Jazz lead sheet · Intermediate
Backdoor Turnaround Drill
The backdoor progression: iv7 and ♭VII7 slipping home to the tonic instead of a V7.
- Composer
- Practice drill
- Form
- 12 bars
- Key
- C major
- Style
- Swing
- Length
- 12 bars
AC major
Imaj7C Ionian
Imaj7C Ionian
F Dorian
♭VII7B♭ Lydian ♭7
Imaj7C Ionian
Imaj7C Ionian
E♭ Dorian
V7/♭IIA♭ Mixolydian
ii7D Dorian
V7G Mixolydian
Imaj7C Ionian
Imaj7C Ionian
For students
What to notice
- Fm7–B♭7 is iv7–♭VII7. It resolves to Cmaj7 without ever using G7.
- E♭m7–A♭7 is the same idea a minor 3rd lower, a substitution that leads on to Dm7.
- Backdoor and ii–V turnarounds often alternate, so the ear hears two routes home.
Practice plan
Three steps to improvising
- Play the guide tones through Fm7–B♭7–Cmaj7 and listen for the half-step resolutions.
- Compare Cmaj7 after G7 with Cmaj7 after B♭7: same destination, different pull.
- Improvise over the drill, aiming for E (the 3rd of Cmaj7) each time it arrives.
For teachers
Using this chart in class
- Project the chart with Play along running and loop one section while students find the guide tones.
- Choose Practice → Name the numerals for a whole-class quiz: students vote, then reveal the explanation.
- Mixed ensemble? Print the worksheet once per transposition: B♭, E♭, F and bass clef parts all line up bar for bar.
- Share a link: the key, instrument and view you choose are saved in the address bar.
Chord changes are common performance versions written out by Music Theory Lessons. No melodies or lyrics are reproduced. Names of songs and composers are used only to identify each tune.