When you’re playing jazz guitar, chords are kind of the most important part of your job. Whether you’re playing in a big band rhythm section, jamming with friends, or playing solo guitar in your room… You’re going to find yourself playing a lot of chords.
And that’s a good thing. Chord shapes are a fun part of learning jazz guitar – each new finger pattern you learn helps you create different sounds… and makes playing songs just a little bit easier.
But they can also be kind of overwhelming when you’re just getting started. A lot of students who come to me after trying to learn jazz guitar on their own got just buried in chords and didn’t know what to do.
The sad part of all this is that jazz guitar chords don’t actually have to be all that complicated. In fact as far as your guitar playing goes, they aren’t all that different from the barre chords or power chords you’re already playing.
We just use different finger patterns for jazz chords, that’s all.
To make things even a little simpler, all of those complicated-looking jazz guitar chords actually fit into 4 (or 3 if you’re really old school about it) categories. Once you understand how it works, it’s really easy to know what to play.
So let’s dive into the different types of jazz guitar chords.
Understanding Seventh Chords
We’re going to skip the whole “basic theory” part of the conversation and get straight to the good stuff… the jazz guitar chords you’re going to be playing most of the time.
Open up just about any jazz guitar book and you’ll find the same old chapter that tries to cover all of 1st year theory in a few pages. So it seems kind of silly to rehash that here.
(You’ve probably skimmed a few of those chapters already anyway)
If you’re interested in understanding the theory better, I will cover everything you actually need in this lesson.
I also regularly post lessons on the music theory side of things – but the point of this lesson is actually learning to play the chords. (My priority is always to get you playing – not just thinking)
7th chords are made up of 4 notes. Each note has a number assigned to it – and we call this an interval.
The intervals of a 7th chord are:
- A root (1)
- Some kind of third (3, b3)
- Some kind of 5th (5, b5, #5)
- Some kind of 7th (7, b7, bb7)
Sometimes a 6 will replace the 7 (like in a 6 chord – G6 for example… you’ll see this in the examples below).
That’s ok – it still serves the same function within the chord as the 7. Maj7 and 6 chords are kind of interchangeable.
By moving the 3, 5, and 7 of a chord shape, you can create different chord qualities. Chord qualities are things like whether a chord is major, dominant, or minor.
So there are many jazz guitar chords you’ll learn here that are related to one another. And that’s great news! It means you don’t have to learn everything from scratch.
The Big 3 – Major, Dominant, and Minor Chords
The old-school jazz guitar guys will say that there are really only 3 kinds of chords – major, dominant, and minor.
In this way of thinking, every other kind of chord you see in jazz is simply a different version of one of these 3 chord types.
I like this thought because when you break it down this way, things seem a lot less complicated.
It even seems almost too good to be true… but as someone who has done some REALLY deep dives into jazz guitar chords, this really is the easiest way to think about it.
Major Chords
There are really 2 types of chords that fit the “major chord” category. They are the major 7, and the major 6 chord – and each has its own chord symbol.
Your major 7 chord is built 1 3 5 7 and has the symbol maj7, or ∆7 (Gmaj7, G∆7). And your major 6 Chord is built 1 3 5 6 and has the symbol 6 (G6).
The 6 and the 7 are doing the same job – adding color to a plain old major triad. Instead of a G, you have a G with a 6 on top. Or a G with a major 7th on top.
A lot of times, a song or chord progression will specifically call for one of these chords or the other. The chord symbols are always going to tell you what to do.
It’s always good to go with what’s on the page – especially in a big band context, or any other group situation.
At least, at first.
But if you have time to really sit with the chord progression and play with it for a while, do some experimenting. You might find situations where you like the 6 better than the 7 – or the other way around.
In general jazz guitar playing, you can use the major 7 and major 6 chords interchangeably. They’re both major sounds – so they both work for situations where you need a “major” chord quality.
In fact, this is how Joe Pass treated these chords in his book, Guitar Chords (Affiliate link). He made no distinction between major 7 and major 6 chords.
They were all just in the “major chords” section of the book.
Major 7th Chords
Major 6th Chords
Dominant 7th Chords
Dominant 7th chords are all over the place in jazz guitar, so it’s a good idea to get used to playing them.
There are also a lot of potential variations of this chord type.
That’s because the dominant 7 chord is where we have the most freedom to alter the chord, adding #9, b9, #5 (orb13), or b5 (or #11).
