A jazz guitar learning path, from notes to music.
Study fretboard note locations, chord construction and voice leading, then apply each concept on the guitar. These original studies sit alongside repeatable Daily Drills and the interactive skill drills.
Start with foundations, or choose a topic that needs a refresh. Each written lesson includes a concrete musical idea, steps to try on your guitar, and a link to its sounding example and interactive checkpoint.
Fretboard and interval foundations
Know where you are, hear where you are going, and make a small musical phrase.
Chord construction and harmonic function
Understand seventh chords and give every note a job in the progression.
- Jazz Guitar Seventh Chords: maj7, m7 & Dominant 7A dominant seventh has a major third and a minor seventh.
- Jazz Guitar Guide Tones: Thirds & SeventhsA common tone plus a half-step move can describe an entire chord change.
- ii–V–I Jazz Guitar ProgressionsThe ii-V-I is a relationship between chords, not a fixed set of fret numbers.
Shell voicings and voice leading
Play compact shells, connect the voices, and leave room for another musician.
- Jazz Guitar Shell Voicings: Root, Third & SeventhMuted strings are part of a clean voicing. A shell intentionally omits the fifth.
- Jazz Guitar Voice Leading with Shell ChordsFollow the notes on the same strings to hear a smooth line inside the chords.
- Jazz Guitar Comping: Space & Chord ReleasesGood comping includes dynamics, releases, and rests as well as chord choices.
Turn notes into a line
Aim for chord tones, shape a short motif, and let your ear guide the next phrase.
- Chord-Tone Soloing over ii–V–IStrong landing notes make a short phrase describe the changing harmony.
- Dorian & Mixolydian Guitar ColorsHear the chord underneath a mode. A shared note collection does not make every landing equally settled.
- Jazz Guitar Improvisation: Motif DevelopmentA clear question, some space, and a related answer make a phrase feel intentional.
Barre chords and voicing choices
Four studies connect short barres, sixth- and fifth-string-root seventh chords, and three-note shell alternatives. Checked layouts and self-reported guitar playing remain separate.
- Partial Barre Chords: Three-Note Jazz Guitar VoicingsRead a short index-finger barre and distinguish minor and dominant upper voicings above a supplied bass.
- Jazz Guitar Barre Chords: Sixth-String Root SeventhsConstruct movable dominant, minor and major-seventh grips from a sixth-string root, with explicit finger and barre assignments.
- Jazz Guitar Barre Chords: Fifth-String Root SeventhsConstruct major, minor and dominant seventh chords from a fifth-string root while deliberately muting the sixth string.
- From Shell Voicings to Barre Chords on GuitarRetain chord identity while changing from a three-note shell to a fuller barre grip.
Advanced harmony in context
Five connected studies develop major and minor cadences, flat-nine resolution, tritone substitution and chord-boundary phrasing with original sounding examples.
- Guide-Tone Lines Through a Major ii–V–IConnect thirds and sevenths through a major ii–V–I, then change one tonic target deliberately.
- Minor ii–V–i on Jazz Guitar: m7♭5, 7♭9 and m6Hear iiø7–V7♭9 resolve into an explicitly named minor-sixth tonic and compare two nearby tonic targets.
- Dominant ♭9 Chords on Guitar: Resolving the Flat NineResolve a dominant lowered ninth to the tonic fifth, then compare the natural-ninth version with all other chord tones fixed.
- Tritone Substitution on Jazz Guitar: D♭7 for G7Explain D♭7 replacing G7 in C using its shared sounding tritone, correctly spelled degrees and chromatic bass.
- Jazz Guitar Phrasing Across Chord ChangesPlay one original line across named harmonic boundaries and retain its dominant-to-tonic resolution while changing one opening target.
Put the ideas into practice.
Use these routines when you want a focused workout on one musical task.
- Jazz Guitar Shell VoicingsLearn playable root, third and seventh shell voicings with Cmaj7, C7 and Cm7 guitar shapes, muted-string guidance and a practical comping routine.
- ii–V–I Jazz Guitar PracticePractice major ii–V–I progressions with playable Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 shells, guide-tone movement, original phrase ideas and a four-bar guitar play-along.
- Interval Ear Training for GuitarHear a named reference note, then find a hidden second pitch on the fretboard. Practice relative intervals with guitar staff notation, clickable frets and replay.
- Jazz Blues Guitar: The 12-Bar Form, Chords and TurnaroundsLearn the jazz blues on guitar: the 12-bar form in F, dominant seventh shells, the ii–V in bars 9 and 10, the turnaround and guide-tone targets for soloing.
- Drop-2 Voicings on Guitar: Inversions and Voice LeadingLearn drop-2 seventh-chord voicings on guitar: how they are built, all four Cmaj7 inversions on strings 4–1, and a voice-led ii–V–I that barely moves.
- Walking Bass Lines on GuitarLearn to walk a bass line on guitar: roots on beat one, chord tones, scale steps and chromatic approach notes through a ii–V–I and a blues.
- Jazz Guitar Comping Rhythms: Swing, Charleston and AnticipationsLearn the rhythms of jazz guitar comping: swing eighths, the backbeat on 2 and 4, the Charleston, the reverse Charleston, anticipations and four to the bar.
- Rhythm Changes on GuitarLearn rhythm changes on guitar: the 32-bar AABA form in B♭, the I–vi–ii–V A section, the cycle-of-dominants bridge and common substitutions.