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.
Jazz guitar chords can look and sound complicated, but you only need a small set of easy jazz chords to get started. This lesson shows you how to play jazz chords and gives you a handy chord chart with 17 must-know chords, along with guitar tabs and exercises to help you practice and learn quickly. […]
17 Easy Jazz Guitar Chords (Chord Charts & Exercises) Read More »
Take 5 is probably one of the most recognized jazz standards of all time.
As the title of the song suggests, Take 5 is in the 5/4 time signature. You will learn how to play Take 5 chords on guitar with both the original groove and a more advanced, syncopated chord study.
Take Five Chords for Guitar & 5/4 Comping Read More »
In this lesson, you will work on a comping study for a jazz blues in Bb. This 12-bar chord progression built on dominant chords appears in many jazz standards. You’ll get familiar with essential jazz blues chords that you can reuse in other songs. The goal is to help you develop strong rhythm skills and
Jazz Blues Chords – Guitar Comping Study Read More »
Autumn Leaves is another classic jazz standard that every jazz guitarist should have under his belt.
Learn the fun and cool-sounding Autumn Leaves jazz guitar chords based on intervallic ideas and rootless chords.
Autumn Leaves Jazz Guitar Chords Read More »
Baby I’m a Fool is a song by Melody Gardot, released in 2009 on her second album My One and Only Thrill. In this mini-lesson, we look at the chord progression played by Melody. The chords (except one), rhythm, and tempo are relatively easy, so this one is suitable for beginners. The song is in
Baby I’m a Fool (Melody Gardot) – Jazz Guitar Chords 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 »
In this mini lesson, you’ll see an example of chord voicings for the A-section of a rhythm changes in Bb. I combine drop-3 and rootless chords to create clear, practical voicings that work well for comping, chord solos, and expanding your jazz guitar vocabulary. The diminished chord voicing in measure 1 and 2 often raises
Mini Lesson – Rhythm Changes Chords Read More »
Fly Me to the Moon is one of the most famous and recognizable jazz standards ever. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the chords and chord progression of this popular song. In the chord study below, you will mostly learn basic jazz guitar chords and voicings such as minor 7, major 7,
Fly Me To The Moon Chords Read More »
Autumn Leaves is a timeless jazz standard recorded by numerous jazz legends, making it a must-know tune for any aspiring jazz guitar player. In this guitar lesson, you will learn a beginner-friendly chord arrangement of Autumn Leaves. This arrangement uses drop 2 and drop 3 chords, two basic chord shapes essential for every jazz guitarist.
Autumn Leaves – Easy Jazz Guitar Chords Read More »
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 »
Endings are an important part of your jazz vocabulary because they are one of the most memorable parts for your listeners. The problem is that most jazz standards don’t have a fixed ending (aka coda), so it’s a good idea to have a couple of standard endings up your sleeve. In this lesson, you will
17 Jazz Guitar Endings For Standards Read More »
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
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
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.
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.
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.
This jazz guitar chord dictionary is a reference to help you find great-sounding 7th-chord voicings to play and improvise over jazz standards.
The 244 chord shapes in the chord dictionary are essential knowledge for any jazz guitarist and will enable you to comp chords with confidence.
Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary Read More »
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.
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 »
Learn how to play jazz-funk guitar, combining smooth jazz chords with the rhythmic fills of funk.
This lesson covers the basics of funk guitar, including chord rhythms and soloing.
Tritone substitution is one of the most popular chord substitutions in jazz. The tritone concept is very versatile and can be used for soloing, comping and composition.
In this lesson, you will learn what tritone substitution is and how you can apply it on the guitar.
Tritone Substitution 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 »
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 »
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 »
Quartal chords were made popular by McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans. They have a jazzy sound and work very well in modal music, but can be used on any jazz standard.
In this lesson, you will learn how to construct quartal chords, how to use them on guitar and you’ll also play through some comping and soloing examples.
Quartal Guitar Chords, Harmony & Voicings 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 »
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 »
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 »