But we’ll cover alterations later on – right now we just want to look at the basic structure of the dominant 7 chord.
Dominant 7 chords are built 1 3 5 b7, and they have a very simple chord symbol.
A G dominant 7 would be written as “G7” – so you’ve probably encountered this chord type before.
You just knew them as “7 chords” in the past. And now because most of our chords have some kind of 7 involved, we have to be a little more specific when we talk about them.
Minor Chords
Like with our major chords, there are a couple of chord types that fit into the “minor chord” category.
A minor 7 chord is built 1 b3 5 b7 and has the symbol min7, or -7 (Cmin7, C-7). While a minor 6 chord is built 1 b3 5 6 and has the symbol min6 or -6 (Cmin6, C-6).
And again, the 6 and 7 are essentially doing the same thing – functioning as the added color on top of a minor triad.
You end up playing Cm with a 6 on top, or Cm with a b7 on top – that’s all this is.
And just like with major chords, you will see each chord symbol called for in some situations.
But when you have time to sit with the chords a little bit – you will find areas where you can have some creative freedom – using min7 and min6 as minor sounds with slightly different colors.
This can be especially helpful when you start working on chord melody arrangements.
Minor 7th Chords
Minor 6th Chords
Bonus: Other Useful Jazz Guitar Chords
Minor 7 b5 Chords
This is where I break from the old school guys a little bit. I like to add in a 4th chord category.
I get where they’re coming from – these minor 7b5 or half-diminished chords can be thought of as a variation of minor chords.
But they also get used enough in the day-to-day of playing jazz guitar that I think it’s worth learning them on their own… as a 4th category of chords.
Before taking a look, it’s worth noting that these chords have 2 names, and 2 chord symbols: Minor 7b5 (min7b5), and half-diminished 7th (ø7).
They both mean the same thing – they’re just different ways of writing or talking about the chords. The ø7 symbol and “half-diminished” name comes from when big band charts were written out by hand.
Min7b5 would take more pen strokes, more ink, and more space on the page than ø7. Today, you’ll find both symbols, depending on who published the music you’re looking at, and what font they used.
Diminished 7 Chords
The diminished 7th is a really useful chord for jazz guitar players. I usually call it a “swiss army knife” chord in lessons, because it’s so helpful and easy to use.
Diminished 7 is technically what we call a “symmetrical chord.” And what that means in guitar friendly language is that any note of your diminished 7th chord shapes can be the root.
When you take a look at the diagrams below, it won’t look symmetrical at all. But it’s important to remember that a lot of these terms are musical terms, not guitar terms.
Now before your eyes glaze over – this doesn’t mean you need to be thinking about 4 different chord names every time you use a diminished 7 chord.
In fact, I strongly recommend you don’t think too hard about this. It’s supposed to be easy – so let it be.
What it means is that all you have to do is make the finger shape, and put one of your fingers on the note you’re looking for. Easy.
If you need a Bº7 chord, you make a diminished 7 shape and put one of your fingers on a B.
That’s it!
Your two symbols for this chord are going to be dim7 (Gdim7) and º7 (Gº7). And just like with min7b5, it just depends on who published or wrote the music you’re looking at.
It’s always helpful to be able to recognize both symbols so you’re never confused.
(Whenever there are 2 ways of looking at things with jazz guitar, I figure it’s always best to learn both methods over time.)
Voicings: A Detailed Look at Jazz Guitar Chords
Do you really need to understand this?
Voicings are a tricky subject to talk about for me. Because honestly I’m not sure it’s actually a helpful topic to look at until you’re more advanced.
Yes, they exist – chord voicings they’re a real musical term to describe different ways to construct a chord.
But they’re also a topic that constantly gets over complicated – especially on the internet. And at the end of the day – if you’re playing any jazz guitar chords at all, you’re playing chord voicings.
Here’s what jazz guitar chord voicings are:
Chord voicings are different ways to build the same chord.
A simple major 7th chord can have several different ways it is “voiced” on the guitar – and it’s still the same major 7th chord, with the same chord symbol.
So if you have different shapes for major 7th chords… you automatically have different major 7th chord voicings.
It’s just a different arrangement of the same notes. The idea comes from composition – where each note is considered to be a voice.
In the really early days, this was exactly what voicing meant. All the compositions were for groups of singers – so each part was an individual voice.
What do you really need to know?
