Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. 2

BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO JAZZ GUITAR INTRO............................................................... 3

CHAPTER 1 – II V I CHORDS ......................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER 2 – PICKING HAND PATTERNS..................................................................... 9

CHAPTER 3 – APPROACH CHORDS............................................................................ 11

CHAPTER 4 – MAJOR SCALE PATTERNS .................................................................... 14

CHAPTER 5 – 134 PATTERN ...................................................................................... 17

CHAPTER 6 – CHORDS AND SINGLE NOTES .............................................................. 22

CHAPTER 7 – WHAT’S NEXT? .................................................................................... 25

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 Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Guitar Intro
Welcome to the Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Guitar, great to have you here!

This series of lessons comes with a PDF, a video lesson, and two backing tracks to
give you the best experience in the practice room.

There are many ways to work the material in this minicourse, so explore the PDF
and video then dive in when you’re ready.

The main goal of this course is to introduce you to the different elements of
playing jazz guitar, presented over a ii V I progression.

These elements include:

1. Chord Shapes
2. Chord Rhythms
3. Picking Patterns
4. Chromatic Chords
5. Major Scales
6. Chromatic Ornaments
7. Mixing Chords and Scales
8. And more.

Here’s a quick layout of how to work the material in this mini course and how I
recommend working it in your studies.

1. Watch the video lesson as you follow along with the PDF.
2. Go back to the beginning and re-watch the first chapter.
3. Work on chapter 1 in the PDF until it’s comfortable.
4. Move on and watch the chapter 2 video.
5. Work on chapter 2 in the PDF until it’s comfortable.
6. Repeat for each chapter.

Now that you know how to dive into this material, time to have fun as you begin
your jazz guitar journey with ii V I chords and soloing.

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 Chapter 1 – ii V I Chords
To begin your jazz guitar journey, you learn four chord shapes that outline the ii V
I progression.

The ii V I is the most important progression in jazz, and therefore it’s the best
place to start when learning jazz guitar.

In this chapter you learn these four important chord shapes as well as explore two
essential jazz comping rhythms.

Start with the chords, then move on to the rhythms when ready, and as always,
have fun with these exercises in the practice room!

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 ii V I Chord Shapes
To begin, here are four chords that fit over the ii V I progression, with the Cmaj7
and Cmaj9 being two colors of the Cmaj7 sound.

Start by playing these chords on your own, memorize them, and then add in a
metronome when ready.

From there, get these chords onto the backing track when you can, play it as
written, then start to play with the rhythms and picking from there.

After you can play these chords over the backing track with confidence, head
down to the rhythmic exercises below.

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 ii V I Chord Rhythms
To expand your comping over the major ii V I, here are two essential jazz rhythms
to explore in the woodshed.

The first rhythm is called the Freddie Green rhythm, as it was made famous by
Count Basie guitarist Freddie Green.

The rhythm is all quarter notes, meaning you play one chord per beat.

To give it a more authentic Freddie sound, accent the 2nd and 4th chords/beats in
each bar.

This imitates the hi-hat and helps you bring a higher level of swing to the rhythm.

Check this out, have fun with it, and head on down to the next rhythm when
ready.

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Here you use what’s called the Charleston rhythm, as it’s based on the dance
from the 1920s.

This rhythm places the first chord on beat 1 of each bar, then the second chord is
on the & of 2, between beats 2 and 3 in each bar.

Count along, work with a slow metronome, and take this rhythm to the backing
track when ready.

From there, mix the Freddie Green and Charleston rhythms together to expand
on this idea in your comping.

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 Chapter 2 – Picking Hand Patterns
To expand your chord work over the ii V I progression, you now work on picking
hand patterns that bring out the bass and melody notes in each chord.

Often times you learn chords and then strum and pluck them without altering the
picking.

This is leaving a lot of room to explore in your comping by expanding on your

picking hand approach to these chords.

Start by learning the bass first pattern, then melody first pattern, then blend them
together to take things to the next level in your comping.

Bringing Out the Bass

The first picking exercise separates the bass from the melody.

