Songs · September 12, 2026
By Justin Comstock · JazzValve creator, longtime guitarist and adult trumpet learner · Updated October 21, 2026
Blue Bossa B-flat Trumpet Chord-Tone Exercises
Practice Blue Bossa in written D minor with transposed chord tones, simple arpeggios, and a guide-tone line that connects the changes.
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Blue Lines
Thirty days of focused B♭ trumpet practice: tone, time, jazz language and improvisation.
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Get Blue Lines freeFor Blue Bossa B flat trumpet chord tone exercises, start with the written D-minor changes and practice roots, thirds, fifths, and sevenths before adding passing notes. Then use the transposed chord chart below to connect each change with slow arpeggios and a third-and-seventh exercise.
Practice this free in JazzValve: open the D minor triad exercise — the written i chord of Blue Bossa — and play root, third and fifth with the fingerings on screen.
Get the trumpet key right
Blue Bossa is commonly played in concert C minor, which becomes written D minor for B-flat trumpet. Everything below uses written trumpet pitches, not concert pitches. If your backing track says C minor, these written D-minor exercises will fit.
Do not transpose an already-transposed B-flat trumpet part again. Also check your chart’s ending: some versions stay on the tonic, while others include a turnaround.
Here is a common 16-bar form with a turnaround in bar 16. Each chord lasts one bar unless marked otherwise.
| Bars | Written chords | Written chord tones |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Dm7 | D–F–A–C |
| 3–4 | Gm7 | G–B♭–D–F |
| 5 | Em7♭5 | E–G–B♭–D |
| 6 | A7 | A–C♯–E–G |
| 7–8 | Dm7 | D–F–A–C |
| 9 | Fm7 | F–A♭–C–E♭ |
| 10 | B♭7 | B♭–D–F–A♭ |
| 11–12 | E♭maj7 | E♭–G–B♭–D |
| 13 | Em7♭5 | E–G–B♭–D |
| 14 | A7 | A–C♯–E–G |
| 15 | Dm7 | D–F–A–C |
| 16 | Em7♭5 / A7 | Two beats each |
Notice the C♯ in A7 and the D natural in E♭maj7. Those notes help define the harmony; playing only the D-minor scale will miss important changes.
New to chord tones? Days 15–21 of Blue Lines cover triad phrases and target notes — get the free jazz trumpet workbook (free with email signup).
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Exercise 1: Roots, then thirds
Set a metronome to 60–70 bpm in 4/4. Play each root as a whole note, using half notes for the two chords in bar 16. Count all four beats, even when the same chord continues.
Next, play only the thirds:
F | F | B♭ | B♭ | G | C♯ | F | F | A♭ | D | G | G | G | C♯ | F | G–C♯
The last two notes receive two beats each. This makes the minor-to-major movement easier to hear than roots alone.
Useful standard fingerings in a comfortable register:
- Low D, just below the staff — 1+3
- Bottom-line E — 1+2
- First-space F — 1
- Second-line G — open
- Second-space A — 1+2
- B♭ above that A — 1
- Third-space C — open
- C♯ above that C — 1+2
- A♭ in the second space — 2+3
Keep the air steady through valve changes. Rest after each chorus rather than forcing tired chops through another repetition.
Blue Bossa B flat trumpet chord tone exercises: Four chord tones per bar
Play 1–3–5–7 as quarter notes on each full-bar chord. For example:
- Dm7: D–F–A–C
- Em7♭5: E–G–B♭–D
- A7: A–C♯–E–G
In bar 16, play E–G on beats 1–2, then A–C♯ on beats 3–4.
Choose an octave placement that stays comfortable; this is a harmony drill, not a range test. If the seventh makes the pattern awkward, first play 1–3–5–3. The D minor triad inversion drills provide a useful preparation for the tonic chord.
Once ascending patterns feel secure, try 7–5–3–1. Avoid speeding up until you can name the next chord without stopping.
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Exercise 3: Connect thirds and sevenths
Play this line as whole notes, except for the two half notes in bar 16:
F | F | F | F | G | G | F | F | A♭ | A♭ | G | G | G | G | F | G–G
Every note is a third or seventh of its chord. Holding F across Dm7 and Gm7 changes its function from third to seventh. The G over A7 then resolves down to F over Dm7.
Repeat with backing accompaniment so you can hear the harmony change beneath repeated notes. Then improvise quarter-note chord tones while keeping these guide tones as your landing notes.
A short practice routine
Spend two minutes on roots and thirds, three on arpeggios, and two on guide tones. Finish with one improvised chorus using chord tones and deliberate rests. Keep eighth notes even for the bossa feel.
Use the free JazzValve triad exercises as your chord-tone starting point. For a similar transposition-focused study, try Autumn Leaves for B-flat trumpet.
Where to go next
- Autumn Leaves for B-flat Trumpet: Melody Fingering Practice
- Easy Jazz for Trumpet: Five Tunes to Start With
JazzValve
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Free trumpet workbook
Blue Lines
Thirty days of focused B♭ trumpet practice: tone, time, jazz language and improvisation.
Email signup required
Get Blue Lines freeSources
- Maiden Voyage, Vol. 54 — Jamey Aebersold (includes “Blue Bossa”).