Watch the Up a Flat 3rd: Alt. Dom. II-V-I online guitar lesson by Kenny Wessel from Shades of Jazz

Over a II-V-I progression (C-7/ F7 alt/ BbMaj7#11), we can take some of the different pentatonic scale applications that we have studied so far and put them into a progression to create interest. By moving our friendly pentatonic around, we can explore different harmonic zones with some very familiar material. If we use an C minor pentatonic over a C-7 chord, then move to an Ab minor pentatonic over the F7 altered chord (up a flat third from the root), and resolve to an A minor pentatonic for the Bbmaj7#11chord (built a half step down from the root), we will have some very interesting colors in our lines. The C minor pentatonic over the C-7 chord gives us 1, b3, 4, 5, b7; the Ab minor pentatonic over the F7 altered chord gives us b9, #9, #11, b13, b7 (an altered dominant); and the A minor pentatonic over the BbMaj7#11 chord gives us 7, 9, 3, #11, 13 (a cool Lydian sound).

We can also easily resolve F7 altered chord by moving the Ab minor pent up a ½ step (or a fret) to the A minor pentatonic for the V I cadence - ending in a Lydian sound (F7alt resolving to BbMaj7#11). This is some guitar wizardry, but it's also some hip harmony!

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