This type of comping pattern is helpful when there’s no bassist in your group,
when you play solo guitar, or for technical development.

Work this pattern as written, then play with the rhythms and take it to other keys
if you’re ready.

Have fun with this picking pattern as you expand your comping vocabulary and
picking technique at the same time.

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 Bringing Out the Melody
The next picking pattern brings out the top note, the melody note, of each chord,
as you focus on the opposite end of the chord as the previous workout.

Bringing out the melody is useful for comping, chord soloing, and especially chord
melody playing.

So, work this technique, take it to different keys if ready, and keep this skill
around as it will become useful as you progress in your jazz guitar journey.

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 Chapter 3 – Approach Chords
To help you bring a jazzy sound to your comping over this ii V I progression you
now explore approach chords.

Approach chords are where you play a chromatic chord one fret above or below
the target chord you’re aiming for.

This means playing Ebm7-Dm7, or C#m7-Dm7, with Dm7 being your target note.

Approach chords bring a tension and release sound to your comping, jazzing up
your chords along the way.

Start with the approach chords from above, then from below, then mix both
together to take your comping to the next level today.

Note: At this point you notice that I stop writing the Cmaj9 symbol in bar 4, but
you still play that chord. In jazz, you normally see the simplest chord symbol
written on a lead sheet, then you as the performer color that chord from there. So,
it’s good to get used to seeing Cmaj7 but playing the Cmaj9 color as it imitates a
real-life musical situation.

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 Approach Chords From Above
The first exercise features approach chords from above, where you play the same
shape one fret higher, then resolve into your target chord from there.

Start by playing this exercise on your own, then add a metronome when
comfortable.

Lastly, get these chords onto the backing track as soon as you can to hear them in
context.

Sing the root notes if it’s helpful, and once this rhythm is under your fingers, feel
free to mix up the groove and picking pattern with these chords over the track.

Have fun exploring your first chromatic chord device as you jazz up your comping
over a major ii V I progression.

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 Approach Chords From Below
You can also work approach chords from below and resolve into your target chord
from there in your comping.

Work this example on your own, then add a metronome when ready.

From there, you can add these chords to the backing track as you bring rhythm
and form into this exercise.

When ready, mix this pattern with the approach chords from above to double
your fun with this workout.

Lastly, feel free to change the rhythms and picking patterns when comfortable to
expand this approach chord exercise even further.

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 Chapter 4 – Major Scale Patterns
Moving on, you now solo over the major ii V I progression as you explore major
scales, ornaments, and mixing chords and single notes together.

This chapter introduces you to major scale fingerings and shows you how to solo
with this scale over the ii V I progression.

Because all 3 chords in a ii V I are in the parent key, so Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 are all in C
major, you can use the tonic major scale to solo over all of those chords.

Start by learning these scale shapes one at a time, add them to your soloing
workout, then combine them to cover the fretboard in your solos.

Have fun exploring these shapes as you build your foundation to explore
chromatic ornaments in the next chapter.

Major Scale Shape 1

To begin, here’s the 6th-string C major scale to memorize and add to your solos
over the backing track.

Start by memorizing the scale shape, then working it with a metronome.

As soon as you’re ready, you know the scale but it’s not perfect, throw on the
backing track and solo with this scale over the C major ii V I.

Have fun exploring this scale from a technical and soloing perspective in your
playing as you build your improvisational foundation over the ii V I.

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 Major Scale Shape 2
Here’s the second major scale shape from the 5th string to learn, memorize, work
with a metronome and solo with over the backing tracks when ready.

Start by playing this new scale shape with a metronome until it’s memorized.

From there, solo over the backing track with this scale shape, then with the 6th-
string shape only, then mix both together.

When that’s comfortable, you’re ready to move on to the next chapter and
continue your study of soloing over the ii V I progression.

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 Chapter 5 – 134 Pattern
One of the roadblocks many guitarists face when learning jazz is that you fall for
the trap that scale A over chord B equals jazz.

While it’s essential to play the correct melodic devices like scales over chords,
that’s the beginning of your journey, not the end.

The next step beyond playing scales is the most essential to bring a jazz sound to
your solos, and that’s adding chromatic ornaments.

