How to Play Jazz Guitar
Survival Guide

This website hosts a wealth of information on how to play jazz guitar. Even though every page is meant to be focused and "hands-on" (the guitar!), the amount of stuff can become overwhelming...

When confused, a lot of people email me this kind of question :

This is a very special category. People from "everywhere" can fit here (for example : rockers, classical musicians, non-guitarist, retired people, etc.) 

Consider yourself a jazz guitar beginner if you are...

• New to the guitar, starting from scratch or ...

• Already playing the guitar, but little or no jazz or ...

• Already playing music (jazz or not), but not on the guitar.

In short, beginners just "don't know where to put their fingers" so to speak. The focus should be on learning the instrument and starting to get familiar with the music.


Here's what I recommend :

1. Listen to good jazz daily.

You can only learn how to play jazz guitar if you listen to it! Develop your tastes and your hearing abilities early on. That's probably the most underrated practice suggestion ever. Your ears should be over-saturated with jazz, always.

Listen to the same track over and over if you can. When listening, see if you can stay focused on a guitarist throughout his solo. Follow the "story telling" of your favorite jazz soloists.

Who to listen to :

Guitarists : Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall.

Other instruments : Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans.

Learn what you can from jazz recordings. Here's a video on this topic.



Last but not least : attend live jazz concerts; this is priceless. Live music makes you live the experience of music : listening and watching. Pay attention to the interaction between musicians on stage.

If you're "brave" enough go talk to the players after the show (or during the intermission). Most of them are kind enough to discuss and share their musical vision and playing tips.
 

2. a : Learn to touch the guitar

That may seem vague, but that is really what playing is all about : touching an instrument to produce sound! At first, you may notice how your sound is inconsistent from note to note, string to string or from chord to chord...

What you should be aiming for is changing the way you touch the guitar. Focus on clean, "big" notes (or chords) all off the time and speak clearly. To make a spoken language analogy : do not stutter, whisper or leave words/sentences unfinished... raise your voice!

In brief, whatever you play, play it clearly. 

2. b : Position and posture

Always play in a comfortable position. Do not "over-tense" any muscle (fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, neck and back.) Make your playing as natural as possible.

How to do that ? Simple!

Start with a relaxed posture while keeping the the guitar on your lap : elongate your spine and let your arms hang down effortlessly. Then take the hands slowly to their respective playing positions. Play using the minimal amount of energy.

That's as natural as it gets!

3. Work with a method book

While this step is not necessary, I've seen significant faster improvement in students when they used a method (at any age or skill level.)

A method will ensure that you learn "the basics" that will become the foundation of your whole playing. I highly recommend A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt (read the review).

It can be any method book, in fact... but always make sure that : 1- You are making progress 2- The book's difficulty level is progressive and appropriate for you (not too easy, not too hard.)

Also, reading music is not mandatory in learning how to play jazz guitar but I find it's always a good idea to learn to read at the same time as you learn guitar.

A Modern Method for Guitar certainly takes care of that in a painless way!

4. Learn one tune very well

A common mistake made by beginners is to work only on "technique" at first (scales, chords, arpeggios, ...) when trying to learn how to play jazz guitar. "Pure technique" is just no fun, it takes some "music" somewhere!

Play jazz tunes right from the start. Keep it simple : learn the melody thoroughly, then the chords. Play the melody "as is" and then loosely interpret it. Rely on a good jazz recording of the tune.

Great tunes for beginners :

Autumn Leaves
Misty
Tenor Madness
Yesterdays
Satin Doll
Summertime
etc.

A good practice routine for song memorization is the "three choruses exercise" :

1st Chorus : Play the melody
2nd Chorus : Play the chords ("comp")
3rd Chorus : Improvise (but stay close to the melody)

Do that to keep your the tune "fresh" in your mind, or the internalize it even further. Repetition is the mother of memory.

When the tune and tempo permits, create your own chord melody (that is, playing the melody and accompanying yourself).

Remember : work on good jazz repertoire as soon as ... right now! Keep practicing one specific tune for long enough so that you have it memorized for life (in your ears and fingers.) Knowing one tune very well is better than knowing five "approximately".

5. Grasp simple music theory

This always seems to be a daunting task, for guitarist especially... Start with what you can. There's no rush and "learning it all" wont make you play better immediately.

