Introduction to Jazz Guitar Chords and Comping Styles -y Mike Scott
he folloing lessons introduce some of the asics of azz guitar chords opics include: Some of the most common chord voicings used Intervals riads Seventh Chords, Drop and Drop Extensions and Sus chords Quartal Chords Freddie Green Style Sample Comping Rhythms ossa Nova Style Chords ith ass Line he lessons ill demonstrate an example in one key Your assignment (hat you need to practice!) is to learn to play them in all keys Some students have found they ill need to rite out a fe examples in other keys first, ut then can start orking through the rest in their head ithout riting them out For example, in the triad section the lesson shos possile ays to play a C maor triad You ill then ant to learn those for Fma, Gma, Dma, etc Practice it in the key that is shon first Memorize it Kno the notes you are playing, not ust the shape! Choose another key to figure it out in Many students ill rite it out at first Memorize that key as ell hen choose another key and continue Once you have done it in or keys the rest should get a lot easier It's very important to learn the notes that are in each chord, not ust the shape! Give yourself a grade! s you ork on each topic, critique yourself and your progress I give my students the folloing self grading criteria for the triads as ell as the drop and chords: : You can play all the chord voicings and inversions (on all string sets) from memory and could identify the notes in each chord : You can play the chords in the key of C from memory and you can identify some of the notes in the chords You can play some of the voicings in another key, ut it takes you a little hile to figure out each ne key and may need to rite them out first Not alays sure of the notes C: You can play the voicings if you are looking at them and you could play them in another key if you rite them out You don't have any of them memorized D or F: You really can only read the tas that ritten out For the style lessons the idea is to learn hat is ritten and then apply it to another song For example, the Freddie Green style section gives an example over a lues and over the song "ll of Me" Once you can play those, choose another song and figure out on your on ho to play Freddie Green style on that song
Cma fr Common Jazz Guitar Chords If you are somehat ne to azz guitar chords, here are some of the most commonly used voicings hese chords are all shon ith a C root found on the th or th string hey can easily e moved throughout the neck of the guitar y lining up the root ith another desired note For example, the first voicing for Cma has it's root at the rd fret on the th string o change this to a Dma you ould move it up to the th fret Cma fr C / fr C / fr Cmin fr Cmin fr Cmin ( ) fr Cmin ( ) fr Cmin fr Cmin fr Cmin / fr Cma () fr C fr C fr Cdim fr Cdim fr C fr C () fr C fr C () fr
Intervals n interval is the distance eteen to notes Intervals can e descried as harmonic if the to notes sound simultaneously or melodic if the to notes sound successively half step hole step minor nd maor nd minor rd maor rd tritone augmented th perfect th diminished th perfect th minor th maor th minor th maor th octave Find intervals from notes other than C ry playing different intervals on your guitar (harmonic and melodic)
riads triad is a three note chord he three notes are called the root, rd, and th he intervals eteen the notes are maor or minor thirds here are four types of triads: maor, minor, diminished, augmented C maor triad C minor triad C diminished triad C augmented triad minor rd maor rd minor rd maor rd maor rd minor rd minor rd maor rd C maor triad: C (maor rd) E (minor rd) G C minor triad: C (minor rd) E (maor rd) G C diminished triad: C (minor rd) E (minor rd) G C augmented triad: C (maor rd) E (maor rd) G riads can also e inverted n inversion is a chord ith a note other than the root on the ottom First inversion has the third on the ottom, second inversion has the fifth on the ottom C maor triad root position first inversion second inversion root rd fifth C minor triad root position first inversion second inversion root rd th
riads C maor C minor C diminished C augmented ssignment: Learn to do this in all keys, memorized
riads (Spread Voicings) C maor For spread voicings you ill find there is more than one ay to play them he talature here shos one possiilty ry and find others C minor C diminished C augmented Practice these in all keys
c riad Inversions on Guitar (Moving across strings) C Maor C Minor C Diminished C ugmented root position first inversion second inversion root position
Diatonic riads in the Maor Scale triad can e uilt from each of the seven notes in the maor scale Diatonic triads use only notes elonging to the scale Each maor scale/key ill contain three maor triads, three minor triads, and one diminished triad Roman numerals are used to distinguish different triads (chords) Upper case for maor, loer case for minor, loer case folloed y a "o" for diminshed lthough it is not a diatonic triad in maor keys, the augmented triad ould e ritten as an upper case roman numeral folloed y a "+" sign Cmaor Dminor Eminor Fmaor Gmaor minor dim Cmaor I ii iii IV V vi viiº I Gmaor minor minor Cmaor Dmaor Emin Fdim Gmaor I ii iii IV V vi viiº I Dmaor Eminor Fminor Gmaor maor minor Cdim Dmaor I ii iii IV V vi viiº I In every key the I, IV and V chords are maor he ii, iii, and vi chords are minor and the viiº is diminished Learn this in all keys!
