November 2011 - Ebook PDF

JazzGuitarLessons.
net
An eBook Compilation of essential jazz

guitar lessons, articles, FAQs
and chord-melody arrangements.
JazzGuitarLessons.net – Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher
Page 1 JazzGuitarLessons.net – Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher
Table of Contents
The Major Scale....................................................................................................................................6
The Melodic Minor Scale......................................................................................................................8
The Harmonic Minor Scale...................................................................................................................9
Jazz Scales for Improvisation : Reference for Most Common Scales.....................................................11

Jazz Guitar Scales : Lesson in Diagonal Playing ....................................................................................14
Jazz Improvisation : How *not* to sound like a textbook when you're soloing!....................................18
The Chromatic Scale : Two Useful Exercises for Jazz Guitar.................................................................20
Jazz Improvisation #1 : Using Scales.......................................................................................................23
Jazz Improvisation #2 :Using Arpeggios.................................................................................................26
Jazz Improvisation #3 : Using Guide Tones.............................................................................................28
Jazz Guitar Licks : Some Common Phrases............................................................................................32

Jazz Guitar Licks : Outlining II-V Chord Changes..................................................................................36
Jazz Guitar Licks : Outlining the Minor II-V...........................................................................................38
Jazz Chord Cycles : Reference.................................................................................................................40
Jazz Chord Cycles : Diatonic Chord Progressions...................................................................................43
Positions Part One : How to Have Six Fingers and Control the Universe..........................................46
Positions Part Two : Top Must-Know Positions for Jazz Guitar.........................................................48
Positions Part Three :Scales Polishing and Connecting .....................................................................54
Positions Part Four : Complete Arps...................................................................................................57
Positions Part Five : Triads and Seventh Chords................................................................................60
Positions Addendum : Scales Through the Cycle of Fourths..............................................................63
Advanced Bebop Exercises......................................................................................................................65

Lee Konitz Jazz Improvisation Secrets : the 10 gradients ......................................................................68
Jazz Ear Training : Steady Musical Growth.............................................................................................70
Jazz Guitar Chord Charts : First steps......................................................................................................76

Minor...................................................................................................................................................78
Dominant (just "7").............................................................................................................................79
Minor 7th (b5).....................................................................................................................................80
Diminished..........................................................................................................................................80
Jazz Guitar Chords : Chords in Three Scales...........................................................................................83

Jazz Guitar Chords : The "Big 5" Warmup..............................................................................................88
Chord Progression #1 : Major Harmony in Jazz......................................................................................89
Chord Progression #2 : Basic Modulation in Jazz...................................................................................90
Chord Progression #3 : Minor Harmony in Jazz......................................................................................92
Chord Substitutions : The Jazz Guitarist's Survival Guide......................................................................94
Jazz Guitar Chord Melody ......................................................................................................................98
The No Nonsense Guides to Jazz Harmony

Part 1 : II-V-I's, II-V's, Cadences and Roman Numerals...................................................................102
Part 2 : Secondary Dominants, Interpolation and Turnarounds .......................................................107
Part 3 : Tags, Back Door Progressions and Inversions......................................................................112
Jazz Guitar Blues : Introduction........................................................................................................116
Jazz Guitar Blues : Basic Progressions in Common Keys.....................................................................117
Jazz Guitar Blues : Most Common Blues Tunes List.............................................................................119
Guitar Practice and All That Jazz...........................................................................................................122

Jazz Guitar Tips : My Top-5...................................................................................................................125
Jam Session Etiquette : The do's and dont's...........................................................................................126
Jazz Guitar Transcriptions : On Transcribing (for Jazz Guitarists)........................................................127
Jazz Harmony : Brief history of harmony from origins to Jazz ............................................................129
Q&A with Visitors :

Synching Picking Strokes with Beats................................................................................................132
Technique level?................................................................................................................................134
The Left Hand Pinky Finger..............................................................................................................136
Putting it all together.........................................................................................................................139
Bebop Scales.....................................................................................................................................141
Playing Jazz using Chord Notes versus Scales.................................................................................143
Choosing Altered Scales for Dominant 7th.......................................................................................145
Leading Tones...................................................................................................................................147
Diminished Scale : Using Whole-Half and Half-Whole Scales........................................................149
Adding Interest to Comping Using The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar........................151
Jazz Guitar : Guide-Tones in Forward Motion..................................................................................155
Garzone Triads : The Triadic Chromatic Approach..........................................................................157
How to practice for glitch-free performance?...................................................................................160
How to Maintain Transcribed Jazz Vocabulary.................................................................................161
Learning Jazz Standards....................................................................................................................164
Jazz Standards : Best way to Hear and Transcribe melody and chords from recordings..................167
Very Fast Tempos..............................................................................................................................169
Blues Lines over Standards...............................................................................................................172
How do I get "THE" jazz sound ?.....................................................................................................175
Rhythm Patterns for duo/trio.............................................................................................................176
Jazz Phrasing for Guitar....................................................................................................................178
Basic Lesson Plan (Or "What should I work on first?")...................................................................179
Melodic Minor Scale.........................................................................................................................181
About The Author..................................................................................................................................182
Chord-Melody Arrangements : pages 184 to 218
All the Things You Are, Autumn Leaves, Blue in Green, Body and Soul, Giant Steps, I Fall in Love Too
Easily, Just Friends, Misty, My Funny Valentine, Oleo, Stella by Starlight, Summertime, Take the A
Train, Tenor Madness, Yesterdays.
Foreword
This is a text based amalgamation of the website. I had numerous requests from visitors
for such a thing so I decided to create this document. I took me over 20 hours to
complete but I think it is well worth it (for you all). (-:
You can now probably print some pages and use them in your practice room...
As you may know, this eBook will be outdated in a few weeks. The web keeps on
changing, so I constantly update the website. What you have here is a “freeze frame”
version of the entire JazzGuitarLessons.net website as it was prior to November 2011.
Please note that most complete musical examples have been left out, as this eBook
would reach well over 500 pages! I provided some short examples in pictures along with
links to download / print the complete set of exercises in PDF format. These links should
never change and can be found permanently on JazzGuitarLessons.net
The material I used from the website to create this eBook exclude the Jazz legends
biographies (as I keep adding to these pages) and books/DVD reviews. Basically, it
includes lessons, articles, tunes and “Q&A with visitors” type of articles.
Enjoy, practice well, and I'll see you soon on JazzGuitarLessons.net
Marc-Andre Seguin
The Major Scale
The major scale is the single most important element in music. It's the most common musical "sound"
we know (do re mi fa sol ...) and it's the main reference for all other musical materials (scales, chords,
arpeggios, tunes, improvisations, etc.) That scale has been around for centuries and is the "common
ground" for all the music on earth,throughout history. For example, most lullabies, traditional melodies
and national anthems are in the major scale...
...and still today, most of the pop/rock/jazz of the 20th and 21st centuries is based on the same scale! (in
one way or another) It's obvious that any aspiring jazz guitarist should eventually master the major
scale. And, not only on the level of mere memorization but also on the hearing and tactile / technical
levels.
On the Guitar
Go ahead and familiarize yourself with the scale on your fretboard. It can be played using a
combination of fretted notes and open strings (also referred to as the open position, ):
[Notice open D, G and B strings]

Please refer to A Modern Method for Guitar
Or it can be played using only one string at a time (also referred to as horizontal playing) :
[Notice the distance between E-F and B-C]

Please refer to The Advancing Guitarist
Hearing It by Singing It
I believe the most important aspect for all jazzers is to really hear the sound of this scale.
Understanding the theory is optional in the beginning. I suggest you play and learn this scale from an
aural perspective at first. Also, it is highly common for jazz guitarists to sing along to their playing. Try
it! It helps reinforce the link between your fingers (what you play) and your ears (what you hear
inside.) This basic scale is so easy to hear and recognize that it is worth trying right now! Sing it.
In Position
Finally, the major scale can also be played "in position" (one finger to a fret). This is usually what is
taught in guitar methods. It is a very good way to "compartmentalize" the neck. You will get familiar
with the whole instrument dealing with it chunk by chunk.
This is the "2nd position" because the index

finger of the fretting hand is aligned with the second fret
Theory : Scale Construction

The theoretical side of the major scale is easy to grasp. It is built of seven notes that are laid out using
intervals of major and and minor seconds. An interval is the distance between two notes; they're named
by ranks (depending on how big the leap is) : seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, etc.
The half-step is a minor second. The half-step interval is one fret away.
the whole step is a major second. The whole step is two frets away.
The formula for major scale construction is :
W-W-H-W-W-W-H
(W stands for whole-step and H for half-step)
For example, C major scale :
C__whole step__D__whole step__E--half-step--F__whole step__G__whole step__A__whole step__B—half-step--C
The half-steps are between the third-fourth and seventh-first degrees of the scale (E-F and B-C in the
case of C major.) Look at the single-string version above for frets 5-6 and 11-12.
The placement of those half-steps in two specific location creates this scale's unique sound
characteristics. Looking at a piano keyboard also clear things up for me :
(there's no black key between E-F and B-C)
THE Reference
The major scale is the point of reference for building other scales (all other scales in fact). The
numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 are the major scale degree. We alter the major scale degree with flats (b = half-
step lower) and sharps (# = half-step higher) in order to get different scales.
For example :
Melodic Minor Scale Formula : 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

Harmonic Minor Scale Formula : 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
Mixolydian Mode : 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Dorian Mode : 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
Ok, that's all for the major scale theory! Perhaps this Wikipedia article may explain it better than me...
The Melodic Minor Scale

The melodic minor scale is commonly used by jazz musicians. There is only one note different from
the major scale (the third). It has also been used a lot in traditional and classical music.
On the guitar it can be played in using open strings :
Or it can be played using only one string at a time :
I believe the most important aspect for all jazzers is to really hear the sound of this scale. I suggest you
play and learn this scale from an aural perspective at first. Also, it is highly common for jazz guitarists
to sing along to their playing. Try it! It helps to reinforce the link between your fingers (what you play)
and your ears (what you hear inside). But you already know that... don't you? ;-)
Scale Construction
The theoretical side of the melodic minor scale is easy to grasp. It is built of seven notes that are laid
out using intervals. We'll use the same process we used with the major scale (see previous article).
The formula for the construction is : W H W W W W H
The numeric formula is : 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7
(it means that in comparison to the major scale, it has a b3)
To me, the melodic minor should be learned immediately after the major scale. They have six notes in
common! Don't let this fool you, though. You will see that this slight change brings many variations.
In Position
Finally, the melodic minor scale can also be played "in position" (one finger to a fret). This is usually
what is taught in guitar methods. It is a very good way to "compartmentalize" the neck. You will get
familiar with the whole instrument dealing with it chunk by chunk.
The Harmonic Minor Scale

The harmonic minor scale is commonly used by jazz musicians. It has a darker "Arabic" sound because
of the lowered third and sixth degrees (when compared to major). It has been used, much like the major
scale, in traditional and classical music for centuries.
On the guitar it can be played in the open position :
Or it can be played using only one string at a time. The single-string option really "shows" the scale to
you. Every interval (distance between two notes) is clearly defined. Notice the leap created by the
largest interval between two consecutive notes :
Learn to really hear the sound of this scale, specifically the leap. I suggest you play and learn this scale
from an aural perspective at first. (Am I repeating myself enough here?!)
Scale Construction
The harmonic minor scale is built of seven notes that are laid out using intervals. The quite unusual
minor third is three frets. The minor third can also be qualified as "three half-steps" or "a whole step
and a half". In fact, it's a augmented second.
The formula for the construction is : W H W W H -3 H
(W= whole-step, H=half-step, -3=minor third)
The numeric formula is : 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
In comparison to the major scale, the harmonic minor scale has a b3 and b6. The lowered third degree
gives the "sadness" in the sound. The b6 on the other hand gives "brightness" because it creates a leap
to the seventh degree. It easy to "see" when played on a single string.
In Position
Finally, the harmonic minor scale can also be played "in position" (one finger to a fret). This is usually
what is taught in guitar methods. It is a very good way to "compartmentalize" the neck. You will get
familiar with the whole instrument dealing with it chunk by chunk.
Moving On
Get the feel and sound of these scales into you ears and fingers. Make sure you “get” the major scale,
the melodic minor scale and the harmonic minor scale before pursuing your study of jazz guitar.
Jazz Scales for Improvisation

Reference for Most Common Scales
Is jazz improvisation a big mystery to you? Do have questions as to "what notes are good" when
soloing? Use this handy jazz scales reference chart to learn the most common sounds in jazz ...
The System : Using formulas is the best and most convenient way to write down, read, learn and
memorize jazz scales. We use numbers instead of notes so you can easily apply the scale formula
starting on any note...
The basis for the system of notation is the major scale structure.
This : C D E F G A B (1) ... Becomes : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (1)
I know this has been posted everywhere on this website... but, I repeat :
The Major Scale IS the prime reference
for building all the other scales!
At first, you should learn the jazz scales that are very closely related to the major scale (because they
have only one or two note difference.) Later, you'll be able tackle more challenging formulas (other
more complex jazz scales) with a solid foundation.
The 3 "Biggies" : Major, Minor and Dominant
Please note :
• The major scale symbol is often a little triangle. "Maj7" is also common on charts.
• The major scale is also known as the Ionian mode.
• The dominant 7th scale has only one note different from the major. Which one?
• Dom. 7th scale is known as the Mixolydian mode (found on the 5th degree of the major scale).
• This minor scale is known as the Dorian mode (found on the 2nd degree of the major scale).
• The minor scale has only two notes different from the major scale. Which ones?
• The minor symbol is often a little minus sign. You can also see the nomenclature "minor7" or
even just "m7" on charts. Careful not to think of “m7” as major 7th in your mind! (-:
Memorization Suggestions
At first, memorizing the three basic formulas is primordial. Then, you have to spell out the major,
mixolydian (dominant) and minor (dorian) scales. I mean, you really need to recite the names of the
note out loud! This helps a lot.
If you do all three scales from root C, it goes like this...

CDEFGAB
C D E F G A Bb
C D Eb F G A Bb
I strongly suggest that you pick *one* of the three scale and recite it in all the 12 keys. See the jazz
chord cycles. Start with the invaluable cycle of fourths. It will be of great use later in your
development, I can guarantee.
All memorized? Let's go practice the three basic jazz scales on your instrument now! It will involve
quite a lot of “exploration” on your part, so be patient.
Practice Suggestions
To learn these three jazz scales well, you have to think about the following at all times :
-Go slowly;
-Maintain a good sound on each note;
-Knowing exactly what scales / notes your are playing!
-Listen closely to the results.
Practice Steps : (pick one of the three jazz scales, preferably major at first)
• In *any* fingering you like : play the chosen scale from 1 to 7 and back down. Repeat in a few
keys around the instrument / fretboard. Keep same fingerings, simply move up or down the
fingerboard to transpose. Go slow, get accustomed to the sound.
• Learn the scale starting on string 6 (biggest) and then on strings 5, 4, 3 and 2. Explore different
starting fingers for each scale.
• From the previous experiment, consolidate between 2 and 4 fingerings that work well for you.
• [You'll want to do that step carefully for each scale, because when the formula changes, so do
the fingerings!]
• Practice the scale from 1 to 7 and back down in all the twelve keys. Use the cycle of fourths as
you root order : C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G. You can find it within this eBook.
• Practice the same as last step but only ascending the scale (1 to 7)
• Same as last step but only descending the scale (7 to 1)
[Last three steps here : play in strict time!!!]
If you did this as I suggested and started with the major scale, you are now capable of some linear
playing on the guitar. This is invaluable for jazz improvisation.
More Practice Steps
-Now mixing the three scales together : practice the Dorian, Mixolydian in Major jazz scales together
in the context of the II-V-I progression.
For example :
Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 (this is a II-V-I in C major)
Play D dorian (minor) ascending and descending
then G mixolydian (dominant) ascending and descending
then C major ascending and descending
repeat with just the ascending version
... and just the descending version...
and then repeat with a the II-V-I progression in all the remaining keys...
Gm7 - C7 - Fmaj7
Cm7 - F7 - Bbmaj7
Fm7 - Bb7 - Ebmaj7
Bbm7 - Eb7 - Abmaj7
Ebm7 - Ab7 - Dbmaj7 .... (or D#m7 - G#7 - C#maj7)

Abm7 - Db7 - Gbmaj7 .... (or G#m7 - C#7 - F#maj7)
C#m7 - F#7 - Bmaj7

F#m7 - B7 - Emaj7
Bm7 - E7 - Amaj7
Em7 - A7 - Dmaj7
Am7 - D7 - Gmaj7
Congratulations! If you can play the above suggestions well enough, your jazz language can develop in
many beautiful ways (in phrasing, ornamentation, licks, etc.) Learning, memorizing and playing those
three basic jazz scales can get you very far in jazz improvisation.
Jazz Guitar Scales
Lesson in Diagonal Playing
Ok, so you know about jazz guitar scales a little (or a lot). You heard about positions or the CAGED
system... You may be a complete master of scales on the guitar or a total beginner No matter where you
stand, here's a new perspective on things...
I offer you the "other solution" for scalar melodic lines on the guitar (in jazz improvisation.) This
approach is largely underrated and little known, yet it yields enormous potential ... and it works for
many jazz guitar greats, for me and most of my students!!
Ready?!
The "Secret" Jazz Guitar Scales

The #1 secret for amazing linear jazz guitar phrasing in your improvised solos : Play up-and-across-
the-neck (AKA "diagonal" playing!) It's in fact a blend between single string (horizontal) and position
(vertical) playing concepts. Here's how it works :
So the term "diagonal" merely means to play up AND across the neck at the same time. It is done by
playing 3 or 4 notes on each string while shifting up (or down) the fingerboard.
This approach to playing jazz guitar scales
personally changed my hearing over the
years. It is a powerful yet underestimated tool.
Why?
Dig this : Most instrument have only (more or less) "one way" to play a certain scale. If you play C
major scale ascending on a piano for instance, you'll use fingers 123 - 1234 then use the same fingers
on the next octave. On piano, you use the same physical motion to produce the same sound, in every
register of the instrument. "Do-re-mi" on the low keys can be executed with the same
muscles/movements on the highest keys... so the brain and ears are solicited in the same way.
Now try this on the guitar : C major in seventh position (aka 6-2) This is the LH fingering : 24 124
13 ... the next octave : 4 234 24 1 (2) And you wonder why it's hard to learn and memorize fingerings
for scales and arpeggios on the guitar!?!
Diagonal scales on the guitar allow the kind of "piano fingerings" evenness we are looking for on the
fretboard. You'll find yourself using the same fingerings on 2 or even 3 different octaves. Start
practicing them and you'll hear/see what I mean.
Comparison / Explanation
Just in case you're wondering, here are the "nuts and bolts" of jazz guitar scale diagonal playing.
Position playing characteristics...
• Restrict the left hand : doesn't move up/down the neck while playing. (it moves only to go to the
next fixed position)
• Learn the same scale in many (5 to 7) different locations/positions (like little "boxes").
• Meaning each note in the scale can be played in many locations.
• Usually, 2-3 notes on each string then onto the next string.
• Also implies : if you know every (12) major scale in 7 positions, it means that you can stay in
one position and play in 7 major keys.
Diagonal playing characteristics...
• Free the left hand : now it does move up/down the neck.
• (perpetual diagonal movement on the fretboard, up or down)
• Learn any scale in one specific way, diagonally.
• Meaning each note of the scale is played in only one location, most of the time.
• Usually, 3-4 notes (or more) on each string then onto the next string (requires slides/shifts)
• Also implies : you know every (12) major scale in one specific way and you're less likely to
forget the fingerings...
The main advantages of this scalar diagonal approach :

1. Wider range it covers
Position playing gives about 2 octaves while diagonal goes up to 3 octaves (perhaps more, if you know
where to look!)
2. Evenness of phrasing
Fingerings repeat themselves on each octave. Every note has only one exact location. Guitarists can
"play by sound and feel" rather than "by finger". Other areas of jazz guitar playing (and jazz guitar
scales) also helped by diagonal playing :
-Knowledge of fretboard
-Speed/virtuosity
-Reading (only one location for each note!)
-Better LH technique
-Better "finger to ears" relationship
-Easy (very easy) octave transposition
-Ease of learning/memorizing scales and modes
-Range of melodic lines (above 2 octaves)
-Playing in octaves (like Wes)
And finally, before we start... (my fifty cents)
Honestly, I still don't understand why this approach to jazz guitar scales is not more widely discussed
and taught. The vast majority of jazz guitarists I know (students of mine, colleagues, teachers, etc.)
know and rave about positions playing (and/or the CAGED system) but barely even mention the
diagonal approach (if they know about it at all) ...
It's funny though : most influential jazz guitar legends (of past and present times) mix and match single
string, positions and diagonal concepts in their solos... Ready? Let's go try the exercises now!
Major Scale played Diagonally

The keys of G and C are used as models here : We clearly "see" the diagonal motion.
Note : First three notes of the scales with fingers 1-2-4 (NOT fingers 1-3-4)
Some Guidelines / Rules

-#1-
Stretch Between
Middle and Ring Fingers
Stretch between first and second fingers, it's easier. Don't move the entire hand, "reach out" with the
index while the left hand stays.
-#2- Shift with Index
The shifts (or slides) are performed with the first finger between half-steps.
-#3- -Break the Rules-
In other scales/modes you may have to stretch between third and fourth fingers (harder) and/or to
shift/slide with the fourth finger.
-In General-
It's all about the hand "staying" while the outside (1st and 4th) fingers "stretch" and "shift". Experiment
and you will find your way of doing it comfortably. Your hand is more powerful when you can extend
the outermost fingers, it simply makes sense (plus, it feels good in my hands, so...)
Minor (Melodic) Scale played Diagonally

The same principles apply in minor. Try the melodic minor scale fingerings below. Use fingers 1-2-3
for the first three notes on the lowest string so you are still stretching between first and second fingers.
The keys of G and C are used as models here : We clearly "see" the diagonal motion once again.
Note : Play the first three notes of the scales with fingers 1-2-3 (NOT fingers 1-3-4)
Suggested Exercises for Jazz Guitar Scales in Diagonal

• Learn C and G major really well in diagonal (2 octaves), shown exactly in diagrams above.
• Do the same with C and G melodic minor.
Using the same fingering from C major diagonal (above) play ...
• Bb, B, C, Db, D and Eb and E major scales.
• All you have to do for the previous step is simply to move the hand up or down to the good
starting note and employ the *exact-same-fingering*)
Using the same fingering from G major diagonal play...
• F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb and B major scales.
• All you have to do for the previous step is simply to move the hand up or down to the good
starting note and employ the *exact-same-fingering*
The two previous exercises made you play the major scale in 12 keys. You have two options for Bb and
B major, starting on 5th or 6th string. Congratulations! Now you must, apply the above to find the
melodic minor scale in 12 keys. Next, you can learn other scales/modes for tunes your are improvising
on diagonally on 2-3 octaves. Refer to this PDF (online) of 14 Diagonal Scales In C to find fingerings.
Diagonal Jazz Guitar Scales : Wrap Up

As you can begin to "feel" the diagonal scales under your fingers you will develop hearing instincts.
When assimilated those jazz guitar scales help in developing a natural and instinctive improvisational
voice. The hearing part of it comes mostly from the sameness of fingerings on each octave. Did you
notice, it's like the piano? After the octave, you have to "push the sames buttons to hear the same
sound"? It's just... well... easier on the brains!
Practice enough so they become second nature to you. You will want to rely on this material
spontaneously. It's the same as learning to drive : you learn all the notions and they become "reflexes"
after practicing. Lastly, this way of playing jazz guitar scales is unique and "upgradeable". Apply the
diagonal principles to others scales, arpeggios, song themes, composition, while transcribing, etc.
Make the fingering concept your own and explore new ideas!
Jazz Improvisation
How *not* to sound like a
textbook when you're soloing!
It is so often understood in jazz improvisation that we are to play the "right" notes over various chords.
And while we talk about and teach these "right" notes, we often forget to talk about how to use them!
This is a vast subject, but here are a few simple ideas to get you thinking about and developing your
own language for jazz improvisation. Ready? Go!
The Two Approaches

The first approach concerns the use of arpeggios: an arpeggio is when we play each note of the chord
individually (in succession) instead of simultaneously. A straightforward example of an arpeggio is the
note sequence Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th. Using arpeggios to create your musical lines is generally referred to
as a vertical approach to improvising. For example :
The second approach is horizontal (the opposite of vertical). The horizontal approach uses the scales
(modes) associated with each chord to develop melodic ideas in your music. For example :
Of course, during a typical jazz solo, vertical (arpeggios) and horizontal (scales) concepts are blended
together at will. Here a few examples to get you started in thinking about your playing using these two
approaches without sounding like a textbook!
REFERENCE PDF : All the following example are available online in this PDF Referenc (online)
1 - Arpeggios
Using just notes from the arpeggios play simple musical phrases in two directions: ascending and
descending. An arpeggio being made of 4 notes you can start on any note you like.
Start on the root, third, fifth or sevent but keep the notes in the same order. Here are the four
possibilities :
R-3-5-7
3-5-7-R
5-7-R-3
7-R-3-5
The rhythm will be just eight notes, for now. Here are two good starting points on Dm7 and G7 :
Ascending - EXAMPLE 1A
Descending - EXAMPLE 1B
Of course you can combine the ideas of ascending and descending and get something like this (on C
major 7th chord) :
Ascending and Descending - EXAMPLE 1C
2 - Scales
Starting with any note in the scale, play a group of three consecutive notes. Once again, use eighth
notes as your primary rhythmic material.
Ascending - EXAMPLE 2A
Descending - EXAMPLE 2B
Ascending and descending - EXAMPLE 2C
Once you "get" the concept, create your own lines ASAP !
3 - Mixed Approaches
Of course, mixing horizontal and vertical (scales and arpeggios), it will start to sound more "real" and
probably like some lines your hear on jazz recordings.
Mix the two approaches together!
Real Jazz Improvisation :
Creativity using Basic Musical Building Blocks
Notice how all three of these approaches use only notes form the major scale! You can use de D dorian
mode for Dm7, G mixolydian mode for G7 and the C major scale for C chord... but only the notes C D
E F G A B are present! By exploiting the shapes and structures available to us we create ideas that our
ear (and hopefully the ear of the listener) enjoys. Through simple devices such as repetition we create
instantaneously structures that our ears to can understand for jazz improvisation.
If you consider the goal of music, be it improvised or composed, to be to communicate ideas in the
form of language (the language being music), then it makes sense to need some sort of structure in
order to communicate in a way others, as well as we, may understand.
Think of making musical statements.
Some of these structures are more complicated than others, but they are building blocks nevertheless.
For example, the repeated structure of descending arpeggios can give enough continuity to your line to
have it sound like a statement. Or, a repeated cell of three notes can be structure you decide to use.
These are simple ways to get you started creating your own melodies for jazz improvisation. As you are
exploring each approach, take the time to listen to closely to what you are playing. Ask yourself, what
sounds good to your ears? Of course, this is only the beginning. Create some other options for yourself
(there are so many!) and discover your sound!
The Chromatic Scale

Two Useful Exercises for Jazz Guitar
Here are two great chromatic scale exercises to work on your technique, tone and time/rhythms. Every
improviser should have the chromatic scale at his command : it is like our "musical alphabet". I often
get asked by students : "...I know scales and stuff, but how can I add more chromaticism to my lines?
How can I connect everything with half-steps?" My answer is : well, practice the chromatic scale first
and all this stuff will soon become available to "glue" your melodic lines together.
What is the Chromatic Scale ?

Chroma means color in Greek. This scale encompass every color (thus every one of the 12 notes
available on our Western musical instruments.) The twelve notes, starting on C :
(ascending) C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B
(descending) C B Bb A Ab G Gb F E Eb D Db
In fact, the entire scale is easily played on a single guitar string! All you have to do is to play each
consecutive frets, up or down. The scope of this article being technical exercises, we'll look at two
ways of organizing this scale on the fretboard : vertical and diagonal.
The two following exercises are online in this PDF here
First exercise : Vertical (almost in position)
This exercise "fits" the chromatic scale in a guitar friendly format : four notes on each string. It has a
vertical direction on the fingerboard (similar to position playing) and a two octave range. Play this one
in strict alternate picking, picking each new string like this : down - up - down - up.
Second Exercise : Diagonal (more notes per string)

This exercise is harder than the previous one : it has six notes on each string. Its direction is diagonal
thus spawning on three octaves. Look up the diagonal playing article if you need more info.Make sure
your two external fingers (index and pinky aka 1 and 4) cover two notes each! The fingering pattern is
the same on each string : inddex stretch - index - middle - ring - pinky - pinky slide ... or ... 1 (stretch) -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 4 (stretch) Also play this one in strict alternate picking.
More to do ...
• Use a metronome (start slow and make every note EVEN!)
• Work on different accent patterns.
Here's the "4 per string" version played in groups of three notes : Play the same notes but but an
accent every three notes. Accents are sounded with the pick :
Here's the "6 per string" played in in 4/4 (real nice!) :
• Reverse the picking (starting each new string with an upstroke). Hard, but worth it! (-:
• Start any/both exercises with a "pick up" on the "and of 3" :
This latter process is described in a great book titled Forward Motion. Check it out!
Jazz Improvisation #1
Using Scales
Jazz improvisation is the art of creating melodic lines spontaneously. It is traditionally inspired by a
piece's rhythms, melody and harmony. The goal of the jazz improviser is to invent lyrical, inspired
melodic content within the boundaries of harmony. In fact, great jazz solos are often outlining the chord
changes effectively!
It's also good to know that jazz musicians sometimes play *OUT* on purpose. They can try to avoid
the pre-determined key centers. It's seems that artistic expression cannot be boiled down to formulas
after all! Since this is an instructional website, I will focus on how to play effectively "IN" the
changes... I would like to share three of my favorite jazz improvisation "tools" with you. The tools are
explained in three section and should help you outline chords clearly while improvising on the guitar :
#1 Scales, #2 Arpeggios and #3Guide-Tone Lines (aka chord tones)
Scales Are Horizontal

Using scales to outline chords is natural. Scales are built of little intervals (whole-steps or half-steps)
and are easy to hear. Most lullabies and folk tune contain scale wise melodic motion. We can easily
take any chord on a staff and spread it out. Let's look at the F dominant 7 chord :
The scale is displayed horizontally... but both the chord and the scale contain exactly the same notes!
Applying the Scales

The basic steps in scales application are as follow :
-Pick a tune and learn exactly one scale for each chord.
-Play scales up and down through the tune "rubato" (no tempo).
-In strict tempo, play scales up (from degrees 1 to 7) in eighth-notes.
The first four bars of the blues in F goes like this :
You can download the PDF Online (with TAB) of scale outline for the entire 12-bar blues in F.
While attempting to play this, stick with familiar fingerings. The goal for now is to hear the progression
not to unlock the entire fretboard! Here are three more things to consider :
-Play the scale back down when needed. (bars 3-4 of the blues)
-Land on different notes when needed (bar 8 of the blues)
-Play only the "V" scale in "II-V's" (bars 9-10 of the blues)
Beginner Jazz Guitar Scales Outlining
Once you are familiar with the process, I recommend you pick a new tune and study its scale outline.
Do NOT pick the blues in F again! (-;
I recommend a jazz standard with an 32-bar form (such as "Autumn Leaves") because more scales are
going to be involved. Choose a tune you like and work on it for a while. Select the scales you prefer
and experiment with alternatives. This will forge your personal voice. If you don't know what scales to
use consult the Jazz Scales for Improvisation article
Now that you understand the whole process, let's add some technicalities to open-it up. Try the two
following variations :
-Scale degrees number 1,3,5 and 7 are called chord tones. Learn to play the scales up and/or down
starting from those four different chord tones. From the root = it's easy since that's what we've been
doing. Then start each scale on the third (then repeat with fifth and seventh).
-Become as comfortable descending than ascending the scales starting on any of the chord tones. This
offers you new possibilities for jazz improvisation.
Here are the first four bars of F blues starting on different chord tones, ascending:
Intermediate Jazz Guitar Scales Outlining

Now you can play the scales outlines to a blues and another standard of your choice. That is quite
specific and you should begin to hear the chord changes clearly in your mind.It gets easier the more
you do it since we're always dealing with the same types of scale. Major, minor and dominant are the
chords/scales of choice in jazz.
The ultimate goal here is to know all the scales to all the tunes in your repertoire. It's simpler than it
looks! Go ahead and try this on most of the tunes you know.
Here are two more suggestions to mix-it-up further :
-Choose the chord tones you start the scale on randomly.
-Choose to ascend or descend the scale randomly.
This creates a “mixed scale outline approach” to the tune. It should begin to feel like true jazz
improvisation now. Play them as "semi-improvised exercises" : Take the decisions on the spot and have
fun! Here's an example PDF (found online) of mixed scale outline on F blues.
Advanced Jazz Guitar Scales Outlining
It feels great to hear and play the "right notes" to standard jazz tunes. You get just that with
appropriately chosen scales. Take your guitar improvisation a step further, try two of my favourite
"scale tricks" :
-Cover the entire range with the right scales. Go all the way up and down *without* changing direction
when the chord is changing. Explanation: Play the scales up from the lowest note available on the
guitar. Come back down from the highest note. You have to change scale when the chord changes, but
keep your ascending or descending motion strictly. Only change direction when your run out of frets!
Pretty neat, huh? And we're still just using very basic scales here...
Keep going for many choruses. You will end up covering different areas of the fretboard at different
spots in the form of the song. It takes you out of the comfort zone! After you nail this in quarter notes,
do it in eighth notes. GO SLOWLY! Do not write anything down, just try to wing it to test your
knowledge of the fretboard, the scales and the song...
Here's a written out version as an example PDF (found online) of the entire range outline still on the
blues in F 12-bar form. I used different scales just to give you an idea of the potential of this exercise.
And finally, here's the second advanced "trick" :

-Cover only a small range with the right scales. Explanation: Play the scales up and down strictly inside
the selected range. Change scale when the chord changes, but stay within your pre-determined
boundaries.
Keep going for many choruses. You will cover and understand the chosen area in and out! It is the
exact opposite of covering the entire fretboard. Have fun with it!
Using Arpeggios
We'll do basically the same process with arpeggios now...
Arpeggios Are Vertical

Using arpeggios to outline chords is natural; often what beginners tend to do at first. Arpeggios are
built of larger intervals (thirds or fourths) and are easy to hear. The basic arpeggio is in fact the scale
built in thirds. Let's look at the F dominant 7 chord :
The arpeggio is displayed vertically, but the chord and the arpeggio contain the same notes!
Applying the Arpeggios

The basic steps in arpeggios application are as follow :
-Pick a tune and learn exactly one arpeggio for each chord. (Stick to the basic 4-note 1-3-5-7)
-Play arpeggios up and down through the tune "rubato" (no tempo).
-In strict tempo, play arpeggios up in quarter-notes and then play arpeggios up and down in eight-notes.
The first four bars of the blues in with arpeggios in eight-notes:
You can download the PDF Online (with TAB) of the arpeggio outline for F Blues.
Once again, stick with familiar fingerings. The goal for now is to hear the progression.
Beginner Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Outlining

Once you are familiar with the process, I recommend you pick a new tune and study its arpeggios. Do
NOT pick the blues in F again! (-; I recommend a jazz standard with an 32-bar form. Carefully select
the tune and work on it for a while. Try the following suggestions :
-Scale degrees number 1,3,5 and 7 are called chord tones. Start each arpeggio on the third (then repeat
with fifth and seventh).
-Become as comfortable descending than ascending the arpeggios. (starting on any of the chord tones)
This offers you new possibilities for jazz improvisation.
First four bars of F blues starting on different chord tones
Intermediate Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Outlining

Now you can play the arpeggio outlines to a blues and another standard of your choice. That is quite
specific and you should begin to hear the chord changes clearly in your head. The ultimate goal here is
to know all the arpeggios to all the jazz tunes in your repertoire. It's simpler than it looks! Play through
your repertoire now!
Obvious patterns will start to emerge after you've played arpeggios through a few familiar songs. Apply
the above suggestions and read on...
Here are two more arpeggios practicing suggestions to mix-it-up a bit further :
-Choose the chord tones you start on randomly.
-Choose to ascend or descend the arpeggio randomly.
Here's a PDF Online of mixed arpeggio outlines on the 12-bar form blues in F.
Advanced Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Outlining

-Because an actual “complete arpeggio” contains the notes 1-3-5-7-9-11-13, it is possible to play from
different arpeggio segments. For instance, you can play 3-5-7-9 instead of 1-3-5-7. This is called
playing on the extensions.
Re-do the beginning and intermediate steps with 3-5-7-9 instead of 1-3-5-7.
You can also play with 5-7-9-11 and even 7-9-11-13 if you wish! Work on one segment at a time to
"get" the concept and the sound. This will get you familiar with chord structures also.
And one last thing:
--Please read the "Advanced" section of the "Jazz Improvisation #1 : Scales" article. Adapt the "entire
range" and the "small range" exercises for arpeggio playing. Work with different 4-note arpeggio
segments. That'll keep ya busy! ;-)
Using Guide Tones
Guide-Tone Lines are Slooooow
Using guide-tones to outline chord changes is very common. Those slow-moving melodies are made of
chord-defining tones played in long durations. They will guide your ears so to speak. The chosen
"strong" notes that constitute guide-tone lines are most likely to be the ones that naturally resolve. For
example, on a G7 to C (V-I) progression, the strongest resolution is B to C.
So, every chord progression has specific guide-tones. Why is that important? Because jazz
improvisation is based on guide-tones most of the time! Just listen to your favourite players for an
actual proof. There's always and underlying “skeleton” to the faster lines they're playing. Experienced
jazz improvisers naturally ornament, develop, displace or simply leave out the inherent guide-tone line
while soloing. It may sound technical but it's all happening in the ears... in *your* ears!
Here's an example of using of thirds and sevenths as "anchors" for a II-V-I progression in C major :
The thirds and sevenths could have been interpreted in many other ways in improvisation. The above
“developed line” could have been sparser, denser, trickier,bluesier, etc. all the while remaining
anchored in the selected guide-tones. Let's just say that this is just and example and that you'll learn to
do that on the spot, on your favourite tunes.
Applying the Guide-Tone Lines

