Don’t Get Around Much Anymore is a classic swing standard written by Duke Ellington, who recorded it with his orchestra in 1940 (under the title Never No Lament). Two versions of the song became a number one hit in the US R&B charts in 1943, the Duke Ellington version and a cover by The Ink […]
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore Read More »
Stompin’ at the Savoy is a swing-era jazz standard written by alto saxophonist Edgar Sampson in 1933, although it is often credited to Benny Goodman, whose recording of the song peaked at number 4 in the 1937 hit charts. Stompin’ was the theme song of the Savoy Ballroom’s theme band, led by Chick Webb. In
Stompin’ at the Savoy Read More »
Solar is a jazz standard made famous by Miles Davis. The song was actually composed by jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne in 1946 under the title “Sonny”. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the melody of Solar and how to solo over its chord changes. The studies in this lesson expose you to
Solar (Miles Davis) Read More »
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) was written by Sonny Bono and originally released by Cher in 1966. Also in 1966, Nancy Sinatra recorded a cover version of Bang Bang, featuring the iconic tremolo guitar part played by Billy Strange. This version of the song regained popularity in 2003 when it was featured as
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Nancy Sinatra Read More »
Mr. PC is a popular minor blues standard in C, written and recorded by John Coltrane in 1959 for his album Giant Steps. In this guitar lesson, you will learn how to play the melody and how to improvise a solo over its chord changes. In case you were wondering, the initials P.C. stand for
Mr. PC (John Coltrane) Read More »
In this lesson, you will learn how to combine chords with a walking bass line, a concept that is becoming more and more in demand these days. As club and restaurant owners are cutting budgets, one way to keep our gig as a guitar player is to slim down the ensemble to a duo or
Walking Bass Lines 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 »
Released by Gibson in 1958, the ES-335 was the first thinline semi-hollow body electric guitar. The Gibson ES-335 is an archtop guitar equipped with two hollow chambers separated by a solid maple wood block running down its center, and twin humbuckers. The maple block provides the ES-335 with a hybrid solid/hollow body perfect for jazz
So, you want to buy a jazz guitar, but you’re not sure how to make the right choice. What is the best guitar for jazz and how do you pick a brand and type of guitar that is right for you? This article will help you decide what jazz guitar to buy. We will explore
The Jazz Guitar Buyer’s Guide Read More »
Known as the workhorse of jazz guitar, the Gibson ES-175 is an iconic hollow body electric guitar loved by many legendary guitarists in the worlds of jazz, blues, rock, and fusion. The Gibson ES-175 has a recognizable sound that has been imitated by many guitar makers but seldom duplicated. In its nearly 70-year history, the
In this lesson, you will learn how to play the classic jazz standard Stella By Starlight, written by Victor Young. Stella is one of the most popular jazz standards played today and one every jazz guitarist should have under his fingers. The harmony and melody of Stella By Starlight are derived from the soundtrack of
Stella By Starlight 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
Improvising on the guitar requires you to have a good understanding of note relationships on the fretboard. The moment you need to start thinking about a particular note you want to play, it’s already too late. That’s why we study and practice scales, arpeggios, and chords. Another useful tool to visualize the relationship between notes
Unit 7 is a great jazz standard composed by bass player Sam Jones during the time he was working with Cannonball Adderley. The most famous version of Unit 7 is on Wes Montgomery’s album “Smokin’ at the Half Note”. This album, which is essential listening for any jazz guitarist, was recorded live in 1965 with
Unit 7 (Wes Montgomery) Read More »
How Insensitive (Insensatez in Portuguese) is a bossa nova classic written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the melody of How Insensitive, how to solo over its chord changes, and you will have a look at some typical bossa nova intros. How insensitive has been recorded by a
Known for his enormous contribution to jazz and electric guitar, Pat Metheny has become a household name over his long and illustrious career. Pat Metheny manages to combine virtuosity with accessibility, resulting in music that is pleasing for two kinds of audiences, hence his popularity. 5 Licks From Two For The Road While Pat Metheny
Are you wondering how to get a good jazz guitar tone? On this page, you will learn how your favorite jazz guitar player gets his unique sound, besides using his ears and fingers. Discover what kind of guitars, guitar amps, strings, picks, and effects the jazz greats use. Jazz Guitar Players Al Di Meola Allan
Famous Jazz Guitarists and Their Guitar Gear Read More »
Lawsuit guitars are high-quality copies of popular American brand name guitars (like Fender and Gibson) produced by Japanese companies in the 1970s. These Japanese lawsuit guitars are of legendary quality and are highly sought after. There are still gems to be found, on eBay or Reverb for example, and a lot of these auctions are
There are few players that have had a longer and more influential career than the great jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. Burrell has inspired countless guitarists to make the switch from blues and rock to jazz with his own unique style of blues and bebop inspired playing. Kenny Burrell has been a high-in-demand guitarist during his
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 »
Kind of Blue, Miles Davis’ best-selling album, was released in 1959. The entire album was composed as a series of modal sketches, in which each performer was given a set of modes that defined the parameters of their improvisation. While So What is the most famous tune of the album, All Blues is definitely a
All Blues – Melody, Chords, and Improvisation Read More »
There are few tunes in the jazz repertoire that strike fear in the heart of players such as the John Coltrane tune “Giant Steps,” which can be a challenge from both a soloing and comping perspective. When guitarists first begin to explore John Coltrane’s Giant Steps changes, this series of chords can seem like an
There Will Never Be Another You is one of my favorite jazz standards. I love the melody and the chord changes are easy, but not too easy to improvise over. The song was first recorded in 1942 by clarinetist Woody Herman but wasn’t very well known until Chet Baker recorded his vocal rendition in 1954.
There Will Never Be Another You Read More »
Learn how to play jazz guitar in the style of Grant Green.
Grant Green was a legendary guitar player, and it’s a good idea to study his concepts and licks.
Learn how to bring out the bluesy side of jazz by studying the blues concepts of Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis and more (16 licks and 4 solos).
Jazz Blues Guitar Licks And Solos Read More »