I suggest learning the name of the notes on the whole neck at first. Map out all the "natural notes" : C D E F G A B on one string at a time (as explained in The Advancing Guitarist)

From there, play around in C major (all natural notes) on one string at a time. The sharps and flats are always one fret besides. Simpler like that, huh?! Work on each string individually until it become second nature.

The second little "theory step" you can take now is learning basic scale construction (major, melodic minor, harmonic minor), chord construction and some of the basic chord progressions found in jazz music.

I promise, this well help your improvisation and tune memorization tremendously in the long run. It's way easier to memorize a tune "by function" than "chord-by-chord". (ie : Am7 D7 Gmaj Cmaj becomes "two, five, one, four in G" in your mind)

6. Play with others
   

Whenever you can, play with other jazz musicians. It's preferable that they are more advanced, but anything will do. The interactions will bring your playing in context; this is the real challenge!

After a while, go out and play. If you feel comfortable and ready enough, tryout 1-2 tunes at your local jazz jam sessions. Playing with more advanced players will teach you many lessons.

7. Get quality jazz guitar lessons

Lastly, maximize your progress with lessons. Here's what you should seek in good private instructor....


Look for a private teacher that inspires and motivates you to "go and get it". A mentor that picks your curiosity and gives you a sense of direction.

Do not simply look for someone that'll merely show you where to put your fingers and how to play jazz guitar... you need better guidance than that.

You can also take online jazz guitar lessons! (using your webcam, on Skype)


Whatever lessons you take though, keep in mind that YOU are trying practice and improve. Nevermind what anyone has said or done : keep playing! At this stage, it is of utmost importance that you spend time developing a relationship with the instrument.


The beginning stages are very encouraging because progress is made fast. Keep at it and you'll move swiftly through your own phases or musical development.


Back to Top

This is usually the entry level for enrolling college/university student. It's an exciting place to be at because "you can already play" yet, you still have everything to learn!

As an intermediate jazz guitarist you should (more or less):

• Have listened to lots of jazz (from different eras)

• Have developed a "good sound" on the guitar

• Be playing and practicing jazz on a daily basis

• Have at least a few years of experience on the guitar, and know/understand/play :

• Basic chords and scales
• Many jazz standards (from memory)
• Blues and Rhythm Changes
• 32-bar AABA forms (and other forms)

• Decent "comping" with common chords shapes
• Decent improvisation on standards
• At least a few chord melodies (worked out, on tunes)

• Have the ability to sight-read (even if just chords) and 
• be able to "sight improvise" on a given chord progression

• Have a basic understanding of music theory and 
• basic hearing abilities (progressions, chord qualities, melody,...)

• Be playing with other jazz musicians on a regular basis

[Not you? Go the the beginners' section or the advanced section]   


In brief, intermediate players now know "where to put their fingers" but they still need to work on their craft. If you're an intermediate jazz guitarist, your focus should be on polishing and refining the concepts your already know while learning how to play jazz guitar.

Want to bring your jazz guitar playing to the next level? Here's what I recommend :

1. Plan your practice

Now that you have some (or a lot) of music under your belt, it's time to organize your progress. The learning curve for intermediate players is slower than beginners. If you really want to learn how to play jazz guitar, you must work a bit harder now.

There is so much to learn that ... it's literrally impossible to practice it all in a lifetime. I don't think it's even possible to get even just 1% of all the music there is.

We are human and thus limited. You have to make conscious choices in your practice... (how, what, when, for how much time, etc.)

This guitar practice article outlines my philosophy on that matter...

...and this article in the September 2009 issue of the newsletter explains how to start a jazz guitar practicing log.

2. Play with others (take 2)

In the previous part of this article, I made a suggestion to beginning jazz guitarists : play with other people. At the intermediate level, it's even more important that you interact with other musicians.

But here's a little twist. You should try to...

1. Play with the same people on a regular basis (call it your "band" if you wish).
   
   That way, you can build more things together musically. This is really important and it's a big part of most jazz musicians' development.
   

2. Play with new people on a regular basis.
   
   Aim for more experienced players whenever you can (especially drummers and bassists). You will gain new perspectives on your playing and music in general.

3. Play gigs when asked.
   
   That may seem obvious to most of us ("Man, how could I refuse a live playing opportunity?") ... but I've seen some jazz students turn down gig offers in the past... they didn't feel like coming out of comfort the practice room!
   
   At that point in the development of your musicality, always say yes, especially if it's a jazz gig! You will learn a lot.
   

