Jazz Guitar Chords – Shapes, Progressions, and

Rhythm

Jazz guitar chords are essential tools for any jazz guitarist
to have under their fingers.

They’re also the cause of much mystery to beginning jazz

guitarists.

There seems to be a never-ending list of chords to learn to

even get started with jazz rhythm guitar.

While the mountain ahead of you seems tall and steep,

this doesn’t have to be the case.

With the right practice routine, an understanding of how

jazz chords function, and cool-sounding shapes under your
fingers, you too can comp over jazz standards with
confidence.

In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn how to practice, play,

break down, and apply jazz guitar chords to essential jazz
chord progressions.

By studying the material in this lesson, you’ll build your

jazz chord vocabulary in no time.

You’ll also learn how to read a jazz lead sheet and study
essential jazz rhythms along the way.

So, grab your guitar, and get ready to demystify the world
of jazz guitar chords.

Contents (Click to Jump to Any Section)

 How to Use This Guide

 What Are Jazz Guitar Chords

1
 How to Read a Jazz Lead Sheet
 Essential Jazz Rhythms
 Must Know Jazz Chord Progressions
 Beginner Jazz Guitar Chords
 Intermediate Jazz Guitar Chords
 Jazz Standards Chord Studies

How to Use This Guide

As you can see by the table of contents, there’s a lot of
information in this lesson.

To help you organize this material, here are practice

guidelines to follow when studying jazz chords for guitar.

Keeping a Practice Room Focus

While it may be tempting to learn a few progressions or
chords here and there, the best way to study this material
is to keep focus in the practice room.

Start by picking a single chord progression to learn.

Read about that chord progression and practice the chord

studies below.

Work those studies from memory in the given key, then

take them to other keys around the fretboard.

Study them at different tempos, and when ready, apply

those shapes to other musical situations.

If you’re a beginning jazz guitarist, you don’t have to learn

every beginning chord study before moving on to the
intermediate versions.

2
 That approach is perfectly fine, but you can also work one
progression at both the beginning and intermediate level
back to back.

When you’ve worked through two or three of the

progressions, you’ll be ready to learn one of the jazz
standard chord studies.

With the tune studies, it’s best to learn them in the order
presented, as they get progressively more difficult as you
go.

Regarding the chord progressions, you can jump around,

but the best way to work that material is in the given
order.

Lastly, and most importantly, no matter how you tackle

this material, have fun with it!

Picking Hand Variations

The last item to cover before practicing this material is
your picking hand.

More specifically, how to use your picking hand to play

these jazz chords and progressions.

There are three ways to play jazz chords, and all can be
used successfully in different musical situations.

These picking variations are:

 Flatpicking
 Fingerpicking
 Hybrid Picking

3
If you’re used to using a pick when soloing, then working
on flat-picking and hybrid pick (pick and fingers) is the
best course of action.

This gives you two options, strumming and plucking, for

any progression.

As well, when playing chords that have a string skip, such

as drop 3 shapes, you’ll find it easier to use hybrid picking
compared to flatpicking.

If you’re a fingerstyle guitarist, working these chords with

your fingers and using your thumb to strum provides you
with those same two variations.

No matter which option you choose, make sure you have

two variations for your picking attack, one plucked and
one strummed.

This gives you enough technique to tackle any

progression, and provides variety when needed in your
comping.

Now that you know how to study the material in this

lesson, you can learn exactly what jazz guitar chords are.

What Are Jazz Guitar Chords

Before you take this material to the fretboard, you might
be asking yourself:

“What exactly is a jazz guitar chord?”

While there’s no definite jazz chord, there are types of
chords that jazz composers and musicians use in their
writing and performing.

4
When playing rock and pop, or most other musical genres,
you mostly play three-note triads on the guitar.

This means playing C, Dm, A, Bm, etc., with the odd 7th or
m7 throw in.

When playing those same chords in jazz, musicians prefer

to use extensions beyond the triad to include four, five,
and six-note chords.

This means playing those same chords as Cmaj7, Dm9,

A7b13, and Bm11.

So, while there isn’t a definitive jazz chord, you can

use this as a guideline.

Jazz chords, unless specified, include extensions beyond

the triad, including 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th voicings.
Though these extended chords may be new, after working
on the material in this lesson you’ll be able to confidently
apply those chords to progressions.

As well, your ears will start to recognize these extended

chords as sounding as natural in your playing as an open
C chord.

When that happens, you’re playing jazz guitar chords with

confidence and authenticity.

How to Read a Jazz Lead Sheet

Here’s where the biggest confusion happens when
learning how to play jazz chords and standards on guitar.

So, I’m going to clear this up confusion before going any

further.

When first learning jazz chords, many players believe that

you’re only supposed to play the chord that you see on the
lead sheet.

5
If you see G7, you only play a G7 chord.

If you see G7b9, you only play a G7b9 chord.

But, that’s not how jazz works.

As a guitarist, you’re expected to play chords beyond

those in the lead sheet to make your comping sound hip
and fit this style of music.

This means seeing a Cmaj7 chord and playing C6, or

seeing G7 and playing G13.

