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 […]
There are few tunes in the jazz repertoire that strike fear in the heart of players such as the John Coltrane tune “Giant Steps,” which can be a challenge from both a soloing and comping perspective. When guitarists first begin to explore John Coltrane’s Giant Steps changes, this series of chords can seem like an
Songs like Wave, Dindi, Blue Bossa, and Corcovada have long been part of the jazz repertoire.
In this lesson, you will learn to play Brazilian jazz guitar with these 10 Latin guitar rhythms from Brazilian and Cuban music traditions. Rhythms patterns include bossa nova, samba & salsa.
Latin Jazz Guitar Rhythms Read More »
Besides learning chord shapes, it’s also important that you develop your right-hand technique. Rhythm is an important aspect of playing chords because it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!
In this lesson you will learn 10 essential jazz guitar chord rhythms that every jazz guitarist should know.
10 Essential Jazz Guitar Chord Rhythms Read More »
In this lesson, you will learn how to read jazz chords on lead sheets the way they appear in fake books such as the Real Book.
You will learn how to color your chords, use chord tensions and substitutions while making sure your chords don’t clash with the melody.
How to Read Jazz Chords and Lead Sheets Read More »
One of the most exciting guitarists of his, or any, generation, Mike Stern has created a unique voice in the jazz guitar world. Besides his signature tone and energetic time feel, Stern loves to use certain substitutions in his playing to create a tension-release vibe. One of the most common ways Mike does this is by
Mike Stern Subs – ii V I Half Step Approach Chords Read More »
The diminished scale is used to improvise over Diminished chords, which occur quite frequently in jazz chord progressions. This scale is built by alternating whole and half steps.
In this lesson, you will learn the theory behind diminished scales, as well as how to use them in your jazz guitar solos.
The Diminished Scale Read More »
In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn 11 variations of the minor blues chord progression and 2 guitar chord studies over the minor blues.
Comping over a minor blues tune is an essential skill for any jazz guitarist, as minor blues tunes are some of the most commonly called songs on jam sessions.
Minor Blues Chord Progressions Read More »
Expand your jazz guitar soloing chops by learning how to play and apply the dominant diminished scale.
Theory, diagrams, licks, solo & backing tracks included.
The Dominant Diminished Scale For Guitar Read More »
In this lesson, you will learn 9 jazz guitar licks and a blues solo in the style of the great bebop player Barney Kessel.
Besides learning the vocabulary, you will also learn the concepts behind these jazz phrases.
Barney Kessel Jazz Guitar Licks Read More »
One of the most popular tunes at jam sessions and pick up gigs is the Herbie Hancock classic Cantaloupe Island. While you can learn the chord progression, melody, and check out soloing on this tune, many guitarists skip the main riff of the tune. Though it’s originally played on piano, you can easily adapt that
Cantaloupe Island Piano Riff For Guitar Read More »
When learning how to solo in jazz, one of the scales that comes up in our studies time and again is the altered scale, which is the 7th mode of the Melodic Minor Scale. While this scale comes up often when reading about jazz improvisation, it can seem like a bit of a mystery. To
The Altered Scale For Jazz Guitar Read More »
John Coltrane’s musical career only spans 12 years between 1955 (the moment he first got noticed as a sideman) and 1967 (the year of his death). Despite his short-lived career, John Coltrane was one of the most influential improvisers in jazz and there is a lot to be learned from his musical legacy, also by guitarists.
John Coltrane For Guitar Read More »
In this lesson, you will learn how to play traditional blues rhythm guitar.
You will study an essential blues rhythm riff to add to your blues playing + chords that will help you move beyond open and bar chords.
Blues Rhythm Guitar – Chords and Riffs Read More »
The harmonic minor scale is a seven-note scale that has the same notes as the natural minor scale with the exception of the seventh note that is raised by one semitone. This seventh note works as a leading tone to the tonic, that’s why it is used often on dominant chords going to a tonic
The Harmonic Minor Scale for Jazz Guitar Read More »
All of Me is a great jazz standard to practice your solo and improvisation skills on.
