Blues (Jazz)

In this lesson, you will learn 6 variations of the jazz blues progression going from the basic original blues to more modern variations like the bebop blues changes. Chord studies are included.

  Though closely related in form and harmonic movement to its major blues cousin, the minor blues requires an understanding of a number of new scales and modes when first learning how to solo over this common jazz form. In this lesson you’ll learn all the scales needed to improvise over a minor blues. Though scales such as melodic minor and Phrygian dominant might seem out of reach at this point in your studies, by learning how…

  The first thing I learned to play on guitar was the blues, and I guess that’s the case for the majority of guitar players. Blues has it all, it has a very expressive form and sound, and is the best structure to master the core elements of jazz playing, such as keeping the form, giving each chord its own sound and the use of substitutes. One of the difficulties I had during my early years of…

  When learning to play jazz chords on guitar, you often turn to other guitarists for inspiration and to grab chord shapes to use in your playing. But, while learning from guitarists is helpful, you can also turn to pianists to grab shapes that can be played, or adapted to be played, on the fretboard. One of the best jazz pianists, in general and for stealing chords from, is Herbie Hancock. Herbie has a deep sense of…

  Grant Green was one of the finest soloists to ever play jazz guitar. His playing was bluesy, full of bebop vocabulary, and swung hard no matter what situation he was in. While his playing style may seem out of reach for many of us, that doesn’t have to be the case. In this lesson, you learn a classic Grant Green lick, break it down to its fundamental concepts, and then apply all of that material to…

  Guitarists love to jam on jazz blues tunes, they’re some of the most commonly called jam tunes, and often sit well on the guitar. But, while many of us love to play jazz blues tunes, we often learn single-note melodies and move on from there. While you may think that chord melodies are more suited for other jazz standards, that doesn’t have to be the case. Jazz blues tunes can work well as chord melody arrangements,…

  Chord soloing is one of the aspects of jazz guitar that many players want to explore, but often don’t know where to start. Listening to Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, or Lenny Breau tear through a chord solo doesn’t as much inspire as it does intimidate. Because of this, many guitarists avoid studying chord soloing, as they don’t feel ready. Have you been there? I know I have… This lesson helps you begin your chord soloing studies…

  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 library. Charlie Christian was the first successful electric guitarist and although he played in swing bands mostly, he was very much…

  Listening to Wes Montgomery play jazz can be both a liberating and intimidating experience. For a guitarist still learning the ropes of chord soloing, trying to play like Wes is daunting from the get go. As far as chord soloing goes, Wes is known for his incredible speed, rhythm, and musical sensibility. Using familiar shapes, most commonly drop 2 chords, Wes formed some of the greatest chord soloing lines in jazz history. Even though Wes restricted much…