Satin Doll is a classic jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington.
In this lesson, you will learn an easy Satin Doll chord melody arrangement for guitar. This chord melody is suitable for beginner Jazz guitarists up to intermediate level.
In the next section, you will learn a chord study that brings some variation in your comping over Satin Doll.
Easy Satin Doll Chord Melody for Guitar Read More »
One of the most popular jazz standards of all time, Georgia on My Mind is a favorite vehicle for jazz guitarists of all levels of experience. With a memorable melody, engaging chord progression, and a slow bluesy feel, Georgia is a great tune to jam on in a solo, duo, or combo setting. In this
Georgia on My Mind Guitar Chords Read More »
Drop 3 chords are usually one of the first chord types beginning jazz guitarists start to learn.
They are ideal to use in a solo or duo setting because the bass note of drop 3 voicings is always on the 5th or 6th string.
In this lesson, you will learn how drop 3 chords are built and how you can use them on guitar (chord chart included).
Drop 3 Chords & Inversions Read More »
In this lesson, you will learn a theme based on the gypsy minor scale, a scale that is prominently used in Romani (gypsy) music. Exotic guitar scales like this one are a good way to bring new sounds into your playing. The gypsy minor scale (aka Hungarian minor scale or double harmonic minor scale) is
The Gypsy Minor Scale Read More »
In this lesson, you’ll learn the authentic guitar chords and bossa nova strumming patterns of The Girl From Ipanema, demonstrated on acoustic guitar with a backing track so you can practice along.
The Girl From Ipanema – Original Guitar Chords & Rhythm 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 »
Studying jazz chords means two things, learning how to play chord shapes on the guitar, as well as learning how to use theory to apply these shapes to jazz tunes and chord progressions. One of the first theoretical concepts that jazz guitarists will need to get down is the theory behind diatonic chords and how
What Are Diatonic Chords? Read More »
Upper structure triads are useful for bringing new elements into your solos and comping. Upper structure triads and superimposition are something that you will hear popping up all on recordings by just about every single well-known jazz musician. As with every new improvisational device, the most important part is getting your ear acclimated to this
Upper Structure Triads Read More »
The Chicken is a cool jazz funk standard composed by Pee Wee Ellis, saxophonist and member of James Brown’s band in the 60s. The Chicken first appeared as a B-side of a 1969 James Brown single called The Popcorn but was later made famous by Jaco Pastorius, who made it his signature song. The chicken
The Chicken (Jaco Pastorius) Read More »
Besame Mucho is a popular Bolero song played by Elvis Presley, Andrea Bocelli, and The Beatles, among many others. The most famous jazz version of Besame Mucho has been recorded by Wes Montgomery on his album Boss Guitar.
In this lesson, you will learn a chord accompaniment on acoustic guitar.
Besame Mucho Chords Read More »
Drop 2 chords are the most popular and useful chord voicings for jazz guitarists and have been used by many great jazz guitar players such as Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass.
Download our chord chart and learn how to play drop 2 chords for comping, soloing and chord-melody arrangements.
One of the most commonly learned and played jazz standards is On Green Dolphin Street. In a similar fashion to Autumn Leaves, this tune is often played in two different keys, C and Eb. In this lesson, you’ll learn a chord study played over On Green Dolphin Street in the key of C major. If
On Green Dolphin Street Jazz Guitar Chord Study Read More »
When exploring minor key sounds as a jazz guitarist, one of the first chord qualities you will discover is the mMaj7 chord (the minor major seventh chord). Coming from the first mode of the melodic minor scale, this chord can be used over various minor chord situations, in both major and minor keys, but it
Minor/Major Seventh Chords For Jazz Guitar Read More »
When learning how to play jazz guitar chords, one of the uncommon, yet cool-sounding shapes, which you will run across, is the maj7#5 chord (aka augmented major seventh chord). Though it is not as commonly used as the maj7 or maj7#11 chord shapes, the maj7#5 chord is an interesting sound that you can add to
Augmented Major Seventh Chords For Jazz Guitar Read More »
A fun and interesting chord progression, the tune Killer Joe is a commonly called jazz standard on jam sessions and gigs. While the tune looks easy from an initial look at the chords, especially the A sections which are only two chords, it can be tricky to keep things from becoming monotonous when playing over
Killer Joe Jazz Guitar Chord Study 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 »
Tone is an important aspect of any jazz guitarist’s voice and musical output. Whether you are jamming or out on a gig, your tone is what sets you apart from other players, and gives your playing a distinct voice all it’s own. One of the most important aspects of developing a solid tone is finding the
The Best Jazz Guitar Amps (Top 25) Read More »
II V I chord progressions are the bread and butter of jazz, that’s why every jazz musician should be able to navigate these changes well. In this lesson you’ll learn 5 classic ii V I jazz guitar licks, in both major and minor keys, that you can use to bring a sense of jazz vocabulary
5 Essential ii V I Jazz Guitar Licks Read More »
Guitarists in all genres love their gear, especially their guitars of choice, and jazzers are no different. In order to find out exactly what jazz guitarists are playing these days, we set out to conduct a survey of JGO readers and asked them about their best jazz guitar. After getting back over 5000 responses from
The Best Jazz Guitars (Top 15) – Survey Results Read More »
Summertime is a classic jazz standard that is often played at gigs with a singer.
In this chord study, you will learn how to play Summertime’s chord changes with a variety of voicings such as drop 2 chords, 4th chords and 3 to 9 chords.
Summertime Guitar Chord Study Read More »
The Lick is probably the most famous jazz phrase ever, you will literally start hearing it everywhere once it gets in your ears!
The Lick is a bebop phrase that is usually played over a minor 2-5-1 but can be played over other chords as well.
Diminished arpeggios are an essential tool every jazz guitar player should have under his/her belt + they are relatively easy to play on the guitar because of their symmetric formation. Read on to learn how to play diminished arpeggios on guitar and how to use them in a musical context. How is a Diminished Chord
How To Play Diminished Arpeggios Read More »
Playing the minor ii V i progression is an essential skill for any jazz guitarist, and this progression is often seen by jazz guitarists as being derived solely from the harmonic minor scale. However, as with many musical concepts, there are standard alterations that are often used to make things sound sweeter to Western ears.
Understanding the Minor ii V I Progression Read More »
Learning jazz guitar patterns is a good way to improve your jazz vocabulary.
In this improvisation lesson, you will focus on 5 classic jazz guitar patterns that will take your jazz guitar solos to the next level.
5 Essential Jazz Guitar Soloing Patterns Read More »
This short lesson is about a type of chord that occurs frequently in Steely Dan songs and that is known to Steely Dan fans as the ‘mu major chord’ or the ‘µ chord‘. Mu major is another name for an add 2 chord and is nothing more than a major triad with an added 2:
Amazing Grace is a famous Christian hymn, written in 1779, and became the spiritual national hymn of America.
Here, you will learn to play a jazz guitar chord/melody arrangement of this classic hymn.
Amazing Grace Solo Guitar Arrangement Read More »
My Funny Valentine starts with a recognizable descending minor chord progression that you will find in many other jazz standards as well.
In this lesson, you will learn 10 ways to play the chords of this famous progression.
10 Ways to Play My Funny Valentine Chord Changes 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 »