3. Accompany (aka "comp") lots

   
Comping should become a strength of your playing. It will be the main reason you get asked to play jazz gigs! Think of yourself as a portable jazz pianist : when playing quartet or quintet you will seldom solo. You have to be a great "comper" to hold your own.

Learn the chords found in scales, create chord melodies, work on chord progressions and chord substitutions; always work towards increasing your overall harmonic agility. Remember that your accompaniment can really make (or break...) another player's solo.


"Comping" also means to complement another musician. Sometime sparse punches are all it takes to do the job well. Play "in the pocket" and listen, listen, listen...

I like positive words better, but here are three must "DONT's" of jazz guitar comping (!):

1. Don't simply play chord shapes. Learn harmony and play with fluidity. Understanding chord resolutions will help you a lot. Vary the notes you play (ie partial chords, counterpoint, fingerstyle, etc.) and put find new ways to interpret your common "chord grips".
   
   
2. Don't be a on OR off switch of comping! Too many guitarists have only one "comping gear" (ie strumming or not playing at all.) Discover all the in-between zones while accompanying. Match the mood and the spirit of the moment.
   
   
3. Don't always comp. Leave space with little or no chords when the music needs it. (ie, it's not because the pianist has just stopped comping that you must jump in and comp right away.)

Finally, try to accompany in different settings : duo with singers (challenging), duo with bass (also challenging), in trio, quartet, etc. Challenges and uncomfortable lineups will make you progress much faster.

I highly recommend Barry Galbraith comping book (Volume 3) to learn voicings, good comping rhythms and different context (solo, duo, etc.)

I also recommend Alan Kingstone's book on the Barry Harris way of comping for jazz guitar.

4. Become a strong improviser

Now that you get the basics of jazz improvisation, it's time to get serious!

... and it's like everything else : the more you do it, the better you'll become. You should improvise melodic lines daily. Always "blow" while working on tunes or on specific vamps and progressions.

And the same objection / question always arise :


Let me answer :

Merely knowing the material (scales, modes, chords) is not enough to play convincing jazz guitar improvisations! Great jazz improvisers are able to create inspired, beautiful and clear melodic ideas that reflect the harmony (chords) of the piece.

If you're "running" scales / arpeggios over changes and often feel that your lines are meaningless, it may be because you're not outlining the chords properly...Most intermediate jazz guitarists encounter that problem, it is very common and needs to be addressed early on.

Here's a series of articles on jazz improvisation that will help you achieve clearer "harmonic definition" in your solos :

1. Scales
2. Arpeggios
3. Using Guide Tones
   
   

Challenge yourself to achieve maximum harmonic clarity : improvise alone without band-in-a-box (or play-a-longs tracks). These things "fill in" so much for you (bass lines, chords, rhythm and time, etc.) Practice and record yourself "naked" with no accompaniment.


Take this seriously : pay attention to chord resolutions and common movements in progressions. We should somehow "hear the chords" when you improvise... whatever you are playing! The only two exceptions, in my humble opinion, are blues flavored lines and playing "outside".


Of course, you should also learning from the great jazz improvisers of the past at the same time... read on!

5. Listen even more and transcribe
   

Listening is key in learning how to play jazz guitar. As an intermediate jazz guitarists, you already know how to listen to jazz. But it doesn't stop there! Here's more to do with your ears :

• Listen deeply to the musicians you play with. Let their playing guide you towards what you're going to play next.
  
  
• Pay attention to more details you hear on jazz recordings : rhythms, ghost notes, articulation / phrasing and dynamics.
  
  
• More importantly, learn to transcribe from your favorite jazz recordings. Imitation is the most honest kind of flattery. The process is immensely rewarding. Start now! Imitate jazz legends.

Other than learning solos from jazz recordings, remember that you can also get tunes, chords, voicings, rhythms, compositional ideas and more...


Here's a video that will give you ideas...

 

6. Master your scales
   

Now's the time to get rid of your "blank spots" on the guitar fretboard. No more secrets, no more mysteries!

To "seize control" of your fingerboard I recommend that you...

• Understand the principles of position playing
  

• Learn to play the major scale and the melodic minor scale in seven positions. (in all keys, eventually)
  
  
• Understand how to find (and play...) the proper finger shifts to connect positions together.
  
  
• Learn to play 13th arpeggios as well as diatonic triads and 7th chords arpeggios in the seven positions.
  
  

So that's for the hard stuff. Master positions by playing through one key each week. You'll soon realize you "have it" and it'll stick with you for the rest of your life!

