Jazz Guitar Chords

Jazz guitar chords are fun to play, but knowing which chords to learn can be complicated. Start by learning the basic chords in our beginner lessons, and work your way up to the more advanced chord voicings and progressions.

The similarities between half-diminished and major 7 chords

Half-Diminished Chords

Half-diminished seventh chords are minor chords with a flat five and are commonly used as the first chord in minor-key ii V I progressions. It’s important to have this type of chord with all its inversions under your fingers because they are used in almost every jazz standard. In this lesson, you will learn how

Half-Diminished Chords Read More »

Guitar chord turnaround 24

Chord Turnarounds

In this lesson, we will look at turnarounds (aka turnbacks) and their various variations as applied to major keys, minor keys, suspended resolutions and other progressions. A turnaround is a series of chords that helps bring a chord progression back to the tonic key and is usually found at the end of a tune. In

Chord Turnarounds Read More »

Cmaj7 drop 2 inversion 1

Chord Inversions

In this lesson, we’re going to have a look at chord inversions. A good grasp of inversions is one of those things many guitarists lack. Inversions can be daunting at first, but they seem a lot more complex than they really are. Here’s why chord inversions are useful: Inversions open new possibilities and enable you to

Chord Inversions Read More »

Dominant chords

Dominant Chords

In this lesson, you’ll learn how dominant 7th chords work, how they are formed and why dominant chords are called dominant.

We’ll also have a look at how they look on the guitar and how they are used in jazz and other genres of music.

Dominant Chords Read More »

C major 7 jazz guitar chords

Major Chords

Major 7 chords are the most commonly used chords in jazz.

In this lesson, You will start with the basic major 7th chord, before moving on to more advanced major chords such as major 6, maj9, maj6/9, maj13, maj7#11, and maj7#5.

Major Chords Read More »

Cm7 drop 3 inversions 2

Minor Chords

In this lesson, you will learn how to play the many shapes and colors of minor chords.

You will start with the basic minor 7th chord, before moving on to more advanced minor chords such as m6, m9, m11, and mMaj7.

Minor Chords Read More »

Diminished Chord Chart

Diminished Chords

Although diminished chords are not used as often as major and minor chords, you should have a good understanding of these chords because they show up in many jazz standards.

Diminished chords are usually used as a passing chord or as a substitute for dominant chords. In this lesson, you will learn all the necessary diminished chord shapes and how to use them in your playing.

Diminished Chords Read More »

Jazz Chord Progressions

Jazz Chord Progressions

In this lesson, you will learn the 10 most popular jazz chord progressions with practical examples for guitar.

Chord progressions are the backbone of any jazz standard and knowing how to play the most-used progressions is essential for any jazz musician.

Practicing these 10 progressions will give you a head start when learning new jazz standards.

Jazz Chord Progressions Read More »

Jazz Guitar Chord Theory

Jazz Guitar Chord Theory – How to Construct Chords?

In this music theory lesson, you will learn how to construct jazz guitar chords from scratch.

Understanding this essential theory will make finding chords on the fretboard much easier and it will take the guesswork out of playing jazz chords.

Besides learning this essential piece of theory, you will also learn how to apply the theory to the guitar. After all, that’s what you are here for!

Jazz Guitar Chord Theory – How to Construct Chords? Read More »

In a Sentimental Mood Chords

Learning how to play jazz chords on guitar is often a tough and tedious process involving memorizing shapes and hoping they sound good over tunes. You get a bunch of cool sounding chords down but have no idea how to link them together to make them musical over songs. This is where chord studies come into

In a Sentimental Mood Chords Read More »

Scroll to Top