Hey Jazz Guy September 2010

Sep 1,2010
Hey Jazz Guy, I want to expand my use of jazz harmony and I was wondering how you would recommend going about learning different chord voicings and putting them into practice? —Simple in San Diego Dear Simple, There are More...

Back to School GITs Mitch Holder Shares the Magic of Harmonized Octaves

Sep 1,2010
FROM DJANGO REINHARDT AND Wes Montgomery to Jimi Hendrix and the Foo Fighters, the use of octaves in riffs and melodies can be found in just about every guitar style imaginable. Typically, this approach involves grabbing a More...

Hey Jazz Guy October 2010

Oct 1,2010
Hey Jazz Guy, Once I’ve mastered the “jazz power chords,” how can I better understand upper structures and incorporate them into my playing? —Basic in Boise Dear Basic, This is a way of exploring upper structure harmony More...

Hey Jazz Guy November 2010

Nov 1,2010
BY JAKE HERTZOG Hey Jazz Guy, I know that wide intervals are a modern concept. Do you have any suggestions for how I can work them into my playing? –Narrow in Nashville Dear Narrow, You’re right. Wide intervals More...

Hey Jazz Guy, May 2011

May 1,2011
Hey Jazz Guy, I’ve got all my scales down pretty good, but I’m still having trouble making all the changes. Can you give me some advice on how to put it all together? —Fragmented in Fresno Dear More...

Hey Jazz Guy

Jun 1,2010
Hey Jazz Guy, Can you explain the basic concept of a IIm-V progression and why it’s so important? —Chordless in Cleveland Dear Chordless, A IIm-V (two-five) is a basic progression that is taken from the cycle of 5ths. More...

Hey Jazz Guy, July 2011

Jul 14,2011
Hey Jazz Guy, Now that I’ve got the inside playing down, how ’bout that “out” stuff? —Inside in Indianapolis Dear Inside, How ’bout that “out” stuff? Well, it is worth looking outside the box to examining some simple More...

Hey Jazz Guy July 2010

Jul 1,2010
Hey Jazz Guy, Can you explain the difference between a “jazz blues” and a regular blues? How can I make my blues playing more jazzy? —Blue and Bored in Birmingham Dear Blue and Bored, This is a great question! There are More...

Robot Invasion Further Experiments with Diminished Transformers

Jul 1,2010
IN LAST MONTH’S LESSON [“Diminished Transformers,” June 2010 GP], we explored the concept of unfolding a diminished 7 chord into four dominant 7s, an idea we can attribute to Pat Martino. We compared this process to More...

GITs Dean Brown Maps the DNA of the Great American Groove

Jul 1,2010
“EVER BEEN TO THE EXPERIENCE MUSIC Project in Seattle?” asks Dean Brown. “You gotta go. They have that big Hendrix exhibit, and one cool thing you can do there is listen to famous Hendrix tunes with the different tracks More...

Hey JazzGuy January 2011

Jan 1,2011
Hey Jazz Guy, I’ve got my chords down pretty well, but how can I be more rhythmic in my accompanying? –Square in Sacramento Dear Square, The most important thing about accompaniment or “comping,” is to make whatever it More...

Dropped-D Jazz

Feb 25,2011
BY SCOTT MCGILL THIS LESSON DEALS WITH dropped-D tuning in jazz guitar. Dropped-D has been used effectively by such diverse players as Johnny Smith, Lenny Breau, John McLaughlin, and John Scofield and can allow guitarists More...

Hey Jazz Guy December 2010

Dec 1,2010
BY JAKE HERTZOG Hey Jazz Guy, I love the way that chromatic playing sounds. Can you explain how I can play more chromatically in my soloing? –Diatonic in Denver Dear Diatonic, This is a fascinating topic! Playing More...

Back to School GIT Jazz Ace Sid Jacobs Asks “Do You Really Know How to Use Major and Minor Thirds”

Dec 1,2010
“THE FIRST THING WE BECOME aware of in harmony is major and minor,” reminds GIT/Musicians Institute guitar instructor Sid Jacobs. “This is fundamental. In traditional harmony, almost every chord starts with a major or minor More...

Hey Jazz Guy, August 2011

Aug 18,2011
Hey Jazz Guy, I’m always playing the same rhythms, usually constant eighth-notes. How can I get more rhythmic variety in my playing?—Constant in Colorado Springs Dear Constant, This is definitely an issue with More...

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