When you feel that your position playing is strong enough, start experimenting with diagonal playing. To me, that is the way that unlocks how to play jazz guitar. Here's a video...

7. Get serious with repertoire

Finally, it's time start a list of tunes you know. It doesn't matter how many songs you know, or how well you can play them. Just make a list! Carry it with you (for practicing, jamming or gigging).

Also, it's a good idea to take mental note of the songs "you didn't know last night". Play them then love and memorize them. That also applies to the pieces that are often called at your local jazz jam sessions.

Why? You have to know the tunes. Here's a typical situation :



Other answers you want to avoid :

"I don't know it", "Do you have a chart?", "I know it in a different key", "I used to know it but I forgot", "I'll have to read it", "What key is the bridge in again?!", etc.

I'm dead serious; there's no excuse:  know your tunes. Learn how to play jazz guitar by working on repertoire.

This is the level where we find mostly music school graduates, music teachers and experienced jazz guitarists. "Advanced" certainly doesn't mean that the journey is over. Personally, the more I improve, the more I discover new and exciting musical challenges.


This is always encouraging. Jazz musicians can never get bored. They'll always be fresh new ideas to play on Autumn Leaves, that's for sure!

As an advanced jazz guitarist you should (more or less) :

• Know and play, at the very least, fifty jazz standards. Most jazz guys in my area usually know hundreds of tunes by heart.
  
  
• Play in different jazz "styles" : swing, straight, rock, latin (bossa nova, samba et al.), waltz, ballad, funk, etc.
  
  
• Have years of gigging experience in the "real jazz world" .
  
  
• Have intermediate to strong reading (and sight-reading) abilities for single-notes, chord symbols, chords with rhythmic notation and "completely written out" chord voicings.
  
  
• Be well versed in the blues and bebop idioms, repertoire wise and in your improvisations.
  
  
• Be doing transcriptions from jazz legends (written or not). You may even be learning "non guitar" solos. This is a ongoing process...
  
  
• Play many chord melodies (over standards) and be able to comp for yourself while blowing melodic lines. Applies mostly to solo/duo/trio.
  
  
• Hear what other musicians are playing (on the bandstand and on recordings) and be able to imitate them with relative ease.

In short, advanced jazz guitarist "came a long way" but can still be working very hard all their lives to achieve greatness. You may "know" how to play jazz guitar, but there's always much more to play!

The focus for experienced players should be on finding the weak spots and coming up with ways to work on them.


What you may want to improve :
[Only suggestions, may not apply to everyone. Also, re-read the intermediate section see if anything applies to you.]

• Time Awareness (subdivisions of the pulse)
• Playing at many different tempos (very slow to very fast)
• Triplets (eight-note or quarter-note)
• The Charleston figure around the bar (doted-quarter + eight)
• Working with the metronome
• Playing in odd time signatures (5, 7 and others)
• Read the book Forward Motion

• Connection between what you hear and what you play
• Instant transposition of all of your tunes
• Read Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner
• Read Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch

• Build specific repertoire (for example: learn 10 Jobim tunes, then 10 Monk tunes, then 10 Wayne Shorter tunes, etc.)
• Play ballads convincingly and beautifully
• Learn tunes "on the bandstand" without preparation
  
  

• Mastering scales and the intervals present in them
• Building solos like an architect (aka "Story telling")
• Phrasing and articulations (learn from the masters...)
• The "bebop scale" concept applied to all modes
• Making conscious choices as to what scale color to use on specific chords (for example: "should I use mixo b13 or mixo #11?")
  

• Composing and playing your own music
• Finding your own voice in playing and composing
• Mastering the 12 keys
• Change of perspective (*for time, chords, melodies and more*)
• Interpret the metronome pulse differently (2&4 or other)
• Find multiple use for the same voicing (Em7 = G6 = Cmaj9)
• Melodic motifs are "in more than one key" ...
  
• Aesthetic choices, gear choices, string gauge, coffee brand, etc.
• Overcoming addictions
• _______________ (write your own!)

As you can see, the learning process for experienced jazz guitarist is much more personal. You have to work on what rings true to you; the musical elements that fit your style and tastes. If you don't believe in a concept or idea, don't bother practicing it...


Good luck, practice well and have fun.

Remember that if you have questions on how to play jazz guitar, please ask them here...



Back to Top

---

Can't find what you're looking for?
Want more jazz guitar lessons?
Search all pages on JazzGuitarLessons.net

---

<---------------------- Back to Home Page