For me, jazz improvisation was never something that was scary. Partly because I didn’t know much about it, and partly because It just seemed cool to be able to play solos… so that’s what I wanted to do. I was also really lucky – my middle school jazz band director strongly encouraged everyone to improvise… … Read more
If you’re a guitar player, you’ve probably heard of the CAGED system. You might have heard it in passing, and wonder what the big deal is. If you’ve been looking for ways to simplify your learning process, it might even seem like the magic bullet that will take your playing to the next level. There … Read more
“Could you recommend a list of entry-level jazz guitar recordings that would be helpful for someone getting started with jazz guitar? I find the ‘Top 100 Albums’ lists a little overwhelming.” David Absolutely, here’s a list of ten essential recordings to get started with jazz guitar: Wes Montgomery – “Smokin At The Half Note”: This … Read more
I find that when I’m working on jazz I tend to prefer using my fingers instead of a pick. Is that ok? – Nicholas It’s totally OK if you prefer using your fingers instead of a pick, and there are plenty of great players throughout jazz history that use a pick, or they use their … Read more
Welcome to our guide on major scales for guitar. Major scales are a foundational skill in all styles of music, and they’re absolutely essential if you want to be able to play jazz guitar. Major scales are your main source for understanding music theory, creating melodies, understanding chord progressions, and improvising. You could even say … Read more
Major pentatonic scales for guitar are the easiest and fastest way for you to get started playing solos and sounding good right away. It’s almost like having a shortcut to sounding good when you play solos. I remember when someone finally showed me this scale, it was like a lightbulb finally lit up in my … Read more
Honestly, knowing the notes on the guitar fretboard was something I took for granted at one point. When I started learning jazz guitar, I didn’t know that it was important to know the notes on the guitar… I just did what my teacher told me to do. This led to me “just knowing” where the … Read more
Drop 3 chords for jazz guitar were actually one of the first things I really learned. And as it turns out, they’re a pretty great first set of chords to know. My very first jazz guitar teacher showed them to me as a part of his own movable chord system (which had another shape in … Read more
You don’t need tons of complicated chord shapes to play jazz guitar… although that’s what you’re going to find with most jazz guitar books and lessons out there today. Do a quick search for “easy jazz guitar chords” and you’re gonna find a big list of chords to learn and memorize… and it seems like … Read more
Imagine you’re trying to learn how to juggle. Would you start out by trying to juggle three balls at once? Probably not, because that’s way too much to handle at first. You’d start with one, focusing on its movement, trying to get the arc just right, and making sure you’ve got the fundamentals of the … Read more