It also means seeing Cmaj7 and playing Em7, or seeing G7

and playing Bdim7 for more advanced guitarists.

Now that I’ve blown that door wide open, let’s break this
down further to make it easy to apply this concept to any
jazz standard you’re playing.

To understand how to see one chord and play another,

you’ll need to take a look at the main jazz chord families.

Then, you’ll be able to swap out these chords for each

other.

As long as you stay within the same family, for now, you’re
cool.

Major Chord Family

These chords are all based on the major triad and maj7
chord, and are found on the Imaj7 and IVmaj7 chords in a
major key.

When playing jazz standards, you can usually move

between these chords without much trouble.

I say usually, because the maj7#11 and its variations

might cause too much tension for some players, while
others may enjoy this tension.

6
 The only way to figure out if you dig that tension is to
experiment.

Just make sure you experiment at home first before

taking these chords to a jam situation.

 Maj7
 Maj9
 Maj6
 Maj6/9
 Maj7#11
 Maj9#11
 Maj6#11

As you can see, you have quite a number of options when

it comes to the major chord family.

When learning any chord study below, make a mental note

of which variations you like best.

That way, you’re able to apply them to other tunes with

confidence and an ear for those chord variations on the
fretboard.

Dominant Chord Family

Moving on to dominant family chords, there are just as
many options with these chords, and you’re not even
getting into altered dominants yet.

For this reason, dominant 7th chords are some of the most
fun, and most difficult, chords to navigate in a jazz
progression.

Here are the chords that you can use when you see a
7th chord in a lead sheet.

7
 Again, the 7#11 chords will be a bit tense, so test those
out at home before bringing them onto the bandstand.

 7
 9
 13
 7#11
 9#11
 13#11
 7sus

The last chord, 7sus, is technically part of the suspended

family of chords.

But in jazz, it’s most often applied to the V7 chord, or

other dominant chords, and that’s why it’s included as an
option here.

Minor Chord Family

As you dig into minor family chords, you’ll find you have
fewer options, as there’s no #11 chord to navigate.

When you see a m7 chord on a jazz lead sheet, you can

use the following minor chord options.

 m7
 m6
 m9
 m6/9
 m11

Though they have fewer options than dominant or major

family chords, there are some cool colors in the minor
family.

8
 Chords such as m11 and minor 6/9 expand your comping
colors immensely, bringing a jazz vibe to any progression
you play.

Altered Dominant Chords

You’ll now take a look at 7alt chords.

This is one of the most confusing chord symbols because

it’s not used as a specific chord, but as a catchall for any
altered sound.

Then, you the performer are required to figure out which

7alt option you play.

While there are a number of 7alt options, you only have

two notes that can be altered, the 9th and the 5th.

This seems simple, but it causes problems, as sometimes

the b5 is written #11, or other times the #5 is written b13.

It takes time to learn how to interpret a 7alt chord

correctly in your comping, so start today.

And, if you get stuck and don’t know which chord to play,
look at the melody.

Often the melody contains a few altered notes, dictating

which ones you’ll use in your chord voicings.

 7b9
 7#9
 7b9b5
 7b9#5
 7#9b5
 7#9#5

On the guitar, those are about all the options you have for
a practical 7alt chord.

9
 Pianists can bring more options to the table, but we do
just fine with our six strings and these 7alt chord options.

Diminished Chord Family

The final family to look at is the diminished family.

This family contains dim7 and m7b5 variations, both

diminished and half-diminished chords.

Though these chords function differently in jazz

progressions, they both contain the diminished triad, so
are grouped together.

To begin, if you see a dim7 chord symbol on a lead sheet

you can play.

 dim7
 dimMaj7

If you see m7b5 on chord sheet you can play.

 m7b5
 m11b5

There are a few other options for m7b5 chords, such as

m9b5, but they’re only used in specific musical situations.

Now that you know how to read a jazz lead sheet, and
understand chord families, you’re ready to
explore essential jazz rhythms in your playing.

7 Essential Jazz Rhythms

10
When learning any of the chord progression studies in this
lesson, you’ll notice that they’re written with a simple
rhythm.

This makes it easier to read the chord shapes, as well as

leaves the rhythms up for your interpretation.

To show you how to practice rhythms over these

progressions, study the following essential jazz rhythms in
your practice routine.

When doing so, learn any chord study below. Then, when
memorized, work that progression through different
rhythms in your comping.

Half Time Feel

The first must know jazz rhythm is the half-time feel. This
rhythm is based on the half note, which you can move
around from that starting point.

Here’s a sample half-time rhythm over a Dmaj7 chord.

You can also place the second chord on the 4th beat, or
other beats ,as long as you maintain the half-note accent
within the bar.

Here’s an example of that second approach to half-time

rhythms.

11
Once you can play these examples, experiment with other
variations as you keep the half-note accent, but place
chords on different beats within the bar.

Freddie Green Rhythm

Probably the most famous rhythm guitarist in jazz, Freddie
Green even has a rhythm named after him.

Freddie Green comping, from a rhythmic perspective,

means playing one chord on each quarter note.

From there, you put a slight accent on beats 2 and 4 to

increase the swing feel.

