THE JAZZ GUITAR VLOG
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Blue Bossa Improvisation Concepts
In this lesson I teach you 6 concepts to apply when soloing over Blue Bossa. Truthfully, once you get them down you can apply them over virtually any standard! I just chose Blue Bossa because it is a popular standard and If you don't already know it, it's fairly easy...
Coltrane’s Ghosting Technique on Guitar
So you're probably wondering...what on earth is this "ghosting" technique John Coltrane used and why would I as a guitarist want to learn it? Simply because by emulating it on guitar it's bound to add a whole new dimension to your phrasing! Let me briefly describe it....
Girl from Ipanema Reharmonizations PART 2
In Part 2 of "The Girl from Ipanema" re-harmonized, I show you a 3rd set of alternative chord changes to this often requested bossa-nova. This one happens to be my favorite! Remember, these substitutions aren't just for the "Girl from Ipanema", but for many standards...
Girl from Ipanema Reharmonizations
In this lesson I teach you a couple of cool re-harmonization techniques for "Girl from Ipanema" and several other standards based on that same initial progression. This applied lesson in jazz harmony will show you how to add more color and motion to a static chord...
Playing Outside Using 5ths
"Coltrane, Wes & the Power of 5ths" If like most of us you first learned to play rock and blues on guitar, I'm sure you have spent considerable time playing perfect 5ths all over the neck. Yes...I'm talking about those infamous power chords. Fortunately, there is...
Recycle Your Existing Jazz Licks
Regardless of what level we're at, the fact is that as improvisers we all have pet licks we tend to fall back on. These so called jazz licks are pieces of something we might have learned from a transcription which has become part of our habitual improvisational...
Implying the Harmony in a Jazz Guitar Solo
One of the trademarks of a great solo is that if you strip away the rhythm section you will hear the chord changes implied in the soloist's lines. This brings to mind several great saxophonists who have recorded trio sessions with just bass and drums. Of course John...
10 Jazz Guitar Albums I Recommend
If you had to create a list of your favorite jazz guitar albums but narrow it down to only 10 choices, which ones would you pick? Obviously I have no clue, but if like myself you've been listening to jazz guitar recordings for many years, I'm sure you would find this...
The Giant Steps Turnaround
Do you ever get bored of playing the same turnarounds over every standard? Well if so, I want to teach you some cool alternatives in this lesson...and even if you're content to play your true and tried turnarounds, I think you'll still find this info handy to expand...
How to Play & Use the Symmetrical Pentatonic Scale
In this lesson I teach you how to extract from the melodic minor scale, another scale that most guitarists aren't familiar with... the symmetrical pentatonic. Unlike the 8-note symmetrical diminished scale which is used primarily over diminished 7th chords, the...
Miles Davis Solo on “Autumn Leaves”
In this video I teach a solo that I believe every serious jazz student should learn, regardless of what instrument they play! I'm referring of course to Miles Davis' solo over Autumn Leaves, off the classic Cannonball Adderley album entitled "Something Else". This...
How To Play And Use The Whole Tone Pentatonic- Part 2
In Part 1 of this lesson we learned about the origins of the whole tone pentatonic, its construction, and how to improvise over various chords using the concept of super-imposition. In this 2nd part I'm going to show you 2 four measure phrases exclusively using this...
How to Play and Use the Whole Tone Pentatonic- Part 1
In this two part lesson I'd like to show you how to play and use a scale that most guitarists aren't even aware of. I'm referring to the whole tone pentatonic. So where does this scale come from? Well, I've got some interesting news for you. You probably knew all...
Bebop Jingle Bells
This week's post features a bebop arrangement of "Jingle Bells". Here's your opportunity to learn a sophisticated jazz version of this classic everyone instantly recognizes!
Winter Wonderland Chord Melody
As we approach the holidays and the New Year, I have prepared a special video lesson and accompanying PDF that is especially fitting for this season. It is a jazzy chord melody arrangement of "Winter Wonderland". Who knows...if you start working on it soon, maybe you...
Solo over “My Funny Valentine” with Diads
If you're like most guitarists, you probably resort to 4 part voicings most of the time when playing chords. Who knows, occasionally you might even play some triads...but do you ever play diads? I believe that diads, which are simply 2 note chords,are underrated among...
The Minor 6th Chord: When & How To Use It!
How often do you use the minor 6th chord? If you're like most guitarists, your answer is probably going to be...once in a blue moon! Yet this is a very useful chord, especially when playing standards in minor keys. When used in the right places, it can add a fresh...
Jazz Improvisation and The Art of Quoting
In this lesson we are going to learn all about the Art of Quoting during a solo. In jazz, a quote takes place when in the midst of a solo we insert a recognizable melodic fragment from a different musical piece. Usually the chosen melodic fragment was written over a...