Jazz guitar chord shapes can be overwhelming to learn – especially after you get past the easy stuff.
There’s so many options out there. There are tons of resources for learning jazz guitar chords. And it can be hard to know what to focus on for your next steps.
Should you be focusing on shell voicings? What about drop 2 or drop 3? And someone said something about inversions? What is that?
Now, if you’re worried about this stuff, you’re probably thinking too hard. But I get it. On the surface there’s a lot to learn about jazz guitar chords. Nearly unlimited possibilities that you somehow need to learn and remember.
But in reality, it’s just not that hard. You just need to learn some chord shapes, and how to use them. No big deal.
I’d argue that most jazz guitarists don’t need to get too technical about what chords they’re playing.
The old school guys didn’t think about drop 2 or drop 3 voicings – they just played chord shapes that were relatively easy to get under their fingers. And they were practical about it.
In fact, most of the complicated sounding “voicings” that people like to make a big deal out of…
…happen to line up with common, relatively easy-to-play chord shapes jazz guitarists have been using all along – it’s nothing special.
Your Easier Jazz Guitar Chord System
There is a simple system of movable jazz guitar chord shapes that the pros have used for decades to organize their chords all over the fretboard.
It lets you access any chord you need, anywhere on the neck. Your next chord will always be close by. In fact, you’ll never need to move more than a fret or two away from what you just played.
Even better, this system helps you stay organized on the guitar neck so you never get lost, never get stuck without a good move available.
Let’s take a closer look at this movable chord shape system and see what makes it tick.
The Philosophy Behind Movable Chord Shapes
Dealing with movable chord shapes means that there are no open strings. So if you move your finger shape to a new fret, you have a new chord. This is one way you can make it easier to play any jazz guitar chord.
Here are some of the reasons to embrace the movable jazz guitar chord system:
It’s Practical
You want to be able to actually use your chords in your playing. So it’s important to focus on practical, usable chord shapes.
Knowing advanced theory ideas never once helped me get to a chord faster – or get a gig. Knowing which note was the root, and what fret to put it on – always got me to chords faster.
And that’s what this system is great for.
Find Your Next Chord Fast – And Play it Easily
Using the fretboard map later in this lesson, you’ll develop a full knowledge of the notes on the guitar fretboard – so you don’t even have to think about it.
Knowing the notes and the chord shapes is going to put you a step ahead. When I learned this system, I didn’t really know any better. I just did the assignments my jazz guitar teacher gave me.
And I ended up knowing the fretboard cold. I didn’t have to try and memorize the neck or think about where the notes were – I just knew. And the chord shapes themselves became second nature.
Easily Read Through Any Jazz Guitar Chord Chart
Once I got these chords down, I just didn’t have to practice my chord parts for jazz band, the pro bands I played in, or other professional gigs I was on.
I could just read the parts, and it wasn’t a big deal. Because I knew the system, and I knew the fretboard like the back of my hand.
How cool would it be to not have to practice how you’re going to play chords for your next rehearsal or jam session? It would make your life a lot easier.
Play More Creatively With Your Chords
The fewer options you have, the less creative you can be. That’s just how it works.
With the 5 chord shapes presented here, you have plenty of wiggle room with the chords you play. You’ll be able to play a chord based off of any string on the guitar.
You can choose them based on what’s easiest, what’s closest, or what sound you want to hear at that moment. With a little work, your chord work can be just as creative and interesting as playing a solo.
Your Chord Melody Foundation
These chords fit seamlessly into chord melody arrangements. Because they cover all of the neck, you’ve got good options for just about every chord and melody note combination right here in this set of chords.
Core Movable Chord Shapes Organized by Quality
Here’s how to play the 5 different chord types you’ll usually need in jazz guitar:
Major 7 Chords
Major 7 chords are built with a root (1), major third (3), a perfect fifth (5), and a major seventh (7).
Dominant 7 Chords
Dominant 7 chords are built with a root (1), major third (3), a perfect fifth (5), and a minor (or flat) seventh (b7).
Minor 7 Chords
A minor 7 chord is built with a root (1), minor (or flat) third (b3), a perfect fifth (5), and a minor (or flat) seventh (b7).
