Hard Bop · September 12, 2026
By Justin Comstock · JazzValve creator, longtime guitarist and adult trumpet learner · Updated October 22, 2026
Hard Bop Trumpet Minor ii–V–I Licks with Fingerings
That B♭ over A7 needs somewhere to go. I'll walk you through three written D minor trumpet licks, with valve fingerings, clear rhythms, and room to hear each resolution.
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Get Blue Lines freeThat B♭ over A7 can sound wrong until you hear where it's going. I use these hard bop trumpet minor ii v i licks with fingerings to outline written Em7♭5–A7–Dm through chord tones, dominant tension, and clear resolutions. Start with the quarter-note lick. Then swing the eighth-note lines at a comfortable tempo.
Set up hard bop trumpet minor ii–V–I licks with fingerings
Everything here is written for B-flat trumpet, chord symbols included. Written Em7♭5–A7–Dm sounds as concert Dm7♭5–G7–Cm. If you're using concert-pitch backing tracks, choose concert C minor. Get that settled before you start.
Play one bar per chord in 4/4:
| Em7♭5 | A7 | Dm |
Here are the basic chord tones to hear:
- Em7♭5: E–G–B♭–D. The B♭ makes this a half-diminished chord, not ordinary Em7.
- A7: A–C♯–E–G. The C♯ pulls toward D.
- Dm: D–F–A. Landing on F makes the minor quality especially clear.
Written D harmonic minor—D–E–F–G–A–B♭–C♯—gives you every note you need for these first lines. Over A7, B♭ is the tense flat ninth. I keep it moving. It's not somewhere to park by accident.
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Fingerings and register
You'll stay between written D4, just below the staff, and E5, the top space. C4 means middle C. The numbers tell you which valves to press; open means no valves.
| Written note | Fingering |
|---|---|
| D4 | 1+3 |
| E4 | 1+2 |
| F4 | 1 |
| G4 | open |
| A4 | 1+2 |
| B♭4 | 1 |
| C5 | open |
| C♯5 | 1+2 |
| D5 | 1 |
| E5 | open |
Watch E4 and E5. Different fingerings. When you copy a lick into your practice notebook, keep the octave labels. They aren't decoration.
Lick 1: Hear the chord changes
Play four quarter notes per bar. Each parenthesis gives you the fingering.
Em7♭5: E4(1+2) G4(open) B♭4(1) D5(1)
A7: C♯5(1+2) B♭4(1) A4(1+2) G4(open)
Dm: F4(1) A4(1+2) D5(1) D4(1+3)
The first bar spells out Em7♭5. In the second, you descend through A7's third, flat ninth, root, and seventh. I listen for the G-to-F move across the final barline. That's the dominant seventh resolving into the minor third.
Start at 60 bpm. Hold the final D4 a little longer between repetitions. Give yourself time to hear it as home. For more tonic-chord work, try the D minor triad inversion drills.
Lick 2: Add eighth-note momentum
Read the note and rhythm transcript below. Staff notation requires JavaScript.
Notes, rhythm and playing instructions
- Bar 1: beat 1, chord Em7b5, E4 eighth note, fingering 1+2, sounds D4; beat 1.5, G4 eighth note, fingering open, sounds F4; beat 2, B-flat4 eighth note, fingering 1, sounds A-flat4; beat 2.5, D5 eighth note, fingering 1, sounds C5; beat 3, E5 eighth note, fingering open, sounds D5; beat 3.5, D5 eighth note, fingering 1, sounds C5; beat 4, B-flat4 eighth note, fingering 1, sounds A-flat4; beat 4.5, G4 eighth note, fingering open, sounds F4.
- Bar 2: beat 1, chord A7, A4 eighth note, fingering 1+2, sounds G4; beat 1.5, C-sharp5 eighth note, fingering 1+2, sounds B4; beat 2, E5 eighth note, fingering open, sounds D5; beat 2.5, D5 eighth note, fingering 1, sounds C5; beat 3, C-sharp5 eighth note, fingering 1+2, sounds B4; beat 3.5, B-flat4 eighth note, fingering 1, sounds A-flat4; beat 4, A4 eighth note, fingering 1+2, sounds G4; beat 4.5, G4 eighth note, fingering open, sounds F4.
- Bar 3: beat 1, chord Dm, F4 quarter note, fingering 1, sounds E-flat4; beat 2, A4 quarter note, fingering 1+2, sounds G4; beat 3, D5 half note, fingering 1, sounds C5.
Hear minor ii–V–i with the dominant flat ninth and G4–F4 resolution. Swung eighths as explicitly specified; flexible swing, not a forced 2:1 ratio. Accompaniment reference. Bar 1: written Em7b5 sounds concert Dm7b5. Bar 2: written A7 sounds concert G7. Bar 3: written Dm sounds concert Cm. Concert pitches in the transcript are references only; play the written pitches on B-flat trumpet. No audio playback or fixed swing ratio is implied.
Play eight swung eighth notes in each of the first two bars. In bar three, play F4 and A4 as quarters, then D5 as a half note.
Em7♭5: E4(1+2) G4(open) B♭4(1) D5(1)
E5(open) D5(1) B♭4(1) G4(open)
A7: A4(1+2) C♯5(1+2) E5(open) D5(1)
C♯5(1+2) B♭4(1) A4(1+2) G4(open)
Dm: F4(1) A4(1+2) D5(1)
That D5 in the A7 bar is a passing tension, moving back to C♯5. Let it flow. You don't need to announce it with a heavy accent. I keep the tongue light and the air connected through each bar. Swing isn't a string of clipped notes.
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Lick 3: Enclose the tonic
Use eight swung eighth notes in bars one and two. Finish with D5 as a half note, followed by a half rest.
Em7♭5: G4(open) B♭4(1) D5(1) B♭4(1)
G4(open) E4(1+2) G4(open) B♭4(1)
A7: A4(1+2) G4(open) E4(1+2) G4(open)
B♭4(1) C♯5(1+2) E5(open) C♯5(1+2)
Dm: D5(1) — half note; half rest
Listen to the final E–C♯–D. You approach the tonic from above and below. That enclosure gives the resolution its bebop-style shape. Then leave the rest empty. I want the space to sound intentional, not like an invitation to add more notes.
Make the vocabulary usable
Give one lick five minutes:
- Play it slowly without accompaniment until the valves move cleanly.
- Loop the A7 bar into Dm and listen for the resolution.
- Add a metronome at 60–80 bpm, initially clicking every beat.
- Alternate one written repetition with one variation. Change the rhythm before changing the notes.
Use the JazzValve ii–V–I practice screen for related progression work. Keep this minor chord sequence beside you. Then compare these lines with the hard bop ii–V–I arpeggio exercises. Listen for how the flat fifth and minor tonic change the sound.
Keep coming back to these hard bop trumpet minor ii v i licks with fingerings until you don't have to think through every shape.
Where to go next
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Free trumpet workbook
Blue Lines
Thirty days of focused B♭ trumpet practice: tone, time, jazz language and improvisation.
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Get Blue Lines freeSources
- The Jazz Theory Book — Mark Levine
- Comprehensive Method for the Cornet — J. B. Arban