Jazz Guitar Chord Chart #1 :
Four Chord Types
This jazz guitar chord chart is the first step in playing chords on the guitar in any jazz style. All the material is genuinely based on jazz guitar tradition. The chords are divided into four families :
Major, minor, dominant and diminished
Too Simple? Go to the Next Jazz Guitar Chord Chart -------------->
We'll use shapes with the root on the 4th, 5th and 6th strings that are movable up and down the guitar neck. That means learning a single shape gives you twelve chords instantly! (if you transpose, same as barre chords) Also take note that every chord is shown without extensions or alterations. This is the most basic approach and is very useful for beginning and intermediate players. It defines the "sound" of the chord very clearly. Numbers above diagrams represent the function of each note in the chord (NOT the fingerings!) Let's begin with major; here are the spellings :
Major 7th : 1 3 5 7
Major 6th : 1 3 5 6
Notice the top-left major 7th shape. It is a "regular" major barre chord with only one difference (fourth string). It poses a fingering difficulty. Barring is always optional in jazz guitar... (-B
Let's continue with minor; here are the spellings:
Minor 7th : 1 b3 5 b7
Minor 6th : 1 b3 5 6
Notice the top-left minor 7th shape. It is a "regular" minor barre chord with only one difference (fourth string). I find it's sounds better when played using the shape in the top-right corner. Try it using your second and third left-hand fingers only.Also notice the minor 7th in the bottom-left corner. It's almost always barred but the first string is not always sounded. Same for the left side minor 6th below.
Dominant Seventh and Diminished
The next type is the dominant seventh. It has only one spelling :
Dominant 7th : 1 3 5 b7It is, in fact, a major 7th chord with a lowered seventh. Or a minor 7th chord with a raised third... Or a ... ok let's just play them! (-B
Much like major 7th and minor 7th, the "root-on-6th-string-barre" for this dominant is only one note different from it's "plain" major cousin. Top-right corner is still my favorite when compared to top-left corner! And last but not least, the diminished family. As with the major and minor, we get two types of diminished chords : (Please note : bb7 and 6 are equivalent)
Fully-diminished AKA Diminished 7th : 1 b3 b5 bb7Half-diminished AKA Minor 7th(b5) : 1 b3 b5 b7
Jazz Guitar Chord Chart Wrap-up
As you can see (and hopefully play by now) the basic jazz guitar chords are simple and sound good. They are derived from the basic open chords and modified to fit the chord types.In summary, we started with "barre chord" concepts to realize most chords need not to be barred in this jazz guitar chord chart ! It is often more effective and allows the shapes to "expand" later on. Here's a more complete jazz guitar chord chart PDF you can print out.
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