This section features easy jazz guitar lessons that will help you get started playing jazz guitar on the right foot. The focus is on the four most important aspects of playing jazz: chords, arpeggios, scales, and playing jazz standards.
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 »
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 »
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 lesson, you’ll learn to play the melody of After Hours by Ronny Jordan, from his 1992 debut album The Antidote. This tune became one of his signature pieces and is an excellent starting point for guitarists who want to explore jazz phrasing and timing. Ronny Jordan’s approach to melody, which you can also hear
After Hours (Ronny Jordan) Read More »
Nature Boy was written in 1947 by Eden Ahbez (born George Alexander Aberle) and became famous after Nat King Cole recorded it in 1948. Cole’s version held the No. 1 spot for eight weeks and sold over a million copies. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to play both the melody and chords of Nature
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 »
PG Music’s Band in a Box is well known among jazz musicians as intelligent automatic accompaniment software that makes it easy to produce backing tracks on the fly. I have been using BIAB since the late ’90s and while the earliest versions only used MIDI, the modern version of the program uses recordings of real
Band in a Box Tips & Tricks 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 »
Bebop is one of the most exciting jazz styles to play on the guitar.
In this lesson, you will learn the basics of bebop: chromatic notes, the bebop scales, bebop motifs and a solo over Scrapple from the Apple in the style of Charlie Parker. Practice the bebop concepts in this lesson and you will get that “jazzy” sound in your guitar playing.
Bebop Guitar – The Beginner’s Guide Read More »
Learn how to play jazz guitar arpeggios and discover how they can improve your solos. Arpeggios are the best tool to improvise over chord progressions and jazz standards and give your solos that instant “jazzy” sound. In this lesson, you will learn all you need to know to start using guitar arpeggios in your solos.
Guitar Arpeggios For Beginners 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.
Roman Numeral Analysis for Jazz: How to Analyze Chord Progressions Read More »
Learn these 7 guitar scales and you will be able to solo over almost any jazz standard. Understanding and knowing how to play these scales is essential for any beginning jazz guitar player. This lesson includes diagrams, audio, scale patterns, exercises, and solo examples.
7 Easy Jazz Guitar Scales For Beginners Read More »
Autumn Leaves is a must-know jazz standard.
In this lesson, you will learn a chord/melody version of Autumn Leaves. You will also learn how to solo over Autumn Leaves’ chord changes.
Autumn Leaves Chord Melody & Solo Read More »
A guide for those that want to take their guitar playing to the next level and are looking for a jazz guitar university program.
Finding and making a choice between the available schools can be though. This guide will help you make your choice.
Top 25 US Jazz Guitar Schools Read More »
In this music theory lesson, you will learn what guitar positions are and how they can help you become a better guitar player.
What Are Guitar Positions? Read More »
While there are many jazz soloing techniques that use chromatic notes and other outside sounds, not every important concept steps outside the key center. The most popular example of this is the diatonic enclosure, which is built by playing two diatonic notes surrounding a diatonic target note in your lines. Used by just about every
The Diatonic Enclosure – Application and Practice Guide Read More »
Maj7 arpeggios are a must-know concept for any jazz guitarist, but they can be difficult to get under your fingers when working these shapes around the entire fretboard. Finding a system to organize your maj7 arpeggios can make playing and soloing with maj7 arpeggios easy, as you will be able to think less about the
How to Play Maj7 Arpeggios Read More »
Shell jazz guitar chords are also known as guide tone chords and are the most basic type of chords used in jazz.
Shell chords are a good place to get started because they contain the most important notes of a chord and can be used to build more complex chords.
Shell Jazz Guitar Chords (For Beginners) Read More »
This listening guide is a top 100 of jazz albums that don’t have a guitar player in the leading role.
If you are looking for a new jazz music to listen to, this is a great starting place.
Top 100 Jazz Albums Read More »
There’s a ton of jazz guitar books available nowadays, some are great, some are not so great.
This top 50 compiled by our readers is a great place to start if you are looking for a new book to dive into.
Top 50 Jazz Guitar Books Read More »
Here is a top 100 of best jazz guitar albums, as voted by our readers. If you are new to jazz guitar, this listening guide is a good place to start, with a wide variety of styles and jazz guitarists.
Top 100 Jazz Guitar Albums Read More »
