I got told not to play jazz guitar voicings with the root above the 7th of the chord, because it sounds ugly. Is this true? Or is it something I can do sometimes? – Jeff H. It really depends. On the musical situation, who you are playing with, and what you’re trying to do. There … Read more
What is the best way to play triplets with a pick? There are 2 options listed in the Berklee “Modern Guitar” method. Is there one that you prefer? Or is there a different approach that’s better? – Tim As far as practicing triplets with a pick goes, it really depends on what you want to … Read more
I never thought too much about how to learn jazz guitar. It just kind of happened. One day, I found out there was a band in my middle school where I could play guitar before school. The class was called “jazz band.” I didn’t know what jazz was and I didn’t care. I just wanted … Read more
Minor 7 Arpeggios for Jazz Guitar Making the changes is an important part of learning to play better solos in jazz guitar. And your minor 7 arpeggios are an essential piece of “making the changes.” I remember spending a lot of time learning these arpeggio patterns early on in college. Especially as I was working … Read more
Minor Pentatonic Scale for Jazz Guitar As I went through college, I didn’t give enough credit to the minor pentatonic scale. Don’t get me wrong – I spent a lot of my time and energy on developing my soloing skills. I worked hard on learning to play the changes and develop my jazz vocabulary. But … Read more
The Morning Coffee Jazz Guitar Practice Routine When I was in college, practicing jazz guitar was always a chore. Don’t get me wrong, I love jazz guitar. But practicing was something that just had to be done every day. I did it, because I liked getting better. But I also did it because I felt … Read more
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 … Read more
Dominant 7 Arpeggios for Jazz Guitar Sometimes I feel like I spent half of my time in college working on dominant 7th arpeggios. Learning how to play them. How to apply them to ii V I progressions. How to alter them and create “outside” harmonies. There’s a good reason for this… dominant 7 arpeggios are … Read more
My first real experience dealing with major 7 arpeggios for guitar was in a college jazz improvisation class. While the jazz guitar teacher I had worked with through high school was great, he just didn’t think about playing solos that way… Now don’t get me wrong, he could absolutely play arpeggios. He just seemed to … Read more
I was first introduced to shell voicings for jazz guitar after high school. During my audition for a jazz camp, the guitar instructor pointed out that the chords I was using at the time were kind of clunky. I had repeated notes in my voicings that didn’t need to be there. And I wasn’t sure … Read more