Most players don’t really need to dive deep into studying voicings. The jazz guitar police might come after me for saying that… but it’s true.
In fact, if you just focus on normal jazz guitar chords, (like these 5 movable chord shapes) you’ll already be playing several of the voicing types I’m about to describe. Without thinking too hard.
Because let’s be clear – no one listening to you cares what kind of voicings you are using. They care if you sound good or not.
So focus on making the chords you do know sound good, and you’ll be ok. And as you get better, looking into the specific voicing types can give you more creative control over how your chords sound.
That’s where chord voicings become a useful tool for you.
But it’s not magic.
Like most things with jazz guitar – if you simply focus on the basics, you’re going to be in good shape.
So don’t let anyone tell you that you need to learn some specific voicing – if you practice the chords covered so far in this guide, you already know how to play most of them anyway.
It’s important to understand that these are not new and mysterious chord types that only pro jazz guitar players understand.
If you’ve been playing jazz guitar for a while, you probably know some of these shapes already – they just had a different name when you learned them.
The idea of learning specific voicings with names like “drop 3” and “drop 2” is a relatively new development.
With the old time jazz guitar players, naming chord structures was kind of the wild west. They used the name their teacher told them, or came up with something that made sense to them.
I remember hearing an interview with Jimmy Bruno where his dad described a particular chord as “an E chord, but with hair.” (Interview starts at 24:45. There are some swears in there if you’re offended by that kind of thing.)
So we ended up with TONS of different names for the same basic chord shape.
As jazz education became more formalized, we kind of adopted naming systems that came from jazz arranging, or jazz piano.
On the good side, this gave us a common language that could be used across instruments. And everyone would finally know what each other were talking about in terms of chords.
But it also led to a lot of confusion among players who are just getting started. It can be hard to know what to trust when you’re hearing all kinds of different terms.
So let’s take a closer look at jazz guitar chord voicings. Here are some of the common chord voicing types you’ll run into.
(Keep in mind that #1 you already probably know some of these, and #2 – you absolutely don’t need to know all of them.)
Common Jazz Guitar Voicings
Shell voicings
Shell voicings are one of the simplest jazz guitar chord structures you can learn. They’re only three notes: a root (1), third (3) and seventh (7).
What’s really nice about these chords is they’re easy to play, and they sound good. In my experience, you can win gigs away from players who know a lot more chord shapes than you – if you get good at shell voicings alone.
One of the things that makes these chords work so well is how simple they are. Just 3 notes and you’ve got everything you need.
This is especially helpful if you’re playing in a big band or a group that has you playing along with a piano player. Because shell voicings only have the notes that are absolutely essential, you won’t play anything that gets in the way of the piano player. Or the horn arrangement if it’s a big band.
You sound good, everyone else sounds good. It’s a win-win.
It’s hard to go wrong with shell voicings, so they’re a great place to start. If you’re a beginner, you’ll get up and symmetrical chordrunning fast. And if you’re more advanced, these chords are still going to be something you use every single day
To get up and running fast, check out 2 jazz guitar chords you need to know.
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
What about inversions?
Inversions are simply a way of saying what note of the chord is supposed to be on the bottom (or in the bass). They aren’t really something you need to study separately – if you practice the chords in this guide, you’re automatically practicing your inversions.
In a nutshell, here’s how inversions are labeled:
- Root on bottom = Root Position
- 3rd on bottom = 1st inversion
- 5th on bottom = 2nd inversion
- 7th on bottom = 3rd inversion
And here’s the thing – you only ever really need to know that information in theory class. When it comes to actual playing, you usually just need to play the chord – regardless of what inversion it is in.
Knowing what inversion you are playing is maybe a fun piece of trivia, but it’s never once helped me find my next chord fast. But knowing what string the root of the chord is on has always helped me find my next chord fast.
So take the inversions for what they are – another way to label your chord shapes.
Drop 3 Jazz Guitar Chords
Drop three chords are another common jazz guitar structure that has been used forever. This chord structure has had many different names over the years:
- Jack Grassel called these “Rhythm Chords” in his book Guitar Seeds
- Chuck Wayne called these “Spread Voicings” in his book Chords (Affiliate link)
The term drop 3 actually has nothing to do with the guitar at all. So don’t try to make it fit with any kind of guitar player logic. It just won’t work.
Drop 3 is a musical term from jazz ranging and piano. And those are the 2 areas where the musical definition of this term actually makes sense.