Diatonic riads in C Maor Root Position (on th, th, rd strings) Cma Dmin Emin Fma Gma min dim Cma Root Position (on rd, nd, st strings) Cma Dmin Emin Fma Gma min dim Cma st Inversion (on th, rd, nd strings) Cma Dmin Emin Fma Gma min dim Cma nd Inversion (on th, th, and th strings) Cma Dmin Emin Fma Gma min dim Cma his page shos examples, ut of course you can do any inversion on each of the string sets Practice this in all keys!
riads from the Harmonic Minor Scale Root Position (on rd, nd, st strings) min dim Caug Dmin Ema Fma Gdim min Root Position (on th, th, th strings) min dim Caug Dmin Ema Fma Gdim min st Inversion (on th, th, rd strings) min dim Caug Dmin Ema Fma Gdim min nd Inversion (on th, rd, nd strings) min dim Caug Dmin Ema Fma Gdim min Practice in all keys!
riads from the Melodic Minor Scale Root Position (on rd, nd, st strings) min min Caug Dma Ema Fdim Gdim min Root Position (on th, th, th strings) min min Caug Dma Ema Fdim Gdim min st Inversion (on th, th, rd strings) min min Caug Dma Ema Fdim Gdim min nd Inversion (on th, rd, nd strings) min min Caug Dma Ema Fdim Gdim min Practice in all keys!
Seventh Chords Seventh chords are triads ith a note an interval of a seventh aove the root added here are five asic types of seventh chords: Maor th, Dominant th, Minor th, Half-Diminished or Minor (), and Diminished th With a C root the chords ould e: C Maor: C E G C: C E G Cminor: C E G Cø or Cminor(): C E G Cº or Cdim: C E G () C Maor C Cminor Cø Cº Diatonic th Chords C Ma Dmin Emin F Ma G min ø C Ma I Ma ii min iii min IV Ma V vi min viiø I Ma Other types of th Chords Cmin(Ma): C E G C+(Ma) or C Ma(): C E G C+ or C(): C E G Cdim(Ma): C E G Cmin(Ma) C Ma() C() Cdim(Ma)
Like the triads, seventh chords can also have inversions Hoever,on guitar they are often very difficult to play, and many times ust not possile ry playing some of the folloing: C ma Root Position st Inversion nd Inversion rd Inversion C Cmin Cmin() C dim he aove are referred to as close voicings One ay to make these ork etter on the guitar is to use hat are called drop and drop voicings drop voicing takes the second highest note of a close voicing and drops it to the ass drop voicing takes the third highest voice and drops it For example: Cma nd Inversion = Cma (drop ) Cma rd Inversion = Cma (drop )
- Drop Voicings - Cma - Drop Voicings
C - Drop Voicings
Cmin - Drop Voicings
Cmin() - Drop Voicings
C, E, G, or Diminished - Drop Voicings Practice all of the drop chords in all keys!
Drop chords Cma on strings,,, Cma on strings,,, C on strings,,, C on strings,,, Cmin on strings,,,
Cmin on strings,,, Drop (page ) Cmin() on strings,,, Cmin() on strings,,, Cdim on strings,,, Cdim on strings,,, Practice in all keys!
Common Chord Extensions Some common extensions on maor chords ould include the th, the th, and the C C CMa C Ma C C s ith the seventh chords, it can e difficult to play these extended chords in root position on guitar and include every note Notice the second voicing for C moves the E up an octave he fifth can often e omitted (as ell as other chord tones) to make room for the extensions Compare the to voicings for CMa (th omitted in nd) In the second voicing for C/ the third is omitted oth the th and the th are diatonic tones and can e included ith any maor seventh voicing Notice that C uses the same chord tones as min So all of those drop 's and drop 's for min could also e possile voicings for C similar thing happens ith CMa If you take aay the root you ould e left ith Emin You could then use drop and Emin voicings as options for CMa he is also a common extension on Maor th chords in azz On the I chord it is a non-diatonic tone, ut on the IV chord it is a diatonic tone he could also e referred to as a or (see elo) C () CMa() CMa() CMa() he th and the th are also very common extensions on minor chords C min C min C min Cmin Cmin C min
he th and th ork ell ith the min(ma) chord as ell Cmin(Ma) Cmin(Ma) Cmin(Ma) Cmin(Ma) Cmin(Ma) Cmin(Ma) Cmin common extension on the minor and the minor() chord is the th (Same note as the th) C C Cmin C( ) Cmin C ( ) (resolving to rd) C ( ) Cmin C ( ) Cmin() Dominant th chords have the most possiilities for extensions hey can e oth diatonic and non-diatonic hese include,,, (same as or ), (same as ), (same as ) C ( ) C (resolving to rd) C() Of course multiple extensions can e comined on the dominant chord as ell For example: C ( ) C C ( C C ( ) ) C() ( ) C ( )
Sus (Suspended) Chords ypically in a sus chord the th replaces the rd in either a triad, dominant th chord, or dominant th chord It ill often resolve don to the maor or minor rd of the chord (shon elo), ut does not have to Csus Csus C Csus Csus C Csus Csus C Csus C min Csus C min Csus Csus Csus Csus Csus Csus here are also voicings that can include oth the rd and the th C(add) C(add) C(add) C(add) ( ) ( ) Keep in mind: Depending upon the context they are used in, all these sus voicngs and voicings ith extensions can also e played ithout the root nd of course, practice these in all keys!