Here’s an example of the Freddie Green rhythm to apply to

any progression in this lesson.

Charleston Rhythm
Here’s one of the most common rhythms in jazz, the
Charleston rhythm.

Named after the tune and dance from the 1920s, the
Charleston is a dotted quarter note followed by an 8thnote.

12
Here’s example of that rhythm to check out and apply to
your jazz practice routine.

You can also place the Charleston rhythm on other beats

within the bar. An example of this is moving it over by an
8th note, as you can see here.

From there, experiment with playing the Charleston

rhythm on any 8th note within a bar.

Moving a rhythm around like this builds new rhythm ideas

without leaving the original rhythm in your comping.

Upbeats on 1 and 3
Here is a syncopated (offbeat) rhythm that you can use to
raise the interest level in your comping.

When playing on the & of 1 and 3, you might rush these

chords. So, make sure to work slowly with a metronome
first.

Then, slowly speed up the tempo from there as you

become more comfortable with this rhythm in your
playing.

13
 Upbeats on 2 and 4
You can take the previous rhythm and push it over by a
beat to play on the & of 2 and 4 in each bar.

When doing so, you need to decide what chord to play on

the & of 4.

Technically it’s still in bar 1. But, you might want to

anticipate the next chord that falls on the downbeat of bar
2.

Try both and see what you think.

You’ll probably end up using both in different situations;

so let your ears decide as to what chord you want to
place on that beat.

Dotted Quarter Notes

This is a favorite rhythm of jazz guitarist Jim Hall, among
others, who used it in many of his classic jazz recordings.

14
Dotted quarter notes can be chained together to cover
one, two, or three bars before they repeat back on the
first beat.

An extension of the Charleston, this extended rhythm

takes time to get comfortable.

Go slow, play dotted quarters for a bar or two at first, and

then when ready, extend them out to three or four bars
from there.

Bossa Nova Rhythm

The final rhythm is a bossa nova rhythm.

When jamming on bossa tunes, many guitarists not born in

Brazil will fake a bossa rhythm.

While you may be able to do a convincing job in a pinch by

faking a bossa, it’s best to get an authentic guitar pattern
down when jamming in a jazz situation.

This first pattern is a favorite of Joao Gilberto, and can be

used for any Tom Jobim style bossa tune, such as
Corcovado, Girl From Ipanema, Meditation, etc.

Make sure to keep everything quiet, except the very last

attack on the & of 3 in each bar, that should be accented.

This gives you that cool, laid-back Brazilian swing feel

when applied to any chord progression.

15
Here’s a second version of the bossa nova rhythm.

In this rhythm, you anticipate the next chord by playing

the top 3 notes on the & of 4 before the next down beat.

This is easy to understand, but tricky to get down, as

you’ll naturally want to play that chord with the bass note
on beat one.

For that reason, make sure you’ve got the first bossa
rhythm fully under your fingers before attempting them
pattern.

With a firm grasp on important jazz rhythms, you’re ready

to move on to studying the 10 most popular jazz chord
progressions.

Must Know Jazz Chord Progressions

Before you learn how to play jazz chords on the fretboard,
look through each of the 10 essential jazz chord
progressions in this lesson.

16
The other option, which is also cool, is to skip to the
chord studies below.

Then, after you’ve picked one to study, pop back here and
read about that particular chord progression.

That way you learn how to play these progressions and

you understand how they’re built and why they’re so
popular in jazz standards.

Lastly, there are backing tracks for every progression for

you to practice with.

These backing tracks use drums and bass only to allow

you to comp without interference from a pianist.

If you know some jazz guitar chords already, feel free to

play these progressions with the backing tracks as you
read about them.

But if not, no worries.

Learn the examples below and come back to the tracks

when you’re ready to apply them to a comping situation.

Major ii V I
The first progression is the most popular of them all, the
major ii V I progression.

Found in too many jazz standards to name, jazz wouldn’t

exist without these three chords.

Built from the 2nd, 5th, and 1st chords of the major scale, the
ii V I is a cadence.

This means that the iim7 wants to move, in this case to

the V7.

Then, the V7 creates tension that feels like it wants to

resolve, which it does to the tonic, Imaj7.

So, you can think of any ii V I progression as:

17
 Setup-Tension-Resolution

In the progressions below, you see the two most common

durations for a ii V I progression, long and short.

The long progression is four bars, while the short

progression is two bars.

As you study jazz standards further, you’ll find that the ii

and V are often played on their own.

Studying ii V I’s prepares you to play those exact chords

as well as the ii V variation.

Minor ii V I
The other side of the most popular chord progression in
jazz is the minor ii V I.

These three chords come from various minor scales,

which is why they’re more difficult to solo over than major
ii V I chords.

From a soloing standpoint, the iim7b5 chord comes from

the natural minor scale, while the V7alt comes from
the harmonic minor scale.

Then, to resolve the progression, the Im7 chord is either

from melodic minor or Dorian, depending on your musical
tastes.

Before you play this chord progression, just a reminder

about V7alt chords.

Though the chord is writing E7alt, that doesn’t

automatically imply the altered scale, or a fully altered
chord.

