changing harmony above, twelve keys Standard Intro The 4-Bar Setup26 iii VI7 ii V7 iii III7 ii V7 — landing on the head, twelve keys Blues Block Chords Blues Comp Styles27 RH four-way close on every beat, LH bass, twelve keys Blues Freddie Green Blues Comp Styles29 Four-to-the-bar three-note guitar comp, twelve keys Bebop Blues Comp Blues Comp Styles31 Sparse syncopated hits — and-of-2 + 4, twelve keys Blues Guide Tones Blues Comp Styles33 Half-note 3+♭7 dyads, skeletal voice-leading, twelve keys Charleston Blues Blues Comp Styles35 Dotted-quarter + eighth syncopation, both hands, twelve keys Bud Powell Blues Blues Comp Styles37 Two-note LH (root + ♭7) on beat 1, RH chord-tone arpeggios, twelve keys Two-Handed Modern Blues Blues Comp Styles39 Rootless LH + RH triad up top, syncopated, twelve keys

Two-Handed Comping

Bass + rootless chord, walking bass, stride. Both hands engaged.

Two-Handed Comping LH Root + RH Rootless28 The standard comping voicing — bass note plus four-note chord Charleston Comping The First Comping Rhythm30 Chord on 1, anticipation on the "and of 2" — ii-V in twelve keys Freddie Green Comping Quarter-Note Chord Stabs32 Four chord attacks per bar, straight no syncopation — ii-V in twelve keys Walking Bass Solo / Duo Comping34 LH walks 1–3–5–8, RH stabs rootless chord on 2 and 4 Tritone-Sub Walking Bass Chromatic Bass Reharm36 Walking ii–♭II7–I with rootless RH chords, twelve keys Drop Two Open Voicings38 Spread the rootless chord by dropping the 2nd voice an octave Stride Bass LH Rhythmic Independence40 Alternate a low root/5th with a mid-register chord stab Stride with Melody Solo Piano Mode41 Stride LH plus sustained RH melody, twelve keys

Modern Voicings

Quartal, upper structures, hybrid chords, block chords. Post-bop and modal-jazz harmony.

Quartal Voicings Modal Harmony42 The "So What" voicing — five notes, four stacked fourths Upper Structure Triads Altered Dominants43 Major triads over V7 — two voicings per dominant, twelve keys Hybrid Voicings Modern Comping44 Major triad over an unrelated bass — two voicings per tonic Kenny Barron Voicing The m11 in stacked 5ths45 Six-note minor 11 voicing split between hands, twelve keys Sus Chord Vamp Modal Voicings46 V7sus as m7-over-bass hybrid, twelve keys The Mu Chord Steely Dan's Add9 Voicing47 Major triad + 9, no 7 — the colour-without-function chord, twelve keys Maiden Voyage Chord The Hancock sus chord48 Wide-open sus9 voicing, all twelve keys 4-Way Close Block Chords49 Chord-melody with all four voices within an octave, twelve keys

Modal Vamps

Static-bass patterns and modal hovering — the sound of Maiden Voyage / So What jazz.

Pedal Point Static Bass, Moving Harmony50 Tonic pedal under a ii-V-I, twelve keys Lydian Vamp Modal Voicings51 II triad over I bass — the ♯11 sound in twelve keys Phrygian Vamp Dark Modal Voicings52 ♭II triad over i bass — the ♭9 sound in twelve minor keys Bossa Nova Brazilian Comping53 Syncopated RH stabs over root-and-5 LH, twelve keys

Right-Hand Lines

Guide tones, bebop scales, enclosures, and the building blocks of single-line soloing.

Guide Tones The Skeleton of a Solo54 b7 → 3 → 7 through ii–V–I, all twelve keys Bebop Scale The Right-Hand Line55 Eight-note major scales with a chromatic ♯5, all twelve keys Dominant Bebop V7 Bebop Vocabulary56 Mixolydian + chromatic between ♭7 and root, every key Dorian Bebop ii⁷ Bebop Vocabulary57 Dorian mode + chromatic between ♭7 and root, every key Bebop Minor Tonic-Minor Bebop Vocabulary58 Melodic minor + chromatic between 5 and 6, all twelve keys The Enclosure Bebop Approach Patterns59 Chromatic approach to the 3rd, all twelve keys ii-V-I Lick Bebop Vocabulary60 A canonical chord-tone melodic phrase, twelve keys Pentatonic Patterns Modal Single-Line61 1-2-3-5 sequenced from every pentatonic scale tone, twelve keys

Parent Scales

Melodic minor, harmonic minor, and the two modes you'll use most over alt dominants.

Plain Locrian The 7th Mode of Major62 1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – ♭5 – ♭6 – ♭7 — the darkest diatonic mode, twelve keys Melodic Minor The Jazz Minor Scale63 1-2-♭3-4-5-6-7, ascending and descending, twelve keys Dorian ♭2 The sus♭9 Scale64 Mode 2 of melodic minor — dorian with flat 2, twelve keys Lydian Augmented The maj7♯5 Scale65 Mode 3 of melodic minor — lydian with raised 5, twelve keys Lydian Dominant V7♯11 Vocabulary66 Mixolydian with a ♯11, all twelve keys Mixolydian ♭6 The V7♭13 (non-functional) Scale67 Mode 5 of melodic minor — dom scale with flat 6, twelve keys Locrian ♮2 The ø7 Scale68 Mode 6 of melodic minor — locrian with a natural 2, twelve keys Altered Scale The V7alt Vocabulary69 1 – ♭9 – ♯9 – 3 – ♯11 – ♭13 – ♭7, all twelve keys Harmonic Minor The V7♭9 Parent Scale70 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-7 with the augmented-second cadence, twelve keys Phrygian Dominant The V7♭9 → im Scale71 Mode 5 of harmonic minor — the dark-cadence scale, twelve keys Aeolian (Natural Minor) The Natural Minor76 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7 — diatonic minor, twelve keys Dorian Mode The m7 Scale77 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7 — the modal-jazz minor, twelve keys Ionian (Major) The Major Scale78 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 — the parent major scale, twelve keys Lydian Mode The maj7♯11 Scale79 1 – 2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7 — major with raised 4, twelve keys Minor Pentatonic The 5-Note Minor80 1 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭7 — five-note minor, twelve keys Mixolydian Mode The V7 Scale81 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7 — major with flat 7, twelve keys Phrygian Mode The Spanish Minor82 1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7 — minor with flat 2, twelve keys

Symmetric Scales

Diminished and whole-tone — the symmetric scales that bypass key signatures entirely.

Half-Whole Diminished Altered V7 Vocabulary72 The eight-note symmetric scale, from every V7 root Whole-Tone Scale Symmetric Altered Scale73 Six-note scale over V7 → resolving to I, twelve keys Whole-Half Diminished The Dim7 Scale83 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – ♭5 – ♭6 – 6 – 7 — eight-note symmetric, twelve keys

Blues Scales

Minor and major blues scales — the bent, vocal-derived language.

Minor Blues The Blue Note Vocabulary74 1 – ♭3 – 4 – ♯4 – 5 – ♭7, six notes in twelve keys Major Blues The Major-Key Blue Note75 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 3 – 5 – 6, the brighter blues scale, twelve keys