Thirds and seventh are any chord's most defining tones. As a starting point, we'll use them exclusively.
I suggest you play the root of each chord at the same time as the 3rds/7ths. It will help your ears.
The basic steps in guide-tones application are as follow :
-Pick a tune and identify the third and seventh of each chord.
-Play 3rds/7ths through the tune "rubato"; play the roots simultaneously.
-Compose a whole-notes line made of 3rd/7ths on the tune.
For example (4 bars of the tune “Lady Bird”):
You download the PDF Online (with TAB) of a guide-tone line on "Lady Bird".
This is just an example as you could chose to play the 3rd / 7th an octave higher or lower. The basic idea
is to hear through the tune's progression using only two tones per chord. Stick to the line you composed
and play it many times until you really hear it in your mind before you play (A.K.A pre-hearing.)
Beginner Jazz Guitar Guide-Tones

Once you are familiar with the process, I recommend you pick a new tune and compose a guide-tone
line comprised of 3rds and 7ths in whole-notes. Do NOT pick "Lady Bird", or the blues again!
Carefully select a tune and work on it for a while. Once you can play and hear your own 3rds/7ths
guide-tone line try the following :
-Ornament the whole-notes with faster lines (scales and arpeggios)
-Use interesting rhythms but keep the guide-tones mostly on beat 1.
-Anticipation on the "and" of beat 4 is also o.k.
For example:
You can download the PDF Online (with TAB) of my ornamentation on "Lady Bird".
Remember, create a specific guide-tone line and stick to it at first. The more you work on the same
specific guide-tone line, the better you will hear it's respective chord progression internally in the
future. And, of course, the better you'll hear what is the true “foundational” line and what is just
ornamentation.
Intermediate Jazz Guitar Guide-Tones

Now you can play the thirds/sevenths and some ornamentation on a jazz tune. That is quite specific and
you should begin to hear the chord changes clearly in your head. (If you don't well...scroll up a little!)
The next step is to incorporate all of the basic chord tones (1,3,5 and 7) as well as using whole-notes
and half-notes to build guide-tone lines. Try the following :
-Compose a guide-tone line made of thirds, sevenths, fifths and roots of the chords in whole-notes and
half-notes. For example :
You can download the PDF Online (with TAB) of this new guide-tone line on "Lady Bird".
When you have solid guide-tones deeply in your ears / fingers, ornament them in the following ways :
-Ornament with faster lines (mostly scales and arpeggios from previous articles).
-Use interesting rhythms, freely displacing guide-tones.
For example:
You can download the PDF online (with TAB) of ornamentation on "Lady Bird".
It becomes clear that the possibilities are endless. Guide-tones can be infinitely developed when the
right technical tools are mastered. As you can see, knowing how to start scales and arpeggios on
different chord tones (and different beats) comes in handy... If you're having trouble with this, review
the previous articles. It's not just important... it's basically all you need for soloing in jazz!
Advanced Jazz Guitar Guide-Tones

Finally, the process of creating and developing long and simple melodies can be applied in a myriad of
other ways. Try the following :
-Create guide-tone lines using any scale notes. (1-3-5-7-9-11-13)
-Create guide-tone lines strictly made of extensions. (7-9-11-13)
-Learn guide-tone lines from recordings (by simplifying faster lines).
...then with the above suggestions...
-Ornament developing strictly on the rhythms, or strictly on melodic motifs or both.
Note: As long as the guide-tones are clearly defined, your lines will make sense! In fact it is a good
idea to try and play all the "wrong notes" (ornaments as fill-in) while still putting emphasis on the
"right" guide-tones. You'll be amazed! Your lines will sound “twisted” but still consonant.
And finally, my favourite guide-tone exercise :
-Create a guide-tone line in whole-notes that strictly ascend/descend to the next available scale note.
Develop creatively. It's like the scales/arpeggios outline of the entire range. For example:
You can download the PDF Online of ascending/descending guide-tones on "Lady Bird".
Moving On : after Jazz Improvisation #1, #2 and #3
Please keep in mind that guide-tone lines, scales and arpeggios are simply tools to develop genuine jazz
improvisation. They will not make music for you... but they will help you hear through chord
progressions. When you are really "blowing", be in the moment and focus on the feel. Guide-tones are
just part of jazz vocabulary, not your whole speech. They emotions you want to convey are above any
rules. Have Fun!
Jazz Guitar Licks
Some Common Phrases
The jazz guitar licks presented in this article are common public domain phrases. They are part of every
experienced jazz player's trick bag. I've grouped them into : Blues licks, short II-V licks, long II-V
licks. I find that the best way to go about using licks is to know their "architecture" : really know a few
licks rather than memorizing many of them. When you really hear a lick you can create countless
variations on it. What is called "jazz vocabulary" is often simply ornamentation of basic licks and
ideas. Outstanding players create the best improvised solos based on only a handful of ideas. The same
concept applies to writing a novel (for example) : The development of the story (solo) is more
important than the amount of different words (licks) used in the book (song).
Bluesy Stuff
The most obvious jazz guitar licks are coming from the blues scales. They are pentatonics with an
added tone. The extra note (aka blue note) creates the "bluesiness" of the licks.
The "major blues" scale consists of the major pentatonic (1 2 3 5 6) with the added b3.
This C "major blues" concept is often played in the first four bars of the blues in the key of C. Note the
presence of both major AND minor thirds.
Next, the "minor blues" scale consists of the minor pentatonic (1 b3 4 5 b7) with the added b5 (or #4).
This C "minor blues" is often sounded in the fifth bar of the blues in the key of C. The minor third and
the "blue note" give the scale it's "down to earth" feel.
Note : The "relative minor" concept also applies to blues scales. A lick in C "major blues" is also in A "minor blues".
“Major" Blues Licks (left) and “Minor" Blues Licks: (right):
Remember that Bluesy jazz guitar licks can also be applied on non-blues tunes (such as standard and
rhythm changes). Mature jazz players can and will play blues lines anywhere. In fact, my favourite
players are bluesy most of the time! Try it yourself : blues-up your jazz guitar playing. See the article,
"Using Blues line Over Standards"
II-V in One Bar

The II-V progression with chords that last only two beats is part of the bebop movement of the 40's and
50's. It forces the player to be specific, clear and concise in his ideas. The following jazz guitar licks are
built this way. The most important aspect of any of those licks is the resolution of the b7th (of the II
chord) to the 3rd (of the V chord). It defines the chord change clearly. In this case, C to B when going
from Dm7 to G7. The other important resolution is the final note. The examples here resolve to the
3rd or 5th (of the I chord).
Taking the last part (G7 to C) of the preceding licks and transposing them up an octave we get :
This process is called octave displacement. It would also be possible (and advisable) to take the entire
licks up an octave. Having many "versions" of the same lick is ideal to increase potential development
of your ideas
So how about this : Here's a Dm7 idea that also encloses the necessary resolution (C to B).
Take it and "plug it" with the other G7 ideas. You've got a few notes and creativity. How far can you
go? How about this one : G7 (with a b9) idea landing properly on the I chord.
In summary, I just provided you with two short Dm7 licks and three short G7 licks. With patience and
dedication they can become a wealth of musical treasures. They can even open doors to other building
block of jazz vocabulary. Explore!
II-V in two bars

The II-V progression with chords that last a bar each is also part of the bebop movement. The
resolutions (see above) are still present here but everything is much more flexible. There's room for
different ideas. In general, they contain more scale runs (or scale fragments) than their shorter cousins.
They also have more chromaticism and "outside" notes.
This one has all the notes of the C major scale (plus a chromatic passing tone):
Now transposed higher, the same lick an octave higher :
Another typical bop lick :
Another with octave displacement...
Work with these licks and make them your own. Find the foundational notes of licks and build them
from scratch. Longer II-V phrases are very flexible. Since only the "core" of the lick matters, you can
ornament it in many musical ways. Need more inspiration on the longer II-V ideas? Play through How
to Play Bebop - Volume 1 by David Baker. (Also covers different progressions.)
Good luck and Have Fun creating your own jazz guitar licks!
Jazz Guitar Licks
Outlining II-V Chord Changes
A few of my favourite jazz guitar licks... what I like the most about them is they're clearly outlining the
harmony. Study them carefully and they'll find a way into your playing. All licks in this article are
based on the Outline No.1 in major, as explained in Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony.
Generic II-V Jazz Guitar Licks

This first lick (on the left) is a classic. It's shown in different keys to cover other string sets* (See the
note below). It's possible to move this one around and add the b9 to the V chord. You may have to
change the fingerings if you add the b9 though. This second lick (on the right) is very similar to the
previous one. The triplet figure and ending are different though. Again, it's taken in a few keys to
demonstrate possible string transference* (See the note below).
[*Note : For all following licks, I highly recommend that you go through the same process. Play the
licks in different key to see how you can finger them on different string sets. It's useful ... as in VERY
necessary.]
More Licks
More licks, now from jazz recordings, based on the Outline No.1 in major, as explained in Connecting
Chords with Linear Harmony (by Bert Ligon). You want to check out that book, it changed my life!
Notice how the circled notes form a descending version of F major scale (starting on Bb).
And one last one for the road. Can you identify what bebop tune it stems from?
[Did you guess it? Scrapple from the Apple is the tune in question]
Jazz Guitar Licks
Outlining the Minor II-V
A few of my favourite jazz guitar licks to play in minor... clearly defining the harmony. Study them
carefully and they'll find a way into your playing. All licks in this article are based on the Outline No.1
in major, as explained in Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony (by Bert Ligon) Enjoy (and don't
forget to practice your licks in all keys, through chord cycles!)
Generic Minor II-V Licks

This first lick (on the left) is simply the descending harmonic minor scale (starting on the fourth degree
which is also the third of the II chord). Notice how it outlines the chord changes. It's shown in different
keys to cover other string sets* (See the note below). The next lick (on the right) is very similar to the
previous one; but instead of running the scale, it runs arpeggios. Again, it's taken in a few keys to
demonstrate possible string transference* (See the note below).
[*Note : For the following licks, I highly recommend that you go through the same process. Play the
licks in different key to see how you can finger them on different string sets. It's useful as in VERY
necessary.]
More Licks
More licks, now from jazz recordings, based on the Outline No.1 in major, as explained in Connecting
Chords with Linear Harmony (by Bert Ligon). You want to check out that book, it changed my life!
Notice how this one is only a slight development of the previous line.
Notice the octave displacement on the C7.
Interesting rhythms in the first bar.
The master of "cool" jazz lays down that beautiful lick.

I like the ending very much, it's a classic.
Jazz Chord Cycles to Practice
Jazz Guitar Improvisation Reference
When attempting to learn a new chord or sound, I find it's important to take it in a few different keys at
a time. A great "formal" way of doing that is through cycles : they consist of systematic root
movements. Imagine you were trying to learn the major scale and that you had it under your fingers
enough to start improvising on it. You could play in C forever...
...but it's far more interesting to move around : Stay in C, then go to F, and Bb, then Eb, etc.
That would be the cycle of fifths aka cycle of fourths aka circle of fifth aka circle of "force"... the most
obvious way chords move around in progressions in *all styles* (from baroque to rock). So here's a
reference chart for jazz chord cycles. Virtually every known jazz musician practiced them at some
point; practice well and enjoy!
Points to Keep in Mind

In this article, only the root movements are shown. It means that you have only the root notes (C to Db
to D to ...) I made it that way so it can be used to practice ANY chord type (major, minor, dominant,
locrian mode on alfredo sauce, etc.)
Also, make sure you understand the following points before starting to practice in cycles :
• Chords can have different duration (1 bar each, 2 bars each, etc.) When getting familiar with
new chords, practice with longer durations such as 8 or 16 bars before changing chords.
• By all means, use the metronome, at least sometimes.
• The cycles can be used in different time signatures. 3/4 time is an important part of jazz.
Furthermore, if you're "rhythmically accomplished", try odd time signatures such as 5 or 7.
• All cycles read both ways! When reading from left to right (normal), they're ascending. When
reading "backwards" they're descending. Practice both, specially the two first cycles.
• The cycles can be used to interpolate II-V's : transform any dominant chord (ie G7) into it's "II-
V counterpart" (ie Dm7-G7). Used this "interpolation technique" and create tons of II-V's.
-1-
In Half Steps
-2-
In Whole Steps
-3-
In Minor Thirds
-4-
In Major Thirds
-5-
In Fourths
Notice that Db = C#, Gb = F# and Cb = B.
Here's the same progression in circular format :
If you're serious about playing jazz, you should memorize this.
Notice this when working with key signatures in cycle of fourths :

1. Moving clockwise you add one flat (or remove one sharp) each time
2. Moving counter-clockwise you add one sharp (or remove one flat)
Next is a "compound" cycle : up a tritone then down a half-step. Useful for practicing the infamous
tritone substitution..
-6-
Tritone Up then Half-Step Down
P.S. : All jazz chord cycles on this page use only "flat keys" but could be thought of as "sharp keys".
For example : Gb = F# and Db = C# and Cb = B, etc.
Jazz Chord Cycles to Practice

Diatonic Chord Progressions
When attempting to learn a key (also called tonality), I find it's important to learn as much material
from it as possible : intervals, triads, seventh chords, "triads over bass" chords and other relationships.
If you didn't do so already, please read and play through The Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick.
A great "formal" way of learning all the seventh chords (and triads) present in a key is going through
cycles : they consist of systematic root movements covering all the chords of the key.
As far as seventh chord, goes the key of C major contains :
The motion of this progression is "cycle 2" because each new chord is a diatonic second up from the
previous one... The question is :
In how many "patterns" could we play
those same chords from above?
Six !!!
We have cycle 2 (above), cycle 3, cycle 4, cycle 5, cycle 6 and cycle 7. So, here's a reference chart for
diatonic jazz chord cycles :
Cycle 2
C major
Cmaj7-Dm7-Em7- Fmaj7-G7-Am7-Bm7(b5)-Cmaj7
C melodic minor
Cm(maj7) - Dm7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - F7 - G7 - Am7(b5) - Bm7(b5) - Cm(maj7)
C harmonic minor
Cm(maj7) - Dm7b5 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Fm7 - G7 - Abmaj7 - Bdim7 - Cm(maj7)
Cycle 3
C major
Cmaj7-Em7-G7-Bm7(b5)-Dm7-Fmaj7-Am7-Cmaj7
C melodic minor
Cm(maj7) - Ebmaj7(#5) - G7 - Bm7(b5) - Dm7 - F7 - Am7(b5) - Cm(maj7)
C harmonic minor
Cm(maj7) - Ebmaj7(#5) - G7 - Bdim7 - Dm7b5 - Fm7 - Abmaj7 - Cm(maj7)
Cycle 4
C major
Cmaj7-Fmaj7-Bm7(b5)-Em7-Am7-Dm7-G7-Cmaj7
C melodic minor
Cm(maj7) - F7 - Bm7(b5) - Ebmaj7(#5) - Am7(b5) - Dm7 - G7 - Cm(maj7)
C harmonic minor
Cm(maj7) - Fm7 - Bdim7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Abmaj7 - Dm7b5 - G7 - Cm(maj7)
Cycle 5 (negative cycle 4)

C major
Cmaj7-G7-Dm7-Am7-Em7-Bm7(b5)-Fmaj7-Cmaj7
C melodic minor
Cm(maj7) - G7 - Dm7 - Am7(b5) - Ebmaj7(#5) - Bm7(b5) - F7 - Cm(maj7)
C harmonic minor
Cm(maj7) - G7 - Dm7b5 - Abmaj7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Bdim7 - Fm7 - Cm(maj7)

C major
Cmaj7-Am7-Fmaj7-Dm7-Bm7(b5)-G7-Em7-Cmaj7
C melodic minor
Cm(maj7) - Am7(b5) - F7 - Dm7 - Bm7(b5) - G7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Cm(maj7)
C harmonic minor
Cm(maj7) - Abmaj7 - Fm7 - Dm7b5 - Bdim7 - G7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Cm(maj7)

C major
Cmaj7-Bm7(b5)-Am7-G7-Fmaj7-Em7-Dm7-Cmaj7
C melodic minor
Cm(maj7) - Bm7(b5) - Am7(b5) - G7 - F7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Dm7 - Cm(maj7)
C harmonic minor
Cm(maj7) - Bdim7 - Abmaj7 - G7 - Fm7 - Ebmaj7(#5) - Dm7b5 - Cm(maj7)
Points to Keep in Mind

• Practice the diatonic jazz chord cycles in different keys!
• See if you can memorize the diatonic cycle you're working on.
• Chords can have different duration (1 bar each, 2 bars each, etc.)
• By all means, use the metronome, at least sometimes.
• The cycles can be used in different time signatures.
• Practice diatonic cycles in different voicings (drop2 and drop3).
• Try to voicelead each diatonic cycle (in drop2 and drop3).
• Remove one note from each chord to get just the diatonic triads.
Positions Part One
How to Have Six Fingers and Control the Universe
Positions are the "meat and potatoes" of jazz guitar scales playing. Any melodic idea can be analyzed
and explained (on the fingerboard) as belonging to one or more positions. In this article series you will
learn to properly place your hand on the fingerboard, understand the fingering principles and finally,
learn jazz guitar scales in some of the most useful positions. Furthermore, we will only look at the
fundamental aspects of learning the proper positions and fingerings for the most common jazz guitar
scales: major scale and melodic minor scale.
"Why just these two scales?"
Most of jazz music is derived from the major and melodic minor scales. They are building blocks and
these jazz guitar scales should be mastered before attempting to learn more advanced scales. Make sure
you somewhat understand what the above mentioned scales are and how they sound. Click on their
names for theoretical explanation.
Articles in this series :
Positions Part 1 : How to Have Six Fingers and Control the Universe
Positions Part 2 : Top Must-Know Positions for Jazz Guitar
Positions Part 3 : Scales Polishing and Connecting
Positions Part 4 : Arpeggios 101 - Complete Arps
Positions Part 5 : Arpeggios 102 - Triads and Seventh Chords
Position Addendum : Scales in Cycle of Fourths
"Finger to Fret" Relationship

If this article was a one-liner, it would probably be just that subtitle. This is the core of all position
playing on the guitar : each finger stays in one fret. But that is not all... The other part of this principle
that is probably less understood is that fingers can stretch. It means that each finger stays in one fret
except the index and the pinky that can stretch higher/lower by one fret.
Because they cover the outer limits of the hand, the 1st and 4th fingers can stretch to :
• add extra range to each position on the guitar;
• create a whole new world of fingering possibilities.
In short, the hand now spawns six frets instead of four and that creates a lot of interest (for me
anyways! Six fingers anyone?!)
This is a picture of the finger to fret relationship. It should be the same as

if you look at your fretting hand in a mirror while fingering your guitar.
Notice how the index (1st finger) and the pinky (4th finger) each cover
two frets. After getting comfortable with the concept, it will be...
...like having six fretting fingers! If you're completely new to position
playing I recommend you check out and play through A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt.
It will give you a solid foundation in jazz guitar scales positions and fingerings.
The Whole Universe (it's yours!)
Let's see what lies in a typical position on the guitar. Try it yourself : put your fretting index over the
third fret and all the other fingers should align with fret four, five and six. So, musically, what do we
have?
• The low register goes to an F# / Gb (second fret, 6th string) because we stretch the index down.
• The high register to a B (seventh fret, 1st string) because we're stretching the pinky up.
• All notes in between are present.
A typical position thus covers almost 2.5 octaves! That is in the ballpark of what most woodwinds and
brass deal with... and don't forget : that is just one position! I often hear people use the expression :
"Stuck in one position". I wonder about that statement... How can you be "stuck" when such a huge
amount of musical material is right at your fingertips?
And, what do I mean exactly?
I like to say that the whole universe is contained in a single position because you can find :
• The chromatic scale (spawning more than 2 octaves).
• Two whole tone scales.
• Three diminished scales.
• 12 major, melodic minor, harmonic minor, harmonic major scales.
• All the 4, 5, 6 and 7-note chords/arpeggios derived from above.
• Every chromatic interval up to the 13th. Some can be doubled.
• 12 major, minor, augmented, diminished and sus. triads (all inversions in closed positions and
some spread voicings.)
• _________________________________ (write your own)
And that is just the tip of the iceberg, you'll find more if you look! (Check out The Advancing Guitarist,
the author lists a long list of possibilities!) In short, just one position on the guitar is sufficient to deal
with any musical situation. It's the same as saying : ...just the range of the alto saxophone is sufficient
to deal with any musical situation. (obviously)
Always Remember : A range of approx 2.5 octaves (one position) contains the whole musical
universe in itself. It's all there! You just have to find what you need.
More Universes : Position Playing Principle

Even though we could spend or lives in just one or two positions, jazz guitarists tend to learn all (or
most) positions on the guitar. It's practical to unlock the entire fretboard. It's almost like saying :
Instead of learning all the scales in one position, I will learn all the positions in one scale.
So it means that jazz guitar scales are usually learned by "blocks": between 5 and 7 different and useful
positions for each scale. That is highly effective when it comes down to covering the entire
fingerboard.
In the next article, I'll show you the seven most useful positions to master jazz guitar scales in a breeze!
Positions Part Two

Top Must-Know Positions for Jazz Guitar
The "Starting String and Finger" System

Let's identify positions, not by fret (absolutely), but according to what finger and string the first note is
played on (relatively). With just two numbers and a root name, we can imply the whole “grid” of the
layout of the note in this particular position. If I hear “G major 6-2” or “Db major 5-1”, I know the
right notes to play. It's like having the notes light-up on the fretboard. (-:
"6th (string) - 2nd (finger)"
"6-2" means that the first note of the position, also called root, is played with the second finger on the
sixth string. That relative location can be applied to any fret on the guitar. Let's use "G major scale in
6-2" to demonstrate. It implies three things:
1. Play a G note as a root...
2. With your second finger...
3. On the sixth string.
So "G major scale in 6-2" will have you place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string (G note).
One more Example : "Db major 5-1" would be :

1. Db root...
2. With first finger...
3. On fifth string.
So you would use your 1st finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string to play that Db root and start the scale
from there.
Seven Most Common Positions

The following seven positions are, to me and many other professional guitarists, the most important.
It's essential that you learn them in and out if you want to master jazz guitar scales :
• 6-2
• 6-1
• 4-1
• 5-4
• 5-2
• 6-4
The fingerings with the same "finger number" are very similar (such as 6-2 and 5-2). It will help
tremendously for memorization. More on that later... It probably doesn't make any sense to you right
now, but read on! Each position is clearly explained (with tabs and diagram) below.
Demonstration : 7 Positions for the Major Scale in G major

Let's play the above mentioned positions in G major. I like that key because it lays well on the
fretboard and the "string-finger" identifiers makes sense. We'll start low on the fingerboard (near the
nut) and climb all the way up. The positions will appear in the same order as they do on the bullet-list
above.
A quick technical note : make sure your thumb is behind the neck when practicing the scales. Hold the
palm of your fretting hand as round as possible (as if you were holding a grapefruit or apple.) Also
make sure that you practice the jazz guitar scales positions ascending and descending.
Ready?GO!
6-2
G major
No finger stretches are involved in 6-2.
6- 1
G major
Notice that there are three 1st finger stretches in 6-1. Do not move the
entire hand to play them. Simply reach for the notes with the index.
4-1
G major
This is basically the same as 6-1 but on a different set of strings. You may notice that this diagram is
incomplete. There is more notes to be played in that position and we'll discuss it in the next article.
5-4
G major
No finger stretches are involved in 5-4. This is also an "incomplete"
diagram since more notes could be played in the position.
5-2
G major
This is basically the same as 6-2 but on a different set of strings.

Notice that this diagram is also incomplete.
5-1
G major
This is basically the same as 6-1 but on a different set of strings.
Notice that this diagram is also incomplete.
6-4
G major
And finally, our pinky stretch! 6-4 is very much related

to 5-4 but has this necessary stretch of the 4th finger.
How to Remember the 7 Positions of Major
Did you notice little things here and there? Similarities, recurring patterns or inherent logic? Of course
you did! The seven jazz guitar scales positions divide into three families or related fingerings : The first
family : 6-2 and 5-2, the second family : 6-4 and 5-4, the third : 6-1, 5-1 and 4-1.
In short, the finger you start on decides on the fingering to adopt... and we're starting scales on either
the 1st, 2nd or 4th finger, thus, 3 families. So only three master fingerings can be derived into seven
positions.
You may have also noticed that positions starting on the 6th strings are mostly "complete" in
themselves (covering almost the entire range of the fretting hand.) In the next article, we'll find out how
to fill-in the "missing notes" for jazz guitar scales positions 4-1, 5-4, 5-2 and 5-1.
7 Positions of Melodic Minor Scale

That's my favourite part of the story! Without knowing it, if you learned the seven positions of the
major scale properly then you've also have unlocked seven positions of the melodic minor scale! How?
If you know a minimum of scale theory you know that there's only one note difference between major
and melodic minor : The third!
So if C major is : C D E F G A B
...then C melodic minor is : C D Eb F G A B
In G, we'll simply change the B to a Bb (every time we encounter the note, of course). All you have to
do is go through the seven positions and change one note. To help you, I made a chart of melodic minor
scale diagrams (previous page)... Pay attention to the new or different finger stretches!
In the next article, I'll show you how to take full advantage of each of these jazz guitar scales positions.
We need, of course, to identify all the notes available in each position, not just from "root to root" ...
Positions Part Three

Scales Polishing and Connecting
A Quick Review
In order to make the following topics clear, let's see what we've learned so far. In dealing with positions
and jazz guitar scales you should now understand that ...
• a position is a physical location on the fretboard. The fretting hand can spawn up to 6 frets.
• the "whole universe", musically speaking, is contained within any position.
• the range of any position is approx 2.5 octaves
• seven positions are really useful on the fretboard
• the "finger - string" system determines the starting note/root of all positions.
• three "families" of positions exist; their divided by starting finger (1st, 2nd or 4th finger).
• the seven positions apply to the major scale at first.
• the seven positions then apply to the melodic minor scale simply by changing one note from the
major scale fingerings.
• the positions, tabs and diagrams in the previous jazz guitar scales article are incomplete in
themselves (we'll address the problem right now!)
... if any of this sound unfamiliar, please read the first article and/or this second article on jazz guitar
positions. Ok, you've got the seven positions down and memorized? Good! In melodic minor as well?
Oups... maybe not?! Don't worry, it takes time to digest all that information. On the long run though,
you want the seven positions of major and melodic minor (in 12 keys) to be part of the common stuff
you play everyday.
Completing the Seven Positions

I would like to throw away the diagrams for now, using only tabs and music notation. I think I saw too
many pictures of "fretboards covered with dots" in books...
Here they are as promised : all the major positions "completed" with all the available notes in the reach
of the hand in each of the seven positions. From now on, the concept of position incorporate "all the
available notes" at all times. You have to be conscious of every note that is within your reach in each
position.
We are still in G major and this time the examples will ascend / descend to cover all the notes. Please
see each scale as the complete position's own little etude.
Remember to stretch the index to reach to the fifth fret. So the frets 7, 8 and 9th should be played with
the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers. Stick to that diligently. (Also applies to 6-1 and 5-1)
Be careful with the new stetches required to play the “completed” positions. Stick to the principles :
you fretting hand is not moving, you fingers are simply stretching to reach.
Completing the Seven Positions (encore)

What do you think is happening with melodic minor now? Let me guess what's on your mind :
You think that you could take the seven "complete" positions of G major above...and change all the B's
to Bb's... and you'd have seven positions of G melodic minor? And, you also think that you should be
careful with the new finger stretches that might happen along the way (specially in 5-4 and 6-4)?
Really?! Wow! My own words are coming right out of your mouth, aren't they?!
Sorry guys : no diagrams, tabs or notation this time. You have to work at it by yourself (it's a valuable
part of the process.) You'll thank me for that later. (-: So go over the 7 previous diagrams in melodic
minor now.
Mastering the Connections between Seven Positions

If you came this far, you're only one step away from mastering the jazz guitar scales in seven positions.
Congratulations! Of course, you could (and should) spend a lifetime refining your chops, patterns,
transcriptions, improvisations... but the basics of the positions are now ingrained in you.
The last step involves connecting the seven positions together, one after another, and going up and
down the neck. You play the same scale (G major for example) in all the positions, consecutively,
without stopping. That'll fix ya!
By the way, Barry Galbraith wrote a great book on connecting scales for the guitar neck. It's called
"The Fingerboard Workbook : Concepts in Logical Fingering"... (the one with the *blue* cover)
I wrote an etude for you to play. Remember to use all the proper fingerings for the seven positions
before experimenting. Also keep in mind that the position shifts occur between half-steps (one fret) :
• In major between the 3rd and 4th or the 7th-8th degrees of the scale
• In melodic minor only between the 7th and 8th degrees
For example, in G major, you shift between B and C or F# and G. In G melodic minor, you can only
shift between F# and G. Read through my PDF and memorize it. Then, you may want to shift in
different places. Experiment and see what works for you.
You can download this Here's the PDF Online : 7 Positions of G major linked together
Yes, just the major positions... here again :

You have to work on melodic minor by yourself.
Now let's move on to Positions Part IV and Part V where we'll deal exclusively with arpeggios.
Positions Part Four

Complete Arps
Arpeggios are commonly used to outline chord changes in jazz improvisation. Jazz guitarists of all eras
used them in their solos as a mean to effectively "run the changes". In the two last articles of this series,
we will look into arpeggios derived from previously discussed scale positions. (seven positions of
major and melodic minor) .
The arps can be very useful as is and will become a powerful tool that deepens your understanding of
scale positions. If you're new to position playing, please read the introductory jazz guitar scales article
on positions. This effective approach to arpeggios is based on something we already know
(positions) ... as compared to the usual learning and memorization of arpeggios in "shapes" on the
fretboard.
Up to the 13th (aka "complete arp")
Let's start with the widest possibility for arpeggios : having seven different notes in the arp. If we
started in G with the "6-2" position (see previous article) we could play something like this :
The arp contains the notes G B D F# A C E G ...

in "scale degrees" it means 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 and 1
In fact this arpeggio contains all the notes present in the scale. That's why it's often called "complete".
It's the scale played in non-consecutive scale tones.
To clarify... This is the scale on two octaves, and the 13th "complete" arp is bold:
G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1
I like to describe this type of arp as "playing the scale, skipping every other note" (or "playing the scale
by third intervals"). By seeing arps like this (as non-consecutive scale tones), learning the proper scale
positions will automatically unlock all the possibilities for arps.
In Every Position
Just to make things more interesting, it is possible to do that for the seven positions of major and
melodic minor. It takes a bit of work, of course, but it's well worth the effort!
Go ahead and do it! Use the seven positions to play seven note arpeggios... seven days a week! (just
trying some rhymes!) Points to keep in mind :
• No matter what position, you will be playing all the notes present in the scale.
• Make sure that you keep the original fingerings found in positions. Be strict at first, then come
up with your own fingering concepts for playing the 13th arpeggios.
• It will be tempting NOT TO stretch the index or pinky. Be careful and make your hand "stay" as
much as possible.
• For every position, start on the root and go up as far as possible ... then down as far as possible.
(aka "completing the position")
Some positions have naturally more notes below than above the root. Go as low as possible, no matter
what. Here's a good example (4-1 in G) :
So, go ahead and do it! Just play the 13th arpeggios in the seven positions now (in major, then in
melodic minor). Try it for a while and you'll notice stuff happening in your playing.
Don't Forget the "Negative"!

And, just to double the amount of stuff you can work on (thus doubling the possibilities when you
improvise...) ... every seven note arpeggios has a "negative", like photographic film. It is the arpeggios
"on the flip side of the coin" so to speak!
Here's what I mean (in G major, "6-2" position) :
So each position has the "starting on the root" seven note arpeggio... and "the other way around". Neat
uh?! Doing this, you are playing every possible third interval in each position... all over the neck (in
major and melodic minor.) Again, I will say : Go ahead, try it!
If you do it in all 12 keys you will basically be playing ALL the available thirds (major and minor) on
the entire fretboard. Isn't that cool? ...but who needs thirds anyways... ? (-;
The next article is about the other arpeggios in position (that are made of less than seven notes.)
Positions Part Five
Triads and Seventh Chords
Diatonic Triads
Now's the time to look at the "smallest" possible arpeggios, triads. They consist of three notes : root,
third and fifth. There's a triad built on each degree of any scale. As you will surely notice, the triads are
only small segments of the 13th arps we played in the previous article.
In the key of G major we get :
G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F# dim.
Demonstrated in "6-2" position here :
I encourage you to play them in G melodic minor by yourself (so you can hear and feel the difference).
The triads of G melodic minor are : Gm, Am, Bb augmented, C, D, E dim and F# dim.
Triads are often overlooked by beginning improvisers but they're still very important. Every good jazz
solo contains triads to a certain extent. Listen to bebop recording and you'll hear plenty of "disguised"
triads (check out Charlie Parker heads like "Anthropology" and "Ornithology"!)
And, of course, triads are to be applied in the 7 positions of major and melodic minor. By doing so, you
will really start to "feel" the positions and the sounds that can be made with them... ...make sure you
keep the right fingerings for each position (at first, at least). Arpeggios and triads are more
“cumbersome” than linear scales, so in the long run it will be ok to alter position's fingerings to be
more comfortable for triads and arpeggios.
Different Patterns
Don't forget that other "patterns" are possible for triads. They're shown above as 1-3-5 in eighth notes...
but this could (and should) be practiced in all kinds of ways such as :
• backwards (5-3-1)
• with different rhythms (use quarter-notes, triplets, etc.)
• skipping and coming back (3-1-5)
• repeating a note (making them 4 notes such as 1-3-5-1)
• in inversions (see below)
• etc.
Here's an example of a common pattern in triplets (in G major "6-2" again). The first triad is played
upward (1-3-5), the second downward (5-3-1) and so on :
Don't worry about finding ALL the patterns and playing them perfectly. It won't happen! There's just
too much stuff out there for us to grasp in our lifetime... you have to choose small amounts material and
work at it. So, the basic idea is to take a pattern you like and practice the heck out of it (in each
position.) You may work a long time (weeks or even months) on the same pattern. Some positions are
more difficult and may help you improve your technique tremendously.
Diatonic Seventh Chords

The concept we used to get triads can be applied to get 4-note arps in a certain key. It gives us the
diatonic seventh chords. In the key of G major : G maj 7, Am7, Bm7, C maj 7, D7, Em7, F# min7 (b5)
Demonstrated in "6-2" :
Play them in G melodic minor by yourself. The seventh chords of G melodic minor are : Gm maj7,
Am7, Bb maj7 (#5), C7, D7, Em7(b5) and F# m7(b5)
Seventh chords arpeggios are also to be applied in the 7 positions of major and melodic minor. Keep
the right fingerings for each position. The above demonstration uses 8th notes in a ascending way but,
of course, other patterns exist. With four notes, the possibilities for different patterns become scary!
Here again, find and stick to something you like so you can work on it for a while.
A little "pep talk" : By finding out the arps by yourself in each position, you will unlock great
fingerings and ideas for improvisation. You would otherwise have to memorize "shapes" that could turn
out to be completely useless for you. By going position by position, you will make sense out of the
guitar fretboard and understand what works best for you! Roll up your sleeves and get to work because
the process is the reward!
Running Changes
Once you get familiar with diatonic triads and seventh-chord arps in most positions, you can start
applying them to chord progressions. One of my favourite ways is to isolate the II, the V and then the I.
An example. In G major, "6-2" position :
I find the example above just plain and boring but that is the main concept. You can find different ways
of playing the chords / arps and come up with lines like this one :
More to do : Extensions and Inversions
Using the concept for triads and seventh chords, you can also build up to "higher"
chord tones. How about 1-3-5-7-9 ? Or even... just 3-5-7-9 ? If you think about this
for a moment, 3-5-7-9 for G major 7 is B-D-F#-A. Those are the same notes you get
from a Bm7 seventh arpeggio...
If you're on G major 7, you can play on the extensions (3-5-7-9), thus playing Bm7
over G major 7. This is what Charlie Parker was known to do. He would blow on the
extensions of chord progressions.
Arpeggio inversions are also very common practice in jazz improvisation. I won't go
into details but it implies to start arps not on the root and play it up or down. By keeping the same
exact notes in the arpeggios, it creates different intervals. (and new sounds for the very same arpeggio)
Example :
That is something to consider... Bluntly, instead of playing G-B-D-F#, simply change the order!
That's all for new material folks. Next article is about using the cycle of fourths in positions.
Positions Addendum
Scales Through the Cycle of Fourths
In all the previous articles in the series, we looked at the fundamental aspects of learning the proper
positions, fingerings and position shifts for the most common jazz guitar scales and arpeggios : major
scale and melodic minor scale. Here's some more stuff to work on : a little "tip" to memorize the
fingerings/positions by using the cycle of fourths..
Cycling on Your Jazz Guitar Scales

Here's another convenient way to learn the same material we examined in Positions part 2 and part 3 :
Play the *exact same* seven positions / fingerings through the cycle of fourths!
What is the cycle of fourths? See Jazz Chord Cycles Article

Provided that the key of the next scale you're about to play is up a fourth, you will be able to stick the
LH into one position for playing in several different key signatures.
In other words :In part 2 and 3, we stayed in one key while moving the left hand through seven
positions (up and down the fretboard). In this present article, you will learn to stay in one position
going through SEVEN keys (thus varying only the fingerings).
Let's Try it!
If you've done your homework, you should be at least familiar with the seven useful
positions/fingerings for jazz guitar scales. The "string + finger" system still applies; here's the order in
which the seven fingerings move "through the circle" :
6-4 --- 5-4 --- 6-2 --- 5-2 --- 6-1 --- 5-1 --- 4-1
Demonstration :
Play the first scale from your pinky on C note on the 6th string (thus playing C major scale in 6-4),
...the next scale is F major scale in 5-4,
then Bb in 6-2,
then Eb in 5-2,
then Ab in 6-1,
then Db in 5-1,
then Gb in 4-1.
(all of the above seven keys played while fretting hand *stay* within the same area.)
... and start over a 1/2 step down

Having covered the seven useful fingerings (in the keys of C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb) the next scale in
the cycle (key of B) uses 6-4 again, starting all over a half-step lower that where we started in C.
Cover the same seven fingerings this time starting in B ...
... B major in 6-4, then E in 5-4, then A in 6-2, then D in 5-2, then G in 6-1, then C in 5-1, then F in 4-1.
... and start over a 1/2 step down once again.

