What Are Chromatic Scales? Chromatic scales are 12-tone scales made up of every tone in our Western musical system. They’re only made up of 12 half steps. And they’re an essential tool for both learning how to play your guitar linearly. You’ll also understand how to do things like make alterations to scales or chords. … Read more
If I could go back and whisper one thing into my younger guitar-playing ear, it’d be this: “Spend more time with the pentatonic scale on guitar.” I know what you’re thinking—isn’t that a blues or rock thing? I used to think the same. Especially as a jazz-focused player, I brushed off pentatonics early on. I … Read more
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
The G minor major 7 chord (often written as Gm(maj7) or G minor/major 7) is one of the most dramatic and tense sounds in jazz guitar. It shows up in minor key tunes, especially at the end of minor ii V I progressions, and creates a beautiful sense of unresolved tension. In this post, you’ll learn: What Is a G … 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
The Am7b5 chord (also called A half-diminished) doesn’t show up in every tune—but when it does, it’s essential. Most often, you’ll find it right at the beginning of a minor ii–V–I progression, and it serves as a great entry point into more advanced jazz harmony and improvisation. In this lesson, I’ll walk you through the chord voicing I use … Read more
The D7#9 chord is one of the most recognizable sounds in jazz, blues, and funk — gritty, colorful, and packed with tension. But if you’ve only played it from a chord chart, you might be missing how much power it has in your comping and soloing. In this post, we’ll break down: What Is a D7#9 Chord? … Read more
The Dm7 chord (short for D minor 7) is one of the most useful voicings in jazz guitar. In this lesson, we’ll cover a versatile Dm7 guitar shape that works on the top four strings — perfect for comping or solo guitar. You’ll also learn how to voice-lead it into a full ii–V–I progression, how … Read more
There are many tools available for learning to play scales on guitar, and most of them are rooted in traditional music education. Some focus on reading notation, while others rely on tablature (TAB), which is essentially a simplified version of notation for guitar. However, in my experience, the best tool for any guitar player is … Read more