Quartal Chords Quartal chords are chords uilt ith the interval of a th rather than the rd used in traditional harmony hey can e constructed as part voicings (like a triad), part voicings (like a seventh chord), or more Quartal chords can also have inversions he folloing example constructs part quartal chords from the D dorian scale (C maor) inversions lthough primarily made of perfect ths, you'll notice the augented th or tritone occurs as ell You ill also notice in the inversions that they ecome a comination of nds and ths st inversion nd inversion he folloing shos voicings using and part voicings hese are still all derived from the D dorian scale s you ork on these, try to play the same voicing on different string sets as ell For example:
Quartal Chord Examples his example shos quartal chords used for Dmin (Dorian) (th string tuned don to D) his example shos quartal chords used for Ema() (Lydian) his example shos quartal chords used for sus (Mixolydian) Πn n n J Πn n
E /D E n E dim n G C min F n G n C F Freddie Green Style lues ( chord per measure) Often hen playing ith a assist the notes on the th or th string can e omitted and the guitarist ould ust play the notes on the rd and th strings
/D n E E dim /D F min E E / n E dim D dim N n n n G G/ C min C min/e n F n G D n C G F Freddie Green Style lues - changing voicings every eats (or )
C Ma E D min E min D D min G Freddie Green Style Freddie Green Style on Chord Changes to "ll of Me"
C Ma E D min F Ma F min C/E E dim D min G C C dim D min G ( ) Freddie Green Style "ll of Me" (page )
Sing â's Û Û Ó J Example Comping Rhythms (try using each rhythm to comp through a ar lues or azz standard) Û Û Ó Û Œ Û Œ Û J J Û Ó J Û Û Œ Û Œ Û Û Œ Û Œ Û Œ Û Û Ó J J J Û Œ Û Û Ó Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Ó J J J Œ Û Œ Û Û Û Û Û Œ Û Û Û Û Œ Ó J J J J J J J Û Û Û Û Û Œ Ó Œ Û Œ Û Û Œ Û Û Û Û Û Œ J J Œ Û Ó Œ Û Û Œ Û Û Û Û Û Œ J J J J Û Û Û Ó Œ Û Û Œ Œ Û Ó Û Œ J J J
Some Chord Voicing Options for utumn Leaves min D G Ma (First ars) C Ma F m( ) E m min D G Ma C Ma F m( ) ( ) E m E min min D G Ma C Ma F m( ) E min min D G Ma C Ma F m( ) ( ) E min E min
razilian Guitar Style example ossa nova and sama rhythms for the right hand the right hand fingers play the more active rhythms (the top voices of the chord), hile the thum plays the quarter note ass figure (usually on the th or th string) the ass sitches from the root and the fifth of the chord and it's etter to play the fifth elo the root if the root is already on the th string it's ok to stay on that note asic ossa Nova Pattern Variation of ossa Nova or asic Sama Pattern R ossa Nova Pattern (to ar pattern) Sama Variation ossa Nova Variation ossa Nova Clave Pattern ossa Nova Inverted Clave Pattern (practice each example ith a single chord at first, then try it ith a simple chord progression) Nelson Faria's ook "he razilian Guitar ook" is an fantastic resource for this style
D E a n E m n D n G D E a n E m D So Danco Sama ntonio Carlos Joim INRO
n m n D D( ) G Ma min E N E m n D E a n E m D Ó Ó So Danco Sama - Page
lues ith ass Line E Edim n n E Edim n G n n C n F G n n C F
ppendix Various Chord Charts