Bb in 6-4 again, to Eb in 5-4, to Ab in 6-2 etc.
...until your run out of frets by reaching the nut on your guitar!
You can download this PDF Online (with TABS) of jazz guitar scales in seven fingerings running
through the circle of fourths.
Conclusion
Starting from 6-4 and playing scales "in the circle" allows you to play seven distinct fingerings (and
keys) before having to move the left hand in a lateral fashion a half-step down.
In fact, you could start in ANY key (major OR melodic minor scale)
...and play through the cycle! Right?! (-;
The next logical step is to play jazz guitar scales diagonally. Now would be a good time to review
diagonal playing on the guitar (amongst the previous articles).
Advanced Bebop Exercises
Interesting learning materials derived from
The Barry Harris Workshop DVD
and
Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar
After a while of practicing the Half-Step Practice Model (as explained in the workshop DVD booklet),
I finally made up some of my own exercises. Here's a good warm up (scales) that I use on most days ...
What is the "Practice Model" ?

Without going into too much detail (no spoiler alert here!), Barry Harris has a way of making scales
"fit" into bar lines which he calls The Half-Step Practice Model. This concept stems from the bebop
language ... and it's all about rhythms. In short, the model is a technique that adds 0, 1, 2 or 3 extra
passing notes to regular scales. The end result is the rhythmical alignment of "strong notes on strong
beats" within the bar... (meaning we get chord-tones 1-3-5-7 on downbeats)
The three optional passing notes can be found between degree b7 and 3 (in a mixolydian scale). Here,
added passing notes in red :
But we won't use all three added notes yet. The primary scale, which is a great starting point for most
teachers (including me!), and most commonly referred to as "bebop scale" only has ONE passing note
between b7 and 1 (in this case, the "B natural" note). The most basic bebop scale is therefore :
But, as mentioned before, Barry Harris goes beyond this simple scale by using two more available
passing-tones. Let's say you wanted to start the scale on something else than the root... it wouldn't
always work with the basic bebop scale. Try it and see for yourself. So Barry found a solution to this
musical problem... Let use the "F" (the fourth degree) as an example in the same old, C7 mixolydian
scale.
You can have either :
1- NO passing tone added
... or ...
2- Two passing tones!
As you can see, the arrows point to chord tones. Notice how they fall on downbeats after the scale is
"rebalanced" because of the presence (or absence) of passing tones. One more example : starting on the
3rd ("E" note). You can have either :
1- One passing tone
... or ...
2- Three passing tones!
By now, I think you get the idea... This is just a principle, of course. You have to own the DVD to really
"get it" and understand how it works. It always better to hear the master himself explain it.
What Am I doing Different from Barry ?

So, yes : I like the idea behind Barry's Half Step Practice Model very much. ...and yes : I even took the
time to write my very own exercises based on the whole approach. Here's what I'm adding though.
My variations on the original concept :
-Each line starts with a pickup of three 8th-notes and
-Each scale degree is treated in two "phases" :
1. Placed on beat "one" (after the pickup)
2. As part of the pickup (beat "four")
Confused?
Basically, if you play them "my way" you'll get all the musical juice from the original exercises plus a
few added bonuses. A picture is worth a thousands notes, so here's an example ... I turned this (Original
"Barry Harris Workshop" way) :
... into this (Phase one and Phase Two – my “JazzGuitarLessons.net” way) :
The Entire Exercises

You can download the PDF Online of the complete set of exercises (two pages)
Practice suggestions
• Go very slow! Use a metronome and learn the lines at ridiculously slow speeds. This is like
"programming" the lines into your ears and fingers.
• Repeat one line as much as you to need. Test : stop looking at the paper and play the line ...
• Use the suggested fingerings (in TABS) or come up with your own. But, whatever you do, stick
to the same fingerings for a while. It becomes easier to "ingrain" lines in working in this
fashion; you may always fix your fingerings later.
• You can start most lines at different octaves on the guitar. I wrote down only basic starting
points here. See how far up (and/or down) the fretboard you can go with the same line.
• How many passing notes are present in the line and why? Create some variations on the lines.
• Once each line is memorized individually, play the entire thing, front to back as an etude.
• Practice Phase 1 separately from Phase 2 Then practice them together... in the end, you'll realize
they're the same old thing!
• The chromaticism in the pickups can be changed to suit your taste/style. I'm sure you could
come up with many different interesting pickups. (as I'm barely scratching the surface here, with
only the most obvious ones...)
Lee Konitz
Jazz Improvisation Secrets : the 10 gradients
March 2010, listening to Lee Konitz on a Kenny Wheeler album : I researched (and then stumbled
upon) something that made me practice jazz guitar in a different way; my lines are now breathing
freshness (and I can avoid sounding "dull" most of the time!).
Who is he?
According to Wikipedia, Lee Konitz (1927-) is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born
in Chicago, Illinois. He's generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz.
Konitz was one of the few altoists to retain a distinctive sound in the 40s, when Charlie Parker
exercised a tremendous influence on other players. Paul Desmond and, especially, Art Pepper were
strongly influenced by him. Lee Konitz's association with the Cool Jazz movement of the 1940s and
50s, includes participation in Miles Davis' epochal Birth of the Cool sessions, and his work with Lennie
Tristano came from the same period.
What Can we Learn From Him?

I recently read an interview with Konitz in Downbeat Magazine from December 1985. You can read
this interview HERE. This interview was mind (and ear) opening for me at first. Then, with a little
more research, I stumbled upon hand-written examples from a former student of Lee Konitz (gotta love
the internet !!!) In the examples, the living legend, Konitz is clarifying his 10-Step Method (aka 10
Gradients) for Jazz Improvisation. The examples were scribbled and unclear... so I transcribed the
exercises into (easily readable) PDF file and transposed them for C instruments. You can download the
PDF of the written out examples here.
In very brief, the 10 gradients are incrementally moving from simple (the tune's melody) to
complicated (improvising from pure inspiration) all the while keeping the original melody as point of
departure/reference for building new material. (The latter steps rely less and less on the original
melody, of course.) All examples take place on the first 8 bars of All The Things You Are.
What to Do with That ???

Ok, you've read (or played) through the examples and... it doesn't really make any sense, yet? Same
thing happened to me, so don't worry! Each of Konitz 10 gradients should be worked on individually
for a while. Here's a concise yet detailed explanation of each step :
- 1st Gradient -
The tune's melody, as is. (This one's a "no brainer" really...)
- 2nd Gradient -
Slight variation on the original : identify "target notes", the most important tones of the melody.
Connect them together, when you can or wish, with simple musical devices (passing tones for
example). In this step, the focus is on the important tones. Remember that these can be shortened in
duration to allow passing tones to happen.
- 3rd Gradient -
More notes added to the line. Using new devices such as : neighbour tones (mostly diatonic), change of
direction and skips. The "target notes" are still present on strong beats but there's more flourishes
around them. (Similar to second gradient.)
- 4th Gradient -
While it may be hard to tell the difference between Step 2 and 3 ("what should I play now...?"), Step 4
is really straight forward : Imagine a stream of 8th-notes (and occasional triplets) that simply uses the
"melody notes" as guide-tones. That's the "big picture" of step 4. See the Jazz Improvisation #3 article
(using guide-tones).
- 5th Gradient -
Same as Step 4 (the line is a stream of 8ths and triplets) but adding two new devices :
1-Neighbour tones (now more chromatic) and arpeggiation of underlying chords.
2-Rhythmic displacement of "target notes" (they don't always fall on downbeats anymore.)
That's where the line really starts to develop into "its own thing".
- 6th Gradient -
According less importance to the melody : target notes still appear in their respective bars but may
become subsidiary to the other ones (rhythmically, melodically and in phrasing/emphasis). In other
words : the ornaments can "take over" and get more attention now. The improvised line should also be
built from higher and higher chord tones (extensions such as 9ths, 11ths and 13ths).
- 7th Gradient -
Same as sixth gradient but Lee Konitz is using even more "higher" extension and altered chord tones
such as b9, #9 and others. This one is a bit more "out" and chromatic than step 6. It depends on the
tune, the player and where the line wants to go.
- 8th Gradient -
Original melody and/or intervals may still be present but they're totally "ingrained" in the improvised
melody (barely noticeable, or not very obvious). This is probably where most "timeless jazz solos"
stand : a great improvised line that stems from the original melody but that is never too obviously
quoted from the original. Listen to Jim Hall, he's a master at using the melody subtly like this.
- 9th Gradient -
Almost no reference to the original target tones anymore (but the improvised line is still very anchored
in the harmony of the tune and has grown from the original melody.) Lee Konitz may well be the only
one to fully grasp this "gradient" of improv. I must admit, I don't really get it ... yet! To me, this is
mind over matter...
- 10th Gradient -
An act of pure inspiration.
No written example can clearly demonstrate this one... it's very personal and somehow mystical. I
suggest you listen to the Kenny Wheeler album Angel Song, the fourth track. Lee Konitz 's solo on this
one is a clear demonstration of "pure inspiration".
Melody is King
I hope this Lee Konitz "method" helps you in your quest in becoming a better improviser. At the very
least, it should make you re-consider some melodies you thought you knew... I really love that whole
idea because it all comes before using "licks" or scales and arpeggios : the tune's melody is enough to
go a long way! In the end, it's all about basic ideas and how they're ornamented (in classical terms :
theme and variations.)
Practice well.
Jazz Ear Training

Steady Musical Growth
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of learning to make music is the training of the ears. Working on
(and achieving) good listening/hearing is seldom discussed... but make no mistake : musicians who
actually "do it" usually make strides in a short amount of time! Ear training anyone...?!
Why develop our ears?

We know that changing our general perception (of life, music, relationships, etc.) can change the way
we create and play music. Of course, changing and developing our aural perception should also yield
results. In fact, I can almost guarantee that exercising your hearing a little will improve your playing
(regardless of level, instrument or style).
Yes, it's that simple!
If you were only allowed to practice and work on one "musical topic" throughout your life, only "ear
training" (and developing deeper listening in general) would provide you with steady musical growth
all along. All the jazz legends tell us the same thing: It's all about listening! Great music is performed
when good musicians play together and listen to each other really well. In short, the better you hear
yourself and other musicians around you, the greater your musical abilities become (to play, interact,
improvise, compose, etc.) Sounds empowering, doesn't it?
"Ear Training" Overview

I don't like the expression "ear training" in general because it's too often associated with classes, books
or softwares. These tools can certainly help... but they can feel "out of context" (as compared to the
playing situation musicians get themselves into.)
Recognizing intervals in a classroom is very different from listening to sounds "under fire", on stage!
This current article deals with the general aspects of listening and aural perception while playing music.
Several guidelines will be given to put the concepts into practice. Most of the tips and technique are
directly related to jazz performance... If it's not what you're looking for, I can reassure you : There's is
plenty of FREE ear training resources out there to help you work on the "technical ear training".
Ear Training in performance : jazzmen on the bandstand

Please imagine this as if it were really hapenning to you, today. Here's the premise :
You get a call, someone asks you to sub in and play (on a gig) tonight, in just a few hours. Pay is good;
you accept. Your bandmates are strangers from out of town (good jazz musicians). It's understood that
the band will only be playing tunes you're familiar with. By the way : there's a crowd of 20-30 people
waiting in that jazz club. The audience is eager to hear the band. People are also curious : there's a
"new guy" in the group tonight... that's you! Ready? You meet up, setup then... Show STARTS!
So, let me ask you a few questions. Please answer honestly to yourself. In that unexpected musical
situation, could you ...
• Identify the chord substitutions imposed by the pianist ?
• Determine what meter the drummer decided to shift to ?
• Hear if anyone (or even yourself) is lost in the form ?
• Sense if the music is rushing (speeding up) or dragging (slowing down) ?
• "Wing” a decent solo on an un-familiar 32-bar form tune ? (playing by ear, "faking it")
• Tell if you, or someone else is out of tune in the group?
• Hear if the sounds are well "balanced" ? (are the drums too loud? is the bass too soft? etc.)
• Get the "musical clues" as to how the other musicians will be ending the current tune ?
• Tell right away what inversion of the chord the bassist is playing ?
• Interact on a melodic, harmonic or rhythmic level (or all three) with any/all other band
members? (while you solo or comp)
• Tell when it's time for you to lay out completely ?
• etc.
Assessment
So? How did you do?! Was the gig good, okay or a total train wreck? The "live playing" situation is
very different from an ear training software, book or CD, isn't ?! If you can't honestly answer "yes" to
at least half of the questions above, you know you have some serious work to do in ear training.
Don't worry though ... because you've come to the right place to get better! Wherever you stand, only
more experience and serious dedicated listening can help you feel (and play) better in that kind of
situation. Do you now understand the difference between technical ear training exercises and "real life"
type of aural perception?
Even if you finish with an "A+" in all ear training classes
at Berklee College, does it mean that you'll be genuinely
listening and interacting with other musicians on stage?
What do you think? In short, "ear training" is not just about recognizing intervals or melodic dictations;
it's also about listening to yourself and to other musicians in performance. Keep that in mind, always.
How to do it?
You should work on "jazz performance ear training" :
1. When you're alone;
2. When playing with other musicians.
Remember : The main goal here is to be better prepared for your next musical engagement (like
surprise gig above). So, your main focus should be on applying this stuff in real playing situations.
Suggestions and Exercises : Preparation (by yourself)

I like to think of the "loner" part of ear training as a preparation for the next gig or rehearsal. By being
better prepared (mentally and aurally), you can "catch" a lot of stuff more easily (in the heat of the
performance).
- Rhythms -
To me, time/feel and rhythms is the most important glue between the players of the band. Poor rhythms
and feel is therefore the #1 mistake made by musicians of all levels and styles. When music kind of
falls apart, it's often because it's not grooving / swinging coherently ...
I find that rhythm is the most underrated aspect of ear training. So, I'm going to give you lots of
suggestions on this topic. The amount of information is huge, but don't panic. Pick *one item* in the
list and work at it for a long time. No one ever mastered all this stuff overnight...
Suggestions (with metronome) :

• Play through tunes in 4/4 swing (improvising and comping) with the metronome set as the
"2&4" of each bar.
• Same as above, but use the metronome as the "3" of each bar...
• Use the metronome as above, but on different beats. (Not just the "3"). This is quarter-time,
because the click happens every 4 beats.
• Play into it until it becomes as comfortable on the "1", "2", "3" and "4". Then, try the "and" of
each beat (the 8ths notes that are on upbeats)
• Finally, play through tunes again but set the click of the metronome as being different part of
the 8th note triplet.
While working with the metronome, be aware of your tendencies. It might be that you speed up at
certain moments, (or anything else you find is not smooth.) Write it down and shed it! By taking notes
and working on what's difficult for you, you're getting better at hearing yourself and others play
different rhythms in musical contexts. Musicians bring "all they have" to the bandstand, including that
last practice session! Remember : The metronome might not groove or swing but it's a good gauge for
your time feel... Then turn the metronome off!
Suggestions (WITHOUT metronome) :

• Record yourself playing through tunes alone (comping, improvising). Listen back and analyze
your time / feel. Be critical but don't judge. Take notes, analyze.
• Do the same thing twice as slow, then twice as fast. Stay focused, make music! It's worth it.
• Improvise playing just one rhythmic figure for many choruses. Notice how the tempo feels. Do
you drag? Do you rush? Start with just whole-notes, then half-notes, and quarter-notes, and then
8th-notes, etc.
• Play decent walking bass lines on your favourite standards. Play in a "bassist" time for a while!
Suggestions (with AND without metronome) :

• Charleston : play this simple figure starting on all downbeats (use a familiar form such as 12-bar
blues.) -- Dotted quarter - Eighth-note --
• Repeat the process starting on all the upbeats!
• Play on all three 8th-note triplets individually for many choruses. Repeat with quarter-note
triplets. Do with other figures also please refer to Ari Hoenig's book ...
• Work on different polyrhythms (for instance, playing 4 notes for every bar of 3/4 is a 4:3
polyrhythms). Also refer to Ari Hoenig's book ...
Ok, enough for rhythms and time now!
- Sing what you play -

Sing and Play ... Play and Sing. It doesn't always work well, but focus on it for a few minutes. It's a
great exercise. Sometime I wonder if I'm singing what I'm playing... or is it the other way around?
-Pacing-
While improvising, wait "a little longer" before you play that next idea. The previous line will ring in
your head. Try to connect your next idea with that "echo" of the previous line. Make you solo sound
like a conversation (question, then answer). Think about this consciously, make an effort. Some people
will even say : "Wait twice and play only on your third impulse". You'll amazed at how fewer notes
actually want to come out! With this in mind, it becomes possible to play less and still convey the same
message and energy.
This is very important. By waiting, you're giving yourself the chance to really hear what you're playing.
- Play Along -
(the best ear training there is!)
Perhaps the most important "non-technical ear training" exercise you can do by yourself! Put on a great
jazz album and play along. Close your eyes and imagine that you are in fact jamming with the boys on
the recording. Let you intuition guide your best ear training session ever! If you do it a lot, you'll
absorb by osmosis. One other thing I like to do is comp a recorded solo I know well. It works
beautifully for horn solos. Disregard the accompaniment on the album and do the best you can.
Comping behind Charlie Parker or John Coltrane can be a tough gig though ... (-;
Of course, transcribing is always a good idea, but that's not within the scope of this jazz performance
ear training article... Now, let's see how you can apply this type of ear training on the bandstand...
More Suggestions and Exercises : Performing Situation

The other aspect of "ear training" can (and should) take place in real-time, on the bandstand. Be
prepared, and then make a conscious effort to apply the principles when it's showtime! By "showtime",
I mean : a gig, a rehearsal or any other real, actual playing situation where you're performing jazz.
I suggest you try only one of the following ear training exercises at a time to start with! Focus on one
concept during a complete song, you'll be amazed at what you can already hear.
-Pacing Your Ideas-

(aka listening to yourself)
Practice this alone at first (see above) and then try it live. Of course, you'll put less focus on pacing in
performance because so much is happening already... Try and make a conscious effort though, wait a
little longer before you play that next note! Let the music breath; play less and listen more.
I insist : it's very important!
By waiting, you're giving yourself the chance to really hear what you're playing. You're also giving
other players (and the audience) a chance to digest what you just said musically. In the silences
(between the things you play), pay particular attention to how the other musicians (and audience) react.
Adjust accordingly!
-Listening for Roots Movement-

(aka listening to the bassist's ideas)
While improvising, try to follow the bassist's lines. Hear what he's outlining and connect your ideas
with that. You're the highest melody, he's the lowest melody. You can get parallel, contrary or oblique
motion. This is called counterpoint (only this time, it is spontaneous.) In short : interact on a melodic
and rhythmic level with the bassist while improvising and/or comping.
-Listening for the Pulse and its Subdivisions-

(aka listening to the drummer's ideas)
While improvising, listen to how the drummer/percussionist implies the pulse. You can certainly relate
musically to what's happening : Can you feel the time and its subdivisions? Can you follow the form?
Could you play "air drums" for a while? Try to connect your ideas with the multiple layers of rhythms.
This is less technical and more intuitive, I find. It's often fairly easy to "gel" with a drummer musically
speaking; it's just instincts. Prepare yourself by working alone on rhythms and time / feel exercises
(with AND without the metronome) See above.
-Listening for Harmony/Chords/Extensions/Resolutions-

(aka listening to pianist/guitarist harmonic ideas)
While improvising, pay particular attention to what the accompanist chooses to outline. Also notice
what he's leaving out. Listen for the extensions their resolutions and the general harmonic flow of the
tune. It could be that the harmony is very precise or somewhat vague. Connect your blowing with that;
hopefully, the accompanist will also try to follow YOU, the improviser! In short : interact on a melodic,
harmonic and rhythmic level with the accompanist when improvising.
- Listening to SOUNDS -
Dynamics - Timbre - Volume - Blend -etc.
This is very general, but you have to try it. Listen for everything that is NOT notes, chords and rhythms
during on whole tune. Focus on the different sounds coming from the instruments.
Loud, soft?
Round, Square?
Low, high? (in pitch)
Many sounds, few sounds? (texture, density)
Fast, slow?
etc.
By doing so, you may find out more about your own role within the group. Maybe you'll find a way to
"blend in" more and add the the group's overall sound and texture. Or maybe... your amp was just way
too loud the whole time! Who knows?! (-;
Performance Ear Training Wrap-up

Of course, great musicians can do all of the above simultaneously most of the time (and a bit more).
Shocking, isn't it? I believe the trick is to get in the zone and let things flow naturally all the while
keeping ears wide open. In the end, you'll want to hear everything, all of the time. We all know it's
practically impossible but we keep on trying! Read also : the hearing article in Five Jazz Guitar
Mastery Secret (free eBook PDF).
Jazz Guitar Chord Charts
Your first steps in jazz guitar chords!
This jazz guitar chord chart is spread over the next six pages. I'm sure you'll find every standard "chord
shape" you can possibly need on this very page! Please note that this chart is only for chords in root
position (meaning that the tonic is the lowest note). We'll deal with inversion in another jazz guitar
chord chart shortly.
So...
What about symbols with 9th, 11th and 13th ?

(and all the other complicated stuff...)
Yes, I know, some jazz chords symbols can look like postal codes! It's normal... The thing is, the chords
are always categorized according to their basic "7th" sound.
If you see a "Dbmin9" symbol, you will still find it in the minor section of this jazz guitar chord chart.
So, please select the appropriate chord category from above ...
All in "C" ? What the ... ?!

Yes, I know. All the chords on this page are movable chord shapes. I have indicated the "C" (root of
chord) in red color. As long as you know what the bass note is, you will be able to use any chord shape
in 12 keys!
For example : a basic C major 7th shape at the third fret becomes a Fmaj7 when played at the 8th fret...
This is called transposition. It's easy on the guitar... (at least when you know the notes on the biggest
strings of the instrument.)
Major
How to identify a major 7th (or major 6th) chord...
Often printed on chart as :
• "major6" "maj6" or often just plain "6"
• "major7"
• "maj7"
• "M7" (notice the capital "M")
• with these symbols also :
Number 7 with a dash through it and "little triangle" symbols

(*for major 7th only*)
Major 7th
On the top line we have drop 2 voicings. The bottom has drop 3 voicings (with string skip) Carefull
with the string skipping, really mute that string!
Major 6th
Lower-left and upper-right corners are more common.

Please notice that the Cmaj6 (often written simply as C6) contains the same notes as the Am7 chord...
CE GA!
Minor
How to identify a minor 7th (or minor 6th) chord... Often printed on chart as :
• "minor6" "min6" and sometimes "-6"
• "minor7"
• "min7"
• "m7" (notice the small "m")
• with this symbols also : "-7" (it's a minus sign)
[*The 6th is interchangeable with the 13th*]
Minor 7th
Minor 6th
(or Minor 13th)
Please notice that the Cmin6 (often written simply as Cm6 or C-6) contains the same notes as the Am7
(b5) chord... C Eb G A !
Minor 9th and Minor 11th
Dominant (just "7")
How identify a dominant 7th chord ... Often printed on charts as :
• 7
• 7th
• other numbers : 9, 13
• sometimes : "dom7" symbol
Basically, dominant are chords with "just a number", without any "major" or "minor" definition.
*Note* : If your chord symbol has a number *and* a bracket/parenthesis with alterations (such as b9 or
b13), you should go the the Altered Dominant section of this jazz guitar chord chart.
Dominant 7th
Dominant 9th
Learn to play the bottom right voicing higher on the fretboard (w/o the open string).
Dominant 13th
Minor 7th (b5)
(pronounced : "Minor Seventh Flat Five")
How to identify minor7th (b5) chords... often printed on charts as :
• m7(b5)
• min7(b5)
• -7(b5)
• sometimes : minor7th (flat 5th)
• with this symbol :
dashed circle meaning "half-diminished"
Diminished
How to identify diminished 7th chords... often printed on charts as :
• dim7
• diminished(b5)
• with this symbol :
circle (or degree sign), meaning "fully-diminished")
Since diminished chords are symmetrical structure (construction = 3 stacked minor triads) all the notes
in the voicing can considered to be the root. It's means that Cdim7 = Ebdim7 = Gbdim7 = Adim7.
Altered Dominants
How to identify altered dominants : they are "plain 7th" chords with one or more sharp or flat notes in
between parenthesis. For instance : Eb7 (#9) or F#9 (b5) or Bb9 (#11)... There is often more than one
alteration in between brackets! It looks like this : D13 (#5, b9) or even C13 (b5 #9)
Dom 7th (#11) and Dom 7th (b5)

Please understand that the #11 and b5 alterations are enharmonic. It means that it's the same note
literally. Here's why :
What is the #11 of the C7 ? It's F#
What is the b5 of C7 ? It's Gb
F# = Gb ... Therefore #11 = b5
Dom 7th (#5) and Dom 7th (b13)

Please understand that the #5 and b13 alterations are enharmonic. It means that it's the same note
literally. Here's why :
What is the #5 of the C7 ? It's G#
What is the b13 of C7 ? It's Ab
G# = Ab ... Therefore #5 = b13
Dom 7th (b9, b13)
Dom 7th (b9, b5)
Please note that it's more convenient NOT to play the root in the C7(b5 b9) shape on the left. I
indicated it anyways with a red dot, but it's optional. Same applies to all following shapes on the left.
Dom 7th (b5, #9)
Dom 7th (#5, b9)
Dom 7th (#5, #9)
Dom 7th (#9)
Jazz Guitar Chords
Chords in Three Scales
This instalment of the jazz guitar chord charts series is the next step in chordal playing. I will show you
how to derive chords from common scales and appropriate fingerings for each. With the major scale,
melodic minor scale and harmonic minor scale we will get a total of 21 chords...
...woah... that's a lot! Don't worry though. I'll start simple and build from there. No mysticism or magic
here. Just chords! So the approach is the harmonization of a scale to get the chords it contains. We
simply add "stacked thirds" to get four-note chords on each scale degree.
As you may or may not know, the chords above are almost all impossible to play on the guitar (in this
format at least)... )-:
They're called "closed" voicings, try them on the piano when you have a chance. On the guitar, we need
a different "spacing" between the notes AND we want to keep the root of each chord on the two bottom
strings. I wanted you to understand the process behind the following chord shapes and that is why I
posted these jazz guitar chord charts on the website...
Sooooo : We will use the first "C major 7th" chord (upper-left corner above) play the same notes (ex: C
E G B) but in a different order (ex: C G B E) keeping C in the bass.
Check this out :
Et voilà!
This C major 7th shape will be the reference point for now. For the record, we call this a drop-2
voicing.
A Quick Drop-2 Explanation : From a closed voicing, the second voice from the top is taken down an
octave. Look at the spacing on the above C-G-B-E The lowest (C) note was taken down an octave from
its assorted closed voicing (G-B-C-E) ... which would be called “Cmaj7 2nd inversion, closed voicing”.
Let's play the drop-2 chords in three scales (major, melodic minor and harmonic minor) in the key of C.
Note:
-The "little triangle" means major 7th
-The "little circle" means diminished 7th
-The "dashed little circle" means minor 7th flat 5
This approach brings up two new chord shapes that may be unfamiliar :
-major 7th with a raised 5th (spelled 1 3 #5 7)
-minor with a major 7th (spelled 1 b3 5 7)
They are both only "one finger away" from an chord that has already been discussed :
Good old major 7th ! (1 3 5 7)
...and another set of strings (with skip!)

Let's now proceed the same way with the bass on the 6th string. I will use the key of G to demonstrate
another "spacing" between the notes of a chord. This one involves non-adjacent strings.
Et voilà again!!!
This one is the new point of reference and it's called drop-3 voicing. Notice the string-skip.
A Quick Drop-3 Explanation : From a closed voicing, the third voice from the top is taken down an
octave. Look at the spacing on the above G-F#-B-D (on the right ...) The lowest (G) note was taken
down an octave from its assorted closed voicing the F#-G-B-D which would be called “Gmaj7 third
inversion in closed voicing”.
So let's play the drop-3 chords in the three scales (major, melodic minor and harmonic minor) but in the
key of G.
As in the drop-2 (the key of C), we get two "new" drop-3 shapes : major 7th with raised 5th and minor
with major 7th.
Wrap Up
So we now have the two basic voicings to play "chords in a scale". They sound good and are easy to
play. To take full advantage of this approach, I strongly suggest you go further than the written
examples. You can cover more territory on your fretboard by ...
-1-
Use all the frets you have
Going further up or down on the fretboard in the same key until you reach the nut (or the bridge!!!)
-2-
Use different set of strings
Playing the same chords in the same order but varying the string sets. The above examples are all "four
per string". Check this one out :
It could be qualified as a "six ... then two chords per string". Use your imagination and you'll find what
works for you. Remember also that this whole process is applicable starting from any root on the guitar
neck! Take the time to learn other keys on your fretboard. (-:
Summary
-Drop-2 = adjacent set of strings (with bass on 5th or 4th).
-Drop-3 = non-adjacent set of strings (with bass on 6th or 5th).
-Cover all available frets in the key (up AND down).
-Play "4 chords per string" then find you own way.
-Use in major, melodic minor and harmonic minor.
-Available in 12 keys... (-;
-Have fun!
Jazz Guitar Chords
The "Big 5" Warmup
Here's a simple jazz guitar chords warmup that I personally use *almost* everyday to get my fingers
ready for the practice session. The PDF depicts five different ways of playing the same chords. They
are the 7 diatonic 4-note 7th chords in the key of C major. (Learn how to derive diatonic chords in the
previous article.)
... for a total of 35 chords!
I used five distinct closed voicings (as opposed to spread voicings) that are common on jazz guitar ...
and they all remain on the same string set. It makes it easier to "see" on the freboard.
The voicings are as follow (line by line) :
1. Drop-2 in root position on strings 5-4-3-2 (a classic!)
2. Drop-2 in first inversion on strings 4-3-2-1
3. Drop-3 root position on strings 5-3-2-1 (notice the skip)
4. Drop-3 in second inversion on strings 6-4-3-2
5. Drop-2 in second inversion on strings 6-5-4-3
Note : #4 and #2 are the same in a subtle way. The notes on the first string and sixth string are
interchangeable (both "E" strings).
First inversion means :
Lowest note in the voicing is the 3rd of the chord.
Second inversion means :
Lowest note in the voicing is the 5th of the chord.
See the "inversions" topic in the No Nonsense Guides to jazz harmony.
You can download the PDF Online of

"Big 5" Jazz Guitar Chords Warmup w/ TABS
Going Further : Some Suggestions

Too easy? Are maybe you already knew this exercise. Here's some more stuff to consider :
-Try in C melodic minor : change all the E's to Eb's

-In C harmonic minor : all E's and A's become flat.
-Keep the same voicings but play in other keys. For example : in F, the first line would give the chords :
C7 Dm7 Em7(b5) Fmaj7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 ... because all we did was make all the B's flat.
-String transference : try to play lines 2 and 3 on a different set of strings (or changing string sets along
the way.) This is hard and worth it.
-Even harder : using extensions! For each chord, replace the root for the ninth (whenever physically
possible).
-What else could you do with this exercise?
Chord Progression #1
Major Harmony in Jazz
The chord progression is the backbone of western civilization music. The harmony created by chords
provide added expression to the melody. Jazz harmony consists of a set of typical progressions directly
derived from the European classical music tradition.
The goal of the jazz accompanist is to compliment the soloist's ideas while outlining the given chord
progression clearly. As we know, most jazz improvisations use and outline the harmony as a foundation
for melodic ideas. (See jazz improvisation.) This chord progressions series demonstrates the most
common progressions found in jazz. They will help you hear and understand the recurrent harmonic
traits found in traditional jazz repertoire. Three articles : #1 Major harmony, #2 Basic modulation, #3
Minor harmony.
The Diatonic Cycle (starting on IV)

Every story begins somewhere... and this one begins with (you guessed it!) The almighty major scale !
The major scale is made of seven notes from which we can harmonize seven corresponding chords. We
qualify them as diatonic because they belong to the same tonality (or key). The diatonic chords in the
key of C :
(triangle = major 7th ; dashed circle = minor7(b5) AKA half-diminished)
We will refer to the chords with roman numerals. C is I and Dm is II and so forth until VII. It's always
relative to the key center. Playing those chords in a cycle of ascending diatonic fourths (or descending
fifths) we get the diatonic cycle as follows :
in roman numerals: IV - VII - III - VI - II - V - I - (I)
This is the source for many other segments of jazz harmony. I added the C dominant 7th in parenthesis
because it's not part of the C major scale. It simply resolves naturally to F major (you know, artistic
liberties!) The diatonic cycle can be developed in many other basic jazz progressions. One example is
the enclosed Dm7-G7 which is the infamous II-V found everywhere in jazz. Study the diatonic cycle
carefully.
I - VI - II - V and friends
Another example of a progression that is enclosed in the diatonic cycle (above) is the I-VI-II-V :
This is one of the most basic cadence in jazz. It starts "home" (I), goes further (VI-II) and further away
(V) with tension and... comes right back!
For variety, play the VI as a dominant, it creates a desirable tension :
The A7 (VI) creates more tension and badly wants to resolve to Dm7 (II).While we're here... why not
make the II dominant also? Let's see...
You now have three effective ways to play on and around the tonic chord in any major key. Wait! Other
keys?! Of course! How to play in 12 keys? See the jazz chord cycles article
Another friend of I - VI - II - V
To conclude (and to mess with my readers a little bit more!) let's try something else. This is like... the
siblings of the previous topic! Have you ever heard of the II-V ? or the II-V-I ? All right. Now, what
would happen if the three variations above started on the D chord (instead of the C).
TADA!! You get the II-V-I-VI progression
It is merely "shifting the starting point" of the previous examples. Try it:
We can qualify this as "the II-V-I chord progression with an extra chord at the end that wants to resolve
back to the II" ... or simply II-V-I-VI !
Now it seems we are "stuck in C", doesn't it? How about progressions that go through more than just
one major key? We'll discuss this in the next article.
Basic Modulation in Jazz
Modulation to IV
Modulation is the concept in which we change the "home key". This new tonality becomes the point of
reference momentarily or permanently. In tonal music, any key center can be modulated to. How about
a fermented fifth modulation in K sharp fridgemyan? (-; The IV chord being the closest related tonality
(in relation to the I key) it is the most common "destination key" in classical and jazz music. Loooots of
jazz standards incorporate a modulation to the IV.
Let's use a little imagery to describe this :
We're staying home tonight :
I (home); II (away); V (further away...); I (home).
As in C, Dm7, G7, C.
Tonight, let's hang out with the neighbours :
I (home); II (...); V (...); I (home???); IV (at the neighbours).
As in C, Dm7, G7, C7... F!
It seems like human ears like this friendly neighbour that is the IV! When the modulation is
established, we feel "like home" almost immediately. Let’s look at a musical example to clarify all this.
Play the following progression on the guitar:
[This type of progression can be found in the standard tune

"Cherokee" by Ray Noble and in many, many, many others songs!]
As you can see and hear, the I chord becomes dominant right before going to IV. This is the heart of the
modulation. You can also notice the IV minor right before going back "home" to the I. I will not go into
theoretical details here; if you are interested more in harmony look up the cadence topic in my No
Nonsense Guides to Jazz Harmony.
Bluesy Modulation the IV

Believe it or not, the very common blues progression contains a modulation to the IV key. The I chord
is obviously dominant right before going the IV (It's a blues!). Here it is :
Try embellishing the fourth bar of the blues with some alterations (such as b9, #9, b5 and #5). It creates
a tension that is released when establishing the IV (as in C7(b9) to F7). Here's that jazzier blues :
It is even possible to use a II-V-I in the key of the IV to create an even clearer modulation in bars 3, 4
and 5. To go to F, we use Gm7-C7 :
Study the blues progression. It is worth more than you might think at first. Listen to Oliver Nelson's
"Blues and the Abstract Truth" (1959, Impulse).
Oh... and I almost forgot to mention : check out the "bird blues" progression. It's a common thing that
Charlie Parker played a lot on during the bebop era. Listen and play tunes such "Blues for Alice", "Chi
Chi" and "Freight Trane".
Key of C :
Cmaj / / / / | Bm / E7 / | Am / D7 / | Gm / C7 / |
F7 / / / | Fm7 / Bb7 | Em7 / A7 / | Ebm7 / Ab7 /
Dm7 / / / | G7 / / / | Cmaj / A7 / | Dm7 / G7 / ||
The "bird blues" progression still modulates to the IV of the key, but it has that major-to-minor
melancholy type of sound. Check it out! You think it would be possible to modulate to the IV minor?
(and to any other minor keys also?) Really?! On to the next article then ...
Minor Harmony in Jazz
The Diatonic Cycle in Minor
Every major key has a relative minor. For instance C major contains the same notes as A minor. We can
play the same progressions in minor keys simply by changing the chords' qualities. Let's play the
diatonic cycle in C minor (same notes as Eb major):
[This progression can be found in the tune "Autumn Leaves"
by Johnny Mercer and in many other songs.]
As you can see, the roman numerals are the same as in major. It is only slightly altered to fit the minor
quality : IV - bVII - bIII - bVI - II - V - I. This progression can also be seen as a II-V-I in the key of Eb
followed by a minor II-V-I in C. In fact it could even be seen as a II-V-I in Eb major followed by a
modulation to the key of VI minor (which is C minor)
Whatever way you look at it is fine as long as you play and hear all this!
I - VI - II - V and friends
Like the major I-VI-II-V there are plenty of variations in minor. Here's the basic one from which you
can derive more progressions :
And don't forget my suggestion from the major harmony page. ... start on the II! We then get II-V-I-VI
as follows :
Minor Blues
The basic blues progression is also played in minor tonalities. And guess what? ... yes : it contains a
modulation to the IV ... minor! Their exist two main kinds of minor blues progressions :
The first one uses a "tonic minor" sound (melodic and harmonic minor scales) with the I and IV as
minor 6th (or minor maj7th) chord quality :
The second one, often called "modal" blues, uses the minor 7th chord quality (Dorian sound) for the I
and the IV :
[This is the progression found in John Coltrane's "Mister P.C."]
Wrap-up
All done? You can play every possible jazz progression in world on the guitar? in all keys? In all
styles? At all tempos? (etc etc.) Great! (-; (just kidding) Seriously, if you feel comfortable with most of
the progressions above, consider using some chord substitutions ideas from now on.
Chord changes are fascinating and I believe every jazz guitarist should continually study jazz and
classical harmony. Don't forget : we comp... lots! Have you every noticed your "comping to soloing
ratio" on a gig? In the context of a band, we obviously accompany more than anything. Happy
Chording!
Chord Substitutions
The Jazz Guitarist's Survival Guide
Any chord progression can be reharmonized. Chord substitutions describe what I like to call "new
harmonies with the same function." Skillful jazz guitarists of all eras make use of them in comping and
improvisation. The practice of techniques employing alternate changes allow jazz musicians to deepen
their understanding of how chord progressions really work. Finding more approaches to play the same
old things is invaluable. The following article addresses the substitution of harmony on a "chord to
chord" basis and then moves on to reharmonization techniques applied to entire chord progressions.
Part 1 : Chord by Chord Substitutions

By examining one specific chord inside a progression it is possible to find alternatives. The most
common way to look at this is to find chords that share common notes.
Diatonic Chord Substitutions : It is easy to find chords with common notes in the context of a key
signature. Examine the seven chords in the "key of the moment"... and? If you pick *any* chord, two
other chords in that same key will share three notes with the original! (always)
In the key of C : Cmaj7 can be substituted for Am7 or Em7.
Cmaj7 (C E G B) shares three notes with Am7 (A C E G)
(A is a third below C)
and
Cmaj7 (C E G B) shares three notes with Em7 (E G B D)
(E is a third above C)
And what do I mean exactly? (-;
Try this : In the context of a band, if you play Am7 while the bassist is playing C root, it sounds like C
major 6th. (Neat huh!?) Again, in a band context, if you play Em7 while the bassist is playing C root, it
sounds like C major 9th. (Even neater huh?!?!) How is that happening? The pictured example clearly
demonstrates that the notes in Em are in fact the same as Cmaj without the root :
The notes in Em and Em7 function as (respectively) 3 5 7 and 3 5 7 9 in the C chord

Other chords in the key (or outside of the key for that matter) may offer interesting options for jazz
guitar chord substitutions. They are yours to discover. Analyze, research, explore and make sure it
sounds good to you!
Dominant Chords Alternative : Diminished

Still looking at common notes, lets examine one chord type specifically : [vintage horror film tone] the
terrifying "dominant 7 flat 9" chord! The dom7(b9) are spelled 1 3 5 b7 b9
and are used to resolve in V-I situations most of the time. (For example :
G7(b9) to C). The beauty of the dom7(b9) is it's symmetrical characteristics
(when we forget of the root.) A "B diminished 7th" chord resides inside the
G7(b9)! The dominant will get the symmetrical characteristics of it's related
diminished in heritage! That's like the chord's "genetic code".
A little theory refresher :
The diminished chord being a symmetrical structure, it is
movable "as is" up and down in minor thirds... Meaning that B,
D, F and Ab diminished are in fact the same exact chord! (They
share the same four notes.)
What does it sound like to you? Do you foresee those four possible diminished for every dominant as
chord substitutions?I say play B, D, F or Ab diminished when you see G7(b9) on the chart.
Or, more generically :Play a diminished on the 3rd, 5th, b7th or b9th of any dom7(b9) chord.
Part 2 : On Progressions
By examining a specific progression it is possible to find alternatives. The most common way to look at
this is to find progressions that share the same destination.
Caution : nothing works all of the time! Make sure you
keep the chord's functionality when it's needed in the context.
Interpolation and Back Cycling :

Jazz musicians play the II-V cadence most of the time when resolving to the I chord. Therefore, the V-I
can become II-V-I. It is know as interpolation. In this example, I put the II "in front" of the V :
This principle works fine even if there's no resolution to the I chord. Simply add the appropriate II
chord in front of the V, like in the "Bb rhythm changes" bridge :
Alright? So back to the situation where we want to resolve back to the I... We had V-I becoming II-V-I.
We can add another "II-V" a whole-step higher to get III-VI-II-V. And then we could even add one
more "II-V" upfront. That means to start on the #IV (F#) to get to I (C) :
This is called back cycling. The added "II-V's" each contain the dominant of the next II chord. (A7
goes to Dm; B7 goes to Em and so on...) The back cycling chords should generally be min7th(b5) to
dom7(b9) because they resolve to a minor quality chord (the next II) :
Other possibilities exist of course. Here again, the other chord substitutions are yours to discover.
Listen to pianists and guitarists on jazz recordings and find your own favourite back cycling tricks.
The Infamous Tritone Substitution (at last!)

