Belleville - from beginner to Master

Add the first harmonic moves to Belleville. Learn how C7 leads to F, how F changes to Fm before returning to C, and then connect both movements with the harmony you already know.

🎯 Goal: Play C–C7–F and F–Fm–C first slowly and then with faster chord changes. Finish by connecting both movements in one continuous phrase.

💡 Before you play: Try the five chords used in this exercise: C, C7, F, Fm and G7. Pay special attention to the small changes between C and C7, and between F and Fm. You don’t need to rush — the new movements are introduced one at a time.

✓ Tips: Notice the difference between C and C7. That extra note gives C7 its pull toward F.
Listen to C7 → F as a clear movement toward a new destination.
Between F and Fm, only one chord tone changes: A becomes Ab.
Let Fm → C resolve naturally. That colour change is one of the characteristic sounds of the progression.
When the changes become faster, think in small groups rather than isolated chords.
In the final section, listen for the full movement: C → C7 → F → Fm → C.
Try Roman view and notice I → V7/IV → IV → iv → I.

Complete the last missing part of Belleville. Learn the bridge in small pieces, from Fm and C through E and Fdim to the final F#m–B7–E–G7 movement.

🎯 Goal: Play the complete bridge with a steady pulse and move through Fdim and F#m without stopping.

💡 Before you play: Try Fm, C, E, Fdim, F#m, B7 and G7 separately. Spend a little extra time on Fdim and F#m — they are the two new shapes that may need the most attention.

✓ Tips: Practice Fdim by itself before placing it inside the progression.
Don’t let one difficult chord stop the pulse — prepare your hand early.
Hear F#m → B7 → E as one connected movement.
G7 at the end prepares the return to C major.
Try Roman view and notice the temporary change of harmonic perspective.

You now know all the harmonic movements. Put the sections together and play the complete simplified form of Belleville without adding any new chords.

🎯 Goal: Play the complete simplified form from beginning to end without losing the pulse or your place in the song.

💡 Before you play: Quickly review the beginning of each section. You don’t need to practice every chord again — concentrate on remembering where each harmonic idea begins.

✓ Tips: Think in sections, not in a long list of chords.
Recognize the familiar I–vi–ii–V as an anchor.
Use C7 → F → Fm → C as another landmark.
In the bridge, think ahead to Fdim and F#m.
If you make a mistake, keep the pulse and find the next section.
Try Numbers or Roman view to see that the structure is more important than chord names.

The harmony stays the same, but the chords begin to sound more like jazz. Add sevenths and sixths while keeping the form and harmonic functions you already know.

🎯 Goal: Play the complete form with the richer chord qualities while recognizing that the underlying harmonic movements have not changed.

💡 Before you play: Compare each familiar chord with its richer version: C/C6, Am/Am7, Dm/Dm7, F/F6 and Fm/Fm6. Listen first — don’t think of them as completely new chords.

✓ Tips: A chord extension changes the colour more than the harmonic job.
Compare Am → Am7 and Dm → Dm7 by ear.
Listen to how Fm6 changes the character of the bridge.
Keep using the harmonic skeleton underneath the richer names.
Roman or Numbers view can help separate function from voicing and colour.

Bring the simplified arrangement close to the real sound of Belleville. Add the characteristic 6/9, minor 6 and dominant 9 colours and use voicings that give the progression its full character.

🎯 Goal: Play the full form in C major using the complete chord qualities and selected voicings before moving the song back to its original key.

💡 Before you play: Look through the new voicings before starting. Pay special attention to C6/9, Fm6, E6/9 and B9, but remember: the harmonic roadmap is exactly the one you already learned.

✓ Tips: Don’t relearn the song from scratch — attach the richer sound to the structure you already know.
C6/9 is still I. Am7 is still vi. Dm7 is still ii.
Listen to the difference between B7 and B9, not just the chord shape.
Choose clean transitions over complicated voicings.
If a voicing is difficult, slow down without changing the harmonic flow.
Try Roman-only Performance once: the chord names disappear, but the song should still make sense.

Bring everything together and play the complete Belleville in its original key of D.

🎯 Goal: Play the complete form of Belleville in D with confident chord changes and a steady groove.

💡 Before you play: You already know the harmonic skeleton, the new movements, the bridge and the final chord colours. Now take the same ideas into the original key of D and play the whole song from beginning to end.

Don’t treat this as a new harmony exercise. The goal is to recognize the same functions and shapes in a new key, keep the form moving and make the progression feel like music rather than a sequence of chords.

Focus on a steady pulse, clean changes and the sound of the complete form. The colours you added in the previous step should now become part of the song naturally.

✓ Tips: Keep the form moving. A missed chord is less important than losing the pulse.
Look one chord ahead. Prepare the next shape before you need it.
Use the colours you learned, but keep the harmony flowing. A simpler voicing played in time is better than a beautiful one played late.