In theory, this is how it works:
- Write out (or put your fingers in place on the keyboard) your chord
- Find the 3rd from highest note
- Drop that note down one octave
- Now you have a “Drop 3” chord voicing
The written chord you generate with this process just happens to line up with a common jazz guitar chord shape. The thing is, it used to have tons of names. And now we just call it Drop 3 so we’re speaking the same language as the rest of the jazz world.
6th String Form/Root Position
4th String Form/1st Inversion
3rd String Form/3rd Inversion
2nd String Form/2nd Inversion
Drop 2 Jazz Guitar Chords
Drop 2 is another voicing name that comes to us from jazz arranging and jazz piano. But just like with your drop 3 chords, these are just common shapes that jazz guitar players have been using forever.
- Jack Grassel calls them 4 String Chords (or 4 String Close Voiced Chords) in Guitar Seeds
- Chuck Wayne calls them Open Voicings a in his book Chords (Affiliate link)
- Corey Christian shows these as “Block Chords” in his book Essential Jazz Lines in the Style of Wes Montgomery (Affiliate link)
You can see that these chords have had many different names in the past – but calling them Drop 2 gives us a common terminology with the rest of the jazz world.
In theory, here’s what you do:
- Take your written chord
- Find the 2nd from highest note
- Drop that note down one octave
- Now you have a Drop 2 chord!
Again, this description is in musical terms only. So don’t hurt yourself trying to get it to make sense on the guitar. It just doesn’t line up.
4th String Form/Root Position
3rd String Form/2nd Inversion
2nd String Form/1st Inversion
1st String Form/3rd Inversion
Learn the shapes, and know that you’re playing drop 2 chords.
You’ll notice that I only included the higher 4 strings in the examples above. These are the patterns that I use the most – and feel like you will get the most benefit out of.
If you’d like to explore the other 2 string sets of drop 2 chords, check out our free in-depth guide to drop 2 chords.
Drop 2 and 4 Jazz Guitar Chords
Drop 2 and 4 chords are tricky – but they give you some interesting sounds. Some of these are very stretchy and challenging, but if you end up liking the sound, it’s worth it.
These chords sound so interesting because of the way the notes are stacked up within the shape. You end up using larger intervals from note-to-note, creating a bigger sound.
The way these line up on your fretboard, you end up having to skip or mute a string in the middle of the voicing. This can be a challenge to get your fingers around at first – but you can get used to it with time.
I’ve found that It’s a little easier if you play these shapes fingerstyle. When you use a pick you have to be careful about muting the middle string. With just your fingers, you can train your right hand to only grab the strings you want.
Unlike drop 3 and drop 2 chords, this voicing doesn’t have too many extra names that I can find. Chuck Wayne called them “Split Voicings” in his book Chords (Affiliate link) – but that’s about it.
Here’s how you build this chord:
- Take your written chord
- Find the 2nd from the highest note
- Find the 4th from the highest note
- Drop both of those notes down one octave
Because these shapes are a little stretchier and a little more awkward to play, I’d recommend working on your other kinds of voicings first. They can be fun to play with, but they are kind of tricky to get down.
6th String Form/Root Position
5th String Form/2nd Inversion
3rd String Form/3rd Inversion
2nd String Form/1st Inversion
My Last thought on Jazz Guitar Chords and Voicings
I almost didn’t talk about different voicings at all in this guide. For me, they fall into a category of:
True, but not necessarily helpful.
These chord voicings are real parts of learning jazz guitar. They’re shapes that exist on the fretboard, and sounds you’ll hear in music.
But they also get a lot of people really confused. I’ve run into several students who get so hung up on the names (drop 3, drop 2, etc) that they don’t ever get around to actually playing the chord shapes.
So I’ve taken a bit of an anti-voicings stance in the last few years. Because the truth is it’s rare that you will actually need to know that label. And I can almost guarantee that knowing whether something is a drop 2 chord won’t make you play any better.
So what should you focus on?
I’ve outlined 2 guides that will give you the quickest, easiest path to really being able to play your jazz guitar chords:
These two lessons will cover just about all the bases. And they might just be the only types of chords you’ll ever need.
But here’s the fun part – once you’re good with the lessons I just mentioned, you’ll also know 90% of the voicings I’ve outlined in this guide. You’ll just be able to play them, too.
Altering Jazz Guitar Chords: Become Your Own Chord Dictionary
The normal way people try to learn more jazz guitar chords is to look them up. Which makes a lot of sense.