This type of substitution is the classical Neapolitan Sixth for dummies... uh, I mean for jazzmen !
Sorry. Two dominant chords that are a tritone apart (three whole-steps) share
the same 3rd and b7th (but "inverted" as pictured).
The interval created by the 3rd and the b7th is a tritone. That can be a little
confusing! *The tritone is a raised fourth or a diminished fifth*
Remember : Dominant chords a tritone apart share the
same tritone ! (repeat it)
The presence of this ambivalent tritone interval means
that the bII chord has the same function as the V chord.
Why? The tritone interval (present in both V and bII)
tends to resolve the same way to the I chord! Try it (on the
right).
That's it for the theory side of tritone chord
substitutions. feeew...
Still there? Good! In real life, tritone subs transform the "up a
fourth" motion into the "descending by semi-tones" motion. Jazz
musicians use this concept freely in composition, improvisation
and comping.
A few good examples will clarify this. The basic III-VI-II-V-I is
used to demonstrate the alternate chords. Examples on the left.
The last example is present in the tune "Lady Bird" by Tadd
Dameron.
Changing the "Color" :
That is just very obvious but I want to talk about it a little bit. It's like the "cherry on top" for jazz chord
substitutions. Any chord can be played using another color. It works particularly well on chords than
have already been substituted. For instance, if you play Db7 instead of G7...
Try Db major 7th, or...
Db diminished 7th, or...
Db major 6th, or...
Db _________ (write your own!)
etc.
This is a great compositional and improvisational device. It creates great contrast and can give the
substitution less of a "clunky" feeling.
Some examples using the same progression as above :
Final Words
There is a lot more to understand in chord substitutions. I could write a book (or two) about it ... but it
would be pointless to simply read it. Real music comes from experimentation and practice. It's best to
learn from recordings, in rehearsals and to attend concerts.
I established the basics on this page, you go on and find what you like how to play alternate changes.
Keep your ears wide open and you'll always discover new fresh ideas.
Have fun!
Jazz Guitar Chord Melody

Harmonizing Tunes
Jazz guitarists use the term "chord melody" to describe the way they play a certain song. It is in fact the
harmonization of a melody (aka playing chords AND melody at the same time). Personally, I like to see
chord melodies (and chord-melody type of playing the guitar) as if I'm arranging for an orchestra that
has six strings!
0. Prelude
Essentials to get you started :
• You must know and love a song from which you'd like to create a chord melody. Have the
melody, the lyrics, if any, and the chords in your ears.
• You must have heard the tune (recorded or live) many times already. Having a "reference"
recorded version of the song is the best way to go, always!
• A lead sheet of the tune is useful because of it's visual nature (and because it contains just the
basic info you need)
• Be motivated to create your very own version of the chord melody you are working on. There's
no right (or wrong) way to do it. Often ask yourself : What works for me?
• Reading complete arrangements of chord melodies from a book doesn't "cut it"... you must
create your own chord melodies!
[Trust me on this... Being a "do-it-yourselfer", I deeply believe in the power(s) of self-
discovery. It's much more rewarding and improvement comes faster this way.]
• Finally, be aware that this aspect of jazz guitar will quickly lead you to expand in different areas
of your playing : sound, theory, technique, repertoire, progressions, time feel, improvisations,
etc. [In other words : Please understand that by working on "this" you're also working on "all
the other stuff" at the same time.]
Most of all : Have Fun !!! (-:
1. Melody
The first step is to play and memorize the melody of piece you are working on. Learn it inside out and,
of course, by memory. And I really mean it!
Sing it, play it, shake it... (whatever it takes!)
until it becomes part of you.
The theme (aka "head" or melody) is always leading the way. This is often overlooked on guitar. I
usually think of it like this : I'm playing in a car and the melody is driving. I go where it wants to go!
(and the rest of of the music follows too...)
• Melody test (for your ears):
If I played the first couple of notes of the tune you're currently learning for you, could you sing,
whistle or hum the rest of the song?
Pefectly? (whitout hesitation)
In time? (strict tempo)
(Be honest with yourself)
Good! Now you know the melody.
• Guitar Advice (for your fingers):

Aim to play the melody mostly on the highest strings (1st and 2nd preferably). It will help later
on when we harmonize with chords on the lower strings.
You may have to play the melody an octave higher than it is written on the lead sheet.
• Thoughts on melody :
If it's an old American standard (Broadway) song, you can certainly phrase the melody as you
please. Listen to your favourite recording(s) of this tune. How is the player phrasing the
melody? (The head in might sound different from the head out, listen to both closely.)
For instance, if you're learning Autumn Leaves or All the Things You Are, you don't have to
play the theme exactly as it is written every time. (This does not apply to jazz/bebop tunes). In
short, you're allowed to play around with the rhythms a little, as long as the melody is
recognizable... This phrasing concept can add some interest and contrast once chords are added
in step 3.
2. Harmony
The next step is to learn, play and memorize the chords you wish to use under the theme for your chord
melody arrangement. Yes that's right : melody is on top and chords underneath!
Memorize the chords and the sequence in which they appear in the song. It's best to know and
understand what notes are contained in each chord. A little music theory is recommended here :
• Start by studying the voiceleading of 3rds and 7ths throughout the tune (see, you're now
studying harmony while learning a piece!)
• After thirds/sevenths are in your ears and fingers, add extensions such as 9, 11 and 13 to the
chords (in the upper register)
• Of course, play the above with and without roots played on 5th and 6th strings!
• You may want to analyze chords in roman numeral, find the key center(s) and common
"harmonic patterns":
• Any/many ii-V-I's in this tune?
• Other reccuring progressions? (vi-ii-V-I or iii-VI-ii-V)
• In what key(s)?
• Chord substitution?
• What else is their to analyze (chords-wise)?
Sometimes, I also suggest students to sing the melody out loud while they play the chords. For all the
"raw material", see the "chords" section of JazzGuitarLessons.net (and elsewhere on the WWW) for
inspiration... Also : look for some useful chord shapes I use in my own jazz standards arrangements.
Some might feel awkward at first, see what works for you.
Finally, jazz guitarists beware! Chords are important but not as important as the melody. Please do not
fall in the trap of simply playing "chord grips" all of the time! Learn the tune you are working on, not
just shapes. To continue on the analogy I made earlier :
The melody is driving the car, the chords are the streets. The
car goes wherever it needs to (even off-road sometimes!)
So harmony may suggest or guide the melody, that's all.
3. Chord Melody
It is time to combine the magical ingredients!
Play the melody and use appropriate chord shapes underneath. The melody will end up being the "top
note" of the chord shape. That is the "big picture" of chord melody playing...
...on a smaller scale : make sure you don't sound like a "formula". Play good rhythms and vary your
approach to keep things interesting! Music is all about contrast. For instance, you may use simple 2 or
3 notes "rhythmic splashes" to color around the melody. Or sometimes, a single note underneath the
theme is all you need (another interesting texture.)
Can you play two different melodic lines at the same time through a chord progression? Sure you can!
One of the lines could even happen to be the melody of the song, who knows...
In short, as I said in a video : don't simply go "chunk chunk chunk" for each new melody note. Play the
melody well, with good time and phrasing and then add interesting chords and counterpoint lines
(studying harmony in step 2 definitely helps here).
There's a ton of good sounding contrapuntal lines and harmonic ideas "hidden" inside of jazz
standards chord progressions... they're waiting for you to discover them!
"What if the melody is not an available

"top note" in any chord shape that I know?"
This is one of the most classic question! The simple answer: learn something new and study harmony
with diligence and you will create/play better chord melody arrangements.
This is a great opportunity for you to learn new material. You can always find a new voicing or another
inversion of a well known chord. Download this chord melody drop 2 reference (PDF) for some ideas.
This task of finding your way through tunes and inventing new chord melody arrangements is
tremendously rewarding. By learning new ways of playing in the context of a tune, you are in fact
practicing technique to serve musical needs (and not the other way around).
Exactly what the music is all about!
There is much more to say on the subject. I will leave it to future articles. Meanwhile, try it : pick a
tune and go trough the steps. Play and have fun!

Part 1 : II-V-I's, II-V's, Cadences and Roman Numerals
Formatted into three articles, you'll find questions about jazz chords (and harmony in general)
answered in a "to the point" fashion. Ever wondered about "two five's" (ii-V), cycling, cadences and
interpolation? Then read on! The No-Nonsense Guides to Jazz harmony : Part I : two-fives, cadences
and roman numerals, Part II : secondary dominants, turnarounds, etc., Part III : tags, back door and
altered dominants. Enjoy!
What is a II-V-I ?
The fundamental (and most used) cadence in tonal jazz music. It contains three diatonic chords.
[Diatonic means : pertaining to a specific key.] In all major keys, we can obtain 7 diatonic chords by
harmonizing the scale in 4-note chords built in thirds. (see previous article with chords from scales with
diagrams and explanation) We'll use C major to demonstrate. We have :
[The triangle means "major 7th", the dashed circle means "minor7th(b5)"]
We need three jazz chords to create the ii-V-I: the second degree, the fifth and the root (circled in red).
[See topic on Roman Numerals below] Therefore, a ii-V-I in C major is spelled :
Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7
You'll see this progression everywhere in jazz standards and modern compositions. It's probably the
most powerful "harmonic trait" in existence! It's often very well "hidden" in more modern jazz tunes
(different chord qualities, inversions, rhythmic displacement, and so on...) If you're not familiar with
this yet, learn to identify i-V-I cells by sight and sound! Watch out : it's not always in the key of C
though! Here's a little jazz chords ii-V-I reference chart in all the keys : you can download the PDF
Online here.
And now for guitarists this time: ii-V-I voicings chart for guitar (in all keys) using basic "shell"
voicings (root, third, seventh only) : you can download the PDF Online here.
What is a II-V ?
Simply put : a ii-V-I without the I. Because we are missing the "I" here, we could call this an
"unresolved cadence". [See topic below] For instance : Dm7 - G7 (there's simply no C chord after ...)
It's almost as common as the "full version" ii-V-I and can be found mainly in jazz compositions from
the bebop era and on. Learn to identify ii-V cells by sight and sound (also). All you have to do is
remove the "one" chord from the above PDF's and you'll be set. Use the two PDFs above.
* Important *
When learning ii-V cells, keep the "I" chord in mind as the point of reference at all times (yes, even if it
the "one" chord is not being played at all). It is the "chord of destination" that matters the most! For
instance, if you see Gm7 to C7 on a chart, you need to make this logical (and conscious) connection in
your mind :
"Ok, so this is Gm7 to C7.
It is a ii-V in F major"
Not sure?
I'll use Stella by Starlight to further demonstrate. (You may want to print the chart found here...)
Here's how the first 16 bars of the tune go in analytical terms :
• ii-V in D minor
• ii-V in Bb
• ii-V-I-IV7 in Eb
• I (Bb) for one bar
• ii-V-i in D minor
• ii-V in Ab
• F for one bar
• ii-V in F
• ii-V in G minor
• [that's the bridge]
• etc.
What's the difference between

"major two five" and "minor two five" ?
The "major" and "minor" qualify the chord of destination at the end of the cadence (the "I" or tonic).
For a major ii-V-I, we use good old Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 (key of C major). For a minor ii-V-i though, we
have to alter the chord qualities to fit the minor sonority of the progression... The ii, V and i chords will
then have one (or a few) different notes because they come from a minor scale.
Here's the spelling for a minor ii-V-i in C :
Dm7(b5) - G7(b9) - Cm
The "ii" chord has a flatted 5th (aka a "half-diminished" chord) and the "V" is an altered dominant. The
easiest explanation for this minor ii-V-i is tracing back its origin in the harmonic minor scale.[Caution :
the harmonic minor is NOT the only explanation for the minor ii-V-i. It will be the subject of a future
jazz chords article...]
* The Theory *
C harmonic minor scale : C D Eb F G Ab B C (same as major except b3 and b6)
First, this scale contain the Eb that :
1. Acts as the "flat 13" of G7 (altered dominant)
2. More importantly, gives us a minor "one" chord, our friend C minor.
Secondly, C harmonic minor contains an Ab, which acts as :
1. the "flat 5" of Dm7(b5)
2. the "flat 9" of G7.
How does the II-V-I actually work ?
Tensions created, and then resolved, within the progression are "the mechanics" of this fundamental
harmonic cell. The notes contained in the present chord create a tension that is resolved into the next
chord. Here's the simplest explanation :
Resolution of the 7th descending by a half-step onto the 3rd of the next chord.
You may want to re-read this many times (out loud!) A picture worth a thousand chords, so, here are
shell voicings again (root, 3rd and 7th) :
Disregard the roots in red.

We observe two important motions in the half-steps:
• C to B when going from Dm7 to G7
• F to E when going from G7 to Cmaj7
This is called voiceleading. This is what creates the tension and resolution. To put it in words:
The seventh of the current chord has a tendency
to resolve down to the third of the next chord ...
... and the third of the current chord has no tendency and
is sustained to become the seventh of the next chord.
Isn't that neat?! Jazz chords just behave this way. Perhaps it's clearer here :
What is a cadence ?
Perhaps the most important question/answer in this article! In very brief, a cadence is a concluding type
of "tension and resolution" in harmony (a chord progression). The end of a cadence is where music
comes to a rest. (Music "lands" on the tonic, so to speak.) Evidently, the Wikipedia cadence article is
much more complete than my humble article... but read on if you're interested in the "shortcut" version!
A typical cadence contains all the following chords :
Pre-dominant --> ii or IV (or even iii or vi)
Dominant --> V7 (or sometimes a vii of some sort)
The tonic --> I (or something else, see unresolved cadence topic)
The chord that creates tension is called the dominant (the "V" found on the fifth degree.) It often has a
7th to heighten the degree of dissonance (and therefore raise the urge to resolve back to "I")
Some common examples of cadences :
In classical music :
• C - F - G - C; (I-IV-V-I)
• C - Am - G - C; (I-vi-V-I)
• C - F - C; (I - IV – I) (Called a plagal cadence, the "Amen" chords)
In jazz music :
• Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7 (iim7-V7-Imaj7)
• Cmaj7 - A7 - Dm7 - G7 (I-VI7-iim7-V7)
• Em7 - A7 - Dm7 - G7 (iii-VI7-iim7-V7) (Called a turnaround in jazz/standards tunes)
What is an "Unresolved Cadence" ?

Often, cadence will not even resolve to its assorted "I" (tonic). The tension in the dominant is NOT
resolved and the music just goes "somewhere else" so to speak. Music (classical) theory buffs usually
call this "deceptive cadence":
• C - Dm7 - G7 - Am (I-ii-V7-vi) (progression is resolving to "vi" instead of the "I")
In jazz, from the bebop era and on, musicians used unresolved cadences in form of "standalone II-V's"
(with no "I"). Jazz composer and improvisers started to use the II-V cell as a device/color, more than as
a concluding progression or cadence. You could see/hear it as a II-V for the sake of a II-V. It even
possible to have a stream of II-Vs in different keys to create a certain effect (and to be used as vehicle
for improvisation, of course.)
For example, the first 8 bars of the John Coltrane tune "Lazy Bird" :
|Am7 / D7 / | Cm7 / F7 / | Fm7 / / / | Bb7 / / / |
|Ebmaj ///| Am7 / D7 / | Gmaj7 /// | Bbm7/ Eb7/|
We have four different II-V cells above :
1. Am7-D7, 2. Cm7-F7, 3. Fm7-Bb7, 4. Bbm7-Eb7
It is fair to say to that cells #2 and #4 DO NOT resolve in a traditional sense. BUT ...
• Cm7-F7 is going *clearly enough* Bb7 sooner than later!
• Bbm7-Eb7 is used as a "side slipping" device to go back to Am7-D7 when repeating the whole
8-bar section (identical II-V cells a 1/2 step apart, widely used in jazz)
We can also draw examples from some songs in the "standard" repertoire. Here's the first 8 bars of the
tune "Out of Nowhere" :
|Gmaj7 / / /| / / / / | Bbm7 / / / | Eb7 / / /|
|Gmaj7 / / / | / / / / |Bm7 / / / | E7 / / / ||
As an exercise, try to find examples of II-V's cells that don't resolve in jazz tunes that you are familiar
with.
Why use Roman Numerals ?

We assign numbers to chords built on degrees of a scale. For example, in C major scale we say that the
C chord is "I", the Dm7 chord is "ii", the Em7 chord is "iii" and so on...
Big or small? ...
... the "capital" roman numeral implies a major triad (such as major 7th or dominant 7th structures)
while the "small caps" ones imply a minor triad (such a minor 7th, minor 7th(b5) and diminished
chords) :
Ok, but "why use them in the first place !?" you might ask. Here is the short answer : Music is played
in many different key centers. We always assign the roman numeral "I" to designate the tonic which is
the "home base". (aka the tonality or key in which the music is being played). Using numbers, we
"relativize" the jazz chords and progressions to understand the logical/mathematical relationships
between chords more easily. The music can then be played from any key (from any "home base")
because the same principles / progressions applies to any/all of the keys.
Everything becomes relative once you understand the use of numbers (instead of letters) in jazz chords
and harmony. Here's something else for you to think about; the picture below depicts the seven diatonic
chords of C major AND F major :
See how the exact same chord can have a different role [the red dotted line]... the Am7 is the vi in C
major but it's the iii in F major! Could you find more uses of the Am7 chord?)
Please note : The tonality (the key) can last for a whole piece or it can change. If a piece moves through
different key centers, we use the term "key of the moment" for analysis.
Another note : It's common to use "all caps" roman numeral and add the chord qualities like this :
Imaj7 - VI7 - IIm7 - V7 instead of I-VI-ii-V
It doesn't matter, all you have to do is make sure you understand "what's what" in jazz chords! (-;

Part 2 : Secondary Dominants, Interpolation and Turnarounds
What is a Secondary Dominant ?
A dominant 7th chord that is NOT built on the fifth degree (V) of the current scale.
... or ...
Any dominant 7th chord that resolves NOT on the tonic (I) *by means of of a "V - I" cadence.*
Here's why : We know we can find the dominant chord on the fifth degree of the major scale. For
instance, if we are in C major, the dominant (V) is G7. A secondary dominant is build from another
note (NOT the V) and progresses (aka "wants to resolve") towards other chord(s) in the key (and not
the tonic.)
In the key of C, outside of the G7 acting as a dominant, we also have the chords A7, B7, C7, D7, E7,
F#7 available as secondary dominants, functioning for the other diatonic chords. To get there, we
simply have to ask "What is the V of [...] ?" for every chord in the key. For example, if we look at the
Dm7 chord in the key of C, we will find that A7 its dominant by asking the question : "What is the V of
ii ?" ... therefore A7 is a secondary dominant. (and it can create a cadence to Dm). We call the A7 chord
the "Five of Two", or in symbol "V / ii". If we do this with all of the diatonic chords in the key, we get :
[Theoricians do not consider V / vii a coherent secondary dominant because it resolves to a diminished triad.
I say : don't worry about it. Jazzmen use it all the time.]
We therefore have six more jazz chords to be considered *almost* diatonic in any major key. These
secondary dominants are closely related to the key because they have a function, a role to play. That
function is resolving to the ii, the iii, the IV and so on. Now, a major tonality has 13 chords instead of
just 7 ! Let's keep exploring this idea in the next topic "ii-V interpolation" ...
What is "ii-V interpolation" ?

Creating a IIm7-V7 cadence from a single dominant 7th chord. ...or... Playing a "ii-V" instead of just
the "V". In other words : when confronted with a single dominant 7th chord, adding a minor 7th chord
a fifth above. It's common to play more than one jazz chords when confronted with a single symbol on
a chart...
Example of ii-V interpolation :
This has already been discussed in the chord substitutions article. Interpolation is often used in
traditional and/or contemporary jazz as a technique to develop improvisations, accompaniment or even
composition and arranging. We can use ii-V interpolation with any dominant chord... including the
secondary dominants (see above). Here are the 6 secondary dominant with interpolation (in C major) :
Of course, it would be wise to use minor II-V's when resolving to minor chords (namely the ii, iii, vi
and vii in a major key). It that case, the interpolation would yield different results :
(This is just another set of possibilities, not a rule)
Addendum : Interpolation
Interpolation can also happen "in the moment", as chord substitution device, where the improviser or
the accompanist plays the related "ii" minor chord while the rhythm section "stays" on the "V"
dominant chord. For example :
When you sound the notes of the Dm7 chord against a G7 (what the rest of the band plays), the result is
a "dominant 9th w/sus4". Here's what happens :
This way of thinking can be applied to create interest through suspensions/resolutions in otherwise
bland and plain chord progressions. Learn you II-V-I formula in all keys and try it "on the spot". You'll
be amazed!
What is Back Cycling ?

Using a string of consecutive dominants and/or ii-V cells in front of one another to cycle back to a
destination chord (often the "I"). The result is jazz chords in a root motion through the circle of fifth.
Like this :
This topic was also previously discussed in the substitutions article...

Back cycling more often makes use of ii-V cells (and not just plain dominant 7th chords.) Notice that,
on the second stave of the picture above, each dominant chord is the secondary dominant of the next
minor 7th chord... Another way to look at it : Back cycling is a series of secondary dominants with ii-V
interpolation a whole step apart played "back to back".
In C major, step by step :
• II-V (this is Dm7-G7) we add another II-V cell a whole step up so it becomes ...
• III-VI - II-V (this is Em7-A7 - Dm7-G7) once again ...
• IV-VII - III-VI - II-V (this is F#m7-B7 - Em7-A7 - Dm7-G7)
In back cycling through chords, it's possible to use either major OR minor ii-V cells.This device is very
interesting to spice up harmony and recorded jazz history has numerous example of its applications. It's
been used extensively in arranging, chord melody, improvisation and even composition.
Back cycling was used a lot by the late jazz guitar legend Joe Pass. If you really like that sound and
want to learn more about jazz chords, I recommend you get the "Joe Pass Guitar Chords" (under 10$ on
Amazon.) Joe himself explains his back cycling techniques in detail...
What is I-VI-II-V ?
I-VI-II-V is probably the most common turnaround progression used in jazz harmony. (see turnaround
topic below) I consider the I-VI-ii-V to be simply an extended version of the most basic ii-V-I cadence.
By incorporating the VI as a dominant, we create extra tension because it functions as the secondary
dominant of the ii chord.
The I-VI-ii-V is often used as a turnaround at the end of a piece. It is definitely better than just "sitting
on the I chord" for two bars! For example :
[Those are the last four bars of a jazz standard song.]

You can also find the I-VI-II-V progression in the first few bars of "I Got Rhythm", the standard song
form, the jazz chords being two bars a piece this time. (usually in Bb major) For variety, try changing
the chord qualities in the I-VI-II-V progression.
What is a turnaround ?
A cadence, applied at the end of a tune (or a section of a tune) to bring back the harmony to the top.
Typical turnarounds usually :
• start with a tonic (or tonic-like) sound such as I or iii and
• end with a dominant (or dominant-like) sound such as V or bII
Examples of common jazz turnarounds :
I - vi - ii -V
(very diatonic)
Imaj7 - VI7 - iim7 - V7

(very common, VI is a dominant)
I7 - VI7 - II7 - V7
(all dominant 7th qualities)
I - bIII - bVI - bII
(all major chords, ala Tadd Dameron on "Lady Bird")
I - bIII7 - VI - bII7
(Tadd Dameron modified)
My personal favourite is the last one. I like the vibe of it very much. Note that the two "Dameron"
turnarounds are basically tritone substitutes of the good old I-VI-II-V.
More turnarounds...
(jazz chords turnarounds using back cycling, secondary dominants, tritone subs, etc.)
Em7b5 - A7 - Dm7 - G7
(back cycling from iii)
E7 - A7 - D7 - G7
(back cycling w/all dom 7th)
Em7 - Eb7 - Dm7 - Db7
(w/tritone subs)
Ebm7 - Ab7 - Dm7 - G7
(this is called called "side slipping")
Cmaj - C# dim7 - Dm7 - G7
(with #I as an ascending passing diminished)
Em7 - Eb dim7 - Dm7 - G7
(with biii as a descending passing diminished)
Cm - A7 - Ab7 - G7
(with the bVI chord, often in a minor key)
etc.
There's many more turnarounds to be discovered in jazz tradition. I'll let you study you favourite jazz
standards and find, analyze and apply other common turnarounds.
Part 3 : Tags, Back Door Progressions and Inversions
What is a tag ?
This is an added section of music that helps finalize the performance of standards or even jazz tunes.
Usually referred to as "tag ending" by jazz musicians. In the classical world, the term coda is usually
employed to describe this concept. The harmonic and melodic material found in common tags is drawn
from the last few bars of music in the tune and is repetitive in nature. A good rhythm section can
usually "wing" a decent tag by repeating the jazz chords of the last 2, 4 or even 8 bars or the song.
This is how jazz musicians create a "coda" from thin air! Here's a common example of repeating the
melody and the chords from the last few bars of music on a jazz standard. To end the tune "Days of
Wine and Roses" in F, we proceed to repeat bars 29-30 three times before ending on the tonic chord.
Sometimes, the tag can be used as a whole new section to improvise over before definitely ending a
piece : the rhythm section "loops" the chord changes of the tag and the soloist keeps on improvising
(until everyone feel it's time to end the piece, on cue.) Here's a common example of tagging just a
chord progression to improvise over as an ending. To end the tune "Stella By Starlight", we ...
• play bars 29-30 as usual
• avoid the "I" chord in bar 31 and play "III" chord (Dm7) instead
• play turnaround progression starting that "III" chord
• improvise for a little (or for very long!) on the repeated turnaround
• we cue the ending (on the tonic chord, Bb).
In short, avoid the "I", go to "III" instead and loop the III-VI II-V to take a solo over... Thus creating
two II-V cells a whole step apart! A Montreal jazz veteran (saxophonist Dave Turner) once told me that
at some jam sessions, this type of "III-VI II-V tagging thing" with multiple horn solos could last longer
that an entire tune! There exist many more ways to end tunes with tags or different codas. Investigate!
What is a back door progression ?
A “twisted” ii-V-I cadence... It consists of the chords "IVm7 - bVII7 - I".
In C major, it spells out :
Fm7 - Bb7 - Cmaj7
(Like in the first fews bars of the Tad Dameron tune "Ladybird")
Some like to say it's a "minor-third-up type of chord substitution". Because Fm7 - Bb7 is a minor third
higher than Dm7 - G7 (all in C major). Personally, I just like to call it a back door progression. This
device is often used in standards progressions, jazz compositions, in arranging, in comping, in
improvisation, etc. A common example of using the back door in improvisation is to purposely
superimpose the scales and arpeggios from the back door while the accompanying jazz chords are a
normal ii-V-I. On a ii-V-I in C use the scales from Fm7 - Bb7, like this :
Superimposition of this kind is reminiscent of the minor ii-V sound... as the Fm7 - Bb7 comes from the
key of Eb major. C minor is the relative minor of Eb major! So the superimposed scales of Fm7 - Bb7
create a C natural minor sound. Please note that you can do the same while comping! (can you?)
But why name it the "back door" ?
We call this progression a "back door" because it resolves to the I by coming from the bVII... which is a
whole tone below. It's coming "from behind" the tonic, hence the term back door.
What are "chord tones" and "guide tones" ?

Chord tones are the notes contained in a chord. For example, a C major 7th chord has the notes C, E, G
and B (1-3-5-7) as its chord tones.
Guide tones, on the other hand, are the third and seventh of a chord. For example, a C major 7th chord
has the notes E and B (3-7) as its third and seventh. See, How does the II-V-I work topic above.
What are chord extensions ?
Simply put the chord tones above the 7th exclusively. Namely the 9th, the 11th and the 13th, even if
they are altered. Jazz chords usually contain one or more extensions. For example, basic chord tones
and extensions on a Cmaj7 chord :
Exceptions :
7th's are sometimes considered as an extension in classical theory. Sometimes, the 6th is part of the
chord (example, Cm6) and is NOT perceived as a 13th, therefore, the 6th (mis-interpreted as a 13th) is
not always an extension... Available extensions depends on chord families.
What is an altered dominant ?

Simply : A dominant 7th chord with one or more "tension notes". As soon as one alteration exist in a
dom 7th chord, we can use the term altered dominant to describe it. It's common amongst jazz chords...
The alterations are usually created by the presence of an altered (meaning a "sharp" or a "flat") 5th
and/or 9th. For example : G7(#9, b5) is an altered dominant chord. Their exist many categories of
altered dominants... as they come from many different harmonic "regions" : melodic minor modes,
harmonic minor modes, other synthetic modes, the symmetrical diminished scale, etc.
The available alterations for dominant chords are :
b9
#9
b5
#5
#11
b13
Important note :
The chord-scale that is called the "altered scale" (aka super locrian) is the one that supports a chord
with ALL possible alterations. Meaning the b9, #9, b5 and #5. You can find this chord-scale on the
seventh degree of the melodic minor scale...
What is an inversion ?
Jazz musicians generally employ the term "inversion" when talking about the voicing in which a chord
is being sounded. But, in a traditional (*almost* classical) sense, a chord inversion means to have
another chord member in the bass voice instead of the root. For example, a C major triad contains the
notes C, E and G. Play with the "C" note in the bottom, we say it's in root position ... When E, the third,
is in the bass it's called a first inversion ... When G, the fifth, is in the bass, it's called a second
inversion ...
For that kind of sound, jazzmen would use the symbols C, C/E and C/G respectively.
So, in jazz then ... ? In a jazz sense, the term inversion can merely mean the "same notes disposed in a
different way". For example, we would say that those are the four inversion of the C major 7th (in a
drop-2 voicing) whatever the bassist playing :
As you can see (and hopefully play), the same four notes of C major 7th can be sounded in many
different ways... (applies to any or all jazz chords...) But it seldom happens that jazz musicians use the
nomenclature "second inversion" or "third inversion". You can say that you "know all of your
inversions" of this-or-that chord, but the role of the lowest note has been delegated to the bass
instrument a while back...
You never hear that at a jam session : "Ok guitar player, play the C major 7th in bar 12 in the second
inversion, okay?" ... It doesn't matter since the bass player takes the final decision anyways. He has
control over the lower register!!! *Final Note* : you get the same amount of available inversions as the
number of notes contained in any of the jazz chords (because all the notes present in the chord can be
played as the lowest note.) Hence, a three-note chord (triad) can be in root position, first inversion or
second inversion... ... or a four-note chord (seventh chord) can be in root position, first, second or third
inversion... ... or a five-note chord (a seventh chord with added 9th) can be in root position, first,
second, third or fourth inversion... Allright... I think we're actually done here! (-:
Jazz Guitar Blues
Introduction
"Have you got the blues?"
Welcome to the jazz guitar blues section!The blues, not as a style or idiom, but as a standard form for
improvisation (and even a as feeling) permeates throughout jazz music. I think it's fair to say that
almost all prominent figures in jazz history have been influenced by the blues, one way or another.
Blues is the common denominator between players of various styles of jazz and from different
generations.
Some scholars say that bebop is the "common practice period". If so, then I think it's fair to assume that
blues was the prequel to bop. As a beginning or intermediate jazz guitarist, it means that you should
definitely check out some bebop language, yes that true... but more importantly : it means that you just
*have* to get good at blues soloing to become a master jazz improviser. Every aspiring jazzers should
be able to improvise (at least decently) on a 12-bar jazz guitar blues form. Start now!!!
Learn the chords, learn the scales, learn the songs... and improvise!
Jazz Guitar Blues – What you'll find in this eBook / On the Web
• Five Important Jazz Blues Progressions
You'll find those chord progressions in 3 keys with downloadable PDF files (and many
theoretical explanations in the assorted article)
• Top 50 list : Blues Tunes to Learn

The most common, less common, and not common at all blues tunes that get called at jam
sessions. (includes the PDF with : title, key, style/tempo and suggested listening for each song.)
The two following are NOT FOUND in this eBook (please go directly on the website) :
• Jazz Guitar Blues : Comping (video + PDF)

Creating meaningfully accompaniments in jazz blues context. Guitarists, get ready! (PDF with
TABS included) ... http://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/jazz-guitar-blues-1.html
• Jazz Guitar Blues : Improvisation (video + PDF)

How to practice jazz improvisation on a 12-bar blues form. Set of five progressively more
difficult exercises and many jazz improv tips. (PDF with TABS included)
http://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/jazz-guitar-blues-2.html
Jazz Guitar Blues
Basic Progressions in Common Keys
Here's just what you need to play jazzy blues : a set of 5 distinct, progressively more difficult, chord
progressions in the key of C, F and Bb. The article also includes explanations as to why certain chords
are being used / substituted for one another. All the theory is given in the key of C with added roman
numeral for analysis. Print + use the PDFs, but please memorize the blues form and save some trees!
Click on the pictures to download the PDFs (on the web) of the blues progression in different keys.
1 - Most Basic Rock / Pop 12-bar Blues (using I7 - IV7 - V7)
This is the foundation, the simplest jazz guitar blues there is! Commonly used in traditional blues,
blues-rock, pop, rock & roll, funk ... and seldom used in jazz since the bebop era (late 1940's).
2 - Simple 12-bar blues with II-V-I cadence
Not quite the jazziest blues yet, but has many element of it (especially the IIm7-V7-I cadence at the
end). This is a great preparation step for the "real" jazz blues with many more chords (see below)
Please Note :
• bars 9-10-11 are a II-V-I cadence
• first two bars have I - IV in alternation (instead same chord for 4 bars)
3 - Most Common "Jazz Guitar Blues" (w/ sec. dominants and turnaround)
Previous elements are kept here but the "VI" chord is added in bar 8. Remember this : VI is the
dominant of II. Here's why : In the key of C, A7(b9) in bar 8 is the dominant of Dm in the next bar! We
call this a secondary dominant (see above article). (You should read about this when you can; it should
clear up a lot of the "mysteries" within chord progressions for you...) Same applies to bar 4 going to bar
5 : We have the "flat 9" on the C7 (the I) to raise the tension level and then resolve back to F7 (the IV).
4 - Jazz Guitar Blues with more "meat" (w/ Passing Dim. and interpolation)
Business as usual here except for :

