“Confirmation” is one of Charlie Parker’s most celebrated compositions, recorded in 1946 and again in 1953. Unlike many bebop tunes, it isn’t based on an older song’s changes; Parker wrote both the melody and the harmony. The head is a continuous, flowing line that’s often called one of the most perfect bebop melodies ever written.
The form is a 32-bar AABA, in F major. The A sections are full of descending ii-V progressions: Fmaj7, then Eø and A7, Dm7 and G7, Cm7 and F7, Bb7, and on through a series of ii-Vs that walk down chromatically before returning to F. The bridge moves to Gb major and B major through ii-Vs before returning. The harmony moves quickly, so you need to know it cold.
For improvisation, the melody itself is your textbook. It uses chromatic approach notes, enclosures and arpeggios that land on chord tones at exactly the right moments. Take short pieces of the head and use them in your solo. Practice ii-V licks that move down by whole steps and half steps, since that’s how the A section flows. In the bridge, practice ii-V-Is in Gb and B major separately before connecting them.
Practice the head in two-bar chunks until it’s memorized, starting at 100 BPM or slower. Then play roots and guide tones through the form, followed by arpeggios. Transcribe a chorus of Parker’s solo for a deep lesson in bebop phrasing.
Common mistake: reading the head instead of memorizing it. At bebop tempos, reading slows you down.
Advanced tip: once you know the head, try playing it in Bb or Eb. It’s a demanding exercise that will make the bebop language feel natural in every key.
Recordings to study: Parker’s 1953 recording, and later versions by saxophonists and pianists in the bebop tradition. Learn more about the composer on Charlie Parker’s Wikipedia page, and find more bebop lead sheets on Minedit.