Chromatic ornaments bring a tension and release sound to your playing by

introducing organized chromaticism and resolution in the shape of patterns.

In this chapter you learn your first chromatic ornament, the 134 pattern.

This pattern is used whenever you have a 134 fingering on any string, any key,
and in any scale.

Whenever you find a 134 fingering, you can apply the 134 pattern below.

Have fun exploring this ornament, working it over scales, and adding it to your
solos when ready.

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 134 Pattern
Here’s the 134 pattern written out over the notes A-B-C, 3 notes that appear in
the C major scale.

Notice that you can play this pattern in any rhythm, as you see in bars 2-4 below.

The rhythms you use aren’t that important, meaning you have a lot of freedom to
experiment with rhythms when using the 134 pattern.

The essential item is that you resolve the pattern to the 3rd finger.

If you leave things hanging and don’t resolve the pattern by playing all 4 notes,
you sound like you made a mistake.

But, you can use any rhythm you like, resolve the pattern, and it’ll work out great.

Play through these examples, then move on to applying the 134 pattern to the
major scale and to your solos below.

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 134 Patten Through Scale Shapes
Now that you know what the 134 pattern is, you’re ready to add it to the major
scale shapes you learned earlier.

Here, you play up the 6th string shape as is, then you add in the 134 pattern on the
way down on strings 3 and 4, where the 134 fingerings lie in this shape.

Go slow, no tempo at first, then add a metronome when ready.

After you can play this pattern from memory, not perfect just under your fingers,
put on the backing track and add this 134 pattern to your solos.

It can take time to get this new chromatic ornament into your ears, so overplay it
in the beginning.

When your ears get used to this sound, you can pull back and add the 134 pattern
here and there in a more musical way in your solos.

But, to begin, no holds barred, eye of the tiger, all that jazz, and go for it!

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Here’s the 134 pattern added to the 5th-string scale position.

Work this position with a metronome, then combine it in your technical studies
with the 6th-string shape.

When ready, solo over the backing track with the 5th-string shape, then the 6th-
string shape, then both combined.

Have fun exploring this chromatic ornament as you bring a jazzy feel to your
major scale soloing over ii V I chords.

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 Chapter 6 – Chords and Single Notes
To finish your introduction to jazz guitar, you learn a solo that mixes chords and
single notes over a major ii V I in C.

Mixing chords and single notes is a solid technical challenge to try out in the
practice room, and it’s a musical challenge as well.

By learning how to mix chords and single notes in your solos, you’re prepared to
jam in a duo or pianoless trio down the road.

Even if you never jam in an ensemble with these techniques, learning how to mix
chords and single notes builds your technique and musicality.

Wherever your musical future takes you, learning this solo and this technique is
an effective use of time in the woodshed.

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 Mixing Chords and Notes Example Solo
Here’s an example of how to mix chords and single notes together in a solo.

Start by learning the solo as written with a metronome and then work it over the
backing track.

When that’s comfortable, replace the single notes with your own soloing lines.

From there, keep the single notes as written and you make up the chords and
chord rhythms.

Lastly, when comfortable, you replace both the chords and single notes to create
your own mixed solo over these chord changes.

Mixing chords and single notes is tricky when first starting out.

But, by learning this study, and then adding your own lines and chords over time,
you’ll be creating your own mixed solos in real time before you know it.

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 Chapter 7 – What’s Next?
Congrats, you’ve completed your first 6 lessons as a jazz guitarist, not easy to do,
so give yourself a big pat on the back.

The next step to take in your studies is to expand your comping and soloing by
moving on to more challenging concepts and learning jazz standards.

To help you with the next step in your journey I’ve created the free Play Jazz
Guitar study group.

In this group you meet and interact with jazz guitarists from all over the world,
and get personalized feedback from me on your playing.

Each month we learn one new jazz standard together, and there are daily
exercises and weekend challenges along the way.

And, you can earn certificates for taking these challenges that you can trade in for
free eBooks from my website.

Not already a free member? Come join us!

Play Jazz Guitar Study Group

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