• Passing diminished chord in bar 6 (very common bass line)
• The II-V interpolation i in bars 4 and 8 (see article)
These elements are often used by seasoned improvisers and accompanists. It creates nice textures,
especially at slower tempos. Note that is possible to using passing diminished in other spots.
5 - "Bebop" Blues (aka New York Changes or Bird Blues or Parker Blues)
This last one is a great blues form to improvise over. I like it in the keys F and Ab the most. Listen to
the tunes : "Blues for Alice", "Chi Chi" and "Freight Trane".
The last 4 bars are pretty straight forward as the "juice" is really happening in bars 1 through 8 :
• Right away, harmony goes to VIm (the relative minor key) in bar 3
• We have back cycling in bars 2-3-4 (towards IV in bar 5.)
• Then a series of II-V cells that do not resolve in some sort of side-slipping fashion in bars 6-7-8.
• The end is a good old II-V-I (+ turnaround) to settle back the harmony and go back to the top
again.
Jazz Guitar Blues

Most Common Blues Tunes List
Here's a list of the most commonly called (and played) jazz blues tunes. A huge part of the jazz
repertoire consist of blues or bluesy type of songs. There are many variations : form, tempo, tonality,
style and harmonic structure come to mind. When attending a jazz jam session, it is always a good idea
to have a handful of blues themes available to play. It's my experience that everybody has "got the
blues" somehow, so why not play it!
Very Common Blues Tunes

Here is a list of jazz blues tunes you're almost certain to hear or play at jam sessions. Most of them are
pretty simple. The common blues tunes below are "easy to call" at jams because musicians tend to
know them well. I challenge you to memorize 10 of 'em ASAP!
[Format is : Title - Key - Style, form notes]
All Blues, - G - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar (6/8 meter)

Bessie's Blues - Eb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Billies Bounce - F - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
Blue Monk - Bb - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Blue Trane - Eb - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Blues for Alice - F - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar "Bird" Blues
C Jam Blues - C, F, Bb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Footprints - Cm - Med. Swing (or straight), Minor Blues (in 6/4)
Freddie The Freeloader - Bb - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Mr. P.C. - Cm - Fast Swing, 12-bar Minor Blues
Now's The Time - F - Med. Swing, 12-bar
Sandu - Eb- Med. Swing, 12-bar
Sonnymoon For Two - Bb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
Straight, No Chaser - F - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
Tenor Madness - Bb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
The Blues Walk - Bb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
Things Ain't What They Used To Be
- C, Db, F, Bb, ... - Med. Swing, 12-bar
Turnaround - C - Med. Swing, 12-bar
Watermelon Man - F - Med. Funk Bugaloo, 16-bar Blues
Somewhat Common Blues Tunes

These jazz blues tunes show up at jam sessions from time to time. They're worth learning because
they're great melodies, and besides, they're great to know just in case you're looking to mix up the
repertoire a little bit.
Alright, Okay, You Win - Eb, Bb,... - Med. Swing, Blues with Bridge
Au Privave - F - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar jazz blues
Bag's Groove - F - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Blues By Five - Bb - Med.-Fast Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Bluesette - Bb, G - Med.Swing, "Bird" blues (variation in 3/4)
Cheryl - C - Med.-Fast Swing, 12-bar
Chi-Chi - Ab - Med/Fast Swing, "Bird" Blues
Isotope - C - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
One For Daddy-O - Bbm - Med. Swing, Minor Blues
Scotch & Water -Bb -Med/Fast Swing, Blues with Bridge
Stolen Moments - Cm - Med. Swing, Minor Blues
Unit Seven - C -Med/Fast Swing, Blues with Bridge
Walkin' - F - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
When Will The Blues Leave? - F - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
Less Common Blues Tunes

These are tunes are some of my favorite blues to play that are seldom called at jam sessions. They have
slightly more elaborate forms or melodies, and therefore are played less often... But they're great tunes!
A Simple Matter of Conviction - Dm - Swing, Minor Blues (3/4 meter)

All Members - F - Fast Swing, 12-bar
Barbados - F - Med/Fast "Rhumba"/Swing, 12-bar
Blues Connotation - Bb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar
Boogie Stop Shuffle - Bbm - Fast Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Butch and Butch - G - Med/Fast Swing, "Bird" Blues (variation)
Eighty-One - F - Med. Straight 8th's, 12-bar (V-IV)
Homestretch - Bb - Fast Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Royal Garden Blues - Bb - Med/Fast Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Society Red - F - Med/Slow Swing, 12-bar
Soul Surge - F - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV in 7/4 meter)
Swinging Shepherd Blues - C - Med. Swing, 12-bar
The Sidewinder - Eb - Med. Funk/Bugaloo, 24-bar (V-IV)
Third Floor Richard - F - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV)
Twelve More Bars To Go - Bb - Med. Swing, 12-bar (V-IV + variation)
Two Bass Hit - Db - Fast Swing, 12-bar (for solos)
Guitar Practice and All That Jazz
practicing is something we all have to face one day or another. Heck, even Miles Davis practices his
instrument at some point! Like most activities (walking, driving, sports, dancing, cooking, etc.) music
has a "learning curve". Jazz guitar is no exception. If someone's telling you that they found a "shortcut"
or that they got "the secret" to avoid guitar practice RUN (don't walk) in the other direction! In short,
practicing is simply the preparatory steps required for the performance of music. In jazz, we also
prepare for spontaneous musical creation. Improvisation is soooooo rewarding it's addictive! (-:
0 - Prelude (Playing -vs- Practicing)

There's a difference between focused practicing and playing/performing. In practice, attention is given
to a specific set of parameters. For example, practicing a scale you'll try to sound the right notes in the
right order. In performance however, the focus is on what's happening at that very moment. Ideally, the
player is not trying to control everything and the performance flows naturally. There's less thinking and
more instincts. My advice here is not to mix them up!!! (for now at least) Avoid sounding like in a
practice session while playing/performing.
On the other hand, you may wish to "perform" by yourself in a practice session and that is O.K. It's
much like a "crowd-less performance" and it won't hurt. All I'm saying is : please avoid the "on stage
practice session"! Always be aware of the relationship between playing and practicing. In practice, find
new means of expression, learn new repertoire and improve your technique in order to perform better
in the future...
1 - Physical Organization
The guitar practice environment is as much (if not more) important than the activity itself. practicing in
the same room most of the time is the key. The ideal is to have a dedicated "practice space" for your
music. It has to be personal (no auditors please!) and quiet (no phone or noises). The environment
should contain every object you could use during guitar practice. For example :
• Guitar (and amplifier if needed)
• Music stand and guitar stand if needed
• Tuner, metronome and patch chords
• Guitar strap and picks
• Timer or watch
• CD/tape/vinyl player (and/or computer)
• Albums you are currently transcribing from
• Binder (with staff and regular paper)
• Pen, pencils and eraser
• Books you are using (fakebooks, charts, methods, etc.)
• Water (last but not least!)
Having everything in one place is essential to focused jazz guitar practice. Avoid getting up to get "that
book" or "that CD" or "the &%/$# tuner"... The environment influences practicing and helps in
creating an habit of practicing. It takes only 3 weeks to develop an habitual behaviour. We can compare
guitar practice to sleeping or eating habits. Set the ball rolling and practicing will become semi-
automatic...
2 - Goals and Planning
In order to move forward (improvement), you need a direction (goal). It's essential to know why you
practice guitar! Ask yourself : How am I sounding right now? How would I like to sound in the future?
Write the answers down on two separate sheets of paper. Answer the first question honestly
acknowledging reality. List your strengths and weaknesses. Acceptance leads to better playing. Answer
the second question with your own personal ideal. What's a "perfect" jazz guitarist to you? Make a list
of many aspects.
With the two lists in hand, decide on the weaknesses that you want to make intro strengths
immediately. Choose the most urgent matters. Obviously, we all want all of our weak points to turn
strong... Use your ideals as a point of reference to set goals! Goals set? Alright! (-:
Be positive towards improving certain areas. The whole process will be very enjoyable if you keep a
smile! The fact that you now acknowledge your strengths, weaknesses and goals will take you to new
heights. From now on, I suggest you write everything down. I've been keeping a log for a long time; I
find it amazingly helpful! The log is very personal because everyone has it's own way of keeping track.
Find yours and start "logging" today! Setting goals and foreseeing progress is of utmost importance for
musicians. It'll boost your guitar practice. Here's some food for thoughts : If you aim at nothing, you'll
hit it every time.
3 - Material
This is the part where you decide what you will practice in order to attain goals. It can consist of
anything from sight-reading Bach to transcribing Herb Ellis. Material can also be conceived in the form
of exercises. The musical material to be practiced differs from person to person! Guitar practice is
strictly personal and depends a great deal on the level, taste and general direction of each player. No
one knows exactly what you should practice to achieve X or Y result. YOU decide! (-:
Since there's a tremendous amount of information (things to practice...) out there, you are the judge.
We'll never plough through even 1% of all music so we have to be selective and choose wisely. Here
are general guidelines to help you pick (or create) what you'll be covering in you jazz guitar practice
sessions:
• Balance Different Areas
Cover a few, but not too many, aspects of playing when you practice. It's no good to play only
scales six month in a row... and it's no good to practice 52 different things each day! Balance is
the key. (For example practice comping, scales and repertoire.)
• Have Complimentary Approaches
Attack the same problem from different angles. Be creative and keep the goal in mind. There's
at least ten ways to approach any musical difficulty. Try not to be "exclusive" when choosing
what material you practice to overcome an obstacle. Create your own exercises when needed.
• Be Your Own Teacher
Some books and teachers have great practice suggestions. In the end, I think that's what worked
for them that there trying to teach you. So ... create your own exercises!
• Learn Tunes
Always go over at least a little bit of repertoire on a regular basis. It can be learning new tunes
or perfecting old ones. Create a list of tunes you know (memorized) and work with it. Practice
will raise your performance level ...and what's played during a performance exactly? Tunes!!!
So, did you pick some material to practice? You know exactly what to do now to get to your goals.
Congratulations! Let's see how you should apply this to real life jazz guitar practice sessions!
4 - Practice Time
This is usually where most of my students have difficulties. Here again, it's necessary to perceive
reality as it is. You will NOT be practicing 8 hours each day... for the next 10 years!!! On the other
hand, you are most likely to give a steady 30-45-60-90 minutes average per day, depending. It's more
than enough to make huge progress... if your time is used properly! (-;
Here are points to keep in mind to manage your jazz guitar practice time:
• Focus
Make your guitar practice time 110% focused. No distractions (please re-read #1). The value of
30 minutes of focused practicing is greater than a whole day of mere or noodling!
• Practice "everything" in each session
According to your goals, play through all your chosen material each time. If there's an item on
your list that you didn't touch for a week, it means that you have to much on your plate.
• Plan each session
Decide how much time you will honestly spend in focused practice before even touching the
guitar. With this set amount of time in mind, plan the material you'll cover. Divide each session
in small chunks of time to go through "everything".
• Warm-up
Pace the practicing material logically. I like to start with some slow scales and then I improvise
on a tune. It prepares my brain and fingers to tackle my routine. At the end of the session, I also
improvise but on a tune that's more challenging for me. Experiment and find what kind of
warm-up works for you. Create your own session "starters"!
• Practice Regularly
It's best to do it everyday even if it's for a short session. Never try to "catch up on the
weekend"... trust me, it doesn't work!
Go ahead and try daily guitar practice sessions for the next few weeks. Take note of what works for
you. Write everything down so you can adjust later. Then come back and adjust with...
5 - Goals and Planning [Encore]

Keep this jazz guitar practice process in mind as weeks and months go by. I can keep most exercises
(and their variations) in my routine for years at a time! Improvement comes from slow and steady
growth. Come back often, re-visit and adjust your practice environment, your goals, your material and
your practice time. Write casual reports on the results you achieve on guitar. Do it often! Acknowledge
and improve. I also encourage you to personalize my suggestions as much as you can. Experiment and
follow your instincts. Discovering your own "improvement mechanisms" is far more important than
following any specific method.
And last but not least :
• Record yourself : Pocket recorders are cheap nowadays. Listen to your taped practice sessions,
rehearsals and performances. Be a critic but try not to judge. Just listen to your playing
objectively. While listening to my gigs, I often get ideas about what I could improve in my
playing. As always, write it down.
• Live Performance Playing live or attending jam sessions is a great "reality check" most of the
time! Do it often. I personally discovered most of my own weaknesses "under fire"... at a jam!
Good luck and Have Fun!
Jazz Guitar Tips : My Top-5
A quick and practical overview of some of the most important jazz guitar tips. Find out about the too
often underrated aspects of learning how to play jazz guitar (and developing as a jazz musician)... My
top-5 jazz guitar tips go something like this : listening, learning tunes (repertoire), working on rhythms,
guitar gear / equipment... and diligence!
1 - Use Your Ears

• Listening to great jazz recordings daily is crucial;
• Try to remember melodies by ear (without opening that fakebook again)
• Use your ears to tune the guitar;
• Improvise without the aid of play-a-longs (so you have to create your own accompaniment,
rhythmic/time feel and improvise to outline the chord changes effectively)
Remember that listening is the key to hearing all of this : Time/rhythms, intonation,
chords/progressions , song form, inflections, dynamics, improvisation, comping, phrasing, composition
... even hearing yourself! All good music comes from really listening all of the time.
2 - Learn Tunes Daily

Make repertoire a priority. You can't play jazz if you don't know any songs from memory! Make a list
of tunes you can play fairly well. At first, try to incorporate tunes into the "routine". For instance,
instead of warming up on scales you already know, spend the first 30-60 minutes of practicing learning
a tune. It's often at the beginning of a practice session that your mind is the most alert; take advantage.
3 - Jazz is All About Rhythms

• Learn to use the metronome in practice;
• Develop your awareness of time;
• Think of rhythms, most of the time, when blowing/comping;
• Hang out and play with good drummers. It's worth it!
4 - Worrying About Gear

Gear is not the problem, don't worry too much about it. You don't need an archtop and a polytone to
sound good. (See Bill Frisell, Ed Bickert, Lenny Breau, Mike Stern, Ted Greene, etc.) Let yourself
play on "non conventional rigs" if you feel and sound better doing so. (I have nothing against overdrive
and a stratocaster on a jazz cocktail gig; as long as the music sounds good...)
5 - Practice, Practice, Practice (the master of all Jazz Guitar Tips !)

Take your axe and play; Repeat daily.
Do this a lot. Simple but effective. Your abilities are directly proportional to the amount of time you
spend playing. (You may re-read that 100 times.) Stop reading, blogging, talking, (bragging?) or
thinking about it and... simply play! You may or may not organize your practice time. If you're like me,
you'll end up organizing your stuff anyways... in the end, the time spent matters more than the materials
you choose to practice.
Jam Session Etiquette
The do's and dont's
Jam sessions are about sharing music with fellow musicians with whom you may or may not often have
a chance to play with. One might say its main purpose is more about social interaction than musical
interaction. You can meet new people, see old friends, hear new music, play great music and gain
plenty of valuable experience. So, go to the club, buy a drink and relax. Here are a few things to
consider so your evening goes well. Follow the advice below and I'm sure you'll want to go out over
and over to enjoy your local weekly jam session.
Getting Ready
• Important Preliminary Step : Go out and "sneak peak" the jam session for two weeks before
actually sitting in (playing). Get a feel for tunes that are often called ... learn them!
• Make sure you are actually invited on stage by the leader!
• Try to play tunes you know and love.
• Sit out the tune if you don't know it ;-) *Sad but true!*
• Have in mind a few tunes you'd like to play just in case the leader asks *you* what to play.
• Don't be critical of other's choices : If you don't like the tune, don't complain, take a break.
Playing the Tune

• Best Advice : Take shorter rather than longer solos. (-:
• Use discretion; know when to play, know when to sit back and listen to the other players. (Yes,
guitarists, I'm talking to you!)
• Pay attention to details where possible: intros, endings, etc. Keep your ears wide open at all
times, you won't regret it.
• Be mature about your approach. "Higher, louder, faster" will usually alienate your fellow
musicians.
• There is no need for a bass or drum solo on every tune. Discuss this and plan ahead whether or
not these instruments will improvise.
• Comping : If playing "backgrounds" (riffs) or accompaniment on your instrument , remember
to be tasteful and well balanced so as to not distract from the soloist.
• Trading with drums : Remember order of the soloists and keep it the same for drums trades.
• For ballads, split the choruses in half (for solos or head out). This will shorten the length.
• Be very tasteful and supportive when jamming with singers. Try to play in between their
phrases, to compliment what they doing.
• Always pay attention! Don't let your mind wander off into space, therefore missing the end of
the bass solo, or worse, forget where you are in the form. Stay focused!
• Guitarists/pianists: Take turns comping (playing chords) behind the soloist(s). Use eye contact
to communicate who will comp for the first solo, who will comp next, etc.
• Stay involved between tunes: Others may be trying to tune their instruments, or discuss which
song to play next. When the song is over don't simply "check out" or "noodle", stay alert!
Respect, Respect, Respect

• Playing 3 tunes are more than enough at a jam session; our standard in Montreal is two songs.
Staying on stage all night is just rude!
• Respect the leader's position as he/she organizes musicians for jamming. Remember, you're a
guest at the jam session!
• Listen to the other players improvise; it's best to avoid talking (or worse, noodling!) when on
the stage during a song.
• There are always musicians of varying ability and experience at the jam session ... and you are
one of them! Save your comments or suggestions for later. Be constructive and respectful,
always. Harshness and negative criticism is of no use on the bandstand.
• Always ask the house guitarist / bassist if you may use his amplifier. If you are bringing your
own, setup and tear down your gear between songs (not during!!!)
• Upright bassists : politely ask the house bassist if you can play his instrument.
• When finished : Thank the house band and the other musicians around you. Introduce yourself
to total strangers. Personally, I always do a round of handshakes before and after playing. I
made many friends / colleagues in this fashion!
Jazz Guitar Transcriptions

On Transcribing (for Jazz Guitarists)
This is a "how to" article about transcriptions for jazz musicians. Would you like to study with the best
jazz musicians in the world? Jazz is an aural tradition and the best jazz education is on recordings! Start
taking advantage of them : Transcribe from classic jazz albums!
But why transcribe?
Learning and playing along to a recorded solo is like walking in someone else's shoes. It enables you to
hear and understand how a specific player dealt with the music at a certain point in history.
Transcriptions are most commonly used to study jazz improvisation. It is also possible to study
accompaniment (comping) from famous jazz recordings. The greatest thing about learning jazz guitar
transcriptions from recordings is the possibility for endless repetition: you can repeat the playback of
the same passage a thousand times when needed! (no hidden fees!)
Writing it Down?
I believe it is not necessary to write down the music learned from jazz guitar transcriptions. A prime
example of this is Wes Montgomery, who picked-up Charlie Christian's solos without writing a single
note! Jazz guitar transcriptions will help you improve (ears, chops, repertoire, feel, etc.) ... even if you
don't read or write music. It's in the ears! You can write everything down if you wish to get better at
music notation. But always remember that the ultimate goal is playing the solos... not reading/writing
them!
Who?
I suggest you first learn solos by guitarists. It is always easier to hear "from" (and "on") your own
instrument. Studying the sound, feel and phrasing is also more natural when it's done "from guitar to
guitar". My favorites are Wes Montgomery (a definite must!!!), Jim Hall, Ed Bickert, Pat Metheny and
Jimmy Rainey. It's also advisable to transcribe from other instruments. For jazz guitarists, I highly
recommend trumpet. Phrasing seems to fit the guitar naturally. I have personally worked on many jazz
guitar transcriptions from trumpeters Chet Baker, Red Rodney and Miles Davis.
How?
My best advice for jazz guitar transcriptions is to simply do it! I find it's often a question of motivation
(or lack thereof). Just start from scratch. Here are steps I usually follow:
1. Choosing
Carefully pick a solo on a tune that is familiar. It must be appropriate for you (interest,
difficulty, personal taste, etc.) Then Choose the length of your jazz guitar transcriptions. The
entire solo or just 2 choruses? Decide right away! There's a psychological aspect to it. Know the
chord progression for the entire tune. Refer to a leadsheet and memorize the chords. Always
"keep your place in the changes".
2. Listening and Singing
Listen, listen, listen. And then listen a bit more... Get your targeted jazz guitar transcriptions in
your ears, then... ...sing it! You should hear the solo in your head without the recording. Singing
is a very important step.Listening and singing will take time but it helps tremendously. Hear and
sing the solo then simply "play what you hear".
3. Learning
Play the solo phrase by phrase on your instrument. Refer to your singing and hearing, it will
speed things up! Nail down each "musical sentence" before moving on to the next. Get the notes
and rhythms exactly right. If a passage is giving you trouble, move forward and come back
later. Sometimes, your jazz guitar transcriptions can be all perfect except for *one little spot*.
There's nothing wrong with that.
Polish It...
Once you learned it, play the entire solo (or part of solo) with the original recording. You goal now is to
imitate the phrasing, articulation and nuances. Do it until you match the original exactly. We get more
than "just a bunch of notes" from jazz guitar transcriptions. The rhythms and the feel are as much, if not
more, important. Stick to the solo and recording for a while, you'll learn what's "between the lines"!
That's it you're done! But you're never done, trust me! Go ahead and squeeze some more out of your
jazz guitar transcriptions : Take you favourite phrases and write them down. Analyze how the player
improvised over the chord changes. After that, learn to play the phrases you wrote in all keys. (This is
known as learning jazz vocabulary) And finally, create your own licks gathering inspiration from your
favourites players and favourite jazz lines. You can even compose entire "tribute solos" in the style of
any jazz guitar legend! Have fun and transcribe well!
Jazz Harmony
Brief history of harmony from origins to Jazz
by Martin Antaya
A simple definition of harmony is: the study of chords and their progressions, a chord being made of
multiple notes being heard simultaneously. For harmony to be, there needs to be polyphony: many
voices (melodic lines) playing at the same time, by opposition to monody, a single voice for all
instruments.
I-Origins
Historically, music was first monophonic. In the twelfth century, Léonin and Pérotin composed
organums, pieces where one voice would stay fixed while the other would move, creating different
intervals. Then monophonic gregorian chants of the middle-ages were used as Cantus Firmus (first
chant) to form polyphonic pieces. Forms that will later give birth to the fugue (where a
melody is successively heard in different voices, in an imitation style) abound. Music is
mostly vocal.
With the rise of instrumental music, the tonal system appears around the sixteenth
century: a scale is used prioritizing a note, the tonic, as a harmony's central point. The
other notes are assigned a special relationship with that tonic and some chord
progressions become standard. The different steps of the scale acquire a function, of
which the most important are the dominant (V) and the sub-dominant (IV). Harmonic rhythms
succeeding chords separated by a distance of a perfect fifth make their appearance.
In the seventeenth century (baroque), chords are starting to be notated by a numbering system over a
bass line, called figured bass (or continuo style). Chords usually contain 3
notes, except the dominants that may have 4. In that case, other steps need
to prepare and resolve the 4th note properly. Altered chords are also of
fashion in the baroque era. Some genius composers like J-S Bach preserve
the art of counterpoint and heterophonic music (many melodies running
simultaneously)...
... but homophonic music (an accompanied melody), literally takes over in the eighteenth century,
starting with Haydn, Mozart and the like. Later on, Beethoven, a master of dramatic effects and
counterpoint features, also uses the 5-note chords like the dominant seventh with a minor ninth (V7b9)
as a dramatic effect.
The romantic period of the nineteenth century sees the appearance of modulations to unrelated (and
remote!) keys in the tonal system. It stretches to a maximum with such works as Wagner's "Tristan and
Isolde" with ultra-chromaticism, where chord progressions are made by half-step voice
leading. Like a rubber band, after being stretched, the tonal system later breaks. Thanks
to German composers such as Schoenberg and their atonal music, where there is no
tonic, nor scale. Different systems are used thereafter: serialism (a succession of notes
in a numbered suite) and dodecaphonism (twelve-tone row, made of each of the 12
notes) that finally led to integral serialism: every musical parameter (pitch, rhythms,
dynamics, etc.) controlled by a numbered suite, the different series being played in
order, each one repeating its cycle and crossing-over until the end. Composers such as
Webern used this system exclusively.
In the twentieth century, the modal system comes back to life with composer such as Debussy and
Ravel: exotic scales are used whilst applying the occidental harmony system. The modal system is
more flexible and less stereotyped as compared to the "strict" tonal system: we hear very few V-I
cadence; moreover, modes/scales can contain more or less than 7 notes. Another experiment was made
by Darius Milhaud who superposed two different tonalities, thus creating polytonality.
II-Jazz
Early twentieth century composers (mainly American ones) like George Gershwin were influenced by
jazz. This "new music" was born at the time, findings its root in the Afro-American music tradition,
such as gospel, blues and ragtime. These different "styles" of music emphasize the strong degrees of the
tonal system as bass notes : (I, IV and V). Some more obvious characteristics :
• Gospel makes use of the plagal (IV-I) cadence a lot;
• Blues “colors” those degrees with a dominant 7th sound, adding the blue note (sharp nine)
• While Ragtime, with the illustrious Scott Joplin as a main figure, offers a outrageously
syncopated rhythm, putting accents on the weak beats of the bar.
After the First World War, jazz songs bloomed, many of which still constitute the core of the standard
jazz repertoire today. The fast and swinging times of big bands like Duke Ellington 's in the 1930s dint'
last though : they eventually disappear during World War II for small ensembles, budget obliges. Bebop
was born then, featuring Charlie Parker , Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Besides fast tempos,
bebop makes an abundant use of 9th, 11th and 13th in the chords. In those years,
Gillespie will go on working with Cuban musicians developing Cuban rhythms into
afro-cuban music, whilst Davis will "switch" to cool jazz (where a small ensemble
imitates the diversity of harmonization of a bigger ensemble.) Miles Davis, was
trained in bebop but didn't stay in it for too long. He was real pioneer and a leading
figure in jazz of the 50's, 60's and 70's. He did :
• collaborate with Gil Evans and its refined instrumentation of unusual combination of
instruments (cool jazz);
• re-create the small ensemble sound playing jazz and pop songs of the era (first great quintet);
• initiate the modal jazz movement in the late 50s, spurting the 1959 "Kind of Blue" album,
(where less chords is better);
• re-re-create the small ensembles sound in the 60s, playing original jazz compositions with
Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter (second great quintet);
• introduce so-called "fusion" to the general public in the late 60s, using electric instruments on
"In a silent way", improvising in different modes simultaneously on "Bitches Brew",
• (finally) create fully improvised music over a bass groove (70s), with a trumpet sound tinted
with wah-wah pedal, (very atonal).
John Coltrane, who started his career with first great Miles Davis quintet, will explore cyclical
modulations, like in "Giant steps" (1959) where II-V-I progressions in relation of a major
3rd, but will then experiment chordless music, long and cloudy melodic spurs, like a
tapestry of sound. He even ventured to remove pulsation on certain pieces. The jazz-fusion
movement in the 70's ill also see John McLaughlin (who also started out with Miles...) and
his Mahavishnu Orchestra use exotic modes and odd meters, giving birth to contemporary
harmony, sometimes symmetrical (motives repeating at mathematical intervals) and breed
with Indian music with Shakti, making sitar sounds with his acoustic guitar and using Indian modes
and motives.The 80s will favor more radio-friendly pop sounds, with Jaco Pastorius
and Weather Report, George Benson, and notably the Quebecer group Uzeb. A
simple yet refined pop harmony prevails. Since the 90s, many "styles" of Jazz share the
stage, from the most mainstream to the more eclectic, with frequent interbreeding with
popular music. The majority of today's Jazz, though, stays related to the tonal system.
III-Conclusion...
To synthesize, we observe in traditional jazz harmony the use of 4-note chords (mainly, often more) as
opposed to 3-note chords in classical. We can also notice the abolition of classical voice leading rules
(avoidance of consecutive parallel 5th or 8ve, leading tone goes to tonic, etc.) Jazz harmony still uses
some voice leading principles, but the musician who accompanies with chords (comping) will mostly
apply the concept to the "top voice" of the voicings, without necessarily seeking independent and
autonomous voices (which were the reason of classical rules in the first place.)
Also, chords having more density need no more to resolve their non-chordal tones. In jazz 7ths, 9ths,
11ths and 13ths can now be part of an actual chord. Finally, it is clear that the II-V-I cadence is
preferred in jazz to IV-V-I of the classical harmony, but progressions in cycle of 5th remained quite
common in jazz harmony.
Let's bet that Jazz, who is only 100

years old, has not spoken its last word...
February 17th, 2011
Synching Picking Strokes with Beats
Question by Ulrich
(Hamburg, Germany)
Hi Mark!
You’re such a wonderful teacher, I learned a hell of a lot from your youtube clips. Just a lot more
accessible than almost all of the other youtube lessons, especially for a intermediate player. I posted
this question below a youtube clip, but repost it here as it seems a more appropriate place:
I'm struggling with my bebop/ swing feel and my timing, and was wondering whether you would
suggest synchronizing downstrokes with downbeats and upstrokes with upbeats. I heard some people
suggesting that and I gave it a try, but at first it seems a bit unusual and actually quite hard to do for
me, as I was taught to use strict alternate picking up to now.... Maybe you could give me your
thoughts on that...
Thanks alot for sharing your knowledge!!
Best, Ulrich
______
Hello Ulrich,
Thank you for the nice words. Once again, I'm glad the website (and its content) can help you
improve your jazz guitar playing. Your question is extremely relevant and I'm surprised I've never
discussed this matter on the website yet. The simple answer is : yes! At least in practice, you have to
pay attention to the pick strokes. Synchronizing the pick with the beats is important not only for
time/timing issues but also in jazz guitar phrasing.
First Exercise
Let's start with a simple example (play and count at the same time): Play a C6 arpeggio (C E G A) in
quarter notes : all downstrokes (on BEATS "1 2 3 4") Then play a D diminished 7th arpeggio (D F Ab
B) on upbeats : all upstrokes (on BEATS "and, and, and, and") By mixing the above two examples we
get the C "major bebop" scale :
C D E F G G# A B | C
Play and count like this : 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1
This is alternate picking at its best! Now imagine we played the same scale but omitting the first note :
D E F G G# A B C
A "strick alternate" method (from rock guitar playing) would have you start with a downstroke! In the
context, it doesn't make sense since the first note "D", is on an upbeat :
--- D E F G G# A B | C
Play and count like this : (1) & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1
You have start the scale on "D" note with an upstroke (and finally "land" on C on the next "1" with a
downstroke) It's, in fact, a physical way for you to "keep your place" in time. It keeps the picking hand
"in synch" with the original arpeggio (first example) in quarter notes. (for any scale!) It's beyond
alternate picking. It's even more strict (!) than what you are doing right now! We could call it "synchro-
alternate" picking. With practice and some time, it will begin to feel natural.
Picking Hand Metaphor
Here's a beautiful metaphor : Consider that your hand is a "picking machine" : whether you play a note
or not, the pick keeps the same "up down" motion for downbeats and upbeats. You can jump in and out
of playing and it will always maintain the same direction. Now, try to play the C "major bebop" scale
again (or any other scale that has 8 notes...) First, play every note, then try to leave out the some notes
on specific beats. Example :
C D E (F) G G# A B C
(don't play the F)
Practice this exercise slowly and remove more and more notes to the scale. The picking hand should
have a strict "up down" motion as if it is picking everything ... but it's not!
Exceptions in Context
Of course, once you master that simple concept, you will make obvious exceptions to fit the context.
It's always a matter of context... For example, you may want to "dig in" with all downstrokes for a
more aggressive passage. To better hear/feel/see those exceptions, you should try and break the rules on
purpose! (so you can feel the difference)
SLOW!
Finally, I recommend you practice this picking method as slow as possible. If it's new for you, take it
very slow at first. And I mean SLOW! Let's say you wanted to play that exercise for me very slowly.
Imagine me (or any teacher) say to you : "Ok good. Now do it twice as slow." That's more like it!
It has to be so easy you get bored... then you speed it up a little. If you make mistakes, slow down
again. It's the only way your body/ears will REALLY internalize the sounds and motions.
I hope this helps,

Practice Well,
Marc-A
Technique level?
Question by Claus
(Denmark)
Hello,
I'm an advanced rock player interested in learning jazz. I notice a lot of people never bother much
about technique, speed, etc. I find that a bit strange. Of course one's craft should be as balanced as
possible, but having "free" hands, that really gives you better tools for improvisation. At least it is
some part of the picture. But what do you think is a needed level of technique, speed to play jazz on a
high level? Some standards go by fast (Donna Lee, Cherokee, etc.), and to play those like Joe Pass,
Andreas Oberg, Birelli Lagrene I think you should be able to play 8th notes at 300 bpm! What are
your thoughts on technique level, speed, for jazz?
Claus
____________
Hello Claus,
Great question. First, let me reassure you : there is no such thing as "needed level of technique/speed"
in order to play jazz on a high level. Not all great jazz musicians were/are virtuosos; you can play and
enjoy music without being amazingly technically agile and it's ok. If "fast" and virtuosity in music is
your call, then that is perfectly ok too. Simply remember that music (and jazz) is not ONLY about
speed/technique. Furthermore, I believe I understand your question quite well and I feel it is important
not to mix matters : music (etheral, invisible) and technique (physical, solid).
In jazz (and any improvised music), the sounds should come first. The technique is merely a mean to
and end... NOT the whole thing! Let's start with an example to demonstrate this better...
Wes -vs- Yngwie
Musician #1 : has the technical facility to play eighth notes at 300 or more. That's all he can do.
(many notes, many scales, whatever...) Can he improvise convincingly on Donna Lee at 300?
Maybe. But not necessarily.
Musician #2 : knows Donna Lee inside out (melody, form, maybe chord structures and scales too) and
has good ears. He can really hear himself and what other musicians are playing. Can he improvise
convincingly on Donna Lee at 300? For sure!
It doesn't mean that this second musician will be physically able to play streams of 8th notes at 300
BPM... but the "musical story", his personal voice and experience will shine through no matter
what...probably more so than the #1 who can play 8ths with surgical precision at lightning speed. (if
that's all he can do.)
Even if musician #2 isn't a virtuoso, he might still have many interesting things to say in his musical
speech. Because : 1- He knows the tune and 2- He can hear what he/other play. By the way, I'm not
dissing any musician that can play 8ths precisely @ 300 BPM!!!
A great example of this type (musician #2) of jazz guitar playing : Jim Hall. Listen to the Sonny
Rollins' album "The Bridge". The contrast between the technical dexterity of Sonny and Jim is very
sharp... yet they're both legendary players for their sense of taste and personal voices.
On the other hand...
...ok, so that was for "being the devil's advocate" part. Now, on the other hand : technique is extremely
important! Every musician has to develop a very personal, sensual and musical relationship with the
instrument. The more "free" your hands are, the more music can (and will) come out naturally, I agree
with you Claus. There's always a varying degree of "athletics" related to playing the music depending
on the chosen instrument. It's simply important not to fall in any sort of technical "trap" of any kind
when performing/practicing.
A few general guidelines :
-Practice technique only when you can hear/sing what you're practicing;
-Practice things that sound "good" to you (YOUR definition of good!);
-Don't focus most of practicing time on solely physical exercises;
-Technical exercises can (and should) come from something cool you heard and cannot play yet;
-Play less and wait for the next idea to come in your head/ears first when you solo. (Pacing your ideas)
-_______________________ (write your own!)
Wrap up
Now I realize how hard your question was to answer. Wow! In the end, I think the "balance" of
technique in one's playing is a very personal thing, no matter what. My view is that jazz comes from
the ears :
Music comes first. The instrument and its
limitation are the tools with which we
express the music that is already there
in our heads/ears. The sound, feelings
and expression in music take precedence
over the level of difficulty of what is played.
In fact, this last paragraph could have been my whole answer... but I always like to extrapolate!
I hope this helps,
Practice well,
Marc-A
PS:
If you really want to practice deep technique for fast stuff, try to hear fast lines without playing them.
For example, set the metronome slow and hear the major scale in time, in 8th notes in your mind. Can
you hear it faster? (use the metronome) What's the fastest you can hear it? You'll hit a wall somewhere.
The fastest you can hear this scale is probably the fastest you can play it cleanly also. I'm not "just
saying" that as it applies to most musicians/students that I know!
So the speed barrier is in the ears. Funny, huh?! (yes, I'm sure it's not "the other way around"!)
Now, imagine if you could push the envelope just by hearing and concentrating hard (instead of doing
it athletically). What a time and energy saver it could be! (-;
The Left Hand Pinky Finger

Question by Horace
(Lancaster,TX. USA)
I have a problem with my left hand "pinky" finger. When I play single lines or chords on the top
strings, I always have my "pinky" sticking up in the air. I have watched other guitarists and no one
else seems to have this problem. What am I doing wrong? Can you help me?
____
Horace,
Let me start off by congratulating you in trying to improve your playing and guitar technique : most
musicians play their whole lives with bad playing habits. Regarding your "pinky" finger, I know
exactly what you mean and how it feels because... I had the exact same problem a few years back!
My unused fingers (not just the pinky) were flying off everywhere for no reason. I had to do
something because it had started to hurt real bad. I solved this problem (for myself) by working on
playing with less tension and better control / posture / positioning of my body relating to the guitar.
In fact many things have to be considered in order to solve that "little finger" :
1 - Holding the guitar

