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
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
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
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
Learning how to do modes is high up on most jazz guitar players to-do lists. And it seems like a good idea, too. Lots of good players talk about learning jazz guitar scales and modes – so it’s probably a good idea to learn about them. And modes are an important part of playing jazz. … Read more
Learning how to play jazz chords can be intimidating for guitar players. Especially at first. There are a lot of numbers and symbols you might not have seen before. And if you’re mostly used to playing open chords… … things like Eb, Db, Gb are going to be kind of scary. I get it. This … Read more
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