The Dm11 chord is one of those guitar voicings that instantly adds a modern, open sound to your playing. Whether you’re comping in a jazz combo or arranging solo guitar pieces, the Dm11 chord on guitar offers rich color with very little effort—especially if you use a rootless voicing like the one I’m about to show you. Let’s break it down. What Is … Read more
If you’re looking to level up your jazz playing, learning the right Cmaj7 guitar chord voicings is a great place to start. In this post, you’ll learn one of the most useful and versatile Cmaj7 shapes, how it fits into a ii V I progression, and how to connect it with a scale and melodic line that … Read more
If you’re looking to add tension, color, and voice-leading options to your dominant 7th chords, the D7#5b9 chord should be in your toolkit. In this post, I’ll show you a rootless voicing that moves beautifully through a minor ii–V–I, plus a matching altered scale cell you can use to improvise. As always, I’ll break down how it works, when … Read more
This week we’re going to look at how to play a G9 chord on guitar, built with the 3rd on the bottom, then the flat 7th, the 9th, and the 5th—low to high. The finger pattern is simple: This is a great shape to use over any dominant 7th chord with a natural 9—like G9, … Read more
Practicing scales and arpeggios consistently might be the single biggest factor in whether or not you improve on jazz guitar. And they should probably be a major part of your guitar practice routines. I’ve written about this before, but the truth is simple: you don’t need to practice for hours. Even 5–10 minutes a day … Read more
When you’re learning how to play jazz, you spend a lot of time learning guitar scale shapes. They’re an important part of learning your instrument, and being able to play melodies or improvise. But one problem a lot of jazz guitar players run into is playing just one or two scale shapes in a solo. … 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
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
Being in a jazz band as a guitar player is a unique challenge. It’s a completely different animal from playing by yourself, or even in other kinds of groups. And if you’re used to playing rock or other pop music styles, there can be a steep learning curve. Just about everything seems new, even though … Read more