“Mr. P.C.” is a John Coltrane composition from his 1960 album Giant Steps, named after bassist Paul Chambers, who played on the record. It’s a fast minor blues and a favorite at jam sessions for players who want to stretch out over simple changes at a high tempo.
The form is a 12-bar minor blues in C minor. The changes are straightforward: Cm for four bars, Fm for two bars, Cm for two bars, then Ab7 to G7 (or a minor ii-V) and back to Cm. The head is a short, punchy riff. Because the harmony is simple, the challenge comes from the tempo and the need to keep your ideas fresh over many choruses.
For improvisation, C minor pentatonic and C Dorian work well over the tonic, and F Dorian over the iv chord. On the turnaround, use C harmonic minor or altered sounds on G7 to create tension before resolving. Coltrane’s solo on the original is packed with patterns and fast runs; for a more approachable start, focus on short rhythmic ideas and gradually increase density.
Practice at a moderate tempo, around 160 BPM, before working toward 250 BPM or faster. Play the head cleanly, then improvise using minor pentatonic phrases. Practice the turnaround on its own with different altered ideas.
How to use this Mr. P.C. Lead Sheet PDF: print it or keep it on a tablet, mark the form sections and key centers in pencil, and write the guide tones you want to target above the tricky bars. Revisit those notes after each practice session so the tune gets easier every week.
Is it hard to play? The harmony is easy, but the tempo makes it intermediate to advanced. Recordings to study: Coltrane’s Giant Steps version. Learn more about the composer on John Coltrane’s Wikipedia page, and find more minor blues lead sheets on Minedit.