Minor 7b5 Chords
The minor 7b5 chord is built with a root (1), minor (or flat) third (b3), a diminished (or flat) fifth (5), and a minor (or flat) seventh (b7).
Diminished 7 Chords
Diminished 7 chords are built with a root (1), minor (or flat) third (b3), a diminished (or flat) fifth (5), and a diminished (or double-flat) seventh (bb7)
In all of our chord-tone descriptions, I prefer a simpler and more practical label. I’ll almost never use the terms “minor” or “diminished” in reference to a chord tone.
I’ll use flat 3 instead of minor 3, and flat 5 instead of diminished 5 – every time.
This is because while these terms are technically correct, they get in the way when we’re talking about chord qualities.
In a way, I’m always looking about what we need to do to a major 7 chord in order to create the chord we need.
- Dominant 7 chord, flat the 7
- Minor 7 chord? Flat the 7 and 3.
- And so on
Advantages of This Approach
Quick Application
As soon as you can form the chord shapes (even if you still have to look them up), you can start putting them to work in tunes you’re playing.
For many of my own students, the first thing we do is work through all 5 of these jazz guitar chord shapes – so they can get straight to playing through songs.
Play Jazz Guitar Chord Shapes With Confidence
Every chord shape you learn puts you one step closer to playing jazz guitar for real.
It’s a great feeling when you can go through a new tune without having to look up any of the chords…
… because you just know how to play them and where to find them.
Once you’ve got this system under your fingers, jazz guitar chords really aren’t that complicated – and you’ve got a template for figuring out any chords you don’t know yet.
Fretboard Mastery
Each of these movable chord shapes can be played at any fret – so you can make them be any chord you need them to be.
As you learn them, you’ll also be learning the fretboard way better than you could by trying to memorize it.
Advanced Skills Made Easy
Things like inversions, “special” chord voicings (like drop 2 and drop 3), or topics like voice leading aren’t advanced anymore.
They’re just easy.
Believe it or not, all of these “advanced” topics are baked right into the chord system in this lesson.
Practical Tips for Implementation
Use the Fretboard Map
The chord shapes are just a part of the equation. In order to use them in songs, you have to know where to put the root note of each shape – if you need a Bb7, the root needs to be on a Bb.
Use the fretboard map below as you practice, and you’ll have an easy time learning the fretboard for good.
Routine Practice:
Practice these shapes a little bit each day, and you’ll be surprised at your progress. I recommend starting at one chord shape per day.
Let’s say you’re working on your major 7 chords:
- Day 1 – 6th string shape – play all over the neck
- Day 2 – 5th string shape – play it all over the neck
- Day 3 – 4th string shape
- Day 4 – 3rd string shape
- Day 5 – 2nd string shape
Then repeat that cycle with the rest of the chord types.
You can obviously do more if you want – but this is a manageable amount of work for busy people. It takes some time, but you’ll know all of your chords pretty quickly this way.
Application to Standards:
Put your chords to work in songs, or ii V I progressions as soon as possible. This is a great way to review your skills, while also building up a library of songs you can play.
Don’t worry too much about what songs to learn – just pick one you like and go for it.
Creative Transitions:
Experiment with different ways of moving from chord to chord in songs and exercises. I like to limit myself to an area of the fretboard – only finding my root notes within a few frets.
I find this helps me keep mixing things up.
5th fret and below or 5th fret and above are both good options to help make sure you can play your jazz guitar chord shapes everywhere on the neck.
If you want to be more intense about it, you can find every root note you need in any 3-fret area.
This will really make you know all of your jazz guitar chord shapes!
Conclusion
These 5 jazz guitar chord shapes are a simple, effective tool for learning jazz guitar quickly
They’re practical. You can put them to work as soon as you can make the finger shapes happen.
They’re simple, and easy to learn. There’s no overthinking – just 5 options you can use to play any jazz guitar chord.
They make “advanced” skills easy for you. It’s like a jazz guitar cheat code.
Different kinds of voicings, inversions, voice leading? It’s all included. You can stop worrying about chords and move on with your playing.
Start chipping away at these chords today, and you’ll be a better jazz guitar player before you know it.
Check out our ultimate guide to jazz guitar chords to learn more.