18
You have the choice to play E7b9, E7b9,b13, E7#9,
E7#9b13, etc. in both your chords and solos.

Because of this, it takes time to know where and when to

use those chords in your comping.

Study the examples, and over time you’ll develop a sense

for where each of these 7alt chords fits into your comping
vocabulary.

Lastly, as was the case with the major ii V I, there are

long and short versions of the minor ii V I, which you can
see below.

Major I VI ii V
Referred to as a “turnaround,” I VI ii V is found in many
jazz standards, often at the end of a section or full tune.

The name turnaround refers to the fact that these four

chords “turn around” back to the tonic chord.

As well as turning tunes around, these chords are also

found in the A section to rhythm changes, one of the most
popular jazz forms.

You’ve already studied three of these chords, the ii, V, and

I, but the VI chord is new.

In a diatonic major key, the vi chord is minor.

But.

In jazz, we prefer to use VI7b9 chord in its place.

The reason for this is that VI7b9 is also the V7b9 of iim7.

So, in the key of C, A7b9 is the V7b9 of Dm7, the iim7.

19
As you learned earlier, this creates tension over the VI7b9
that’s resolved to the iim7 chord.

Give it a try, listen to the backing track, and learn the

examples to hear how this progression sounds on the
guitar.

Minor I bIII ii V
The next progression is the minor key turnaround, which
is actually very diatonic compared to the major version.

In this case, you add a bIIImaj7 chord to the ii V I

progression.

When doing so, you turn any progression or tune back to

the tonic minor chord.

As you’ll see in the chord studies below, bIIImaj7 is often

played as a maj6 chord, which is a quasi-inversion of Im7.

For now, know that these four chords make up the minor
turnaround progression.

Then take that knowledge to the guitar with the backing

tracks and chord studies in this lesson.

Backdoor ii V
The next progression stretches over 8 bars and is found in
standards such as Lady Bird, where it’s in the A section.

This progression starts on the tonic, and then uses a ivm7

and bVII7 progression to turn around to that same tonic
chord.
20
This ii V progression resolves from behind, from the “back
door” of the Imaj7 chord, hence the name.

The ii V, ivm7 to bVII7, is borrowed from tonic minor, which

is why it looks out of place, but sounds cool over a tune.

In tonic minor, Am for example, you have both ivm7 and

bVII7 chords.

With the back door ii V, you “borrow” those chords for a

moment to create a new progression.

This type of progression is called modal borrowing.

It might sound complex, but just know that if you’re in a

major key you might see a few chords from the minor key
thrown into the mix.

Take the A Train

Taken from the A section of one of the most famous jazz
standards, this 8-bar phrase outlines the opening changes
to Take the A Train.

While there isn’t much new going on for 6 of these bars,

it’s the D7 chord that’s interesting.

The II7 chord, referred to as two dominant, is a classic

jazz chord that you find in many jazz standards, including
the ever-popular Girl From Ipanema.

This chord is a secondary dominant, which means it’s the

V7 chord of the V7 chord .

In the key of C, the V7 chord is G7, and D7 is the V7 of G7.

21
This creates tension that’s resolved through the iim7
chord to the V7 chord and eventually to Imaj7.

When you study the chord examples below, you’ll see that
D7 is often played as D7#11.

This is a new sound that you’ll need to practice to get

under your fingers and into your ears as you progress
in your jazz guitar studies.

Rhythm Changes Bridge

You’ll now look at the bridge to rhythm changes, which
features a dominant cycle progression.

Here, you’re running a series of secondary dominant

chords, as you did with Take the A Train, only now in a
series of V7’s.

When doing so, you create the progression III7-VI7-II7-V7,

with each chord being the V7 of the next chord.

Not only is this progression important because of its

relationship to rhythm changes, but it’s a great vehicle for
testing new dominant chords.

22
 Jordu Cycle
Related to the progression you just studied, think of the
Jordu cycle (found in the bridge section of Jordu) as a
sped up, extended rhythm changes bridge.

This dominant cycle starts on the tritone chord, Ab7 in the

key of D, and runs secondary dominant chords from there.

These secondary dominants resolve to the Imaj7 chord in

the fourth bar of the progression.

If you’re new to jazz guitar chords, make sure to work this

progression slowly at first, then speed it over time as you
gain confidence with these fast-moving changes.

All The Things You Are

The last 8 bars to All the Things You Are is is worth taking
a closer look at in your studies.

Starting on IVmaj7, the progression then runs down a

ivm7, iiim7, biiidim7 progression before running the ii V I
to end the changes.

The move from IVmaj7 to ivm7 is common in jazz, so

working on ATTYA helps you comp over that jazz standard
and prepares you for other tunes.

As well, there’s a biiidim7 chord, one of two popular uses

of dim7 chords in jazz.

The first is described here, and the second is explained in

the intermediate chord studies below.

In this instance, you use the dim7 chord as a passing

chord between iiim7 and iim7.

23
Whenever you have two chords a tone apart, such as iiim7
and iim7, you can connect them with a passing dim7
chord, such as biiidim7.

Play this progression with the backing track, or by

learning the chord studies below.

It’s a classic progression from an important jazz standard,

and it opens new doors in your jazz chord studies.