2 - The Round Hand
3 - No Tension
4 - The "squeezing" Myth
5 - Finger-by-Finger Control
1 - Holding the guitar
That may seem obvious but I find it's often overlooked. The guitar will "sit" differently for everyone
(depends on the player and the guitar model) but you should take some time to figure out YOUR
optimal positioning. It took me about a year of experimenting before I found my "center". (I changed
my strap and its height, tried different chairs, looked at ways of holding the guitar on me, etc.)
Try this : Hold you guitar so you can take both your arms from a resting position (hanging by your
side) to a playing position without any contortions. The guitar neck will generally be at 20-45 degree
angle with the floor (fretboard being parallel with the floor is a bad sign...) Look at classical guitar
books and videos, you'll see how the spine remains straight and the arms come up without any
extraneous work from shoulders, back and neck. If you need a strap or "foot rest" thingy, go ahead.
Your can sit or stand, it's up to you. Simply make sure you are as close as possible to "resting" when
playing... if you want to practice many hours in a row, that's how guitar playing should feel like :
resting!
2 - The Round Hand
That's a principle I teach all my students : imagine you're holding an apple (or grapefruit) in the
CENTER of the palm of your left hand. It makes the hand round and strong. The wrist is almost
straight. Another way to look at it : press on a desk/table with the 5 fingertips of your left hand... the
hand and fingers will naturally go "round" to maximize the amount of pressure you can get. Try to
play like that most of the time. The thumb will usually rest on the back of the guitar neck. There will
also be a distance between the inside of the hand and the fretboard. There's also the negative way to
look at it :
-DON'T let your thumb show over the neck.
-DON'T let your wrist bend "back" (*the hand should be "inside", pointing toward you, like if you
wanted to touch your shoulder*)
-DON'T let the inside of the hand touch the guitar, only the 4 fingers on the fretboard and the thumb
behind should make contact.
3 - Relax!
"No tension", is the moto here. If the left-hand pinky is raising into the air for no reason, it's because
you're putting more work and "energy" into your playing than necessary. This is the thing you
really have to sit down and practice! My trick is to dedicate the first few minutes of my daily practice
to relaxing my body and mind. Try it : play any notes and any chords effortlessly. It shows into your
playing in no time if you "experience" that relaxed state a bit everyday. I highly recommend the
techniques described in Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner for that matter.
Also, watch out for any kind of tension : wrists, forearms, shoulders, neck and back. Pain and
discomfort will always tell you what/where is wrong.
4 - The "Squeezing" Myth
I highly believe in leveraging the whole arm and forearm to play notes. It means NOT "pinching" the
notes with the left-hand fingers. You cannot "squeeze" the notes without hurting yourself. It's a myth
that the LH needs more muscles or strength... Try it. Here's how to proceed :
-Choose a chord to play;

-Put your left hand in the chord's position (w/o pressing);
-Relax the thumb;
-Bring the whole left arm back so the strings are depressed (with NO hand muscles "squeezing");
-Play/Strum!
If you've done it right, you should feel the world of difference : that's how cellists and contra-bassists
can play without too much wrist and hand tension. So, in short : You could play all night, literally,
without squeezing with the left-hand thumb at all! The trick is to use bigger muscle groups (elbow,
shoulder) to do the small job. I encourage you to look at Mick Goodrick's The Advancing Guitarist : he
talks about finding the minimal amount of finger pressure required to play each note on the guitar. It's
great.
5 - Finger-by-Finger Control
Now that we took care of "everything else" that can be in the way, we'll look at the infamous "pinky in
the air" problem. Once your guitar is in a good position, your left hand is round and that your
minimized the amount of energy your spend playing each note... Go ahead and closely observe your
LH fingers moving while playing. Do they still "fly everywhere" for nothing? If they do, try that :
Play anything but focus all your attention on keeping the LH fingers close to the fretboard. Play slow at
first.
Do it a little everyday, at the beginning of your practice/warm up ideally. Play simple scales (or the
entire chromatic scale) and make sure the fingers do "just what they have to do", no more, no less. I
strongly believe that this should solve your problem, provided that you work on it at least a little. In
ideal playing position and context, your LH "pinky" will have no more reason to go "sticking up" like it
used to...
And now the traditional "be a good boy" talk : Of course, having an healthy lifestyle surely helps in
feeling good when playing : eat well, sleep, exercise often, avoid drugs... the better your body feels, the
easier guitar playing becomes.
I hope it helps, let me know how it feels in a little while.
Practice and relax well.
Marc-A
Putting it all together
by Steven
(Taipei Taiwan)
When I was in high school (over thirty years ago) I damaged my pinky and ring fingers playing
football. Since the '70's these two fingers have acted as if they were fused together- move one and the
other one acted the same way (what this ACTUALLY means is - I could minimally move the pinky
but not the ring finger and most times not the index finger at all)
There was a time when I had no feeling in these fingers. - Three years ago I decided to take up guitar
again- obviously I had to overcome the "fusion" problem. I spent hours and hours trying to figure out
ways to get these fingers moving separately of each other. To make a long story short, I had to
dislocate my left hand fingers (pinky,ring and index) and go on to endure nearly two years of intense
pain. I played random notes at all positions during this time to build the muscle to keep these finger
functioning. I had to take extra doses of Tylenol to battle the pain....
For the last year I have continued to focus all my attention on recovering movement in these fingers.
There was actually a six month period in which I had minimal movement and feeling in my thumb
and pointer finger (left hand)with no feeling in the pinky, ring and index. Now that much of this is on
its way to healing (obviously I'm slow in my finger changes) I am left with the ability to finger almost
anywhere on the neck, but I have no melodic structure. I now feel confident enough to build melodic
lines. Can you help me in this crucial period to develop melodies? I love the standards and also want
to look into smooth jazz playing. I hope you can help.
Best Wishes for 2010

Steven
___________
Steven,
Best wishes for the new year (and new decade) to you also.
That's a touching story; enduring this pain means that you must be really wanting to play the guitar! I
can relate because I suffered various playing injuries over the years. I feel like I can help you but,
honestly, I don't know where to start! Here are a few guidelines :
The Ears Have It
While striving to build some kind of "melodic structure" on your instrument, you have to be careful not
play strictly "by frets and fingers". Music is an aural art form : you should hear what you play at all
times. It applies to playing tunes, accompanying and improvising. A lot of guitarists fall in the trap of
playing the instrument visually; don't! Listen, sing and play familiar melodies. With time and effort,
your repertoire of licks and melodies (the ones you really hear) will develop. For now, the way to go
is : singing before playing.
In short, the bulk of practice time (to me anyways) consists of trying to hear more and better. Music
comes first, fingers will find their way when you listen well. If you don't believe me, sit down at a
piano (or another un-familiar instrument to you) and attempt to play Twinkle Twinkle... by ear. You'll be
surprised.
Play What You Can
Your story reminds me of Django Reinhardt : the poor guy had only 2 functional fingers on his left
hand. Nevertheless, he was one of the greatest (and fastest) guitarist of all times. My suggestion to you
is therefore "play what you can" : see what feels right for the hands and make music out of it. There's
no sense in trying to play "impossible" things in the condition in which your hands are. The strongest
music always comes from dealing with our limits creatively.
Another prime example of "play what you can" applies between instruments : a trumpet can only dream
of playing big octave leaps like piano or saxophone... and that's ok! As jazz guitarists, we have to stay
within our limitations for the music to sound good (and for us NOT to hurt ourselves!) In short, go easy
on your left hand : see what's possible and play your heart out.
See What Has Been Done
That's where I want to give you straight-ahead pointers : you have to learn the "usual" stuff for you to
build melodic structure. There's enough idiomatic guitar material out there to keep you busy for a
lifetime!
I hope this helps and that your left hand gets better. Persistence is often the key that unlocks years of
beautiful music making.
Practice Well.
Marc-A
Bebop Scales
Question by an Anonymous visitor
Hello Marc,
Some thoughts and question(s) regarding Bebop Scales: lately I’ve been revisiting them and have
observed a thing or two: Take the Dorian BeBop; it is common practice to add a note (M3) between
the m3rd and fourth scale steps. D Dorian BeBop: D-E-F-F#-G-A-B-C-D.
I can’t help noticing that when using (ascending) eighth notes we get the fourth degree, G, a
tension/extension, on the downbeat of three. But when I place an added half step between the 6th and
7th, it gives me all the chord tones on the strong down beats (using eighth notes), and the
tensions/extensions on the weaker upbeats, thus lining up nicely - descending as well as ascending.
Starting on the root of D dorian:
one D=root & E=9th (tension

two F=3rd, & G=4th (tension
three A=5th, & B=6th (tension
four C=7th, & C# added passing tone (tension
Next measure: one D= root, & etc.
I know some jazzers don’t make much to do about the bebop scales in that they are scales with an
added note used to even out the placement of SCALE tones, etc. but in regard to CHORD TONES
placement on strong beats, the accepted practice urges one to adjust the placement of the passing
added note as necessary in regard to strong metrical note placement. Am I off the mark? Or am I
mixing apples and oranges? Your insight is appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
___
Hello,
Great question.
The short answer : the passing tone F-F#-G would obviously outline more of a G7 mixolydian sound
as we get the notes G-B-D-F on the downbeats (but not in that order). As you were stating, the passing
tone C-C#-D really outlines the Dm7 chord with D-F-A-C notes. You are not "off the mark" or mixing
apples and oranges at all. I think you are simply understanding the process very well. That being said,
I would highly encourage you to learn, use, hear, understand and analyze this crucial concept :
The major scale with ANY added passing tone can work on all of it's modes.
Think about it : the major scale has 7 notes, so we are left with only 5 possible "passing notes"
because the whole musical universe has 12 distinct pitches.
Shown ascending here, using sharps :
C Major = C D E F G A B, so...
C *C#* D E F G A B
C D *D#* E F G A B
C D E F *F#* G A B
C D E F G *G#* A B
C D E F G A *A#* B
Now, provided that the "outside" notes fall on an upbeat, you can use any of those five possible bebop
scales on a single C major chord!... and any of the natural notes can be placed on "beat one" ... and you
can figure this out with any/all of the seven diatonic chords in C major... That's a lot of options! I once
wrote out all the possibilities in 4/4, I think it went 25 pages long... (-:
Of course, some of the possible scales will outline *just* tension notes. Some examples of rather "out"
choices for a C major chord : (Downbeats in bold)
F *F#* G A B C D E
B C D E F G A *A#*
C *C#* D E F G A B
My final recommendation is to try : write down, play and listen for the options that make more sense to
you. Apply in the right contexts. It has to come from the ears! To conclude, it's futile to associate a
certain "bebop scale" with strictly one chord. It's clear that it *could work* for at least 7 chords. One of
the possible uses will surely outline a certain chord best, but the other options are still "viable" as we
say in french. You can get to a point were you can use bebop scales to outline a mixture of chord tones,
extensions and blend them with beautiful resolutions.
I hope this helps,

Investigate and Practice Well,
Marc-A
PS
If you really want to mess around, start looking at melodic minor modes and their passing tones. (-;
Playing Jazz using Chord Notes versus Scales
Question by Al
(Los Angeles, California)
Hi Marc,
I've conversed with a well known studio musician (late '50s through early 70s) in Hollywood. He was
on the very high list of studio bass players calls ("who's who" list of the top record hits of that era).
This anonymous musician is in his mid 70s, still teaches and writes music books {...} and was once
ask to join the George Shearing Orchestra. He does not believe in using strictly scales to learn how to
improvise in jazz. He said that, in the 1950s, nobody did: they concentrated on the chords, that is, the
chord notes {...}.
{...}
I've heard of chordal notes, target notes, but I know you can make something of scales and chords,
there is a relationship going on. From what I understand, in the 30s, 40s so-called "standard tunes"
were made up from the songs' chord progressions (as in "All The Things You Are" for example.) Well,
I am not sure because I know Miles Davis used modal scales in that album "Kind of Blue". Plus jazz
evolved through the years... i.e. "jazz fusion" where modal scales are also being used. But what I'm
talking about (and so is this anonymous musician) is of the older jazz musicians and how they
learned the jazz music.
This musician says : "Don't concentrate on scales. It's all in the chord notes and phrasing." He sell
books, cds and dvds along with some Joe Pass Chord books to get into playing jazz the way it was
taught and is very negative about how it is being taught nowadays. So my question is :
What do you think of concentrating on the jazz tune's chordal progression and concentrating on the
notes and jazz phrasing as opposing to scales on improvising?
Thanks,
Al
_____________
Hello Al,
That is a question for the ages! "Should I do A or B?"As always, my answer is definitely :
Why not do both?!
Why limit yourself?!
I believe musicians exposed to two different approaches in solving a musical obstacle can always
benefit from experimenting with both "solutions". In this case the problem is "Creating and playing
improvised melodic lines spontaneously over chord progressions." You goal should be to experiment
with one aspect, and then the other, and see where it goes, so to speak. I'm sure you could also play
beautiful, deep improvisations by mixing the two approaches. In the end, you may prefer to stick with
only the "scales" approach (or with the "chord tones" approach) ... and it doesn't really matter. What's
really important is that you make a conscious choice vis-a-vis your artistic vision.
Scales + Arpeggios Review
I slightly understand what this older, anonymous musician might be thinking:
"If you play only scales (like they teach in college), you completely blanket the chord and loose all
sense of resolutions. It's better to learn the notes found in chords first and then make music out of
that... etc."
But in the end, scales and chord-notes are really the very same thing: seven diatonic "good notes" that
delineate a sense of tonality (or modality, if you prefer) in the human ear. Here's why : Look at F
mixolydian scale and arpeggio (would be used on a F dominant 7th chord).
They both contain the notes F G A Bb C D Eb
So, whether you "axe" your whole playing around scales (horizontal) or chord-tones (vertical)... the
same seven notes are still there! It's true, though, that the latter is associated with swing and other "pre-
bop" types of improvisations while mostly scale content became prominent with the bebop wave of the
1940's and 1950's.
Thought: Ying Yang
One last thing: while improvising, if the musician keeps thinking only "on one side", then the opposite
approach will soon make his way into the music. It's a simple matter of balance. For example :
I'm taking a solo on "All the Things..." and I'm thinking solely about the scales. What's happening?
My scales have to resolve properly on the right chord-tones to make the lines sound good!
...on the other hand...
I'm taking a solo on "All the Things..." and I'm thinking solely about chord-notes. What's happening?
Some passing notes and embellishments are necessary to connect the chord-tones ... and they're coming
from some scales!
To conclude :
Being informed (or at least aware) of both scalar and chord-tones approaches is essential to the modern
improvising musician. It's simply best to have more than one "take" on any given subject in general...
Good music is not only about one thing, it's about "All the Things..." ;-) I hope this helps.
Practice Well,
Marc-A Seguin
Choosing Altered Scales for Dominant 7th
Question by Pete
(Erie , Pa USA)
Hello Marc,
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I’ve been working on altered 7th scales. My question is while you are improvising are you thinking
"Okay ,I’m going to flat the 9 and sharp the 11 on this next 7th chord", or is it just from a non-
thinking place that comes from years of practice? Or both?
Thanks.Pete
___________
Hello Pete,
To make a long story short: a bit of both! (not much of a surprise isn’t?) But, while actually
improvising, if I’m really “in the moment” and listening, there’s no real thinking going on. If I’m
thinking about note choices and other musical parameters in a solo, it’s usually the “beginning of the
end” so to speak …
How To
So let’s say, you want to expand that area of you playing, here’s what I suggest:
1. Pick ONE altered dominant sound/scale and get familiar with it. It takes place in your ears
mostly and in your fingers secondly.
2. Understand the implications of this sound/scale very deeply. For example: know the underlying
theory, look for instances of this sound in tunes or compose with it, know the common
resolutions, transcribe lines that use that sound, etc.
3. Lastly, you have to let go and don’t try to apply this knowledge right away. It will show up by
itself when it’s totally “ripe” in your ears. “Not trying” can often lead to beautiful music…
Working on new musical materials in this way requires a tremendous amount of discipline. You have to
be patient and trust that the work you put on the instrument will eventually serve a greater purpose.
Scale Choices
On the theory side, here’s in what order I suggest working on the sounds/scales:
Start with Basic Mixolydian (G7)

1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Changing one note only:

• Mixo b13
(V of melodic minor scale)
• Mixo #11
(IV of melodic minor scale)
• Mixo b13 b9
(V of harmonic minor scale)
• Mixo b9
(V of harmonic major scale)
This is a weird one because it comes from an uncommon place.
Then the other “hard ones” …
• Altered Scale
(VII of melodic minor)
Requires work and patience; very dissonant.
• Diminished Scale
(Symmetrical, 8-note scale)
It’s the “classic” b9 sound for bebop.
Many implications check it out!
• Whole-Tone Scale
(Symmetrical, 6-note scale)
This is the dominant 7th #11 #5 sound…
Working step-by-step will ensure that you really hear the difference between the scales/sounds. You
will start to identify it BY EAR in tunes and in other people’s playing. I always like to have a point a
reference (shown above), instead of trying to blindly alter the 9th, of the 5th, or whatever…
I hope is makes sense and helps you incorporate those sounds into your playing.
Practice Well,
Marc-A
Leading Tones
Question by Tony Blaszak
(Milwaukie Oregon)
Hello Mark,
In your first lesson you explained that with II-VI-I's you can take the 7th and 3rd of each chord and
the 3rd will resolve to the 7th of the next chord. How do you deal with chord progressions that are not
II VI I such as the chords to " How Insensitive" Dm7, C#o7, Cm7, G7/B etc. etc.
Thank you
Tony
_________________
Hello Tony,
This is a great (and very relevant) question Tony, because a lot of good tunes don't use strictly II V's.
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, here's the lesson Tony is talking about...(In brief, in II-
V-I progressions, thirds resolve to sevenths and vice versa)
Before we start:
I recently received constructive criticism regarding my "Questions/Answers" pages : some may think
there's too much "blabbering" around the heart of the matter (and not enough "notes" and music). I
think the message to me is "Keep it simple!" ... and I will. (That's it, my mouth is shut now!!!)
An Example to Demonstrate
To answer your question briefly, I will simply outline the obvious and let you have your way with what
is implied. Please feel free to comment or send me an email if you need further explanations.
There's no typical, standardized way of dealing with "non II-V's" progressions. You have to look at
each situation/tune and study the harmony carefully. Usually, there are plenty of obvious resolutions if
the harmony is "good" and strong. From your study you can derive leading tones/guide tones and start
creating lines/compings from them. Look for half-step motion, that's the key to sounding good.
"How Insensitive" for example :

(Note : I will use Dm6 and Cm6 since they have a better "tonic minor" type of sound.)
Dm6-->C#o7
D --> C#
F --> E
A --> G
B --> Bb
(C#o7 can be seen/heard as A7(b9) with C# in the bass (first inversion). It creates a "I - V" movement
with Dm to A7.)
C#o7-->Cm6
C#--> C
E --> Eb
G --> G
Bb--> A
(C#o7 can now be seen/heard as a dominant leading to Cm in a "bII - I" kind of way)
Cm6-->G7/B
C --> B
Eb--> D
G --> F
A --> A (or even Ab)
(Here again, we have a "I - V" movement with Cm to G7)
In this example, out of four chords (thus three "changes" of harmony), most of the voice leading can be
achieved by half-steps. It is the case most of the time, with most of the tunes ever written (...if not ALL
the tunes!)
Always remember that there's no right or wrong answer, just different perceptions.
I hope this helps,

Practice Well,
Marc-A
Diminished Scale : Using Whole-Half and Half-Whole Scales
Question by Steve
(NY)
What chords do the half whole and whole half scales work over? If I improvise using the major, minor,
harmonic minor or melodic minor scale, it sounds O.K. to me, but I have not found any chords that the
diminished scales sound good over. Maybe my ear is listening for something less dissonant!
So if a piece is in the key of C major, is there a diminished/symmetrical scale that will sound good over
any or all of the chords in that key. Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bdim7 ? Would you play the B
half whole in the key of C since instead of the Locrian mode?
____
Hello Steve,
That's a question that I unfortunately never got the chance to cover here, on the website... Now's the
time! First off, let me start by saying that the Whole-Half and Half-Whole are not different entities,
they only reflect the way you choose to see it, in theory.
Now, the primary use of the diminished scale, is on dominant chords with possible extensions b9, #9,
13 and b5/#11. It's usually not used when there's a #5 / b13. So if you see a chord symbol such as
G13(b9), it matches the diminished scale perfectly. Here's why :
Let's take a good-old G dominant 7th chord. G B D F = G7
Let's extend it with the b9 and forget about the root. B D F Ab = G7(b9)
That's found naturally in C harmonic minor. We usually call "B diminished 7th" chord, all minor thirds
intervals (B D F Ab).
And now let's approach the G7(b9) chord-tones with a half-step below.
A# --> B
C# --> D
E ----> F
G ----> Ab
(Notes on the left are half-step approaches from below "into" the notes that define G7(b9) chord.)
Let's rename all the notes we got above, including the approach notes and start on G. We're getting the
diminished scale, starting with a half-step. G Ab Bb B Db D E F
Analysis of degrees relating to G7 :

G Ab Bb B Db D E F
1 b9 #9 3 #11 5 13 b7
So G7 dominant with b9, #9, #11 and 13th.
So, your question was really about how you can relate all this to the major scale, right? My answer is :
don't! This diminished scale / sound is mostly used as a tension device. You could (and should) use it
when resolving to the major scale, but it doesn't relate, in theory anyways, to the major stuff you're
used to.
For example, if you're improvising on a II-V-I in C major : Dm7 G7 Cmaj
...you can apply the principles discussed above to the G7 chord, even though the b9 is not in the chord
symbol. That's the way jazzmen do it : the diminished sound become a whole "harmonic appogiatura",
if you'll excuse the expression.
Final note :
A very good Montreal saxophonist, Alex Coté, once told me a little about his practice techniques with
the diminished scale. He said that he employed the major triads that exist naturally in there as a point of
departure. He would use only one triad at first, applying the different approaches from above and
below. Then he'd work with 2 at a time, the 3, then the 4 of them, with approaches (which become the
entire diminished scale)... He said it really made him hear the scale in and out.
Can you find the 4 major triads in that G13(b9) sound?
G Ab Bb B Db D E F
A little tip : the 4 major triads are all a minor third apart.
To summarize, the symmetrical diminished scale is a sound used as a tension in music, not necessarily
making sense with the theory of the diatonic scales. Learn to use it and identify it in context. All jazz
legends used this sound in their improvisations. ...and most of all : listen to Coltrane a whole lot. (or a
whole-half lot if you prefer).
Practice well,
Marc-A
Adding Interest to Comping Using the Alan Kingstone Book : The
Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar
Question by Ivo
(Rotterdam)
Hi Marc-Andre,
On your site you specifically say that your comping has radically improved/changed since you
discovered the book "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar". I have trouble adding interest,
motion or spice to my own comping. I know most of the guitar (comping) chord voicings and I get by,
but it sounds really vanilla or plain. After buying quite a few books on comping and voice leading it
really hasn't changed my playing to anything that sounds 'professional'.
So before blindly buying another book I was wondering if you could tell us why this book had such a
big impact on your comping or harmonic awareness. What makes this book or method so good? Maybe
you could give some examples. I'm not asking for a free lesson or anything like that, but I'm curious in
what -practical- way this book has changed your comping (so it's basically about usability of the
method).
Thanks for answering this question!
Kind regards,
Ivo
_____
(View my review of this book here)
Hello Ivo,
Very good question. Let's start with the usability right away :
Imagine that you harmonized the major scale in such a way that you have only two chords. They
would be called "home" and "away" (or "release" and "tension"). In musical language we would say "C
major", the I chord, for "home" and "G dominant", the V chord, for "away". To get to that we have to
use the major scale and add one note (also known as the "bebop" scale) :
C D E F G Ab A B
By harmonizing we get two chords :
C E G A = C major 6th (= A minor 7th)

D F Ab B = D diminished 7th
(*Note* = D dim 7 = F dim 7 = Ab dim7 = B dim7 ... which in turn is always equivalent to G7(b9)
without the root.)
That is the starting concept of all of the Barry Harris approach. By playing in inversions, you can then
harmonize the scale in chords... that are still just I and V !!!
For example :
C6
D dim7 (aka G7(b9) over D bass)
C6 / E
F dim7 (also aka G7(b9))
C6 / G
Ab dim (also G7(b9))
Am7 (aka C6 over A bass)
B dim (also G7(b9))
C6
That's for the theory. Now try playing it. You can download this PDF Online that demonstrates the
difference between "plain" harmonization in C major and the "Harris 6th - diminished" technique.
They're shown in two useful guitar voicings : the drop-2 and drop-3.
So, this is only the first step in the liberation of static "chord grips". After that, it's possible to apply
the "6th-dim concept" to common progressions.
For example : Dm7 - G7 - C
Dm7 : use F6-dim

G7 : use Abm6-dim (for altered sound)
C : use C6-dim
You can understand that, from playing 3-4 chord grips, you can now move around with about 20 of
'em! And that's also just the tip of the iceberg... Kingstone goes in much detail on what can be derived
from this kind of thinking. One of the things that really helped was the use of extensions.
For example, if you see Cmaj, instead of using the regular C6 scale, start with an "extended" chord
such as G6. It contains G B D E, so it gives a C major chord with 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th. Then it's
possible to "come back down" from the extended C major 9th with a passing diminished :
(All of which is happening during a bar of C major chord type!)
E B D G (aka G6 = C major 9th)
E Bb Db G (aka Db dim = the infamous bII dim7)
E A C G (aka C6 = Am7)
As you can see, this way of thinking clearly demonstrates what extensions really are and the origins
of the passing diminished chords often found in fakebooks. And it is, of course, applicable anytime,
anywhere with any chord type.
...and once again, that is only a fraction of what you can come up with using this new way of relating to
chords and harmonic movement in general... Other very interesting concepts topics found in the book
are : diminished borrowing, Monk moves, solo jazz guitar, applications to intervals, partial chords,
applications to single-note playing and altered dominant chords.
Finally, while I believe that books and concepts can change your playing for the better, always
remember that there's no magic pill for playing good! You have to investigate, practice and develop a
personal style.
I highly recommend Alan Kingstone's book BUT it's understood that you will have to work at it (at
least a little) for the concepts to sound good to you and others. I hope it answers your question. Good
luck with your comping.
Sincerely,
Marc-Andre Seguin
William Leavitt Modern Method for Guitar / Reading / Positions

Question by Anonymous
Hello,
My question concerns above mentioned Method. The Leavitt books focus on how to get the student
learn sight-reading. The chords are presented entirely in notes (no names of the cords are mentioned,
you need to read each note of the chord on the lines).
My actual jazz guitar teacher said this method is too academic. In "real" musician life, you wont ever
get sheet music like this to play because what most musicians use is stuff like the Real Book. So my
concern now is that practicing this method with stuff like the chord etudes or reading notes in all
positions on the fretboard could be waste of time, if you don't take it too academic and want to focus
on playing in a band. Same goes for the entire Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method. I mean in the higher
levels (eg. Vol. 5) you have sheet music you hardly EVER can sight read. You have to go through the
whole piece several times and then kind of mock sight read it. But this is not Jazz then, but more kind
of classic guitar playing.
Thanks for your comments.
Best regards
Ryan
_____
Hello Ryan,
Thank you for an excellent and relevant question. To summarize it in my own words : "Why would I
need to work hard on THIS type of reading/practicing if my #1 goal is to perform in THAT other
bandstand context?"
(...and I'm assuming the "different context" is a jazz trio or quartet where musicians almost never read
music on stage.)
I hear your pain! It seems rather illogical and counter-intuitive to do "A" while all you want to do in
reality is "B"! So please let me clarify a few things about the Modern Method book : In my opinion, it
was not meant to teach only sight-reading and chords "note by note". Leavitt's method should help the
student learn about music and about the guitar at the same time. It just so happens that publishing a
book was the best way to spread this kind of knowledge around in the historical era it was written in
(mid XXth century)...
Paper was the best "media" to reach people back then; same for classical music ... and even novels! So
I would say that learning to read is just a happy by-product of going through this method... learning to
read English made you get invaluable information from this website, yes?!
The real "meat and potato" of the method (the chords, the scales, the melodies, the positions, etc.) are
really what it's all about : genuine musical "good stuff" that you'll need onstage. Those are all basics
that every jazz guitarist should get (at least a little) familiar with. In short, the Modern Method Books
are about preparation : the musical material inside should help you be prepared for the tasks you'll have
to accomplish while on stage (play smooth chord accompaniments, improvise single-line solos over
chord progressions, read from time to time, comp in different styles etc.)
How can preparing yourself for the "ultimate task" (a concert) be either a waste of your time or too
academic then?! It was certainly not a waste of MY time... I think you get the picture, let's add one
more analogy :
Imagine an Olympic sprinter that doesn't want to jog a little, or even stretch, because it would be a
"waste of time" or "too academic"... in the end, we know that all (s)he wants to do is sprint! (-;
Get it?
...so the book is not "incomplete" or lacking on any level. I find the method to be very well organized :
a nice balance between theory, reading notes, reading chords and guitar related technicalities.
Furthermore, I believe that its biggest feature is the gradually increasing challenge of all music
presented. From page to page, it get just-a-little-more-difficult. I'm sure it was an incredible task to
write and organize all this material meticulously enough to give that effect. If you play the three books
in order, the next page is never too hard nor too easy.
It's obvious that the Modern Method was written by a guitarist (William Leavitt) for guitarists of
generations to come. So far, it's one of the best guitar books I came across. It really helped me in the
preparation of what's happening on the instrument, and later on the bandstand.
Anyways, I've never seen any guitarist perform well and argue that this book was a hindrance or a
waste of his time!
I hope this helps,

Practice Well,
Marc-A
PS:
Of course, an "academic" approach doesn't always work for everyone. Since we have different medias
widely available (audio, video, teleconference, etc.), it's a good idea to check out other, more recent
tools for learning jazz guitar.
PPS :
"The chords are presented entirely in notes..."
---> not true, even in the first volume : plenty of chord "shapes" to apply.
-As soon as page 51 (old edition), you get duets written in "lead sheet style" (melody + chords).
-As soon as page 11, regular chord shapes (that every guitarist uses on a regular basis).
Jazz Guitar : Guide-Tones in Forward Motion

Question by Anonymous
Many thanks to Marc-Andre for creation of this website! :)
I have learned all of the basic scales - Major modes, Harmonic Minor, Diminished, etc and their
respective arpeggios but I was wondering if you have any tips/exercises for landing the guide tones
on beats 1 and 3. Thanks in advance
_______
Excellent question, and yes I do. I practiced long and hard to have control over what notes would "fall"
on the beats 1 and 3. After extensive questioning, researching and practicing on my own, I stumbled
upon a book titled Forward Motion. This book, along other teachings by pianist Hal Galper, really
opened my "rhytmic ears".
First thing I discovered is that 1 and 3 and the strongest beats in the bar. The second thing I discovered
is that for music to have any kind of direction (forward!), the melodies cannot start on these beats : 1
and 3 are points of arrival, NOT starting points. So I tried to come up with ways to "land" on beats
1 and 3, as you asked in your question.
It's fairly easy after all. You have to reconsider the way you "hear" the regular bars of 4/4 like this :
If you start your scales/modes/arpeggios like that, with a pickup on the "and" of 3, you'll create a
rhythmic momentum. You'll really hear the "points of arrival" on the strong beats. I created a few
online examples for you to practice. They're G major and melodic minor modes (with "bebop"
passing tones) and arpeggios with pickups on the "and" of three. (TABS included)
Before you start, remember :

1- The PDF's are just examples, create your own exercises and fingerings.
2- Check out Hal Galper's Forward Motion book, it will surely give you a lot more ideas.
Here (all the PDFs have to be downloaded online):
-Bebop Modes : G major with Forward Motion

-Diatonic Arpeggios : G major with Forward Motion
-Bebop Modes : G melodic minor with FM

-Diatonic Arpeggios : G melodic minor with FM
I hope it can help you hear the guide tones landing on the strong beats.
Practice Well,
Marc-A Seguin
PS:
Once that Forward Motion concept makes sense to you, take a look at Connecting Chords with Linear
Harmony.
Garzone Triads : The Triadic Chromatic Approach

Question by Miguel
(Barcelona, Spain)
Hi Marc,
I've seen that you use to practice Garzone triads quite a lot. I would like to know more about this
device. Seems that there is much mystery around George Garzone's Triadic Chromatic Concept. My
understanding is that it consists in playing different triads in non-repeating inversions and approaching
them by chromatic steps up or down. For example, C major root position (C E G) then Bb augmented
2nd inversion (F# Bb D), etc. It seems that in this way you get a high degree of "outness" but because
of the inner structure of triads there's a certain coherence to the whole thing.
So, can you develop a little about the whole Garzone triads thing? What are they, how do you apply
them and how can you practice them? Thanks a lot for your time and effort with this wonderful page
that is helping me so much.
Miguel
__________
Hello Miguel,
Indeed, I've been working on Garzone's thing for many months in row now. It has definitely helped my
hearing abilities and improvisations. I'm actually surprised at the "work vs progress" ratio that I've
achieved : I thought it would take more time to show up in my playing... I guess Garzone's ideas and
concepts just suit me like a glove. (Works well on guitar too!)
What is the Triadic Chromatic Approach? (aka T.C.A.)
Here's a great review of the 2 DVD set for the curious. (by David Valdez)
And here's a "masterclass" in Downbeat magazine (May 2009) discussing TCA.
The idea behind Garzone’s triadic chromatic concept is twofold : Triads (connected by half steps) and
"Chromatic Approaches".
1 - Triads
Play either major, minor, diminished or augmented triads and "move them around" in random
inversions (by connecting them with half steps.) By avoiding repetition of the same inversion and
moving by only a 1/2 step on each successive triad, the line is borrowing from the twelve-tone row.
Triads played in this fashion have a lot of forward motion and resolve often to the chord-tones of the
moment. Simply by "luck", the odds are in favor of resolving these ambiguous lines! (you'll have to try
it to hear what I mean.)
2- Chromatic Approaches
Playing "Random Chromatic Approach" as George Garzone explains is guided by two concepts :
1. Select a major third on your instrument. (for example : C to E)
2. Play randomly on any of the five notes within the selected interval without repetition or obvious
patterns. (for example : C to E, use the notes C, Db, D, Eb and E ONLY!)
To avoid repetition (and sound as random as possible) is easy : within the major third, do not repeat the
same interval consecutively in the same direction!
My "take" in this approach: Perspectives from a Jazz Guitarist
Here's what I think, in point form, of the TCA. I'm speaking only for myself here.
• The TCA is, first and foremost, a kind of "ear training" for me. It's not just another tool to sound
"out" or "free".
• The TCA made me discover new areas of the fretboard and different fingerings for triads.
• I cannot, will not and won't even try to apply TCA directly ("note-for-note") in my
improvisations (not consciously anyways). I don't see the point in doing so. I personally work
hard at the TCA simply to open my ears and fingers to different sounds and new possibilities.
...and honestly, I don't think even George Garzone himself applies the concepts when he blows!
It's more of a practice tool than a literal way of playing. (I know some people have analyzed
Garzone's solos only to find "incorrect" applications of the TCA!)
• The lines created with the TCA work especially well in deep, swinging, solid rhythms. (it's not
just about melody!) George's time and rhythms are so strong that I believe that's why the TCA
sounds so good.
• My whole playing and hearing in general started to change after only one or two weeks of
working at the TCA.
• The TCA is guitar friendly. Garzone triads and lines sound good on the lowest strings. I've never
really liked the sound of the low register on the guitar... but Garzone made me change my mind!
• The TCA will sound different from instrument to instrument and that's ok. It should also sound
different from player to player (even if they play the same instrument!)
• I've been practicing the TCA with a metronome at slow tempos in various subdivisions of the
beat: quarter notes, eight notes, triplets etc.
• I've been practicing the TCA with playalongs (usually slow blues). I'm trying to stick to the
rules and stop the line when I HEAR it resolving. It's hard.
• I worked approximately six months at the major triads. I've just recently started on the minors.
The bright sound of the major triads is just way easier to hear in random inversions!
Some Tips... Do's and Don'ts
Are you ready to practice the TCA? Some things to keep in mind :
• Just "T" : Start with just major triads. Also, when you move on, don't mix triads types. Practice
the major with the major, the minor with the minor, etc. It helps you to "pre hear" the next few
notes of the line...
• I repeat : DO NOT mix triad types!!!
• Just "CA" : Practice "Chromatic Approaches" by themselves in many registers of your
instrument.
• Finally "TCA" : Attempt to mix triads and chromatic approach (to give TCA) when you're solid
at doing both separately.
• Start SLOW (really SLOW!) When I first started, I played quarter notes at 40 BPM and I could
barely keep up! I even tried this : metronome set at 60 and I would perceive each click as a
triplet. (meaning, actual tempo of 20 BPM) It's a test of patience but it's well worth the effort.
• Sing along with your playing (for guitarists, pianists and bassists). It's ok if you make mistakes.
Try to "sing what you play" AND "play what you sing". The TCA will just sound much more
lyrical to you (and others!) in this fashion.
• Play all the TCA stuff with a good, full sound on your instrument (in every register).
• Just play after TCA : Play "free" for a while immediately after you practice the TCA. (free form,
free time and free "everything else") Listen to your lines and note choices. Notice anything
different?
• Whenever you can, ask for a colleague to play a drone on piano or guitar while you practice the
TCA. Just an open "C G" fifth will do. (or use the DVD's play along section).
• DO NOT attempt to "plug" any of the TCA lines into your solo (at least, not in public). If you
do so, you will: 1- Look/Sound like a fool 2- Have missed the point!
That's all I got (so far). I hope it helps you Miguel (and other visitors), to understand the Triadic
Chromatic Approach and how I'm practicing it.
Practice Well,
Marc-A Seguin
WARNING / DISCLAIMER :
I'm not affiliated to George Garzone, JodyJazz Inc. or any subsidiaries of affiliates. I do not intend, in any way, to infrige
the copyrights of the DVD "The Music of George Garzone and the Triadic Chromatic Approach". I own this product and the
discussions on this page are for educational purpose only. In fact, I encourage you to get your copy of the 2-DVD set as it is
one of the finest "jazz education" product available on the market. I have practiced diligently the exercises prescribed by
Mr. Garzone on the DVD and I simply would like to share my thoughts, feelings, musical ideas and progress I've made
using the approach. PLEASE NOTE THAT I'M NOT TRYING TO SPOIL ANY OF THE DVD's CONTENT FOR THE
VISITORS THAT HAVE NOT YET PURCHASED AND / OR WATCHED THE DVD.
How to practice for glitch-free performance?
Question by Bill Sargeant
(San Francisco, CA)
Hi Marc,
What is your practice recommendation for cleaning up a passage that has glitch prone spots? Two
examples that come to mind in my practicing are: the head to "Donna Lee" and a three chorus blues
which Joe Pass plays at the beginning of his "Blue side of Jazz" instructional tape. Both of these are
technically challenging for me and have been practiced over and over again.
Still, the mistakes happen although there are no spots that can't be played right at least some of the
time. This is a recurring situation in my playing that passages will become playable to a certain point
and almost never up to 100%. Usually at that point they become tiring to practice and more interesting
things come along.
It would be great to get a few things under my fingers that can be played reliably.
Any ideas?
___
Hello Bill,
Oh wow... this is a really BIG one! I have to be very honest with you : I don't know. Every musical
situation, player and piece is different. It would be hard for me to "nail it" down in a few paragraphs
here... Instead, I will share my own experience so you (and other visitors) can hopefully learn from it.
Well, I guess this is what I've always done on this website, right?!
(-:
So :
In my 15 years of playing the guitar (with 6 being focused hardcore on jazz, averaging 1000 hours a
year with is roughly 3 hours/day), I have come to the conclusion I that only "my own stuff" can be
executed with perfection. If it's anybody else's ideas, I'll have to compromise somewhere and
phrase/play my own way.
Wes Montgomery chord solos? Sure!
Pat Metheny burning on "Solar"? Yes sir.
Jim Hall subtle lines in 3/4? Anytime!
Charlie Parker cooking on Donna Lee at 344 BPM? You betcha...
... BUT, I have my "glitches". I must admit there's a big proportion (50%, 60%, it depends) where I
must "transpose" the thing into my own language and really own it so it sounds like something.
... or else I'm just a pale copy! (Know what I mean?) It may sound depressing never to be able to play
like you idols, but you have to understand that “You're the Only You" (an article written by a friend of
mine).
The flip side of the coin : If you recorded me playing a few choruses of blowing on a standard (I know
well) at mid-tempo, I'd bet 99.99999% of other guitarists (including the top players) couldn't reproduce
what I do *exactly*. Not that I feel superior or inferior to any other guitarist. It's just the way it is. No
two musicians/guitarists are the same and practiced the same stuff. Your choices, you personality,
physical and time limitations, your ears, (etc. etc.) are all different!
So cheer up and say this out loud : "If I can't imitate the great players perfectly, they certainly can't
imitate me perfectly. Why would they, anyways?!"
I hope this helps,