With just a couple of clicks, you can get answers in countless jazz guitar books, sites, or communities online.
It can work – and sometimes it works really well for people.
But it also relies heavily on memorization.
I’m not going to tell you memorization is bad – but I’ve found that when it comes to learning jazz guitar chords, it’s less efficient. Memorization takes a lot of time and practice before you can actually use the material creatively.
My Experience Learning Jazz Guitar Chords
I learned just about every way to play chords from my first jazz guitar teacher…
… with memorization and a lot of repetition.
We worked through countless chord forms, exercises, and reviews to make the chord shapes second nature.
And I got really good at it. The big grain of salt to take that with though: I was also in 8th-10th grade at the time. So I had a lot of time on my hands to go through these exercises.
And the internet then wasn’t what it is today – so I didn’t have a lot of other information available to me. I just did what the old man said, and I got better.
But when I got a summer job and didn’t practice regularly for a couple of months…
… I lost most of those jazz guitar chord shapes.
In fact, I actually had to re-learn them from scratch before I headed off to college. And that was a lot of work.
In my teaching, I operate under the assumption that you don’t have that kind of time.
I assume that you’d like to be playing all of the chords right now instead of a year or two down the road.
And you’d like a system that sticks with you a little better so you won’t lose it after a little time off (which happens to all of us).
So I’m going to take you on a more direct path to knowing every chord you’d ever need. It takes a little more brain power at first – you’re going to have to think about it. And there is a little bit of memorization – but not nearly as much as most people have to do.
Don’t worry I’m about to give you the tools you need so you can make it happen. And once you get this system down, you’ll have it forever.
So even if you forget how to build a certain chord – you’ll have the tools to figure it out quickly.
2 Simple Chord Construction Rules
Before we jump in to the system, there are just 2 chord construction rules you need to know.
Understand the Formulas
You have to be able to get the basics under your fingers if your alterations are going to sound right. Getting the foundation of the chord right is 90% of the battle.
Use the formula tables included below as a guide to understanding chord construction. As you play with it, you’ll start to understand chords better than most music majors in college do.
You Have to Give Something Up to Get Something Else
We have to face reality as guitar players – we only have 4 fingers to work with. And even though we can barre, we should really only be playing 4 notes per chord (most of the time).
So if we want to add a 9 in there, we have to get rid of something else. And if we want a 13 or an 11, that means another note has to get left out.
So what do we leave out?
For now, you get the unsatisfying answer: It depends. And that’s what this next section is going to help you with. Always remember – get the basic structure right, and the rest will fall into place.
Basic Structure Changes – 3 and 7 tracks
As we look at these chord shapes, you need to start thinking of each string as a “track.” The notes on that string can move forward or backwards – but always staying on the same string.
This gives us a lot of control over exactly how we’re changing the chords themselves. It also teaches you a lot about chord construction – so the theory part is more than just formulas. It’s under your fingers and in your ears.
The 3rd of the chord (3) can move in these ways:
- Down one fret = b3
- Up one fret = 4 (only for sus4 chords)
- Down two frets = 2 (only for sus2 chords)
The 7th of the chord (7) can move in these ways:
- Down one fret = b7
- Down two frets = 6 (or bb7 for diminished 7 chords)
- And down 3 frets = b6 (for minb6 chords)
Now all of this is great, but how do you use it? Check out the table below for all of the chords you can create using these simple alterations.
| Chord Type (Symbol) | Interval Formula |
|---|---|
| Major 7 (Maj7, ∆7) | 1 3 5 7 |
| Dominant 7 (7) | 1 3 5 b7 |
| Major 6 (6) | 1 3 5 6 |
| Suspended 2nd (sus2) | 1 2 5 b7 |
| Suspended 4th (sus4) | 1 4 5 b7 |
| Minor 7 (min7, -7) | 1 b3 5 b7 |
| Minor 6 (min6, -6) | 1 b3 5 6 |
| Minor b6 (minb6, -b6) | 1 b3 5 b6 |
| Minor Major 7 (min/maj7, -∆7) | 1 b3 5 7 |
Alterations and Extensions- 9 and 5 Tracks
Now that you have the formulas to the basic chord structures, let’s take a look at how to add some more color.
This is where we have to remember the 2nd rule from above – you have to give something up to get something else.