Giant Steps
The final essential jazz chord progression is a doozy.

Giant Steps is seen as the pinnacle of progressions in the

jazz world, and used as a litmus test for any player’s
blowing and comping chops.

While soloing over Giant Steps takes a lot of work,

comping over the tune is accessible to players of all
levels of experience.

The progress to Giant Steps is based on three maj7

chords, Bmaj7-Ebmaj7-Gmaj7.

These chords are built from the B augmented triad, with

each note in that triad getting a maj7 chord, B-D#(Eb)-
Fx(G).

From there, you add a V7 before each of those maj7

chords to form the full progression.

Sounds so simple when you look at it that way. If only it

was that easy to play on guitar.

24
While poses a challenge with time and slow practice you’ll
be comping with confidence over these difficult changes.

Beginner Jazz Guitar Chords

The following exercises will help beginning jazz guitarists
build chord vocabulary and apply this vocabulary to
popular jazz progressions.

With a focus on introducing you to new jazz chords, and

keeping with the beginning level, these are all root-based
chords.

As well, the rhythms for each chord study are written in

whole or half notes to make it easier to learn in the
beginning.

Once you can play any of these examples from memory,

jam them over the backing tracks and start to alter the
rhythms.

From there, alter your picking hand attack, and add slides
and other devices to personalize these chords in your
routine.

As well, any of these chords can be taken to other

progressions and jazz standards.

Learn the examples, work them at various tempos and in

different keys, and then bring them to other tunes as you
grow your jazz chord vocabulary.

Major ii V I
25
To begin, you’ll learn how to comp over the most
important jazz chord progression, the major ii V I.

In this example, you’ll play Drop 2 chords (bars 1, 2, and

4), as well as Drop 3 chords (bar 2).

The key takeaway from this comping sample is in bar 4.

Here, you play a Cmaj9 chord over a Cmaj7.

As these chords are both from the major family, they can
be interchanged in your jazz comping.

The best place to do that is when you have one chord for
a long time.

This Cmaj7 chord does just that, as it’s one chord for two
whole bars.

Minor ii V I
In this minor key progression, you use Drop 3 chords (bars
1, 2 and 4) and the “Hendrix chord” in bar two.

Bar 2 is an important group of chord shapes.

Here, you move from E7#9 (Hendrix chord) to E7b9.

When doing so, you outline E7alt and create movement in

your chords at the same time.

Then, you resolve that b9, F, down to the E, 5th, of Am7.

The last bar of the phrase features an Am6 chord.

26
Again, as these chords both belong to the minor family
they’re interchangeable.

Major I VI ii V
For this major turnaround progression, you use Drop 3
shapes (bars 1 and 3), the Hendrix chord over bar 2, and a
new chord in bar 4.

Bar 4 uses a G9 chord over G7.

Because they’re both part of the dominant family, you can

move between these two chords in your comping.

This movement, between the Drop 3 Dm7 and G9 chords,

is essential learning for any jazz guitarist.

This chord combination can be found in the comping of

many legendary players.

As well, the smooth movement between each shape is

easy to play on guitar.

So, make sure to take those two shapes out of the

example below and work them in other keys and over
tunes in your studies.

27
 Minor I bIII ii V
You’ll now take chord shapes that you’ve seen before and
apply them to a new progression, in this case a minor
turnaround.

Though there aren’t any new shapes here, you need to

work hard on the transition between Am7 and Am6 chords,
just as you did with 7#9 to 7b9.

If you find it beyond your technique to nail those chords

right now, don’t sweat it.

Pick the first chord shape from each bar and work the
progression that way.

Then, pick the second chord from each bar and work the
changes that way.

After they’re comfortable, combine all the chords to form

the entire progression.

Backdoor ii V

28
With this chord study, you’re adding a 13th chord in bar four
and a maj6 chord in bars 2 and 6.

Otherwise, you’ve seen these chord shapes before, just

not over this particular progression.

If you have a 7th chord, such as the Bb7 drop 3 shape in

bar four, you can raise the 5th of that chord to form a
13th chord shape.

As well, if you have a maj7 chord, you can lower the 7th by
2 frets to form a maj6.

Both of these chords, 13th and maj6, are essential jazz

chords, and adding them to your tool belt brings a jazz
sound to any progression you play.

Take the A Train

In this progression, you’re introduced to an important jazz
chord, the 7#11.

29
You can see this chord in bar four, in this case sounding a
D7#11 over the D7 chord.

To build a 7#11, you take any 7th chord you know, lower the
5th by one fret, and you’ve got a 7#11.

By altering chords you know, you expand your chord

knowledge without having to learn any new shapes.

This maximizes your time in the woodshed and gives you

new chords to add to your comping phrases at the same
time.

Rhythm Changes Bridge

This rhythm changes bridge study challenges you by using
two different shapes per bar.

When you have a longer chord rhythm, such as one chord

every two bars, you can bring more shapes into play over
those changes.

If you find it too difficult to nail all of these chords at

once, not to worry.

30
Pick the first chord shape for each chord type, one per
chord, and start there.

When that’s comfortable, move on to the second chord

shape.