Marc-A
PS
On the technical level, I believe if you want something "bad enough" you'll eventually have it. I was
(and still am) a poor technical player... For example : I won't say what tunes or exercises but I've been
working on some music for 3-4 years... without any success or chances of ever "getting it right". Then
you wake up one morning and BANG! you got it (3 years later). Persevere my friend.
How to Maintain Transcribed Jazz Vocabulary

Question by ChrisK
(Toronto, Canada )
Hi Marc,
Thank you so much for dedicating your time for others and help share your experience in studying jazz,
cuz sometimes the learning curve does get harsh... I'm a beginner/intermediate and I've just started to
routinely transcribe a bit everyday (maybe 5 or 6 solos so far within past year).
Here are my issues:
-I can learn a solo (maybe play it 200-300 times), remember it for a month, and if I move on to other
things then some lines slowly fade, although 50% of the time I can still hear the lines.
-Same with licks from these transcriptions; I remember them for a certain period of time, move on, then
slowly forget the lines.
So I'm stuck right now in trying to figure out how I can expand my vocab if I forget 80-90% of what I
transcribe ... and whether I should go back and relearn the solos every 3 months let's say. But then how
would I be able to keep up with moving forward? (i.e learn new forms, progressions, new techniques
etc.) I presume that you've gone through my phase at some point in the past and figured out a way of
tackling this issue.
Could you share some your thoughts?
Thx man!
Chris
____________
Hello Chris,
First, let me congratulate you for creating a significant and meaningful musical habit for yourself.
Transcribing is, for me anyways, the most daunting task of all. Good job! Make sure you keep it up for
a while. This time around (and because I have to answer a lot of relevant questions these days), I will
answer simply with some of my thoughts (in point form.)
• Memorization
When you say "I can learn a solo (maybe play it 200-300 times)" I wonder how deep your
learning actually goes. Memorizing a solo does not mean that you're getting the essence of it...
As an analogy, imagine if I asked you to memorize 20 paragraphs of highly technical scientific

literature (or whatever that's beyond your linguistic scope.) Do you think that repeating that text
200-300 times would be enough to keep it memorized for life? Do you think that by doing so
you would get the meaning of it all?
Same applies to jazz: you don't necessarily "get" all the vocabulary yet, so repeating endlessly
the solo won't immediately improve your understanding, hearing and ... experience! Yes,
repetition is the mother of memory, but that is, obviously not the only thing you can do to
deepen your jazz vocabulary. Speaking of which...
• Deep Learning
If you are forgetting parts of the solos, it is because you didn't learn deeply enough. (see below
the "Slowly!" point.) Do not blame this on bad memory or bad technique. It is simply not
internalized enough to come out effortlessly. One more comparison :
While eating, do you ever miss you mouth when using a spoon? Me neither!
That's is probably something (along with other basic actions) we internalized very deeply into
your body. Imagine how much repetition and training it took to get there! I'm sure you now
understand that 200-300 repetitions do not suffice in getting something radically anchored into
your playing. By the way: It's good sign that your ears still retain most of what your fingers
forget! That's where learning really takes place for music.
• Studying
That's a no-brainer: study favorites licks carefully.
-Identify : Key, chords, functions, scales, arpeggios, rhythms, dynamics, phrasing, accents, etc.
-Play them in many keys all over the fretboard.
-Find other harmonic application of the same licks.
-Make up your own licks based on them.
- __________________ (write your own!)
• Process
The process of hearing, perceiving, listening and finding the notes on the instrument (in fact, all
of this sums up to imitating) is more important than the notes themselves... I believe that applies
to most artists: the process/work is more relevant than the final product. Our final product is, of
course, a nice improvised solo ...
... but isn't that just a short-lived footprint, a meaningless "line in the sand"? (that reflected how
YOU felt, and what YOU had in mind at a specific moment...) Simply put: I don't think you
want or need to play entire/parts of transcribed solos when you improvise. DO learn solos, but
don't make a conscious effort to strictly imitate while you blow!
• Slowly!
Playing VERY slowly has been scientifically shown to improve performance in music and
sports. (It's in the neurons; seek out the book "The Talent Code"). Try this : Set you metronome
at 60 BPM, perceive each click as an eight-note triplets, play a lick from a transcribed solo (2-4
bars).
Sounds like this : 1 (click click) 2 (click click) 3 (click click) etc.
Hard, isn't? The tempo is therefore 20 BPM. It's probably so slow than you can't even recognize
the line anymore! Take the tempo up gradually, but retain the same effortlessness (mind and
body) as when it's played at 20 BPM. Work on this for a week or two and you'll be amazed.
• Don't worry
I've heard famous musicians (like Mike Brecker) say it takes them moths or even years to learn
new melodic material well enough. Feel good about yourself: you ARE working hard.
The complete and perfect memorization and performance of an entire solo (by someone else) is
not a good indicator of success. Again don't worry: transcribing is a tool. Work on the
transcription, keep listening and when comes the time ... let it go! You may come back to it in a
year... or even in 5 years. You may even forget your favorite licks forever ...
...and it doesn't really matter at all!
(What if you can't play it over and over again to impress your friends!?!)
Your improvisations and musical abilities will soon be fueled by the energies you put into
transcribing and practicing. Your ever-evolving sound will be influenced not just by the notes
you're learning from recordings, but also by the phrasing, intensity, overall shape and other
devices used by your favorite players.
Once more: don't worry. Do it for the love, enjoy the ride. When you improvise, always try to
let go and make your own musical statements.
I hope this helps. Practice and transcribe well,

Marc-A
Learning Jazz Standards

Question by Karl
(Boston, MA, USA)
First of all, thank you Marc-Andre, for this website.
I am trying to learn a repertoire of standards, as I think it is essential part of being a jazz musician. For
me it is proving to be one of the most difficult things, not just because it will involve a lot of
memorization, but because I am so unsure of the 'proper' way to play them. What I am asking is, how
do I choose what fret position to play the melody on? As we all know, there are numerous
positions/modes to play a melody on the guitar, unlike on the piano. When I learn melodies on the
guitar, I want to feel confident I am approaching them in a smart way.
Should the melody move from position to position when the chord changes? What about key changes?
Should I try to play the notes on the higher (G,B,E) strings? How much should I rely on a fake book as
far as memorizing goes?
Thanks for any answers you may have, and any other pointers for learning standards.
____
Karl,
You are absolutely right : building a decent repertoire of jazz standards is essential for all jazz
musicians. But let me reassure you right away : it won't be that difficult. It doesn't involve a
tremendous amount of memorization or require you to figure out "the right way" each time. It's the
opposite. There's little or no memorization and the standards should "play themselves" so to speak.
Let's see why.
Memorization : Sound
Allright, let me ask you this : How much actual practice/work did you put into memorizing Happy
Birthday? How about The Star Spangled Banner? Do you have to concentrate very hard each time you
sing those tunes (and look in the fakebook), or do they just come out naturally? That is exactly what
you want to do with standards: listen and then try to imitate what you hear.
DO NOT fall in the trap of browsing through fakebooks, trying to memorize a bunch of tunes you've
never even heard. The "memorization" you're talking about starts with deep listening. I highly
recommend simple and straight-ahead recordings of jazz standards by singers such as Chet Baker .
Chet's always a great point of reference and I learned many standards from him.
In brief, you don't have to memorize tunes, you just have to know them. Before even attempting to play
something on your guitar, that "next song" you're learning should feel like Happy Birthday : sing it
convincingly and learn the lyrics if possible. That will make all the difference in the world... the
standards will "play themselves" the same way Happy Birthday "sings itself" each time there's a cake
and candles lying around!!!
Proper Fingerings
Let's keep Happy Birthday as our main example here. Go ahead and play it on your guitar right now
and sing along to your playing. Good? Still fumbling on some notes? Try again, this time find a good
fingering and stick to it. Got it? Make sure your fingerings for Happy Birthday are rock-solid before
reading the next paragraph.
Good! Play it once again. Only this time you will let go of your fingers (don't even look) and focus all
your attention on sound. If it sounds like it "should", you're done. If not, figure out a new set of
fingerings and try again. By sounding like it "should" I mean : sounding like you expect it to sound, in
the deep memories of your ears. (See the cake? Smell the candles?!)
...back to jazz standards now.
Guitar fingerings for jazz standards are not necessarily related to positions, frets or strings. It should be
clear to you by now. Here's what matters the most : it has to 1- sound good. 2- make sense for you.
Remember : Sound comes first. The process we used on Happy Birthday is applicable to any song you
want to play on the guitar. Focus on the sound of the melody (you should hear it in your head) and play
how you feel it. There are exceptions, of course, where some fingerings are better than others. Playing
bebop heads is a good example. That would be the topic of an entirely different article, though.
Memorization Take 2 : Changes

I guess that's where most people hit a brick wall. "Oh my god! This tune has at least 23 different
chords. How am I gonna know which one comes after the next?" (and so on...) Much like the melody in
the previous step, memorizing chord changes for jazz standards is not about "brain memory" : it's about
hearing and listening. Playing the bass part (root notes) is the very first thing to do. After that, you
should try to sing the melody while playing the bass notes simultaneously. Forget about the chord
qualities (maj, min, dom7, etc.) for now.
Think of the root movement as another melody...only this time, it's the "bass melody", the foundation
of the piece. Of course, if you can, sing the roots while you play the melody on the guitar. Betcha didn't
think of that! (-;
Only after you can really hear the melody and root motion can you start to apply chord qualities and
"go intellectual" on the tune. The next logical step would be to make an harmonic analysis :
relationship of each chord to the tonic (or "key of the moment") through roman numerals, secondary
dominants, modulations, etc.
That, also, could be the topic of an entirely different article. For the time being, I highly recommend
Jerry Coker's Hearin' the Changes . That book outlines most (if not all) of the common traits found in
chord progressions in jazz standards and much more...
Memorization Take 3 : Fakebooks
To wrap it all up, learning jazz standards is all about ears, not fingers! You can, but don't have to, use
fakebooks. I find them useful because they often indicate what key a song is most often played in and
some performance notes from famous jazz recordings. (I really like the New Real Book series.)
Remember though that the fakebook is only a reference. Work with the chart for a while and dismiss
it... the thing you should keep doing is listening to a good recording of the tune! So, when you're
jamming or gigging (or recording...) leave the fakebook on the shelf. (Please!) There's nothing worse
than four jazz musicians reading on a stage... and no musical interaction!
There are exceptions here again. I personally rely heavily on charts during Christmas time. We
sometimes have to play 30 holiday tunes every night (arranged in a jazz style). There's no way I can
memorize all that if I don't play them year round... (-;
Play your tunes often, they'll stick with you. Finally, remember that the more tunes you learn, the easier
it gets. Jazz standards have melodic and harmonic "recurring formulas" all over them. See Hearin' the
Changes .
I hope this can be helpful to you Karl.
Practice Well,
Marc-Andre Seguin
PS
Use your ears and you will be able to "wing" standards by ear once in a while. Try it now : turn on the
radio and jam with a jazz station. One my mentors, the great saxophonist Dave Turner, does that on a
daily basis!
Jazz Standards : Best way to Hear and
Transcribe melody and chords from recordings
Question by David
(Cahors, SW France)
Hello,
What is the best way to hear/transcribe a song (especially jazz standards) from the recorded version? I
have a reasonably good ear but not always sure where to start. For instance should I try to ...
-Detect the key by locating a bass note on the 6th or 5th strings?
or
-Listen first for familiar chords or try to detect the 'closing' chord ?
or
-Noodle around in a given part of the fretboard until the melody line jumps out at me?
-Or ........................?
Any help really would be gratefully received - this is a major gap in my skill base. Thanks in advance.
Blackcat
_____________________
Hello Blackcat,
Great question : "Where should I start?" The answer is, of course :
"The Melody!!!"
The melody IS the tune. It's the most precious aspect of ANY composition.
A jazz standard could be transformed (ie new chords, different time signature, Latin rhythms, amount
of bars, arrangements, weird orchestration, new solos, etc.) but if the theme of the song is present,
listeners will recognize it instantly. So, focus on the melody at first. If you're learning from a sung
version, memorize the lyrics also.
When you're good with the melody of the standard you are currently transcribing, read the previous
article : Learning Jazz Standards (it sums up my philosophy on how to learn songs, it applies whether
you're learning with sheet music of by ear.)
Some more thoughts :
Go slowly! It's fine if you learn only one bar of music a day. Don't rush through materials or you'll
forget them too soon...
Finding the key center of the song (the "final chord" as you mentioned) might give you guidelines as
to where the melody "falls" on the fretboard (if you know scales). Stay alert for modulations though (a
modulation is a "change of key" so to speak.)
Knowing the form helps. Is it a plain old A A B A form of 32 bars? (each section is 8 bar long) Then
you have to learn only the "A"s and the "B" to know the whole song! (if not, investigate the form and
nail it down on paper)
Starting with just root notes on the 6th and 5th string is the best way to start learning / memorizing
the chords.
Memorize by formulas. Learn the chords by roman numeral and by "chunks", say 2-4 bars at a time.
Instead of thinking "Fm7 Bbm7 Eb7 Abmaj Dbmaj" just think "vi ii V I IV in Ab" (All the Things You
Are) It's "linguistically" easier. Compare this :
"F minor seventh, B flat minor seventh, E flat seventh, A flat major seventh, D flat major seventh"
...or simply : "six, two, five, one, four in A flat"
Listen to different versions of the same jazz standard. You may hear a new "take" on the melody that
makes more sense to you. You may also discover that not all recording are in the same key or in the
same style or in the same time signature, or at the same tempo... which means that you need to...
Make a harmonic analysis on paper. Identify the differences / similarities between different
interpretations of jazz artists. Work with roman numerals again. Identify the different key centers (if
you hear more than one) and look for the "big picture" of the chord changes.
Chord melody is the "ultimate last step". It requires a solid foundation on the tunes in your ears and
mind, meaning a good understanding / hearing of :
-Melody/form
-Root motion
-Chord changes / scales
-Your instrument
... and many possible inner implications / applications of all of the above!
Work on chord melodies on the tunes that you really love deeply.
I hope this helps,

Practice Well,
Marc-A
Very Fast Tempos
Question by Laurent
(France)
Hi from France and thanks for sharing.
I've been playing as a professional musician for 20 years now and it's still very hard for me to play up
tempos in relaxed way. I'm working with the metronome on 2 and 4 at 240 BPM and more... I'm stuck
and I don't know how to get it right ...
Thanks
_________
Bonjour Laurent,
This is an excellent question because up tempos are hard for everyone... even experienced musicians
like you. There's always a struggle with fast tempos (tempi) : we're trying to play the same kind of stuff
we usually play much slower, thinking "if I can do this @ 120, why not at 300?". So, we go for it,
musically speaking, and botch a few good lines then somehow we tense up and that's when things start
to go wrong...
...so, here's my first advice : Relax!
Stay loose and let it flow. Breath well and keep good posture; we're often unaware of our bodies as we
play faster and faster. Remember that speed and accuracy comes from a still and peaceful place. Try
just this at first : set the metronome on 2&4, pick the guitar up and try to stay relaxed! Then play a few
notes and watch what happens. Only when you can play fast tempos while remaining with a loose body
and a calm mind, is the time to start practicing very fast music.
And that is my second piece of advice : practice up-tempos! It won't come naturally that's for sure. I
believe it's because faster songs are just not "in our ears" so much. I'm just speculating here but 90% of
music is probably in the 100-200 BPM zone. Up tempos songs are the exception, not the rule. So, you
have to dedicate some time and practice very fast music. Please do work on up-tempos as a whole
"topic of study" in itself.
This kind of patience and dedication will make you realize that you can (and should) play very
differently when confronted with this situation.
It becomes clear that you simply cannot "blow" the same kind of material at faster tempos. Don't expect
to improvise on Bb blues one day and "crank it up" slowly, playing all the same lines and licks @ 80,
120... or 400 by the end of the day. It doesn't work like that! Your phrasing along with your rhythmic
and melodic ideas need to adopt to a different type of pacing. For example : I'd bet the faster it gets,
the more quarter notes you play in your solos (and the less 16ths and triplets lines come out
righteously!) Same phenomenon happens when performing a ballad, or a waltz : your musical
vocabulary has to adjust to the situation!
Simply remember that fast tempos are just a different "reality" in themselves; you have to work on "it"
in order to get "it". Here's some more food for thoughts...
Listen to the Masters Doing IT
There's nothing like having a solid reference of good music. Listening to great classic FAST albums is
priceless. Observe carefully and try to understand how the musicians "felt the time" in order to keep the
up tempos groovy and light.
Some listening suggestions :

• Miles Davis : Four & More
• Sonny Rollins : The Bridge and/or Saxophone Colossus
• Wes Montgomery : The Incredible Jazz Guitar
• Brandford Marsalis Renaissance and/or Braggtown
• Wynton Marsalis : Live at the House of Tribes
• Keith Jarrett : any standards (trio) album
Try to "walk in their shoes" : how do you think Miles Davis felt the time when he soloed or counted the
tune in? Try to feel the levels of subdivisions (the quarter note pulse, the half-notes, the whole-notes, 2-
bars, etc.) I believe jazz master have a very deep connection with all rhythmic levels, that's why up-
tempos can sound so good!
It won't be obvious but you have to try and expand your perception of time when listening to fast
tunes. The more options you have (perceptions) of the same thing, the easier it's going to get (and the
freer you will become)... Reflecting about this as I'm writing these lines : in general it's probably more
about subdivisions than anything.(ie with what kind of "feel" we subdividing chunks of time passing by
when we play music.) Speaking of which...
Metronome for Fast Tempos
Working with the metronome is a good habit in general for working stuff out (for me, anyways.) "Two
and four" may simply not be appropriate for everything though... It may put you in a corner and "box
you in" too much to hear the other rhythmic possibilities. As we reflected upon earlier, (and as jazz
history teaches us) we have to perceive the time passing by in a different way in order to free ourselves
up. Let's create many options to work from. Some will be harder than others, in the end, you'll want to
use what works best for you.
How about the metronome as clicking only "once-a-bar"? Let it be beat "one" of every bar : thus
outlining the whole notes, a very important "rhythmic gradient". As you do this, remember that a
metronome set at 50 BPM means a "real" tempo of 200 BPM. You have to subdivide carefully
throughout (hence optimizing your perception of "time".)
Then you may start thinking of setting the metronome on ANY eighth-note in the bar : you have 8
possibilities if the metronome is still clicking only "once-a-bar". It can be on beat "one", or it can be on
the "and of one", or it can be on beat "two", or it can be on (etc.) Get it?
The easier beats to work with are the strong ones (such as "one" and "three"). Start with that. All other
beats (including the "and"s) will be much harder to control. Be patient. After working on all of this at
fast tempos, I'm sure your perception and time/feel will greatly improve. Only after using the click
"once-a-bar" can you try to use the metronome as clicking "twice-a-bar". You were already doing it
with the good old "2 & 4", now you can even set it at 4 different "locations" in the bar. (repeat the
process used 3 paragraphs ago!)
Wrap Up
It's probably just a coincidence but I've also been dwelling into up tempos much much more recently.
At a weekly trio gig that I play in a restaurant (a french bistro in fact!), we try to play at least one, more
often two VERY up tunes per set... and I'm talking about 300 and up!
We all struggle a little bit but we learn from the experience each time. By the way, it works well as the
last short tune at the end of a set (often blues or rhythm changes type of tunes). So, in the end, the
more you do it the easier it becomes! (a simple but effective practice strategy for almost everything in
life.)
I hope it helps,
Marc-A
To summarize all of this :

-First and foremost : RELAX. (most important advice on this page!)
-Then : Work on up tempos as a different "topic" a bit everyday.
-Also : listen to great fast recordings, work with metronome creatively.
-Obviously : Do lots of fast playing to be prepared for gigs.
PS : Another Idea
I know it's already part of the answer up there, but I wanted to add this thing I've been practicing a lot
recently. When setting the metronome to click "once-a-bar", my favourite, logical and most
comfortable choice is beat 3 :
-It's "quarter time"

-It's the "backbeat" of each bar of 4/4
-It's the "2&4" of the half time tempo.
-Allows me to phrase in "swinging half time"
So, if I want to practice blues @ 400 BPM I set the the metronome at 100, count myself in and perceive
this as being 2&4. Then, I just have to feel everything passing by twice as fast in my head. (6 bar blues
anyone?!). I like the liberty of phrasing the setting gives me.
Here's the video where I practice like this...

http://youtu.be/pZFlkPOI1CI
Blues Lines over Standards
Question by Phil
(Livonia, Michigan, U.S.A.)
Hi Marc,
Just found your site. Very informative. Great video clips. My question is about your "blues" scales
video when playing a straight blues. Is there some formal way you use these ideas to get blues lines
into a jazz standard?
Phil
_______________
(Here's the video for those of you who didn't watch it)
Hello Phil,
That is a great question and the answer is yes and no at the same time! Let me explain : Yes, blues line
can and should be played in improvisation on jazz standards.
...but...
No : there's not really any formal way to go about that. Here's some food for thoughts...
Listening (to yourself and to others)
The first and most obvious way you can "plug in" blues lines over standards is by using your ears and
your own judgement : Play what feels right for you and listen, listen, listen! The amount of "blues
stuff" in one's improvised solo (over non-blues form, of course) is a matter of personal taste and
musical context.
Secondly, listening to your favourite jazz musicians(live or on recordings) can also guide your aesthetic
choice vis-a-vis your blues lines playing. (I know, this point should have been mentioned first! I still
wanted to stress the "personal taste" factor first though...)
See how Wes Montgomery played simple, tasty blues lines on standard tunes such as "Yesterdays" and
"Days of Wine and Roses". Wes being the "perfect" example, it's also advisable to check out other jazz
guitarists for kind of playing : Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, etc. More modern players such as
Metheny and Scofield also use generous amounts of blues in their improvisation over standards. Check
them out! (Non-guitar jazzers with bluesy feel : Oscar Peterson (piano), Clifford Brown (trumpet),
Julian "Canonball" Aderley (sax), etc.)
Now, that being said...
The Meaning of the Blues
In fact, other than making personal choices and listening to great players, you have to ask yourself why
you wish to supplement your playing with blues. Everyone has their own reasons for doing so. The
general tendency, I believe, is playing blues phrases to create an authentic, "funky", catchy, down to
earth and honest feeling in improvisation.
Pat Metheny once said in a interview that he played blues all the time. NOT as an idiom per se (or with
"cliché lines" and licks) ... but more on the human level. He explains that this is how he "sings his own
song" so to speak. Metheny also commented on the most successful blues player out there : they can
effectively express their reality and human condition through their playing by using the blues. It can be
seen as a "cry" of sort, if you'll excuse the expression. So it really isn't about "the notes", but more
about the feeling expressed through the blues.
Pheww... lots of stuff to think about, huh?! Let's now lighten up with some playing advice.
Playing Suggestions
Jump right in and play blues stuff on non-blues form! A few great starting points :
1. Rhythm Changes
Begin by treating the first four bars as "major blues" and next four bars as "minor blues". Tunes
such as "I Got Rhythm" "Anthropology" "Cotton Tail" and "Oleo". Listen to Sonny Stitts (sax)
improvising over rhythm changes tunes, it's scary!
2. On "Bluesy" Jazz Heads
Seek out jazz tunes that have blues implications in the melody (NOT standards aka "show
tunes" that come from the Broadway era!) Tunes by jazz musicians such as : Horace Silver,
Wayne Shorter, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, etc.
3. On "Sitting" Dominant Chords
That's what comes the closest to playing on an actual blues form. Seek out sections of standard
tunes with 4 or 8 bars of just one dominant chord. The first tune that comes to mind is "Sweet
Georgia Brown" ...and finally...
4. On Standards
I suggest you pick songs that stay in minor key for a while at first. It's always easier to imply
blues in minor! Tunes such as :, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise, Yesterdays,, Autumn Leaves,
Alone Together, etc.
Later on, you can even try to add blues (in a tasteful manner) to real, straight-ahead standards with
major II-V and II-V-I progressions. The rule of thumb should be to use the "major blues" on a major
progression.
For example : Dm7 G7 to Cmaj --> use C "major blues" aka A "minor blues"
But then again, listen to the "greats" and you'll hear them break the rules every time (with taste,
always!) These are just suggestions, of course. I'm sure you could find dozens of different ideas to fit
your own style and where you want your blues phrases to go in the big picture. The point is you have to
work at it for "it" to become interesting.
On the same note :
Don't sacrifice the feel or expressiveness of your lines for the sake or "correct" not choices when
playing blues phrases. It's about "singing your own song" as Metheny says.
And let's put it this way :

It's your own voice that should shine through, not "idiomatic and technical connectedness" of
blues playing. Simply go for it!
Balance is Key: Too Much is Like Not Enough
No matter how much you like playing bluesy, always remember that your blues lines have to be "mixed
in" with some regular changes-oriented improvisation!This especially holds true for blowing on
"standards" from the Broadway era in which the proportion of blues stuff should be kept to a decent
minimum. (Here again, it's just my opinion.)
Even when improvising on actual blues form (12-bar or other), you can't go on and play material that
comes strictly from blues scales (it would sound redundant and tasteless!) You have to play a balance
between changes/scales/arpeggios and blues sounding phrases. A great quote on the use of too many
blues notes :
"The old folks would say, `The person who curses
a lot has the fewest words at their command`"
-Barry Harris, legendary jazz pianist
Final Advice
(if your remember only one thing in this article, this should be it)
In the end, if you play a lot of blues songs (and I mean a lot), this "sound" will permeate into your
improvisation over jazz standards. Learn to properly express yourself on "real" blues, and this intuitive
approach will guide the rest of your playing...
I hope this helps,

Practic well and blues it up!
Marc-A Seguin
How do I get "THE" jazz sound ?
Question by Brian
(Wisconsin)
I just got a Ibanez AF75D hoping to finally find that jazz sound. I plugged the AF up to my Peavey
Windsor Studio expecting a miracle I guess but all I got was a pretty standard guitar sound. I am
guessing that my settings need to be tweaked but have no idea where to start and am tired of chasing
my tail. Please help!!!!!!
____
Hello Brian,
I'm sorry to hear your deception with a newly acquired instrument... that happens sometimes. Here's
food for thoughts.
Tone is in the Fingers

Most of the time, it's not the "guitar's fault". It's because you're not used to the instrument reacting in
this fashion to the way you play. With patience and some work, I'm sure you can come to love your
AF75D plugged in the Peavey tube amp. Tone comes from the fingers : you play and therefore create
the music that comes out. The guitar, amp and effects are merely "channelling" your musical ideas. Set
the amp, stop worrying and see if you can make your musical voice shine through the rig. And
eventually you'll realize that...
...the "jazz sound" comes from you!
Gear in History
There are great historical examples of famous musicians playing and recording on badly "out of shape"
instruments... still sounding amazing like they always do. There's Charlie Parker concert (recorded in
Toronto) where he played a PLASTIC saxophone; no kidding. He sounded as good, if not better than
when he was using a high grade European sax. In short, if the music is great then the gear used doesn't
really matter. Give Wes Montgomery a toothbrush and he'll make music out of it...
Try this...
That's how I proceed when playing with instruments I'm not 100% satisfied with :
1 - Set the guitar and amp to reasonable settings. Make it as "flat" as possible EQ (with no effects.)
2 - Play for a while. Try to forget about your newly acquired rig. Don't tweak, play. Play more; 5-10-15
minutes. Let go and let your ears bathe in the sound. Don't touch the knobs!
3 - When you've identified (by ear) what you'd like to change in the sound, tweak. Go for minimal
adjustments on ONE setting at a time. Often too much bass is the problem.
Repeat step 2-3 and make sure you move the knobs "little by little" and that you play and listen a whole
lot to what you're playing. You may end up liking one setting more than you would have expected.
Sometimes, one tweaking will even make you play differently. For example, if I put more gain, I tend to
pick lighter. Also, if there's too much bass, I tend to pick near the bridge most of the time, it's
"twangier". (and so on...)
Final note : it's not because a guitar "looks and smells" like that jazz that it will sound that way to you. I
know a lot of great local jazz guitarists playing telecasters and others solid bodied guitars.
I hope this helps,

Marc-A Seguin
PS : I tried this Ibanez AF75D, it looks and sounds good. Not really my thing but still a good
instrument. The thing you have to remember here is : it's still a guitar that costs a lot less than 500$.
With many "jazz guitars" models on the market ranging from a hundred the many thousands bucks, you
get what you pay for.
Rhythm Patterns for duo/trio

Question by Pierre
(Angers, FRANCE)
Hi/bonjour Marc,
First, thanks a lot for your amazing work and great help! This site is very informative and well made.
I've been playing guitar for quite many years and jazz for just a few. Playing with an other guitarist as a
duo, I often have the feeling that my comping/accompanying patterns are poor and repetitive. If I try to
do something more complex (using more subs/pedals/inversions/reharmonisation), I'm afraid of
confusing the soloist...
Would you give us some clues about accompanying in a duo or trio formation (no bass player)?
I know the question is a bit too open, but I'd like to know your feeling.
Thanks again,
Pierre
___
Hello Pierre,
I know it's been a long while since you asked your question, but I really wanted to provide a thorough
answer (with video and all!) Alors, voilà : c'est fait!
In order to create more interesting comping in small jazz ensembles, I think it's necessary to consider
the *rhythmic* aspects first. Here, I just published a video and PDF (online) containing five key jazz
rhythms for you to practice...
If you become agile with the rhythms and placement (even displacement) everything should be fine
with your accompaniments.
More Suggestions
Of course, creating interest in comping while remaining "appropriate" for the situation is not just about
rhythms. Here are other points to keep in mind.
• Study Harmony
Learn new chord shapes and memorize progressions daily. Be aware of voice leading
(especially the upper note) and imitate the jazz legends. The more you know...
• Know the Tune
Usually, memorizing the tune at hand is helpful. I find I always comp better when I've been
playing a certain song for a long time. It seems like the chords "play themselves" (plus I have
more brain processing power to listen...)
• Listening
While comping always listen to everything that's happening around. Keep in mind your chordal
playing is part of the "big picture" of sound coming from the ensemble.
• Interaction
Simply listen and go with the flow of the soloist (or the other player when in duo). Hopefully,
your comping will sound close to a conversation. When it's perfectly balanced, you should feel
as is your music is merely reacting to others!
• (Hard) Play in different keys
I find I always comp better when I worked on the tune in 5 keys or so. It seems like my ears and
brain process the chord progression in a "functional" way (instead of moving from shape to
shape on the guitar...)
I sincerely hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions (post a comment here) and
I'll try and be quicker on answering this time. (-;
A bientôt,
Marc-A
Jazz Phrasing for Guitar
Question by Joe
(England)
Hi, really getting a lot from your website, your a good teacher :-) One thing that I'm struggling to find
on the net is lessons on jazz phrasing. Say I've learned the scales and understand the theory of
reflecting the chord or scale of the moment in a tune. I have developed my own style that am quite
happy with, as it's my own unique sound, but I'd quite like to learn some more be-bop phrasing.
I love to listen to sax players, I love the phrasing they use on notes, (those lil' ornamental runs, where
the notes sound like they're folding in on each other)- so I guess I'd like to learn some common be-bop
phrasing for the guitar.
Any help would be much appreciated, cheers.

Joe
___
Hello Joe,
Phrasing and articulation could be the topic of an entire book (or website, who knows?!)... but there's
certainly a reason why we don't find any. What do you think? To me, explaining the concept of "jazz
phrasing" would be the same as trying to describe the difference between an American accent, a British
accent and an Australian one ... to someone that speaks only Polish!
I believe that jazz phrasing is like that. You have to "speak jazz" in order to cope the saxophone-ish
accent that you like to hear. And the best part is, every player has a different "accent" in phrasing and
articulation (depending on instrument, aesthetic choices and historical era). ...that being said...
I believe that their are ways to work on your own jazz phrasing. But I, of course, can only give you a
direction, not the whole path. First of all, I like the image you used about "notes folding on each other".
If you like that sound, identify where you heard it (what album, what player, what solo, etc.) and learn
it. As simple as that. You can learn jazz phrasing by imitating the great jazz players that you love
listening to. See the transcription article.
Secondly, you will surely notice that great jazz players seldom use "plain old" scales. There's much
more chromaticism going on in their playing (especially sax and trumpet). Many techniques can be
used to achieve a greater degree of chromaticism in your playing. The first one I always suggest is
using bebop scales. It's a rhythmical approach to scales and jazz lines.
Finally, it's clear that both approaches (imitating jazz recordings and using bebop scales) and inevitably
connected to rhythms. The more you work on rhythms, accentuation of certain beats, anticipations,
swing, triplets, hemiolas, odd time signatures (etc.) the better your personal jazz phrasing will be.
I hope it helps your phrasing. Good luck and practice well.

Marc-Andre Seguin
PS:
Oh! And I almost forgot to mention : To me, jazz phrasing on the guitar is greatly enhanced by the use
of a diagonal style/technique of playing lines. Read the article on diagonal playing.
Basic Lesson Plan (Or "What should I work on first?")
Question by Ron Simon
(King of Prussia PA USA)
Hello Marc-
A few months back I wrote you a long "story of my life" Email and you supplied a wonderful answer.
(Which I really must re-read.) You know- the 59 year old guy who always played "a little" and always
wished he could play "for real" who wants to start again. (Half your site members.) So- I am building
some finger independence and using a basic method (Gibson's "Learn and Master Guitar" series which
I am teaching myself, solely from their printed material) and I can sight read simple material in the
first position. I can finger essentially all the basic "cowboy chords" at modest tempos, but would need
to practice a bit to use them in some tunes.
I find I am able to practice 2-3 times per week (and could improve with some discipline) but I often
lay off for a week using a variety of excuses (some legitimate, some not). I've been at it about three
months. When I sit down to play I tend to default to my finger independence exercises ("warmups" to
relax and control my left hand) then play the last exercises of Gibson's session four (all of which I can
play consistently at 70 bpm except for the ascending and descending scale in octaves ie. F - F' - G - G'
A - A' etc in eighth notes - I have to slow this down a bit to be consistent) then work at a simple tune
(its coming) for about a half hour and that covers a 90 minute span.
I've stayed with this for a while, and I need to move on a bit. Aside from the method book (which will
be very traditional guitar student material) what would be a valuable next step? What sort of material
(especially that might be a relevant pre-requisite for jazz) would you suggest to a student to work on
as a next step to "get the fingers on the right notes"? (For example - begin practicing scales to learn
the fretboard? )
Thank you for doing what you do Marc- you have already been incredibly generous and we out here
appreciate it greatly.
Ron S. in PA
_____
Hello Ron,
Thank you for the nice message and questions.
Hmmm... Let me think... We both know that I could write here for a few paragraphs and prescribe
many *precise things* for you to work on. I could even suggest a whole routine that could last 10
years! (-: But instead, I'm merely going to point my fingers towards a vague direction to help you.
(It'll make lots of sense by the end of my answer, I promise!)
From what I understand, people learning something in life generally try to get the next step "right".
They want to know exactly what to do after this stage... that's why method books work so well with
humans. But, learning music is far removed from assembling an IKEA shelf. There's no "perfect" next
step for you to take. You could literally go on and do anything, as long as you keep playing.
There's nothing wrong with getting organized and improving your discipline, that's for sure. But keep
in mind that music stuff lays "in no particular order". Here's a little help to decipher my "Zen master
mystical stuff" (and I'm always trying to AVOID sounding like that!)
1- Passion
Do you really like what you play when you take up the guitar on your lap and sprint through the
exercises in the Gibson book? Are those things emerging from a pure "passion" standpoint? You
should always keep your heart involved in practice. Some people will have tears when playing chord
melody stuff... while others simply like to play fast. You may enjoy Wes bluesy stuff.. or simply be a
freak for "free" jazz... all is good!
So, what's in it for you? What does your heart say? Personally, I really love when it "connects". You
know, playing with two or three friends and you can feel the magic in the music. There's an intangible
interaction between the musicians. That does it for me. Of course, I understand that when working
through a method, you won't necessarily be in love with each individual exercise. BUT, the general
direction of this endeavor should be something you pursue with passion.
2- The Ears
Do you think there's any way you could organize your "practice time" so it'd be more ear-oriented? In
the end, it's really what it's all about. We *LISTEN* to music (no matter how our fingers move).
Working on "ear stuff" a little bit everyday will improve everything else, guaranteed.
Examples : Can you sing the major scale ascending and descending? Can you sing/hum the exercises
you practice? Can you sing? (-: What about the bass notes? (the root of each chord) Try singing a
decent blues bass line. Try singing a decent bass line over a standard.
3- Ring of Truth
Lastly, the time you dedicate to music should be spent on something you "believe in" somehow. For
example : You may encounter a friend or teacher that had an epiphany and suggested you try this-or-
that exercise. It promises to TRIPLE your agility (or whatever). You get to it and practice the exercise
a few days with minimal interest. You just don't understand how this could make you improve. STOP
using this exercise then!
All your music stuff is related to some kind of a universal "musical truth". You understand how it
works and *WHY* there's an urge for you to practice this right now. (or else you'll just stop using this
exercise). It must come from an epiphany YOU had, not anyone else. I think it comes down to having
to discover your own "truths". Obviously, it varies tremendously from individual to individual. It will
also change with time. So, stick to the things that you feel are universal and will do good to *your*
playing, whatever everyone else thinks about it.
I hope these three simple little things will help you in deciding what to do next in your practice,
Marc-Andre Seguin
Melodic Minor Scale
Question by David
(Germany)
Dear Marc-Andre,
Congratulations to your website. It has been very useful and sparked my interest in playing jazz music.
I have heard that the melodic minor scale is played differently ascending and descending. I think when
it is played ascending the third note is lowered (b3) but when it is played descending the tones of the
natural minor scale are used. Is this true, and if yes, would you recommend to practice arpeggios (for
instance 1-3-5) in two ways?
-------------
Hello David,
Thank you for the nice words.
Yes, you are right about the two different versions (ascending and descending) of the melodic minor
scale. This is the way it is perceived and used in a "classical sense", more or less. Throughout my
website, and in jazz in general, we think of melodic minor as the ascending version only (1 2 b3 4 5 6
7). It's often called "jazz minor" or "tonic minor"
I would recommend that you practice arpeggios *only in one way* at first and learn the jazz minor as
is. Then it would be good to re-do the same process in harmonic minor and in natural minor. Doing so,
you will encounter all the different functions of what is sometimes called the "mixed minor" ...
... for example : the IV chord can be either dominant 7th (melodic minor) or a minor 7th (harmonic and
natural minor). You will find a few different II chords, a few different VI chords, and so on. It's great to
be aware of the different possibilities and be able to hear/use them in context.
That would be a great topic for an entire book! I recommend "Modern Harmonic Technique" by
Gordon Delamont. The author really dissects (and then puts back together) all the components of
chords and how they work in progressions.
I hope this helps,

Marc-Andre Seguin
PS:
Soooo... in general : keep the same version of arpeggios your are practicing when ascending and
descending. (-:
About The Author
Hi, I'm Marc-Andre Seguin, a Montreal based jazz guitarist, composer and educator.
I build, edit and maintain JazzGuitarLessons.net to help other musicians. Here, guitarists can learn to
play jazz and achieve greater levels of confidence and expression on this wonderful instrument. I
started this website in January 2009 because I wanted to contribute (in my very own way) to jazz
education. My goal is to help guitarists deal with the apparently overwhelming task of playing jazz
convincingly.
When I first looked up and searched the Internet, I didn't find many actual full-time jazz guitar players
sharing their wisdom. Most websites had (and still have) minimal information and lots of advertising ...
I figured : might as well start a genuine website myself and share the best jazz guitar lessons with the
world! After all, my career is in jazz performance, I have a passion for teaching and I know computers
enough to build a website.
So what's the story?