In this lesson, you will combine chord comping and improvisation over the changes of All of Me (in the style of Joe Pass). Being able to mix single-note solos and chord comping is an essential skill for jazz guitarists of all levels.
All of Me – Chord and Single Note Soloing Read More »
Working on guitar technique can often seem as separate from your soloing workout. You learn technique, put that away, then work on soloing concepts, keeping both separate in the woodshed. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. When you choose the right exercises, you can build your chops and increase your soloing vocabulary at
String Skipping – Guitar Technique Builder and Soloing Read More »
Being able to analyze jazz harmony is an important skill for any jazz musician.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use Roman Numerals for musical analysis and transposing on the guitar. This essential music theory lesson includes full song examples.
How to Analyze a Jazz Standard Using Roman Numerals Read More »
Rhythm Changes is one of the most popular song forms in jazz and essential to get under your fingers.
This doesn’t mean that it is an easy chord progression. Playing an inspired jazz solo over a Rhythm Changes can be hard because of the many chords and the fast tempo it is usually played in.
Introduction To Rhythm Changes (+ Chord & Solo Study) Read More »
The ii V I chord progression is the most common progression used in jazz, that’s why it is important to master this progression.
In this jazz lesson, you will learn 20 ways to play through 2 5 1 chord progressions, in both major and minor keys.
20 Ways To Play ii V I VI Chord Progressions Read More »
When learning a new tune, one of the first things guitarists work on is the chords and rhythm. This is especially true for jazz waltz tunes, which challenge your counting and sense of time with a 3/4 time signature. One of the most popular jazz waltz tunes to learn is Bluesette, a fun 24-bar 3/4
Bluesette Chords and Rhythms Read More »
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 »
A definite must-know standard, Autumn Leaves is one of the most commonly called tunes at jazz jam sessions. It can be played in Em or Gm, and therefore is an introduction to tunes that are commonly played in more than one key, forcing you to learn it in both keys. There are also major ii
Autumn Leaves Guitar Melody for Beginners Read More »
When learning jazz guitar, the blues is an essential topic that any guitarist should tackle. But, how do you move beyond the standard 12-bar form? One of the tunes that get called at jam sessions and is blues related (but not 12-bar), is Watermelon Man. Watermelon Man, a jazz funk classic written by Herbie Hancock who
Watermelon Man – Guitar Chords, Chord Melody, and Solo Read More »
Brazilian music had a great influence on players such as Stan Getz and Pat Metheny and lots of Bossa Nova songs are part of the jazz repertoire.
In this lesson, you will learn to play Brazilian jazz guitar licks and solos as you study the work of Baden Powell, Hermeto Pascoal, and more.
Brazilian Jazz Guitar Licks and Solo Read More »
Maiden Voyage is is a classic modal jazz tune written and made famous by pianist Herbie Hancock. With a cool groove, hip slash chords, and a memorable melody, this tune has become a jazz jam session essential since first being released. While Maiden Voyage is a commonly called tune, it can often handcuff guitarists who
Maiden Voyage Chords – Modal Comping Study Read More »
Charlie Christian is the father of jazz guitar, one of the most important figures in jazz guitar history, and a favorite soloist of many jazz guitarists today. Though he never released an album as a bandleader, his recorded legacy stands to this day as some of the most exciting, and entertaining, in the jazz guitar
10 Charlie Christian Dominant Licks (With F Jazz Blues Solo) Read More »
Just Friends is a classic jazz standard that is often called at jazz jam sessions and pick-up gigs. Because of this, having a strong understanding of the Just Friends chords will come in handy when jamming on this tune in a jazz combo setting. The chord study in this lesson will help you build your
Just Friends Chords – Jazz Guitar Chord Study Read More »
Take your chord playing to the next level with 5 essential chord exercises in this in-depth lesson.
You will learn how to play chord scales, inversions, tune studies, and more.
Essential Jazz Chord Exercises Read More »
The melodic minor scale is built of seven notes. It contains a minor third (b3) and major sixth (6), but also has a major seventh (7) which gives it a unique sound compared to other minor scales such as the Dorian mode. Outside of the major scale system, the melodic minor scale is the most
How to Use the Melodic Minor Scale Read More »