Repeat that exercise until you’ve worked all four chord-

shapes for each change separately.

Then, combine two, then three, and finally all four shapes
over the progression.

This helps you learn the chord study, and does it in a

systematic way.

Jordu Cycle
The next chord study poses a challenge for any beginning
jazz guitarist.

With two chords per bar, these changes move by very

quickly.

When playing fast-moving chords, running repetitive

shapes helps you outline the progression and is easy on
your hands.
31
In this case, you alternate 9th and 13th chords as you make
your way through the Jordu bridge progression.

Even though you’re repeating chords, you still want to go

slow when first learning this study.

After you can do it slowly, smoothly, and from memory,

increase the tempo to raise the intensity with this
exercise.

All The Things You Are

One of the most common progressions in jazz, starting on
IVmaj7 and working down to Imaj7 is essential practice
for jazz guitarists.

Not only does this introduce you to an important

progression, but you add the dim7 chord to your
vocabulary at the same time.

Dim7 chords don’t pop up as often as the other jazz

chords you’ve seen so far.

But, when they do, you want to be ready to nail it in your

comping.

As well, there’s a CAGED Eb7 chord in the last line.

This type of chord is great for when you need the root as
the melody of any 7th chord.

32
 Giant Steps
Now, I know what you’re thinking, and no, Giant Steps is
not a beginning standard.

Before you skip ahead, soloing over Giant Steps is very

difficult, even for intermediate or advanced players.

But.

Using the progression to study shapes is an effective way

for any guitarist to work on comping.

Even beginners.

Work out the chord study below, at a slow tempo.

Even start with no tempo.

Switching between these chords, develops coordination

and smoothness in your chord transitions.

Though you may never jam Giant Steps on a gig, it’s a

great practice vehicle no matter what level you’re at in
your development.

33
Intermediate Jazz Guitar Chords
For those guitarists that have worked through the
beginner chords, or are coming here with more
experience, you’re ready to dive into intermediate chord.

The focus of this section is rootless jazz guitar chords.

These shapes are essential for any jazz guitarist, and the
more you study them, the more you realize how often
great players used them in their comping.

Each example introduces a new concept, such as contrary

motion, rootless chords, and chord substitutions.

While the focus for the beginner exercises was to

introduce new voicings, here you’re shifting your attention
to concepts.

Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t new shapes to

learn in these examples.

34
It’s just that the discussion centers around comping
concepts and their application to popular jazz
progressions.

Make sure to learn each example in the given key, and

then move it to other keys around the fretboard.

As well, play the examples over the backing tracks from

memory, and apply them to tunes to hear them in musical
situations.

From there, alter the rhythms, add in slides, change your

picking attack, etc. to make these progressions more
personalized.

These concepts take time to become comfortable, so

there’s no better time to start working on them than
today.

Major ii V I
To begin your intermediate chords study, you apply
rootless chords to a major ii V I.

When doing so, you start with a rootless Dm9, where you
play Fmaj7 over Dm7 to form that sound on guitar.

Whenever you have a m7 chord, play a maj7 from the b3 to

form a rootless m9 chord.

From there, you use classic jazz voice leading to create a

G13 over G7.

Here, you lower the b7 from Dm7, the note C, by a half

step.

When doing so, you create a rootless G13 chord.

As well, think of the G13 as being an Fmaj7#11 chord over

G7.

35
 You can play a maj7#11 chord shape from the b7 of any
dominant chord to create a rootless 13th chord.

To finish the progression, you play Em7 over Cmaj7 to

create a rootless Cmaj9.

Playing a m7 chord shape from the 3rd of any maj7 chord

produces a rootless maj9 chord.

Whew!

That’s a lot of material packed into four short bars.

To help you organize those thoughts in the practice room,

here’s a summary of what you just learned.

 Rootless m9 = maj7 from b3 of m7 chord

 Rootless 13th = maj7#11 from b7 of 7 chord
 Rootless maj9 = m7 from 3 of maj7 chord

Now that you’ve got a bunch of new theory concepts to

check out, you can hear those concepts by learning the
example below.

Start in one key, then work it in other keys, and finally

apply it to jazz standards that you’re working on in the
woodshed.

Minor ii V I
In the next progression, you apply similar concepts to
what you just learned, only this time in a minor key.
36
 Starting at the end, a Cmaj7 chord is being used to create
a rootless Am9 sound in those two measures.

Over the first chord, you’re playing a root-position Bm7b5

followed by a Bm11b5 chord shape.

Keeping things simple in that bar.

But.

The interesting part comes in second bar.

Here, you take those same Bm7b5 and Bm11b5 shapes

and play them from the b7 of E7alt.

This means that you’re playing Dm7b5 and Dm11b5 over

E7alt.

When doing so, you bring out an E7(b9,b13) and E7(#9,b13)

sound over that bar.

There are two ways to think of this concept.

The first is to think of playing m7b5 and m11b5 chords

from the b7 of a dominant chord to create an altered
sound.

Secondly, if you have a minor ii V, play the iim7b5 chord

followed by those same shapes a minor 3rd higher, forming
the V7alt chord.

This is how you get the Bm7b5-Dm7b5 shapes over Bm7b5

and E7alt in the example below.

