One of the biggest challenges for jazz guitarists is learning how to play the changes. In other words, how do you make your lines clearly follow the chord progression instead of just running scales over everything? A simple place to start is by practicing arpeggios for each chord and learning how to move between them … Read more
What is a Gmaj7#11 chord? The Gmaj7#11 chord is one of the most beautiful and modern-sounding voicings in jazz guitar. Built on a G major 7th chord, the sharp 11 adds color, tension, and a hint of ambiguity — without sounding harsh. Here’s what it includes: That sharp 11 is the key. It replaces the … Read more
The G7b9 chord is one of my favorite ways to add instant tension and color to a V7 chord. Whether you’re comping through a jazz standard or looking to spice up your ii–V–I progressions, this rootless voicing sounds rich, feels great under your fingers, and is easier to move around than you might think. Let’s … Read more
The Cmaj13 chord is one of those sounds that instantly makes things feel smooth, rich, and… well, jazzier. But instead of throwing a big, messy 6-note chord at you, I want to show you a rootless voicing that keeps things simple, sounds pro, and fits into real playing situations. Let’s break it down. What Is … Read more
Dm9 (D minor 9) is a great jazz guitar chord I keep coming back to. It’s a shape that works in a lot of different musical situations, and I use it often in my own playing. If you’re looking for a great-sounding minor chord voicing, this one is for you. In this lesson, I’ll walk … 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
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
Minor 7b5 arpeggios are an important pattern for jazz guitar. There’s just no way around it. And they’re also the pattern a lot of my students love to hate. These patterns are a little awkward at first, and don’t flow as easily as the minor 7 arpeggios did. And to rub some salt in the … Read more
Minor 7 Arpeggios for Jazz Guitar Making the changes is an important part of learning to play better solos in jazz guitar. And your minor 7 arpeggios are an essential piece of “making the changes.” I remember spending a lot of time learning these jazz guitar arpeggio patterns early on in college. Especially as I … Read more
Dominant 7 Arpeggios for Jazz Guitar Sometimes I feel like I spent half of my time in college working on dominant 7th arpeggios. Learning how to play them. How to apply them to ii V I progressions. How to alter them and create “outside” harmonies. There’s a good reason for this… dominant 7 arpeggios are … Read more