CHORD MELODY
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NOTE: Click on “Older Entries” at the bottom of this page for more lessons or see the complete Chord Melody list on the PREMIUM page.
Chordal Planing
So what on earth is planing? It is often associated with a practice that was frequently used in the music of Debussy and Ravel. During the late 19th century, composers started experimenting with the use of upper extensions in their harmony and ended up creating large...
Monk Chords for Guitar
Do you like bebop? Do you like Thelonious Monk? Are you looking to expand your jazz chord vocabulary? If so, read on... In my newly posted lesson I share several snippets of Monk transcriptions I’ve done, in order to adapt some of his unique piano chord voicings to...
Ravel Chords for Jazz Guitar-Part2
In this 2nd installment of Ravel Chords for Jazz Guitar, I go deeper into Ravel’s impressionist harmony and its application to jazz standards. For starters, I play and analyze an excerpt from a composition that many believe influenced John Coltrane to compose “Giant...
Ravel Chords for Jazz Guitar
Did you know that the bebop pioneers discovered how to use upper extensions from analyzing the music of the impressionists...namely Debussy and Ravel? But the exploration of impressionist harmony on behalf of jazz musicians did not end there! Post-bop musicians have...
One Note Samba
If you’re a fan of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim needs no introduction. Almost every one of his compositions is pure jazz harmony! And in this video I am happy to share with you my solo guitar arrangement of one his most beloved pieces: "One Note Samba". In the...
Ed Bickert’s Solo on Manha de Carnaval
I recently posted a lesson teaching various chord melody segments by Ed Bickert, one of my all time favorite guitarists who sadly is no longer with us. As underrated as many of us feel he was, I was happy to learn from the comments that he has a small cult-like...
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Here's my chord melody arrangement of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and I have to admit, I’ve never had so much fun improvising over a Christmas standard! I hope you will take a couple of minutes to check it out. You’re still in time to learn it for Christmas... And if...
Ed Bickert’s Chord Voicings
In this lesson I explore the unique chord melody style of one of my favorite jazz guitarists whom I've always felt deserves much more recognition. I’m referring to the late Canadian guitarist, Ed Bickert (1932-2019) who not only is known by hardcore jazz guitar fans...
Let it Snow!
Here's a jazzy chord melody arrangement of a holiday season classic, which needless to say, I’m sure you’ve heard a gazillion times... “Let it Snow”. The beauty of these Christmas classics is that they were written by many of the same composers that wrote those...
Desafinado
If you like bossa nova, here's my chord melody arrangement of the AC. Jobim classic... “Desafinado”. This one is full of gorgeous harmony and several interesting key modulations here! It is also said that he was partly inspired by the 2 initial chords of “Take The A...
Killer Joe
For this lesson, I have prepared a solo chord melody arrangement of saxophonist Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe”. And I’m dedicating it to the memory of my 3 favorite Jazz Joe’s: Joe Henderson, Joe Diorio and Joe Pass! In case you’re not familiar with this standard, it...
Lego Chord Melody-Melodic Minor
So you’re probably wondering, what on earth is Lego Chord Melody? Simply put, it’s one of those seldom taught guitar concepts that don’t appear to have an official name. I usually prefer to describe it using the terms, “interlocking” or “modular” chord shapes. And let...
“Smile” – Chord Melody & Kenny Burrell Solo
Kenny Burrell meets Charlie Chaplin? Not exactly… Nonetheless, he recorded an incredible rendition of “Smile”, Chaplin’s beautiful composition for his 1938 film, “Modern Times”. And in this week’s lesson I’m happy to teach you not only Kenny’s solo from it, but also...
In A Mellow Tone
For this week’s video I’m happy to share with you a standard I had fun arranging during my summer hiatus. And it’s a swinging Duke Ellington favorite... “In a Mellow Tone”. This chord melody arrangement for fingerstyle solo guitar is also a great vehicle to master...
Secret Love
Did you know that some of the greatest jazz standards are originally classic movie themes? To name just a few... “The Way You Look Tonight” (Swing Time / 1936), “Someday My Prince Will Come” (Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs /1937), “As Time Goes By” ( Casablanca...
Joe Pass Fingerstyle Arpeggios
I’ll never forget that day in 1974 when I walked into a record store in San Francisco. While sorting through the jazz section, I came across a newly released album titled Virtuoso by Joe Pass, a guitarist I had read about but had not yet listened to. I was intrigued...
“Blue Bossa” Barry Harris Style
In this lesson I show you how I take a standard in a minor key and harmonize the melody using the 6th diminished chord concept associated with the late Barry Harris. For this task I have chosen “Blue Bossa” by Kenny Dorham. Why? Well not only is it a great standard...
Billie’s Bounce
If you’re not familiar with my music background, in my teens I was into rock and mainly blues for almost 10 years before getting into jazz and formally pursuing music studies. Who knows, this might be your case too as it is with many current jazz guitarists! But I...