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 be complicated and as a beginner, it’s hard to know where to start. When first learning how to play jazz chords, many of us are intimidated by their sounds and shapes. But, jazz chords don’t have to be difficult to get under your fingers if you begin with the right shapes. …
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, …
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 mainly uses drop 2 and drop 3 chords, two kinds of basic chord shapes that are …
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 …
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 …
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 …
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Wes Montgomery Chord Solo – Jazz Blues & Yesterdays 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 …
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.
Joe Pass is one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time and a master of chordal playing.
Study how Joe builds his classic chord sound on the guitar by learning to play Joe Pass chords with these essential lines and concepts.
