Master the art of playing melody, chords, and basslines at the same time with our chord melody lessons.
It Could Happen to You is a popular jazz standard from the Great American Songbook. Written in 1943 by Jimmy Van Heusen, the song was featured in the film And the Angels Sing and quickly became a favorite with jazz musicians. In this lesson, you’ll learn Herb Ellis’s chord melody arrangement of It Could Happen […]
It Could Happen to You (Herb Ellis) Read More »
In this mini lesson, you’ll learn the intro to Moon and Sand as played by Kenny Burrell on his 1980 album Moon and Sand. Moon and Sand is a jazz standard composed by Alec Wilder in 1941 and first performed by Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. Kenny Burrell’s opening uses some nice chord voicings,
Jazz Guitar Intro – Moon and Sand (Kenny Burrell) Read More »
Charlie Chaplin wrote “Smile” for the 1936 film Modern Times, with David Raksin contributing to the orchestration. The song has a beautiful and bittersweet melody that lends itself perfectly to solo guitar. In this lesson, you will learn an easy-to-play chord melody arrangement of the tune. Chaplin, best known as a filmmaker and actor, was
Smile (Charlie Chaplin) Read More »
What a Wonderful World was written by Bob Thiele/George David Weiss and first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967. It became a hit in the UK, but initially failed to gain traction in the US. ABC Records president Larry Newton refused to promote the release simply because he disliked the song’s slow tempo. That changed
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Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). The song was written for Audrey Hepburn to sing on screen. She performs the vocal herself, but the guitar accompaniment is not actually played by her. In this lesson, you will learn a chord melody arrangement of Moon
Georgia on My Mind is one of those timeless standards that works beautifully as a chord melody arrangement for guitar. The song was composed in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael, who also made the first recording with his orchestra featuring Hoagy on vocals, Eddie Lang on guitar, and Bix Beiderbecke on cornet (his last recording session).
Georgia on my Mind – Solo Jazz Guitar Arrangement Read More »
Lullaby Of Birdland was composed by George Shearing in 1952 and was intended as the theme song for the legendary jazz club Birdland (NY). It became one of the most popular jazz standards of all time. Lullaby of Birdland is one of my favorite jazz melodies, making it a perfect candidate for a chord melody
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Don’t Get Around Much Anymore is a classic swing standard written by Duke Ellington. He first recorded it with his orchestra in 1940 under the title Never No Lament. The tune became popular in 1943, with hit versions by both Duke Ellington and The Ink Spots. In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn a
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In this lesson, you will learn how to combine chords with a walking bass line over a 12-bar jazz blues in F. The goal is to make the guitar function as both the harmony and the bass. This approach lets you keep the groove moving and outline the chord changes clearly. A walking bass line
Walking Bass Lines Read More »
Learning how to play chord melody is one of the most sought after skills by jazz guitarists of all levels and musical tastes. It’s one of those concepts that’s both alluring and intimidating in its design. In this video, jazz guitarist Greg O’Rourke demonstrates the possibilities that studying chord melody produces on the guitar. He
After You’ve Gone for Solo Guitar Read More »
In this lesson, you will learn 4 easy tips to create a chord melody arrangement of your favorite jazz standard.
Joe Pass, Lenny Breau, and George Benson concepts are covered.
Chord Melody Made Easy Read More »
Satin Doll is a classic jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington.
In this lesson, you will learn an easy Satin Doll chord melody arrangement for guitar. This chord melody is suitable for beginner Jazz guitarists up to intermediate level.
In the next section, you will learn a chord study that brings some variation in your comping over Satin Doll.
Easy Satin Doll Chord Melody for Guitar Read More »
Amazing Grace is a famous Christian hymn, written in 1779, and became the spiritual national hymn of America.
Here, you will learn to play a jazz guitar chord/melody arrangement of this classic hymn.
Amazing Grace Solo Guitar Arrangement Read More »