- To add any kind of 9, you have to give up the root in your chord shape
- To add any kind of 11, 13, or altered 5, you have to give up the 5th in your chord shape
Working on changing these notes while still keeping your 3rd and 7th tracks in place is going to help you come up with a variety of new (and sometimes challenging) finger patterns.
The root (1) can move in these ways:
- Up one fret = b9
- Up two frets = 9
- And up three frets = #9
The fifth (5) can move in these ways:
- Down one fret = b5 or #11
- Down two frets = 11
- Up one fret = #5 or b13
- Up two frets = 13
Notice that the 5th is the only time I’ll give you 2 options for what to call a note. In all of the other cases, there is really only one correct name for the chord tone.
You’ll see this in the diagrams below – I alternate between labeling them as 5s, or as 11s/13s. It’s good to recognize both as correct.
What’s important to keep in mind is the function of each note in the chord shape. For our purposes, the 3rd and 7th are the most important structural parts of the chord.
- Whatever you move the 3 to – it needs to function as the 3rd of the chord
- Whatever you move the 7th to – it will function as the 7th of the chord
The root and 5th are where you have some license to really create alterations or extensions in your jazz guitar chords.
You can’t lower the 7th to a 6 and call it a 13 – it just doesn’t function that way. And the opposite applies – you can’t move the 5 up to a 13 and call it a 6.
The function (and sound) just won’t be right.
But when do you call it a b5, and when do you call it a #11?
It depends on what the chord symbol says. It’s good to know both names, because it will help you come up with the right chord for whatever is written down on the page.
In reality for guitar players, there’s no difference between a b5 and a #11, or a #5 and a b13. Our finger pattern and chord structure stays the same.
In theory there is a difference. But we don’t need to worry about that – because we’re playing guitar.
So how do you know when to add alterations to your jazz guitar chords? There are two easy answers:
- Whenever the chord symbol calls for an alteration
- Whenever you feel like it (experiment and listen to what sounds good
A lot of times if the composer or arranger really wants a specific sound from a chord, they will let you know. If you see a G7#9b5 chord, it means the composer really wants to hear a G7 chord with a #9 and a b5.
So that process is simple:
- Find a G7 chord
- Move the root up 3 frets to create a #9
- Move the 5th down one fret to create a b5
- You’re all set!
And if there are no specific alterations or extensions called for, you usually have creative license to add your own. It’s important to experiment with sounds and use your own ears to decide what sounds best to you.
(And if you get feedback from a bandmate or bandleader… take it and make an adjustment!)
Check out the tables below for common chord structures, and their “usual suspect” alterations. There are definitely more options, but these will get you started – and they’re all pretty safe bets.
| Chord Type (Symbol) | Interval Formula | Common Alterations |
|---|---|---|
| Major 7 (Maj7, ∆7) | 1 3 5 7 | 9, #11, 13 |
| Dominant 7 (7) | 1 3 5 b7 | b9, 9, #9, #11/b5, #5, b13, 13 |
| Major 6 (6) | 1 3 5 6 | 9 |
| Suspended 2nd (sus2) | 1 2 5 b7 | n/a |
| Suspended 4th (sus4) | 1 4 5 b7 | b9 (when in the symbol) |
| Minor 7 (min7, -7) | 1 b3 5 b7 | 9, 11, b9(only on the 3 chord) |
| Minor 6 (min6, -6) | 1 b3 5 6 | 9 |
| Minor b6 (minb6, -b6) | 1 b3 5 b6 | 9 |
| Minor Major 7 (min/maj7, -∆7) | 1 b3 5 7 | 9 |
| Minor 7b7 (min7b5, ø7) | 1 b3 b5 b7 | b9 |
| Diminished 7th (dim7, º7) | 1 b3 b5 bb7 | n/a |
Learn Your Jazz Guitar Chords
Jazz guitar chords are an important part of your toolbox… and maybe the single most important part.
That’s because in most jazz guitar playing situations, you’re going to find that playing chords is your main job. It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing solo guitar or sitting in a big band rhythm section – there’s lots of chords you’ll want to know.
On the surface, it can seem like there are an impossible number of jazz guitar chords you have to learn – but don’t get overwhelmed.
It’s really not that bad. If you learn the 4 main types of jazz guitar chords from this lesson, you’ll be in really good shape.
And if you go further into learning your voicings or altering chords to become your own chord dictionary… you’re going to be great.
What jazz guitar chords are you working on right now? Let me know in the comments below.