Jazz guitar is a music style that very much relies on 
a) Music Theory
b) Improvising

It is most common for all jazz guitar players to 
learn how to read sheet music and learn and study 
music theory such as chord formulas, intervals, scale 
formulas, the 7 modes of the major scale and so
on. 

This theory allows the jazz guitarist to apply the 
correct scale with the correct chords at all times. 

Other music styles like heavy metal for example, can 
often consist of nearly anything, as much of heavy 
metal conist of sub dominant 5th chords which are not 
major or minor, they are a substitute for nearly any 
guitar chord, allowing a guitarist to play nearly any 
type of guitar scale to improvise or create a guitar 
solo, where as the jazz guitarist can select a proper
scale for any given chord when creating or improvising 
a jazz guitar solo.

To learn guitar scales and theory for all styles of music, 
make referrence to You Can Play Guitar Volume Three.

One of the very best tools for a jazz guitarist to learn
is commonly referred to as a "Walking Bass Line", which 
provides the most common rhythm for jazz guitar. 

Although there are additional other forms of walking bass
lines, here is the most common and traditional walkling bass
line played in the key of A. This sample was taken from
You Can Play Guitar DVD Lesson Volume One.


   Walking Bass
   A                  D                A
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-------4-5-4-----|-----------------|
D :-------4-5-4-----|---4-7-------7-4-|-------4-5-4-----|
A :---4-7-------7-4-|-5---------------|---4-7-------7-4-|
E :-5---------------|-----------------|-5---------------|



   E                 D                 A
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-------6-7-6-----|-------4-5-4-----|-----------------|
D :---6-9-------9-6-|---4-7-------7-4-|-------4-5-4-----|
A :-7---------------|-5---------------|---4-7-------7-4-|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-5---------------|

Common Jazz Guitar Chords
Aside from standard major and minor guitar chords, jazz guitar
also conist of many "dominant" and "diminished" guitar chords.

Here is an example of a C diminished guitar chord. The notes
played in this chord in correct order beginning on the D string
are C, Gb, A, Eb


e :-11--------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-10--------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-11--------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-10--------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|



Other common jazz guitar chords include "dominant guitar
chords" and suspened or "sus" guitar chords as well as
"add" chords. To see and learn various versions see
Easy Guitar Chord Finder.


               Fundamental Jazz Lead Guitar
              Jazz Guitar Soloing In D Minor


Jazz guitarist are considered among the most highly and
educated of players, incorporating everything from major
to minor scales and modes, melodic minor, diminished,
blues, augmented runs, and more. This lesson teaches
a few fundamentals which are derived from D minor scale.

Guitar lick #1 is a "Pat Metheny" style guitar lick
which provides a bright and cheerful tone, when played
at a moderate tempo. 

Lick #2 is a combination jazz lick from "Anthropology" 
performed by the great jazz legends Charlie "Bird" Parker 
and John "Dizzy" Gillespie.
    
   D minor scale

    D E F G A A#      C D  E F G A A#C   D
e :-----------------|------------5-6-8|--10-------------|
B :-----------------|------5-6-8------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-5-7-------------|-----------------|
D :-------5-7-8-----|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-5-7-8-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


  Lick #1
     s    v
e :-5-8-8-8---------|-6-5-6-5---5-----|-----------------|
B :-----------------|---------8---8---|-6-8--6-5-6-5----|
G :-----------------|-----------------|--------------5--|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


   Lick #2
                             s
e :-----------------|-------4-3-------|-----------------|
B :-----6-5---------|-----6-----6-5-3-|-----------------|
G :---7-----7-5-----|-4-7-------------|-5---------------|
D :-7-----------7---|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|



Griff HamlinPlaying Through The Blues



Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Lesson

Joe Pass Guitar Lesson

Learn & Master Guitar

Blues Lead Guitar Scales DVD Guitar Lesson

Guitar Ear Training Methods

Guitar Practice Tools

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