Kyle 
Pentatonic scales are a guitar player’s best friend. And for some good reasons: Guitar players from all different styles love to play pentatonic scales. But most of them don’t really have the full picture. Even intermediate players usually only know how to play one, maybe 2 of the scale shapes. And they’re missing out. There … Read more
Key centers are kind of an old-school way to approach jazz improvisation. Used correctly, they make your life easier. By giving you one scale to play over a progression, key centers let you think less. And listen more. It’s interesting to me. Because this was actually the first way I learned to improvise – back … Read more
Shell chords just might be the most important thing for new jazz guitar players to learn. Sometimes I’ll have a new student that needs to learn jazz guitar fast. And shell chords are the first thing they learn. And for a good reason. Shell chords just sound good. They’re easy to learn, and they’ll be … Read more
When I started learning about different types of scales for jazz guitar, the dorian mode was one of the first things that popped up. No matter where I looked, people were saying this was one of the most important modes to learn. And there were also mixed messages about how to play it – or … Read more
Sometimes it’s hard to know how to get into jazz guitar. Especially if you’re already pretty good at a different style, like rock or blues. I’ve heard from some of my older students that they always wanted to get into jazz – but it just seemed too intimidating. That there’s too much to learn. They … Read more
5 Common CAGED System Problems for Guitar – And How I Solved Them CAGED system is a powerful tool for guitar players – if you know how to use it. You see, CAGED gives you a framework for creating any scale, chord, or arpeggio. And it’s also a helpful navigation tool for playing all over … Read more
If you’re looking for the best way to start playing better solos, jazz guitar scales for beginners are your best bet. And for one simple reason. In music, scales are the building blocks of every melody you’ve ever heard. And ideally, jazz guitar solos are melodies that you improvise. Made up as you go, using … Read more
Jazz guitar chords are probably the most important thing for beginners to learn. No matter how you slice it, chords are going to be most of what you do as a jazz guitarist. But chords are also usually an overwhelming part of learning jazz guitar… at first. It seems like there is so much you … Read more
Once you’re ready to get more technical with your playing, it’s time to start looking at jazz guitar arpeggios. Being able to use your arpeggio shapes is a big part of playing better solos. Here’s why: But jazz guitar arpeggios are also tricky to get started with. You see, for most instruments arpeggios are a … Read more
Here’s one thing I know for sure: If I could learn how to play jazz guitar, anyone can. While I had a certain amount of aptitude for playing guitar in general, jazz guitar did not come naturally to me. But with the right approach and a little luck, I found myself on the right path. … Read more