Here’s a quick summary of those concepts that you can

use as a reference going forward.

 m7b5 and m11b5 shapes work well together

 Rootless 7alt = m7b5 and m11b5 from b7 of chord

37
 Playing iim7b5 then iim7b5 up a minor 3rd outlines
minor ii V changes

Time to take these concepts to the fretboard.

Major I VI ii V
Continuing your study of rootless chords, you now apply
those shapes to a major turnaround.

In the first bar, you use Am7 over Cmaj7 to create a C6.

You can play a m7 chord from the 6th of any maj7 chord to
produce a rootless 6 chord.

Then, in the second bar, you play Gm11b5 over A7alt,

which you saw in the previous section.

This altered chord is followed by Bbdim7 played over A7,

which creates an A7b9 sound.

Playing a dim7 chord from the b2 of any dominant chord

produces as 7b9 sound.

To finish the progression, you use Bm7b5 and Bm11b5

over G7.

When doing so, you bring out rootless G9 and G13 sounds.

Using m7b5 and m11b5 chords from the 3rd of any

dominant chord creates rootless 9 and 13 sounds.

38
 To help you summarize these concepts, here’s a quick
reference list to study further.

 Rootless 6 = m7 from 6 of maj7 chord

 Rootless 7b9 = dim7 from b2 of 7 chord
 Rootless 9 = m7b5 from 3rd of 7 chord
 Rootless 13 = m11b5 from 3rd of 7 chord

Armed with this new information, you’re ready to play

these concepts through the major turnaround example.

Minor I bIII ii V
Moving on to a minor turnaround, you’re going to apply
previously learned concepts to a new progression.

Each chord features rootless shapes that you’ve learned

in last few progressions, only in a minor key.

This is a turning point for most guitarists when studying

jazz chords.

In the beginning, especially at the intermediate level, it

seems like there are endless concepts and voicings to
learn.

But.

Once you get into it, you realize that, practically speaking,
there aren’t that many concepts and voicings that you
have to learn to sound good.

39
The hard part is taking this handful of concepts, and
essential chord shapes, and applying them to any tune
you learn.

It’s even more difficult to apply them when sight-reading.

So, as you move forward, don’t worry about learning too

many more theoretical concepts.

Instead, focus on applying the concepts you already know

to as many musical situations as you can.

Backdoor ii V
Again, you aren’t learning any new concepts here, but
you’re working on new combinations of chord voicings.

When learning this example, pay attention to the second

chord voicing used for Bb7.

This rootless Bb13, Abmaj7#11 over Bb7, was a favorite

chord voicing of both Ed Bickert and Joe Pass.

Though it looks simple, this one shape brings an authentic

jazz sound to your comping and progressions.

If you only get one thing out of this example, make it that
voicing.

Then, bring that shape to as many 7th chords as you can to

integrate it into your comping phrases over tunes.

40
 Take the A Train
The crux of this progression, as you learned earlier, is
playing a D7#11 chord over bars three and four.

Here, you play a rootless D9 chord, F#m7b5 from 3rd.

In bar four, you lower the 5th of D, A, by a fret to highlight

the #11 interval, G#.

This is a great example of altering chords you know to

form new shapes in your comping.

You don’t always have to learn shapes for new chords.

In fact, you’re better off not learning new chords.

Instead, take shapes you already know, alter them, and

you’ve got enough chord vocabulary to outline the new
changes.

This helps with both practice room time management and

fretboard visualization at the same time.

41
 Rhythm Changes Bridge
In the example below, you’re working across the entire
fretboard as you cover a lot of ground when comping over
the rhythm changes bridge.

When you have a longer harmonic rhythm such as you do

here, you can move around the fretboard more in your
comping.

A good rule of thumb when comping over any tune is:

When the chords are busy play simple. When the chords are
simple, be busy.
This allows you to create interest in your comping when
the progression is straightforward.

Then, when the chords are moving by fast and furious, you
lay back, outline the chords, and let the changes create
interest for you.

Eventually you’re able to do both, play complex chords

over fast progressions.

In the meantime, use this guideline to help you maximize

your comping lines over standard chord progressions.
42
 Jordu Cycle
Here’s an important jazz chord concept to explore over
the Jordu progression.

When playing descending cycles, such as Jordu, one of

the most interesting approaches to take is to play
ascending chords.

This contrary motion creates surprise with the listener, as

they’re expecting descending chords and your comping an
ascending line.

While it’s a great concept to explore, it’s easier said than

done.

Moving up the fretboard like this takes a solid knowledge

of chord shapes and inversions on your part.

But.

With time and practice, you’ll be applying contrary motion

to your chords with ease.

43
 All The Things You Are
Again, you aren’t using any new concepts in this study,
but are applying known concepts to a new progression.

Here, you use rootless chords to outline most of the

progression.

This approach helps with a progression such as this,

especially in the first four bars.

Here, the chords don’t have a lot of movement, the root

notes only moving down 3 frets in four bars.

So, to create interest, you bring rootless chords into the

mix, adding color to a progression with minimal
movement.

