I apologize for the really bad photo of the lick, my scanner went out on me, actually it was my laptop, but both are crap anyway.

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize this bebop lick in 12 keys:

First off, know that you’ll be starting on the tonic. Simply do a bebop standard lick starting on the tonic then going down a minor 3rd and doing the exact same thing over again. After this, do an advanced enclosure to the 3rd of the key, then simply do a diminished (stacked minor 3rds) landing on a chord tone of the next given chord.

That’s really all there is to this Jazz lick. Hope you enjoy!

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize this ii V7 I lick in 12 keys:

Just know that it starts on the tonic of the bebop scale you will be playing, or you can just think tonic of the key you are in on the ii V7 I Jazz lick. The lick goes up to the 3rd of the bebop scale you are currently on, then goes down the bebop scale until you land on the 5th. Next, you’ll switch to a diminished stacked 3rd approach. In the above example it starts on C#.

What is a minor 3rd above C#? That’s right, E. What is a minor 3rd below C#? That’s right, Bb or A#, however you want to memorize it. Do you see the pattern here? The lick simply finishes off going down stacked minor thirds until you land on the tonic (1st position) of the I chord.

In my experience, some keys are easier than others. But this is a nice Jazz lick to have in your back pocket whenever you see the need for it.

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Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize the Jazz lick in 12 keys:

I think bebop scale when I play this lick. I don’t care whether or not I’m playing it over a ii V7 I or not. The Jazz lick fits over a lot of different chords. Know that the lick starts on the tonic of the bebop scale you’re on, a 5th above the ending I chord (in the above example it’s G). Go down to the b7th, then up the bebop scale to the 2nd, next go up a minor 3rd to C, then down bebop scale. Continue down the bebop scale without the major 7th until you land on a chord tone of the I chord. Which in the above example is the 3rd of C.

I also added the b9 on the V7 chord, which in my opinion sounds a whole lot cooler than just playing a regular 9 on the V7 chord. What do you think?

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize this Jazz lick in 12 keys:

Like I said before, since this Jazz lick is very scale like, it lays very nicely on the trumpet. You can either think of the lick as a G bebop scale lick with a raised 4th, or a C major lick with a b9 (or raised tonic). I prefer to think of it as a C major lick with a b9 in it.

If you prefer memorizing the lick in major think of starting on the 5th of whatever key you’re in, then play the major scale up to the 4th, then go down to the b9, up to the 3rd, and finally finish the scale out landing on the 3rd of the I chord.

If you prefer memorizing the lick thinking in dominant then just know that you’ll start on the tonic of whatever dominant scale you’re starting on, go up the scale to the b7, down to the #4, up a minor 3rd from that, then just finish out the dominant scale down landing on a chord tone of the I chord.

Feel free to embellish on the lick and make it your own.

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Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize this dominant pattern in 12 keys:

You can see that this dominant pattern just repeats itself over and over again going up chromatically in half steps. Just start on the tonic of whatever dominant chord you are on. The pattern is (1 b7 1  b7 5 4) memorize that pattern in one key and you will basically have the pattern memorized in all the other keys.

You can use this pattern like it is written above, or you can keep going up chromatically as far as you would like. Experiment with this lick and find how it best fits into your improvising. You really could play this Jazz lick over any chord and it would sound good.

I also think it’s important to let you know where I got this bebop exercise from. I got this bebop exercise from The Be Boppers Method Book Volume I with CD. This Method book has a lot of great practice material and bebop licks to work on.

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize the bebop exercise in 12 keys:

The half step between each arpeggio is what makes this harder to learn than most exercises, every thing else is within the bebop or dominant scale. The exercise just repeats itself over and over going up the dominant scale one note at a time. Once you start incorporating the pattern into your solos you can start on any note when starting off your Jazz licks. This is a lot easier because you will generally only play one arpeggio of the bebop pattern above.

You’ll notice in my video demonstration that a doodled a little bit. I like to doodle in every key to help build my technique in every key. This helps me break away from being only comfortable in certain keys. The only way you can get better in keys you don’t normally play in, is by practicing in those keys.

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I got this lick from The Be Boppers Method Book Volume I for B flat Instruments with CD by Wendell Harrison. This is a great book full of good bebop exercises and patterns to work on.

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to learn this bebop pattern in 12 keys:

The lick just goes up in major and minor 3rds up the bebop scale. Try the bebop lick without the half steps in between the 3rds first. Then just add the half steps. If you are already familiar with all your bebop scales, this should be a pretty easy bebop lick to incorporate into your bag of licks.

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Here is a sample of the bebop exercise played on trumpet:

How to memorize the bebop exercise in 12 keys:

Notice that the exercise just starts on the tonic of whatever bebop scale you are working on. It then just goes up the the chord tones to the 11th and then down the bebop scale landing on the 3rd, 5th, b7th and tonic chord tones. After you reach the octave, the exercise just repeats itself and goes backwards landing on the , b7th, 5th, 3rd and ending on the tonic.

This is the easiest way to memorize the exercise in 12 keys. Just know that you will never go outside the bebop scale you are currently working on.

Here is a sample of the lick played on trumpet:

How to memorize this lick in 12 keys:

If you just think about the C bebop scale throughout this entire lick, you’ll learn it very quickly in 12 keys. This lick simply starts on the tonic of whatever bebop scale you are playing, but on the 5th of the I chord. So for a G ii V7 I, what bebop scale would you play? That’s right, the D bebop scale, because it is a 5th above the I chord.

So you start on the tonic of the bebop you are playing and go down the bebop scale until you hit the 3rd. Once you hit the 3rd, you just go up a diminished arpeggio which will hit the b9, then finish out the bebop scale however you would like to and land on a chord tone of the I chord. In the above sample, the lick ends on the 3rd of the I chord.

Here is a sound sample on trumpet:

How to memorize in 12 keys:

This lick is really easy to learn in 12 keys. Whatever note you start on is the bebop scale you will play. Know that the C bebop scale is a 5th above F Major . For example, if you have a ii V7 I in the key of G Major, what bebop scale would you play? The answer is the D bebop scale because D is a 5th above G.

You start on the tonic, go up to the 3rd, then do the bebop scale down to the 3rd again. When you hit the 3rd, just do a diminished arpeggio up to the b9 and then finish the bebop scale down landing on the 3rd of the I chord.