I remember myself struggling with jazz improvisation. It was so complicated! My teachers demanded that I played tensions, substitutes, super-imposed chords, while I was having a hard time just keeping the form… During my travels in Europe, I played with gypsy guitarists and learned from them. One of the most important things I learned was […]
Gypsy Jazz Guitar – The Magic of Triads Read More »
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
Maiden Voyage Chords – Modal Comping Study Read More »
One of the things that attracts me to the Gypsy swing style is that it has a systematic technical method. Before I started to play Django style, none of my teachers talked to me about technique or how to improve my sound. I noticed that every guitarist has a different way of playing and
Gypsy Jazz Guitar – Introduction to Arpeggios and Picking Read More »
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
10 Charlie Christian Dominant Licks (With F Jazz Blues Solo) Read More »
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 »
When searching for a jazz guitar tone, many guitarists will focus on their guitars and amps as the main source of their sound. But, there is often one important sonic ingredient that players ignore when it comes to finding the perfect guitar tone, the strings. Just as there are many styles of jazz, there are
The Best Jazz Guitar Strings (Top 30) – Survey Results 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
Just Friends Chords – Jazz Guitar Chord Study Read More »
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.
Essential Jazz Chord Exercises Read More »
The melodic minor scale is built of seven notes. It contains a minor third (b3) and major sixth (6), but also has a major seventh (7) which gives it a unique sound compared to other minor scales such as the Dorian mode. Outside of the major scale system, the melodic minor scale is the most
How to Use the Melodic Minor Scale 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 »
Take Five is a classic jazz standard that many guitarists learn at one time or another in their development. But, while it can seem like a straight-forward progression that only uses two chords, creating a memorable solo over this tune is tougher than it seems. To help you solo over Take Five, and learn more
Take Five – Paul Desmond Licks For Guitar Read More »
This lesson is the result of a survey among our subscribers. The question was “What is the best jazz guitar solo ever played?”.
The names that made it to the top 10 are Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Charlie Christian, Pat Martino, Jim Hall, Django Reinhardt, Kenny Burrell, and Grant Green.
Top 10 Best Jazz Guitar Solos ( + 10 Licks) Read More »
If there’s one thing that divides jazz musicians more often than not, it’s jam sessions. Jam sessions can be one of the most enjoyable events that you participate in as a jazz musician, or they can be nightmares from which you think will never end. Often there’s a fine line between these two types of
Jazz Jam Session Tips and Etiquette Read 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.
Joe Pass Chords – Essential Lines and Concepts Read More »
One of the first things you’ll notice when playing jazz guitar chords, is that there are a lot of variations for each chord type to get under your fingers. When playing over major family chords, for example, you can play C6, Cmaj7, Cmaj9, C6/9, etc., and they all have a similar function but sound different
How to Play 6 Chords on Guitar Read More »
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 »
Take 5 is probably one of the most recognized jazz standards of all time.
As the title of the song suggests, Take 5 is in the 5/4 time signature. You will learn how to play Take 5 chords on guitar with both the original groove and a more advanced, syncopated chord study.
How to Play Take 5 Chords on Guitar Read More »
Back cycling is an important concept in jazz music.
In this lesson, you will learn what back cycling is exactly, and how you can apply it to your solos and jazz chord progressions.
How to Practice and Apply Back Cycling 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 »
The Girl From Ipanema, written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, is probably the most famous bossa nova song ever.
In this lesson, you will learn the original chords and rhythm as recorded by Jobim.
The Girl from Ipanema Chords Read More »
When learning how to play arpeggios over the jazz blues chord progression, or any tune for that matter, the easiest approach you can take in is to learn the arpeggio shapes within one position on the fretboard. This means that you’ll be able to play arpeggios over each chord in the progression without moving
Jazz Blues Arpeggios for Guitar 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 »
Autumn Leaves is another classic jazz standard that every jazz guitarist should have under his belt.
Learn the fun and cool-sounding Autumn Leaves jazz guitar chords based on intervallic ideas and rootless chords.
Autumn Leaves Jazz Guitar Chords 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 »
