Jazz Guitar Course

Lesson 1 • Reading Jazz Chord Symbols

Decodes the shorthand notation used in jazz lead sheets and real books. Students translate symbols into playable voicings from the first lesson.

Lesson 2 • Tuning and Ear Training Basics

Develops reliable pitch recognition and tuning habits essential for ensemble playing. Accurate intonation is reinforced through interval singing exercises.

Lesson 3 • Posture, Grip, and Setup

Establishes ergonomic playing position and proper pick or fingerstyle grip. Correct setup prevents injury and enables efficient technique throughout the course.

Lesson 4 • Fretboard Navigation Basics

Introduces note names across all six strings and octave relationships. Fretboard literacy underpins every chord, scale, and improvisation concept in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Triads and Seventh Chord Theory

Explains how triads stack into seventh chords and why each chord quality functions differently. Theory is immediately applied to guitar shapes.

Lesson 2 • Extended and Altered Voicings

Adds 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and alterations to basic shapes for richer harmonic color. Students learn when and how to substitute extensions in context.

Lesson 3 • Chord Inversions and Voice Leading

Explores how inversion choice creates smooth melodic bass lines and inner-voice motion. Students connect voicings with minimal finger movement.

Lesson 4 • Shell Voicings and Guide Tones

Teaches 3-note shell voicings using root, 3rd, and 7th. Guide tones define chord quality and enable smooth voice leading in comping.

Lesson 1 • Melodic Minor Scale and Modes

Introduces the jazz melodic minor scale and its four most-used modes. These modes unlock altered dominant and Lydian dominant sounds.

Lesson 2 • Symmetrical Scales

Teaches whole-tone and diminished (octatonic) scales used over altered and diminished chords. Symmetry enables rapid transposition across the fretboard.

Lesson 3 • Pentatonic and Blues Scales

Covers major and minor pentatonic scales and the blues scale as foundational jazz-blues tools. Students learn to superimpose pentatonics over complex harmony.

Lesson 4 • Major Scale and Its Modes

Derives all seven modes from the major scale and assigns each to a chord quality. Modal thinking replaces key-center thinking for improvisation.

Lesson 1 • Syncopation and Rhythmic Displacement

Trains anticipation and delayed placement of chord hits for authentic jazz comping. Syncopation creates forward momentum and rhythmic interest.

Lesson 2 • Swing Feel and Eighth-Note Phrasing

Explains the triplet subdivision underlying swing eighth notes and how to internalize it. Accurate swing feel is the defining rhythmic characteristic of jazz.

Lesson 3 • Practicing with Play-Along Tracks

Applies comping skills to recorded rhythm section tracks across multiple jazz styles. Consistent play-along practice builds real-time musical decision-making.

Lesson 4 • Freddie Green Rhythm Guitar Style

Introduces the four-to-the-bar comping style used in big band and swing contexts. Students develop a steady, percussive chord pulse with minimal sustain.

Lesson 1 • Chord-Tone Soloing

Anchors improvisation to arpeggio tones for harmonic clarity over chord changes. Chord-tone targeting is the foundation of bebop melodic construction.

Lesson 2 • Motif Development and Variation

Teaches how to generate, repeat, and transform short melodic ideas for musical coherence. Motif development prevents aimless scale running.

Lesson 3 • Phrasing, Space, and Dynamics

Develops musical phrasing by balancing notes with silence and varying intensity. Space and dynamics distinguish expressive soloists from technical players.

Lesson 4 • Soloing Over a 12-Bar Blues

Applies all improvisation tools to the blues form, the most common jazz vehicle. Students build complete solos with clear structure and emotional arc.

Lesson 1 • Transcription as a Learning Tool

Guides students through transcribing recorded solos to internalize authentic jazz phrasing. Transcription is the most direct path to absorbing a master's vocabulary.

Lesson 2 • Playing the Melody (Head)

Develops single-note melody playing with jazz articulation, vibrato, and phrasing. A well-played head communicates the tune's character before improvisation begins.

Lesson 3 • Anatomy of a Jazz Standard

Analyzes the AABA and ABAC song forms, harmonic rhythm, and melodic structure of standards. Understanding form guides both comping and soloing decisions.

Lesson 4 • Repertoire Across Style Periods

Surveys standards from swing, bebop, cool jazz, and post-bop eras to broaden stylistic range. Each era introduces distinct harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary.

Lesson 1 • Tritone Substitution

Replaces dominant chords with a dominant a tritone away, sharing the same guide tones. Tritone subs create chromatic bass motion and harmonic surprise.

Lesson 2 • Passing Chords and Chromatic Harmony

Adds chromatic passing chords between diatonic chords for smooth voice leading and tension. These techniques are essential for sophisticated comping and arranging.

Lesson 3 • Modal Interchange and Borrowing

Borrows chords from parallel modes to add color outside the home key. Modal interchange is a primary tool of jazz composers and arrangers.

Lesson 4 • Full Reharmonization of a Standard

Applies all substitution and borrowing techniques to create a complete reharmonized arrangement. Students balance harmonic interest with melodic clarity.

Lesson 1 • Performing a Full Jazz Solo

Integrates all improvisation skills into a multi-chorus solo with narrative arc and stylistic coherence. Performance under real conditions consolidates advanced musicianship.

Lesson 2 • Outside Playing and Superimposition

Introduces deliberate harmonic tension by playing outside the key before resolving back in. Outside playing requires strong inside vocabulary as a foundation.

Lesson 3 • Modal Improvisation

Shifts from chord-to-chord thinking to sustained modal color over static or slow-moving harmony. Modal playing demands melodic invention without frequent harmonic anchors.

Lesson 4 • Bebop Language and Vocabulary

Internalizes the melodic formulas, enclosures, and chromatic devices that define bebop style. Bebop vocabulary is the common language of jazz improvisation.