44
 Giant Steps
The final intermediate chord example applies rootless
shapes to the first half of Giant Steps.

Rootless chords can be tough when applied to a fast-

moving chord progression such as this.

So, take your time with this example and work on

memorizing it in your studies.

From there, apply rootless chord shapes to your Giant

Steps comping phrases.

Even if you use only one per chorus, over time you build
your skill set to where you can play every chord as a
rootless chord shape.

Jazz Standards Chord Studies

To finish up your jazz chords exploration, here are five
studies that you can learn over jazz standards.

45
 Each study uses voicings, rhythms, and other concepts
that you learned previously.

And, to make it more beneficial, there are some new

shapes in there to challenge you even further in your
playing.

Here are a few suggestions on how to practice each

standard to get the most out of your time in the practice
room.

 Learn the studies as written.

 Memorize them and play along with recording.
 Play along with backing track only.
 Jam on backing track with chords from the studies.
 Apply those chords to other standards and
progressions.

As you work through these studies, you’ll reach a point

where you have one memorized and you want to make it
more personal on the fretboard.

When doing so, there are a number of ways that you can
expand these chord studies to make them your own.

Here are a few examples of how you can alter any study
to bring a personal touch to these phrases.

As well, these techniques set you up to bring any chords

and chord lines in these studies to other tunes, keys, and
progressions.

 Slide into chords from a fret below or above.

 Change your picking attack – strum, pluck, mixed.
 Fingerpick the chord shapes.
 Break the chords up into bass-middle-melody notes.
 Leave some chords out or add new chords in.

46
Now that you know how to learn each study, and how to
take these chords and phrases into your own playing,
you’re ready to learn these 5 studies on guitar.

F Jazz Blues Chord Progression

In this chord study, you apply the Freddie Green rhythm to
the F jazz blues chord progression.

Beyond the rhythm, check out bars 7 through 10.

In bars 7 and 8, you have four descending chords that are

often played over that section of a jazz blues.

Then, in bars 9 and 10, you have inversions mixed with

root-position chords over Gm7-C7.

With these inversions, you’re using the bass notes to lead

up to the next chord in the progression.

Again, this is something that’s common in jazz blues

standards, as well as over any ii V and ii V I that you come
across.

47
 Summertime Chord Progression
Moving on, you’re now mixing root-based chords and
rootless chords as you comp over the jazz standard
Summertime.

When working on the first half of the study, you’re playing

rootless chords for each change.

To help you take these chords into other aspects of your

playing, visualize the root note even though it’s not being
played.

For example, in bar one you would picture the D on the

5th string, 5th fret as being the closest root note for those
chords.

48
This helps you with transposing and applying these jazz
guitar chords to other standards and chord progressions.

Lastly, the rhythm is based on the two Charleston

variations that you learned earlier.

And, for good measure, there are a few & of 1 and 3

rhythms thrown at you as well.

49
50
 Blue Bossa Chord Progression
Here, you apply the two bossa nova rhythms that you
learned in this lesson to both halves of the tune Blue
Bossa.

Blue Bossa is one of the most commonly called jam

session tunes.

But, even though it’s so popular, many guitarists tend to

fake a bossa rhythm when jamming on this tune.

To help you nail an authentic bossa nova rhythm in your

next jam session, learn the chords below with the given
rhythm.

Then, to take it further in your studies, play the rhythm in

the first half all the way through until it’s comfortable.

From there, learn the rhythm is the second half of the

study all the way through.

This gives you two authentic bossa rhythms to apply to

this brazilian jazz standard the next time you encounter it
in a jam session.

51
52
 Sunny Chord Progression
In this funk-jazz classic, you learn apply rootless three
and four-note chords to a full tune.

When comping with a piano or organ player, guitarists

have to be careful not to step on their toes with your
shapes.

The best way to do that is to play smaller, more rhythmic

chord lines and let the piano be more colorful with their
voicings.

This study demonstrates that approach over Sunny.

As well as using rootless chords, you’re playing a lot on

the & of 2 and 4, using Charleston rhythms, and applying
dotted quarter notes to the tune.

All of which combine for a highly syncopated, and cool

sounding, chord study.

Because of this high level of syncopation, using a

metronome at a slow tempo is a good practice strategy
when learning this chord study.

53
54
 Giant Steps Chord Progression
The final chord study might scare off a few guitarists,
especially beginners, as Giant Steps is legendary for it’s
high level of difficulty.

But, don’t run away just yet.

While it’s very difficult to solo over Giant Steps, the chord
progression is a great vehicle for working fast-moving
chord changes.

So, even if you’re a beginner, give this chord study a try.

You may never jam this tune on a gig, but working through
a study like this helps you develop both right and left-
hand coordination.

In the study itself, the rhythm is very straight forward.

This is because the chords move so fast, especially at

quicker tempos, so keeping the rhythms simpler is a good
place to start.

Once you get these chords memorized, experiment with

adding other rhythms to this study.

Lastly, the chords were chosen to move from one to the

next with as little movement as possible.

This type of voice leading is tough to learn at first, as you

have to have nailed inversions in your playing.

But, over time voice leading chords will make playing

tough chord progressions and faster tempos that much
easier.

55
56