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- Jazz Guitar Lessons
Jazz Guitar Lessons
(800) 417-4620
Here's an outline of topics your teacher can cover with you depending on your level of ability.
Beginner
- 2-note comping voicings (3rds and 7ths)
- 3-note comping voicings (root, 3rd, 7th)
- Learning/memorizing of jazz tunes and jazz standards
- Analysis of melodies in relation to bass
- Numerical analysis of chord movement
- Practice of ii-V-Is
- Linear melodic ideas for ii-V-Is
- Voice leading ideas for ii-V-Is
- Chord voicings for ii-V-Is
- Development of strong rhythm and development of internal time clock
- Freddie Green (4 beat) style comping/swing feel
- Listening to bassists and drummers
- Playing/singing strong basslines
- Maintaining sense of form while improvising
Intermediate
- Study/memorization of all intervals
- Focus on ability to sing all intervals (unison thru Octave, ascending and descending)
- Practice of singing all triads in all inversions, open and closed voicings
- Study of 7th chords (Maj7, min7, dim7, Maj7+5, dom7, minMaj7, min7b5)
- Singing all 7th chords
- Logically finding fingerings for 7th chord arpeggios all over fretboard
- Study of possible 7th chord voicings on the guitar (drop 2, drop 3, drop 2 and 4, open, closed
- Major, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor, Harmonic Major scales
- Tertian harmony (triads and 7th chords)
- Quartal harmony
- Important modes from each scale and their uses in jazz improvisation
- Exploration of mode/chord scale relationships
- Practice of singing scales/modes
- Study of the lineage/development of the language of jazz improvisation through the solos and compositions of great jazz musicians:
- Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, etc.
- Transcription/memorization of solos and important phrases
- Study of common chord progressions used for improvisation
- In-depth study of the mechanics of the language of Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
- Learning of bebop heads
Advanced
- Study of quartal chords (3-note, 4 note, 5 note, 6 note)
- Study of inversions of quartal chords
- Uses of quartal voicings
- Analysis of all triads, 7th chords, and quartal chords over 12 roots
- Diminished scale and related harmony
- Diminished patterns for improvisation
- Chords found within the 8-note diminished scale
- Repetition of diminished voicings/melodic ideas at m3 intervals
- Uses of 4 major triads found within the diminished scale
- Connection/interchangeability between dim7th chords and dom7b9 chords
- Common functions of diminished chords in jazz tunes/standards
- Whole-tone scale and related harmony
- Study/practice of non-functional harmony
- Compositions/solos of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson
- Introduction of "modal" playing in the late 50s by Miles Davis
- Study of John Coltrane's hamonic developments
- Three-tonic systems (Giant Steps, Coutndown, etc.)
- Superimposition of chords
Related Information
About the Guitar
Guitars may be played acoustically, where the tone is produced by vibration of the strings and modulated by the hollow body, or they may rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone.