Prior to building JazzGuitarLessons.net I studied and taught rock, classical and jazz music for over a
decade. My main areas of studies are classical music, jazz performance and composition. Of course, the
"real" truth is that I started playing guitar as a rebel teenager, like most of us did starting out, right?! (-:
After a few years of rock and roll and rebellion (I must admit, it got old fast...) I decided to go ahead
and aim at a musical career full-time. I took it very seriously, started to read music and study diligently,
mostly by teaching myself through the Berklee books. I then attempted formal studies in music at the
prestigious University of Ottawa. By the way : I was born and raised in the Gatineau (Quebec) area,
which is real close to Ottawa, Canada's capital... That city is wonderful for anything and everything
related to classical music. The Ottawa area was also practical because it allowed me to teach quite a lot
whil studying at the University. I taught guitar roughly 5 or 6 years in Ottawa (mostly rock music to
beginners and/or teenagers). So, I finally graduated from uOttawa with a B.A. in music in my early
twenties. Yay! The emphasis of this degree was on classical music history, theory, orchestration and
repertoire. I was young with a paper in hand (my cherished degree!) and I was eager to "make it", if
you'll excuse the expression.
New City = New Beginnings!

No, not New York ... I moved to Montreal soon after my studies in classical music. It's only a 2 hour
drive from Ottawa, but it was a rather big deal for the young man that I was (and for my whole family
for that matter!) Why did I move might you ask? Well... Jazz music was literally consuming me at the
time and I really wanted to study with great Canadian jazzmen. This is the period of my life when my
ears were flooded with sounds from Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, John Coltrane and Dave Holland
recordings (to name just a few). Aaahhh... I remember dreaming of the smoky jazz clubs and late nights
jam sessions in Montreal. In fact, a law here now forbids smoking in public spaces, including jazz
clubs. "C'est la vie!"
After 3 years of adapting and studying in Montreal, I finally graduated (once more!) from Concordia
University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (specializing in jazz studies). At this renowned institution, I
studied with some highly respected jazz musicians, namely : Chris McCann, Charles Ellison, Gary
Schwartz, Dave Turner, Michael Berard and Andrew Homzy.
So... what now?
I still live in Montreal and enjoy it very much. The jazz scene is very "happening" up here! I've been
very fortunate enough to play gigs in and around town (often weekly gigs) and make music for a living.
I don't have a "9-to-5" job, or a "side job". I decide on my own schedule and that is probably what I
cherish the most about my lifestyle (outside of the *act* of playing and composing, of course.)
I also teach to round things off, budget-wise. As you may know, musicians seldom get the best wages...
(sad but true) but music teachers make a decent living, usually. So, after graduating with music degrees
twice (classical and jazz) and working as a professional jazz musician for a few years, I launched
JazzGuitarLessons.net from my humble teaching studio.
So ... Why a website then?

I have a passion for teaching and I had the opportunity of sharing my knowledge with some great and
hard-working students. I had the "sacred fire" for tutoring and helping other guitarists ever since I
started playing.
So, again : Why a website? I figured that the Internet would reach much more musicians than I could
ever dream of! I liked the idea of publishing exercises, articles and tunes (etc.) that are available 24/7,
throughout the world! I already had my personal website but I felt it wasn't appropriate for tons of great
jazz guitar content ... (see www.MarcAndreSeguin.com)
I was very excited about the whole concept so in the summer of 2008 I wrote a bunch of instructional
articles for jazz guitar. I posted them on a bad website that had less traffic than an abandoned road...
Fail !!!
At that time, I didn't have the proper tools, mindset and understanding of how successful websites
work. I was thinking : "Ok. So, I'll just upload pages and exercises and then try to self-publish my own
eBook. I'll reach thousands and might as well be rich in like 2-3 months ... Yeah. That'll do it."
You may laugh (at me or with me), but that was really my perspective on the whole "www" thing! I
believed I could just "put stuff on" the web and let it work itself out (with no attention to formatting,
visuals or search engines, etc.) I was eager to do it properly, so I finally found a friendly and logical
way of uploading and sharing jazz guitar lessons on the web around Christmas 2008. This "thing" does
all the legwork and lets me focus on reaching jazz guitarists (visitors) through my online lessons.
The "thing" is called Site Build It! (aka SBI!) and it works for real.
And now...
As I'm writing these lines JazzGuitarLessons.net has a little more than 40 pages and its traffic is ever
growing. I received positive feedback and suggestions from people all around the world! I'm very
happy with the way JazzGuitarLessons.net is doing. (Summer 2009)
[January 2010 update : over 100 pages.] [August 2010 update : over 150 pages, almost 10 000 unique
visitors a month, many satisfied Skype students etc.] [April 2011 update : large and increasing traffic.
Many satisfied Skype students and consultations by emails etc.] [July 2011 update : about 1000 daily
unique visitors and growing. On the verge of releasing the new website look&feel.]
Thank you for reading a little about me and about JazzGuitarLessons.net! See you soon.
Marc-Andre Seguin
All the Things You Are
JazzGuitarLessons.Net
Arr. Marc-A Seguin Jerome Kern
    
Fm7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^
         
Fm11 Bbm11 Eb7#5 Eb7 Eb7b5 Eb7b9 Abmaj13
8fr 8fr 6fr 6fr 6fr 8fr 8fr
9 8

9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8
  
Db^ G7 C^ [G7]
          
Db% Db6 Dbmaj13 Db6 G7b9 G7b9 Cmaj9 Dbdim7 C6 Bdim7
4fr 4fr 4fr 3fr 2fr
6fr 6fr 5fr 6fr

6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5
  
Cm7 Fm7 Bb7 Eb^
           
Cm11 Fm11 Bb9 Bb7b9 Bb7 Bb7b9 Ebmaj13
3fr 3fr 3fr 3fr 3fr
3fr
4 3

4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3
  
Ab^ D7 G^
    
3
          
Abmaj9 Abmaj7 Ab6 Am11 D7 Gmaj9 Gmaj7
3fr 3fr
4fr
10

1 1 1 1 3 4 3 0 8
5 5 7
9 8 7
   
Am7 D7 G^
        
  
Am11 Bbdim7 Am7 D13 Gmaj9 Abdim7 G6
8fr 7fr 7fr 7fr 7fr
8fr 7fr
10 9 8 8 7 7

8
8 9 7
2
   
F#m7 B7 E^ C7
      
 
F#m11 B7b9 Emaj9 Fdim7 E6 C7b9#5
7fr 6fr
8fr 8fr 7fr 6fr
7 5 5

9
8 9
   
Fm7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^
          
Fm11 Bbm11 Eb7#5 Eb7 Eb7b5 Eb7b9 Abmaj13
8fr 8fr
6fr 6fr 6fr 8fr 8fr
9 8

9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8
  
Db^ Dbm7 Cm7 Bº7
 
   
3
     
Dbmaj9 Dbmaj7 Dbm9 Cm9 Cm Cm[maj7] Cm7 Cm6 Bdim7
6fr 6fr 9fr 7fr
8fr 8fr 8fr 8fr 6fr
11 9

6 8 6
8 8 8 8 8
      
Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^ [GØ C7]
    

Db Eb9 Eb7b9 Ab6
9fr 11fr 14fr 16fr
9 13 15 16

9
10
11
JazzGuitarLessons.net - Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher

Basic Chord Chart
3
JazzGuitarLessons.net - Improve Your Jazz Guitar
Playing with a Real Teacher
8fr 6fr 6fr 4fr
Fm7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^


                 
4fr 3fr 3fr 2fr
Db^ Dm9 G13 C^9


                 
8fr 8fr 6fr 5fr
Cm7 Fm7 Bb7 Eb^


                  
4fr 5fr 5fr 3fr
Ab^ Am7 D7 G^

                  
5fr 5fr 3fr
Am7 D7 G^

                  
7fr 7fr 6fr 10fr 8fr
F#m7 B7 E^ GØ C7(b13)

                  
8fr 6fr 6fr 4fr
Fm7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^


                  
4fr 9fr 8fr 6fr
Db^ Dbm7 Cm7 Bº7


                  
Bbm7 Eb7 Ab6 [GØ C7(b13)]


                 
Autumn Leaves
Chord Melody from JazzGuitarLessons.net
Arr. Marc-A Seguin Kosma and Mercer
  
Cm7 F7 Bb^ Eb^
  
        
  
8fr 7fr 6fr 5fr

8 7 7
5 7 8 5 7 5
8 6 8
  
AØ D7 Gm [G7]
      
  
Gm6 G7(#5)
5fr 4fr
8fr

8 10 11
5 3
4
5 7
  
Cm7 F7 Bb^ Eb^
    
     
Cm11 F9 F7(#5) Bbmaj9 Ddim7 Ebmaj9 Eb6
11 10 10 3

6 8 10 4 6
  
AØ D7 Gm
       

Am7b5 D7b9 D7b9 D7b9 D7b9(b13) Gm6 F#dim7 Gm6
7fr 7fr 4fr 7fr 4fr
8 5 8 6 3

7 8
JazzGuitarLessons.Net - Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher

2
 
AØ D7 Gm [G7]
            
Am7b5 D7 Gm6 G7b9 G7(#5)
5fr 6fr 7fr 8fr
5fr
5 5 5 5 6

8 11 10 11
7
   
Cm7 F7 Bb^ Eb^
     
 
Cm7 F7b9 Bbmaj9 Ddim7 Ebmaj9
8 13 11 10 9 10

10
  
AØ D7 Gm7 C7 Fm7 Bb7
       
 
Am7b5 D7b9
11fr 8fr
11 11 11 10 10 10

13 13 10 8
10 9 8 7
8 8 6 6
  
Eb7 D7 Gm [G7]
   
  
Eb13 D7b9 Gm6

5fr 5fr
8 6 5 6 3

3
Basic Chord Chart
3
JazzGuitarLessons.net
Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher
8fr 7fr 6fr 5fr
A Cm7 F9 Bb^13 Eb^9

                
4fr 4fr 3fr
AØ D7(b9) Gm6 [G7(#5)]


                
optional
8fr 7fr 6fr 5fr
A Cm7 F9 Bb^13 Eb^9


                
4fr 4fr
AØ D7(b9) Gm6

                
4fr 4fr
B AØ D7(b9) Gm6

                
8fr 7fr 6fr 5fr
Cm7 F9 Bb^13 Eb^9


                
8fr 8fr 6fr 4fr
4fr 4fr
C AØ D7(b9) Gm9 C13 Fm9 Bb13


                
5fr 4fr 3fr
Eb9 D7(b9) Gm6 [G7(#5)]


                
optional
Blue in Green
JazzGuitarLessons.net Miles Davis
Improve Your Jazz Guitar
   
Gm13 A7[åÁ] b9 Dm9 Db9 Cm9 F13(b9)

Ballad
      
8fr 5fr 5fr 3fr 3fr
8fr 6fr 7fr


12 10 8 6 5 3 10

6

Bb^(#11) A7[åÁ] Dm%(11) E7[áÆ]
  
   
      
5fr 7fr 3fr
5fr 8fr
5 8 8 4

5 6 10 8 6
7 6 7
  
Am9 Dm9 Gm13 A7(#9) Dm%
         
5fr 10fr ending only 3fr


7 5 13 9 12 10 8 6 5

2
Chord progression for solos (it's twice as fast as when melody is played)
 
Gm7 A7 Dm7 Cm7 F7 Bb^ A7 Dm7 E7 Am7 Dm7
               
B¨Œ„Š7(#11) A7(b13)
G‹13 A7(b13) D‹9 C‹9 F13 D‹9 E7[åÁ] A‹9 D‹9
5fr
5fr 3fr 3fr 6fr 5fr 10fr
 
  

This is what I did in the video on JazzGuitarLessons.net, the solos being "5-bar long".
Not everybody plays it like that though. Ask you bandmates and listen.
Arr. Marc-A Seguin Body and Soul Green / Heyman / Sour / Eyton
Chord Melody from JazzGuitarLessons.net

A Ebm7
   
    
Bb7(b9) Ebm7 Ab7 Db^ Gb7 Fm7 Eº7
                 
4fr 6fr

optional

6 6 11 9 8

4 6 4 6 9 11 9 11 9 11
8
      
Ebm7 /Db CØ F7(b9) Bbm7 Ebm7 Ab7 3

1. 2.
Em7 A7
         
Db6 Bb7(b9) Db6
  
     
3 4fr
7fr 4fr 4fr 2fr 3fr 2fr 2fr 2fr
6fr 4fr 6fr 3fr


9 6 1 1 4 4 6

7 4 2 4 5 2 2
3
 
B D^
    
Em7 D/F# Gm7 C7 F#m7 B7 Em7 A7 D^
   
           
  


5fr 5fr 5fr
0 2 5 5 5 10 10

3 10 10 8 7 7 5
11 7 6 2
       
Dm7 G7 C^ Ebº7 Dm7 G7 C7 B7 Bb7
                      
  
8fr 7fr
5 5 5 12 12 7 10 10 6

3 5 6 10 13 13 10 12 12 8
9 8 7
         
A Ebm7 Bb7(b9) Ebm7 Ab7 Db^ Gb7 Fm7 Eº7
             
4fr 6fr
6 6
optional 11 9 8

4 6 4 6 9 11 9 11 9 11
8
   
Ebm7 /Db CØ F7(b9) Bbm7 Ebm7 Ab7 3
          
Db6

Bb7(b9)
      
3 4fr 4fr 4fr 2fr 3fr
6fr 7fr 4fr 6fr 3fr
9 6 1 1 4 4 6

7 4 2 4 5 2
3
Basic Chord Chart
2
4fr 6fr
A 3fr 4fr 4fr 3fr 6fr
Ebm9 Bb7(b9) Ebm9 Ab13 Db^9 Gb13 Fm9 Eº7


                  
4fr 3fr 3fr 6fr 4fr 4fr 1. 3fr
2.

Ebm9 Ebm7/Db CØ F7(b13) Bbm7 Ebm9 Ab13

      
Db6 Bb7(b9) Db6 Em7 A7(b9)
               
9fr 10fr
B

D^ Em7 F#m7 Gm7 C7 F#m7 B7 Em7 A7 D^
                
3fr 3fr 7fr 5fr 5fr 9fr 8fr 6fr 7fr 3fr

Dm9 G13 C^9/E* Ebº7 Dm7 G7 C7 B7 Bb7 Bb7(b9)
                 
*is in fact Em7

A 3fr
Ebm9 Bb7(b9) Ebm9 Ab13 Db^9 Gb13 Fm9 Eº7


                  
4fr 3fr
4fr 4fr
3fr 6fr
3fr
Ebm9 Ebm7/Db CØ F7(b13) Bbm7 Ebm9 Ab7


   
Db6 [Bb7(b9)]
              
Transcription:
Giant Steps John Coltrane
Martin Antaya
B b7 E b maj7
#˙ ˙
B maj7 D7 G maj7 A m9 D9
˙ œ. bœ w ˙ ˙
4 J
Guitar &4
13fr. 10fr. 5fr. 6fr. 5fr. 5fr. 4fr.
14 10 7 6 7 5
T 8
Guitar A
B
B b7(2) E bmaj7(2) F #7 B b9 E b maj7

˙
G maj7(2)
b˙ ˙
B maj7(2) F m9
˙ bœ
5
#œ. #œ w œ. J
Gtr. & J
9fr. 6fr. 2fr. 5fr.
10 6 3 2 3 1 6
4
Gtr.
C # m9 F #9
#œ
B maj7
œ w #˙ œ.
A m9 D9 G maj7(2)
w ˙ œ.
J J
9
Gtr. &
5fr. 4fr. 9fr. 9fr. 8fr. 13fr.
7 5 10 11 11 14
Gtr.
B b 13 E bmaj7(3) C #m7(2)
w √ #œ. œ œ
F m9(2) C9
˙ œ. bœ w
J J ..
13
Gtr. & Œ
13fr. 12fr. 17fr. 14fr. 14fr.
15 15 18 14 14
.
Gtr. .
Arr. Marc-A Seguin
I Fall in Love Too Easily
Chord Melody JazzGuitarLessons.net
Styne /Cahn
               
Ballad Fm7 Bb7 Eb^ Ab^ DØ G7 Cm7 A7(b5)
    
    
9fr 8fr
8 7 8 6

9 8 9 8 9 8 9 8 6 4
 
DØ G7 Cm7 Cm7/Bb AØ Ab7(#11) DØ G7
         
     
      
5fr 3fr 10fr

5fr 8fr 9fr 9fr
3 10 10 10

6 5 6 4 3 3 4 7 8 10
5
    
AØ D7[alt] G7 C7sus4 C7(b9) Fm7
                    
11 10 11 10 8 6 8

13 11 8 9 8 9 8 9 8
     
Fm7 Abm7 Db7 Eb^/G C7(b9) Fm7 Bb7 Eb% [Gb7]
                   
3
6fr 4fr 3fr

3fr 2fr 6fr 4fr
8 8 6 4 3 4 3 3 1

4 8 8 4
2 Basic Chord Chart
F‹9 B¨13 E¨Œ„Š7 A¨Œ„Š13 D‹7(b5) G7(b9) C‹7 A7(b5)


                 
D‹7(b5) G7(b9) C‹7 A‹7(b5) A¨7(#11) D‹7(b5) G7(b9)


(Cm7/Bb)
                 
A‹7(b5) D7½ G13 C9(“4) C7(b9) F‹9


                
F‹9 A¨‹7 D¨9 E¨Œ„Š7 C7(b9) F‹9 B¨13 E¨Œ„Š7

6fr 4fr 6fr 6fr 6fr
6fr 5fr

                 
G¨9
8fr
for repeats :
Just Friends
JazzGuitarLessons.net - Improve Your Jazz Guitar
Arr. Marc-A Seguin Playing with a Real Teacher Klenner / Lewis
 
[G7] C^ Cm7 F7
       
3
 
6fr 5fr 7fr
8fr
7 7 5 7 5

10
8
 
G^ Bbm7 Eb7
    
3
    
9fr 9fr
6fr 6fr 6fr 6fr 5fr

10 10 8 10 8 8
6
 
Am7 D7 F#Ø B7(b9) Em7
   
 
    
       
5fr 5fr 4fr 5fr 7fr
8fr 7fr

8 8 7 7 7 7 5 7 8
9 9 7 7
 
A7 Am7 D7 Dm7 G7
     
3
    
12 7

12 8 12 10
9 9 11
2
 
C^ Cm7 F7
 
3
     
7 5 7 5 5

8
 
G^ Bbm7 Eb7
    
3
    

10 10 8 10 8 8
6
 
Am7 D7 F#Ø B7(b9) Em7
        
 
   
   
10

8 5 8 5 7 10 10 7 10 7 8 10 12
  
A7 Am7 D7 G6 [Dm7 G7]
    

12 10 7

8
9
Basic Chord Chart 3
CŒ„Š7 C‹7 F9
8fr 8fr 7fr

                 
3
GŒ„Š7 B¨‹7 E¨9

5fr 6fr 5fr

                 
3
A‹7 D9 B‹7 E‹7

5fr 4fr 7fr 7fr

                
A13 A‹7 D9 D‹9 G13
5fr 5fr 4fr 3fr 3fr

                 
3
CŒ„Š7 C‹7 F9
8fr 8fr 7fr

                 
3
GŒ„Š7 B¨‹7 E¨9

5fr 6fr 5fr

                 
3
A‹7 D9 F©‹7(b5) B7(b9) E‹7

5fr 4fr 7fr

                
A13 A‹7 D9 G6 D‹9 G13
5fr 5fr 4fr 3fr 3fr

                
Misty
Arr. Marc-A Seguin Errol Garner
 
[Bb7] Eb^ Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^ Abm7 Db7
                      
3 3
      

6fr 3fr 4fr 3fr
6fr 6fr 5fr 4fr


6 8 8 8 8 6 3 6 6 6 4 6 4 6

8 3 8 4
3 5 6 8 5 5
5 6
  
Eb^ Cm7 Fm7 Bb7 1. Fm7 Bb7 2.
   
5
 
Gm7 C7
                 
   
3 3 3 Eb6 3 3


3 4 6 3 4 1 3 6 6 8

4 6 1 1 3 4 8 4 6 8
8
            
11 Bbm7 Eb7(b9) Ab^
            
3 3
3
8fr
8fr 11fr 8fr 8fr
9 9 9 9 9 11 12 11 9 8 8 8 8 8

9 11
8 10
             
Am7 D7 F7 GØ C7(b9) Fm7 Bb7

15
    
3
7fr 6fr
10 10 10 8 10 10 10 8 13 6

15 13 11 8
 
19 Eb^ Bbm7 Eb7 Ab^ Abm7 Db7
                 
3 3
      

3fr 4fr 3fr
6fr 6fr 5fr 4fr
8 8 8 8 6 3 6 6 6 4 6 4 6

3 8 4
3 5 6 8 5 5
5 6
  
23 Eb^ Cm7 Fm7 Bb7 Eb6 [Fm7 Bb7]
    
3
   
3

3
       
4fr
3fr 4fr
3 4 6 3 4 1

4 6 1 1 3 4 4
2
Basic Chord Chart
E¨Œ„Š7 B¨‹7 E¨7 A¨Œ„Š7 A¨‹7 D¨7

4fr 4fr 4fr
    

27
              
1. 2.
E¨Œ„Š7 C‹7 F‹7 B¨7 G‹7 C7 F‹7 B¨7 E¨6
3fr 3fr 3fr
                           

31
B¨‹7 E¨7 A¨Œ„Š7

4fr

37
                 
A‹7 D7 F7 G‹7(b5) C7(b9) F‹7 B¨7
5fr 5fr 8fr 9fr 5fr

41
                 
E¨Œ„Š7 B¨‹7 E¨7 A¨Œ„Š7 A¨‹7 D¨7
4fr 4fr 4fr

45
                 
E¨Œ„Š7 C‹7 F‹7 B¨7 E¨6
3fr

49
                 
My Funny Valentine
Arr. Marc-A Seguin JazzGuitarLessons.net Rodgers and Hart
 
Cm Cm^ Cm7 Cm6
    
           

3 4 3 4 3 4 4
5 5 7 7 7
 
Ab^ Fm7 DØ G7(b9)
      
 
3fr 3fr 5fr 4fr
6 4 3

1 3 4 6
 
Cm Cm^ Cm7 Cm6
 
            
3 3 3 3

4 6 6 6 4 6 6 6
   
Ab^ Fm7 FØ Bb7(b9)
        
  
3 10 8 3

4 6 11 10 9 6
2
   
Eb^ Fm7 Gm7 Fm7 Eb^ Fm7 Gm7 Fm7
    
           
5fr 3fr 5fr 3fr
6 8

4 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 3
  
Eb^ G7(b13) Cm Bbm7 A7 Ab^ DØ G7(b9)
      
    
10 8

4 4 3 4 6 8 3
 
Cm Cm^ Cm7 Cm6
 
            

3 3

3 4 3 4 3 4 6 6 6
5
3
   
Ab^ DØ G7(b9) Cm Bbm7 A7(#11)
     
  
8 10 11 10 11 10 11

 
Ab^ Fm7 Bb7(b9) Eb6 [DØ G7(b9)]
 
       
3fr 5fr 4fr 4fr
3 1 3 1

4 6 4
4 Basic Chords Chart JazzGuitarLessons.net
C‹ C‹(Œ„Š7) C‹7 C‹6

                
A¨Œ„Š7 F‹7 D‹7(b5) G7(b9)
4fr 5fr 4fr

                 
C‹ C‹(Œ„Š7) C‹7 C‹6

                
A¨Œ„Š7 F‹7 F‹7(b5) B¨7(b13)
4fr 5fr

                 
E¨Œ„Š9 F‹9 G‹9 F‹9 E¨Œ„Š9 F‹9 G‹9 F‹9

                
E¨Œ„Š9 G7(b13) C‹ B¨‹7 A7(#11) A¨Œ„Š7 D‹7(b5) G7(b9)

                 
C‹ C‹(Œ„Š7) C‹7 C‹6 A¨Œ„Š7 D‹7(b5) G7(b9)
4fr 5fr 4fr

       
C‹ B¨‹7 A7(#11) A¨Œ„Š7 F‹9 B¨13 E¨6 D‹7(b5) G7(b9)

                         
Oleo Sonny Rollins
JazzGuitarLessons.net - Improve Your Jazz
Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher
     
B¨6 G‹7 C‹7 F7 B¨6 G7 C‹7 F7
                  

 
     
      
  
 3  3  3  3


4 3 3 4 3
5 3 5 3
5 5 5 5 6 7 5
1. 2.
                        
B¨6 B¨7 E¨6 E¨‹6 D‹7 G‹7 C‹7 F7 C‹7 F7 B¨6
     
5
       
      
  
3  3 4335   3 
 

3 3
5 3 5 5 2 6 3 5 3
5 5 5 5 3

10
D7 G7
                
C7 F7

14
                
         
B¨6 G‹7 C‹7 F7 B¨6 G7 C‹7 F7
           
18
         
      
  
 3  3  3  3

4 3 3 4 3
5 3 5 3
5 5 5 5 6 7 5
      
B¨6 B¨7 E¨6 E¨‹6 D‹7 G‹7 C‹7 F7 B¨6
                 
22
       
  
3   3    3 

4 3
5 3 3 5 6 3 5 3
5 5 5 5
JazzGuitarLessons.net - Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher

2 Oleo - Basic Chord Chart
JazzGuitarLessons.net - Improve Your Jazz
Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher
B¨6 G‹7 C‹7 F13 B¨6 G7(b13) C‹9 F13

5fr 3fr 5fr
 
26
    
            
1. 2.
B¨6 B¨7(b13) E¨6 E¨‹6 D‹7 G‹7 C‹9 F13 C‹9 F13 B¨6
5fr
5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
 
30
                     
D9 G13
4fr

                
C9 F13

                
B¨6 G‹7 C‹7 F13 B¨6 G7(b13) C‹9 F13

5fr 3fr 5fr

                
B¨6 B¨7(b13) E¨6 E¨‹6 D‹7 G‹7 C‹9 F13 B¨6

5fr
5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr

                
Stella by Starlight
Arr. Marc-A Seguin Chord Melody from JazzGuitarLessons.net Young / Washington
 
EØ A7(b9) Cm7 F7
           
5fr
6 5 3 5 6 1 1

 
Fm7 Bb7 Eb^ Ab7
      
 
3fr 3fr 3fr
3 3 1 1 3

3 3 5
 
Bb^ EØ A7(b9) Dm Bbm7 Eb7

          

5fr 3fr 5fr 6fr 5fr
No Chords
counterpoint in TAB
3

5 6 6 8
8 7 5 5 7
5 7 7 8 8
   
F^ Gm7 C7 AØ D7(b9)
         
 
using partial chords is recommended here
8fr 7fr 6fr 7fr 5fr 5fr 7fr 7fr 10fr
5 6 10 8 8 8 10

11 10 8 6 8
2
    
G7(#5) Cm7
       

3
9fr 10fr 8fr
9fr
11 11 11 10 13 11 10 8

11
 
Ab7 Bb^
    
   
10fr
6fr 3fr 6fr
10 10 8 6 5 8 6

 
EØ A7(b9) DØ G7(b9)
          
5fr 5fr 4fr
5 3 5 6

6 6 6 4
 
CØ F7(b9) Bb^ [Am Gm Fm]
       
5fr
7fr 7fr

7 7 7 6 6 6
Basic Chord Chart 3
EØ A7 Cm7 F9 Fm9 Bb13


                        
Eb^9 Ab13 Bb^13 EØ A7(b9) Dm9 Bbm7 Eb9

      
3fr 2fr 4fr 4fr 3fr
F^13 Gm7 C9 AØ D7(b9) G7(#5)


                        
3fr 6fr
Cm9 Ab7(#11) Bb^


                         
3
7fr 6fr
5fr 4fr
EØ A7(b9) DØ G7(b9)

                
3fr 6fr 5fr 3fr
CØ F7(b13) Bb^ [Am7 Gm7 Fm7]


                
Chord Melody by Marc-A Seguin Summertime Hayward & Gershwin
          
Dm Dm [D7]
   

Dm6 A7#5 Dm7 D7b9
3fr 3fr 2fr 2fr
5 5 3 3 5 5

6 6 6 3 6
2
          
5 Gm7 EØ A7
  

Gm7 Gm7 Em7b5 A7b9
3fr 3fr 3fr 3fr
3 3 3 5

6 3 6 3 6 5 6
        
9 Dm Dm7 Gm7 C7
      
Dm69 A7b9 Dm7 Gm7 C7
3fr 2fr
5 5 5 3 3 5

6 6 3
2 2
       A7
  
13 F^ EØ Dm [EØ A7]
     

Fmaj7 Fmaj13 Em7b5 A7#5 Dm6 Em7b5 A7b9
5fr 3fr 3fr 3fr
1 5 3 3 5

1 1 3 6 6 3 6
2
JazzGuitarLessons.Net
Arr. Marc-A Seguin
Take the "A" Train
JazzGuitarLessons.net Strayhorn / Ellington

C D7
     
  
A
   
7fr 9fr 9fr
and/or


12 8 12

8 8 9

1. 2.
Dm7 G7 C
   
           
10fr 7fr


12

10 10 11 12 14 13
12 11 10 9
 F  
B
    
     
8fr 7fr
and/or
8 12 8 12

10 10 10
10

D7 Dm7 G7 G7(b9)
 
            
10fr 10fr 9fr
9fr
8 12 8 12

10 10 10
11
C

C D7 Dm7 G7
           
     
A
    
7fr 9fr 10fr 7fr
12 8 12 12

8 8 9 10 10 11 12 14 13
12 11 10 9
2

  
C
  
      


12 7 8

5 6 7 8 10
3
Improve Your Jazz Guitar Tenor Madness
Sonny Rollins
 
Med. Fast Blues Bb7 Eb7 Bb7
                      
6fr 5fr 6fr 5fr
    

7 3 3 6 3 3 7 3 3 5 3 3 5 3 3 6
6 5 5 5 6 5 5 6 5
6 6
6 6
      
Eb7 Bb7
                   
5
   
5fr 6fr 5fr
    

3 3 6 3 3 7 3 3 5 3 3 5 3 3 5
5 5 5 6 5 5 6 5
6 6
6

Cm7 F7 Bb7
           
9
           

7fr 6fr
 

7 3 3 5 3 3 5 3 3
5 10 9 5 8 5 6 7 6 5 5 6
6 6
8 6
Chord Chart for COMPING the blues :
Please refer to the "blues comping" page on

JazzGuitarLessons.net/jazz-guitar-blues-1.html
(see also the blues comping video on Youtube :

http://youtu.be/xl1Mr1qrXV0 )
- JazzGuitarLessons.Net -
Playing with a REAL teacher
What Is Thing Thing Called Love
Arr. Marc-A Seguin JazzGuitarLessons.net Cole Porter
  
[D7] GØ C7(b9) Fm
         
6 6 4

8 8 11 9
 
DØ G7(b13) C^ [D7]

5
        
 
4 3 3 6

4 5
 
GØ C7(b9) Fm

9
          
6 4

8 8 11 10 9
 
DØ G7(b13) C6
  
13
         
  
3fr 3fr 3fr
4 3 3 3 11

4 4 4 1
2
    
Cm7 F7 Bb^
 
17
     

3
11 8 8 11 11 13 11 10 10

 
21 Ab7 Dm7 G7(#9)
            
3
6fr 4fr 6fr
8fr 10fr
8 4 4 8 8 6

9 8 11 11 11

25 GØ C7(b9) Fm
            
 
6 4

8 8 11 11 13 11 9

DØ G7(b13) C6

29
      
3fr 3fr 9fr
4fr
4 3 3 11 8

Yesterdays
Arr. Marc-A Seguin JazzGuitarLessons.Net Kern and Harbach
 
Dm BØ EØ A7 Dm BØ EØ A7
        
Dm69 Bm7b5 Em7b5 A7b9 Dm69 Bm7b5 Em7b5 A7b9
5 5

6 8 6 8
  
Dm C#dim7 Dm7/C BØ Cm7 F7 BØ E7

5
       
 
Dm6 C#dim7 Dm7/C Bm7b5 Cm11 F9 Bm7b5 E7b5
3 4 5 7 8 13 7 12

3 5 6
 
A7 D7 G7 C7
 
9
   
A7#9#5 A7b9#5 D13 D9 G13 C13 C9
8fr 8fr
13 12 12 10

10 8
 
Cm7 F7 Bb^ Gm7 1. EØ A7 2. EØ A7 Dm
 
13
          
Cm9 F13 F7b9 Bbmaj9 Gm7 Em7b5 A7#5 Em7b5 A7#5 Dm69
7fr


10 5 8 6 3 5 5 5 5 5 5

6

November 2011 - Ebook PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

November 2011 - Ebook PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

JazzGuitarLessons.

An eBook Compilation of essential jazz

JazzGuitarLessons.net – Improve Your Jazz Guitar Playing with a Real Teacher

Jazz Scales for Improvisation : Reference for Most Common Scales.....................................................11

Jazz Guitar Licks : Some Common Phrases............................................................................................32

Advanced Bebop Exercises......................................................................................................................65

Jazz Guitar Chord Charts : First steps......................................................................................................76

Jazz Guitar Chords : Chords in Three Scales...........................................................................................83

The No Nonsense Guides to Jazz Harmony

Guitar Practice and All That Jazz...........................................................................................................122

Q&A with Visitors :

About The Author..................................................................................................................................182

Chord-Melody Arrangements : pages 184 to 218

Enjoy, practice well, and I'll see you soon on JazzGuitarLessons.net

[Notice open D, G and B strings]

[Notice the distance between E-F and B-C]

This is the "2nd position" because the index

Theory : Scale Construction

The formula for major scale construction is :

(W stands for whole-step and H for half-step)

For example, C major scale :

C__whole step__D__whole step__E--half-step--F__whole step__G__whole step__A__whole step__B—half-step--C

Melodic Minor Scale Formula : 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

The Melodic Minor Scale

Or it can be played using only one string at a time :

The Harmonic Minor Scale

Jazz Scales for Improvisation

The 3 "Biggies" : Major, Minor and Dominant

If you do all three scales from root C, it goes like this...

[Last three steps here : play in strict time!!!]

More Practice Steps

Ebm7 - Ab7 - Dbmaj7 .... (or D#m7 - G#7 - C#maj7)

C#m7 - F#7 - Bmaj7

The "Secret" Jazz Guitar Scales

The main advantages of this scalar diagonal approach :

Major Scale played Diagonally

Some Guidelines / Rules

Minor (Melodic) Scale played Diagonally

Suggested Exercises for Jazz Guitar Scales in Diagonal

Diagonal Jazz Guitar Scales : Wrap Up

The Two Approaches

Ascending and Descending - EXAMPLE 1C

Mix the two approaches together!

The Chromatic Scale

What is the Chromatic Scale ?

Second Exercise : Diagonal (more notes per string)

Here's the "6 per string" played in in 4/4 (real nice!) :

Scales Are Horizontal

Applying the Scales

Intermediate Jazz Guitar Scales Outlining

And finally, here's the second advanced "trick" :

Arpeggios Are Vertical

Applying the Arpeggios

Beginner Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Outlining

Intermediate Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Outlining

Advanced Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Outlining

Applying the Guide-Tone Lines

Beginner Jazz Guitar Guide-Tones

Intermediate Jazz Guitar Guide-Tones

Advanced Jazz Guitar Guide-Tones

II-V in One Bar

II-V in two bars

Now transposed higher, the same lick an octave higher :

Cwhole stepDwhole stepE--half-step--Fwhole stepGwhole stepAwhole stepB—half-step--C