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.
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...
Neo-Soul Jazz Chord Melody
If from the title, “If Jimi Played Jazz” on the thumbnail, you’re wondering what on earth Hendrix has to do with jazz, please keep an open mind and read on... There are several unique clues in Jimi’s playing that lead us to imagine what he might have sounded like if...
What A Wonderful World
For my last post for 2022, in view of the crazy state of our world, I should have probably posted a chord melody for “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (lol). But like John Lennon sang, “I’m a Dreamer”, and so I chose to end the year on a positive note! Instead I put...
Holiday Jazz Chord Melody
This post features a download of all my Holiday Season chord melody arrangements for a special discount! Included are jazzy versions of "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Let It Snow!", “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, “Frosty The Snow Man”, “Have Yourself A Merry Little...
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
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... “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”. The beauty of these Christmas classics is that they were written by many of the same composers that...
Moanin’
Can you spare a minute? That’s roughly how long this chord melody video lasts! You might or might not know the tune, but it has become part of most jazz musicians repertoire. "Moanin'" was written by pianist Bobby Timmons and first recorded, by Art Blakey's band the...
L-O-V-E
PDF & AUDIO DOWNLOAD: The "L-O-V-E" lesson files, can be downloaded for $8.00. The download includes the following files: PDF with both regular notation and TAB of the arrangement, MP3, a Band in a Box file, as well as a Midi file so you can practice using the...
Fly Me To The Moon
This is my 3rd chord melody arrangement exclusively using the Barry Harris system of harmonization! It’s a very popular standard that many jazz musicians tend to associate with “Autumn Leaves” and “All The Things You Are” due to their similarity in the initial...
“Bluesette” Barry Harris Style
Hope you had a chance to check out my arrangement of “I’ll Remember April”, exclusively harmonized using the 6th & diminished chord concept associated with Barry Harris. For my 2nd arrangement in this series, I’ve decided to feature a popular standard in ¾ time....
“I’ll Remember April” -Barry Harris style
I hope you had a chance to watch my lesson titled, “Wes and the Barry Harris 6th & Diminished Connection”! Towards the end of it I promised I would be posting some chord melody arrangements featuring the Barry Harris method of harmonizing lines. I am happy to...
Barry Harris 6th & Diminished Chords
For some time now, several students have been asking me to do a lesson on how to use the “6th and diminished” harmonized scales associated with the late bebop pianist, Barry Harris. However, I’ve been hesitant because personally, it’s a concept I picked up over the...
Too Marvelous For Words
Are you familiar with Johnny Mercer? He wrote the lyrics to some of the greatest and most played standards in the history of jazz...Autumn Leaves, Days of Wine and Roses, I’m Old Fashioned and countless more. Recently I fell in love with a lesser known standard...