Pat Martino's Minor Conversion Method Explained: Turn Every Chord Into a Minor Chord
Oct 16, 2026Short answer: Pat Martino's approach, laid out in his book Linear Expressions, is to think of every chord as a minor chord. A major 7 becomes its relative minor, a dominant 7 becomes the ii chord that leads to it, a half-diminished chord becomes the minor chord a minor 3rd up, and an altered dominant becomes the minor chord a half step up. Then you improvise with minor sounds only and add specific color notes back in where you need them.
I call this Martino's "secret of the one chord" because it's an even simpler version of George Benson's two-chord idea. It isn't a beginner method (you need to be comfortable with intervals, relative major and minor, and ii-Vs), but for players with some experience it's very effective.
Step 1: Convert every chord to minor
| Chord type | Think | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Minor 7 | Keep it minor | D-7 → D minor |
| Major 7 | Its relative minor | CMaj.7 → A minor |
| Dominant 7 | The ii chord of that dominant | G7 → D minor |
| Minor 7♭5 (half-diminished) | Minor a minor 3rd up (same notes as a minor 6 chord) | E-7♭5 → G minor |
| Altered dominant (♭9, ♯9, ♯5) | Minor a half step up (its melodic minor) | A7alt → B♭ minor |
| Lydian dominant (7♯11) | Same as a dominant: minor a 5th up | A♭7♯11 → E♭ minor |
A useful shortcut falls out of this: in a minor ii-V, the V chord's minor is a minor 3rd above the ii chord's minor. E-7♭5 → G minor, then A7alt → B♭ minor.
Step 2: Have minor lines ready
If every chord is minor, your vocabulary needs to fit minor. Martino teaches five minor chord forms across the neck, each with a long ascending and descending line he calls an "activity." ▶ 3:00
Here I'd adjust his method for most students. Those lines are about five bars long, and that's hard to absorb and apply. His book also says to think of the relative major scale over each minor shape (B♭ major over G minor), but his lines often use E natural rather than E♭, which suggests a G minor 6 sound. That can confuse intermediate players. ▶ 3:36
My recommendation: learn short minor phrases you can move around, not five-bar lines. Three Martino examples show the thinking:
- The Great Stream, over B♭7 (thinking F minor): He starts on A natural, the major 7th over B♭7, which looks odd until you see it as an enclosure of A♭. The rest of the line is clearly F minor. ▶ 5:46
- The Great Stream, over B♭7 (thinking C minor): If B♭7 is the V chord, you're in E♭, which has three minor 7 chords: F-7, G-7 and C-7. Martino uses a C-7 arpeggio. The conversion gives you a family of minor options, not one fixed answer. ▶ 7:06
- Over D7♯9 (advanced): The rule says E♭ minor, but he plays an F minor triad and then a B♭ minor arpeggio that includes D♭, the major 7th. That points to a tritone substitution: he's hearing A♭13. In D♭, F-7 is the iii chord and B♭- is the relative minor, so both arpeggios fit. ▶ 8:42
Why simplifying works
When you reduce the harmony to one chord type, you lose some detail, but you gain the ability to process what's happening in real time. It works better to start simple and add detail back in than to start with full complexity and try to navigate it at tempo. ▶ 10:40
Step 3: Apply it to tunes
Take the A Train
- CMaj.7 → A minor. D7♯11 → its ii chord is also A minor. The first four bars are all A minor. ▶ 11:20 - D-7–G7 → D minor. - Bridge: FMaj.7 → D minor; D7 → A minor; D-7–G7 → D minor.
The whole tune comes down to two sounds, A minor and D minor. Then add color back in. For example, use A melodic minor over the D7♯11 to get the G♯ (the ♯11) without mentally swapping in a new scale.
Stella by Starlight
| Chords | Think |
|---|---|
| E-7♭5 → A7alt | G minor → B♭ minor |
| C-7 → F7 | C minor |
| F-7 → B♭7 | F minor |
| E♭Maj.7 | C minor |
| A♭7 | E♭ minor |
| B♭Maj.7 | G minor |
| Bridge: G7♯5 | A♭ minor |
| C-7 | C minor |
| A♭7♯11 | E♭ minor |
| Final minor ii-Vs: E-7♭5 → A7alt → D-7♭5 → G7alt → C-7♭5 → F7alt | G → B♭ → F → A♭ → E♭ → F♯ minor |
A shortcut for minor ii-Vs: If switching minors every bar is too much, keep the ii chord's minor through the whole ii-V (G minor over E-7♭5–A7alt) and add the blues note (♭5/♯11 of G minor, C♯) to catch the altered chord's 3rd. ▶ 19:25
Frequently asked questions
What is Pat Martino's minor conversion?
It's Martino's way of simplifying harmony for improvising: every chord is treated as some kind of minor chord, so you only need minor vocabulary. He explains it in his book Linear Expressions.
How do you convert a dominant 7 chord to minor?
Use the ii chord that leads to it. G7 becomes D minor, B♭7 becomes F minor. For altered dominants, use the minor chord a half step above the root (A7alt becomes B♭ minor).
How does Martino's approach differ from George Benson's?
Benson's approach reduces harmony to two sounds, keeping major 7 chords as major. Martino goes further and converts major chords to their relative minor as well, so everything is minor.
Is Pat Martino's method good for beginners?
Not really. You need to be comfortable with intervals, relative minors and ii-V progressions to convert chords quickly. Intermediate players get the most from it.
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Chase Maddox is a jazz guitarist and educator in Miami and the founder of Chase's Guitar Academy. George Benson has called him "an amazing instructor." More free lessons are on his YouTube channel.
