Basic Jazz Chords for the Rock/Blues Guitarist

In this lesson we’ll learn how to convert a common 6th String root bar chord into a 4-note Major 7th and 6th chord more suitable for jazz rhythm playing.

In this lesson we’ll learn how to play a 6th String Root m7 to a m6 chord. This progression is useful for “vamps” and lots of fun to improvise over using the Dorian Mode (you may recognize it as sounding like Carlos Santana’s “Oye Como Va”). It also works great as a IIm7 V7.

In this lesson you’ll learn to combine chords from lessons 1 and 2 to create one of the most popular progressions in Jazz music; the II-7 V7 I!

The I VI-7 II-7 V7 Progression is the basic “Turnaround” pattern used in thousands of jazz songs. In this lesson you’ll learn to play it starting from a 6th String root voicing.

In this (and the next few) lessons, we’ll learn some nice substitutions that can be played on the I VI II V7 progression.

Here’s another great variation of the standard I VI II V7 progression.

Many tunes use the bIIIo7 as an alternative to the VI-7 or VI7 chord when approaching II-7. It’s a different sound, and an important one to learn.

This progression builds on the last few lessons. It uses ascending passing diminished chords (which function as dominant 7ths) to approach the II-7 and III-7 chord, and then proceed down a III-7 VI7 II-7 V7 turnaround. This sort of substitution is common in many jazz tunes. You don’t need a lot of different chord forms to play it. Notice how many uses our Diminished 7th chord form can be put to.

Turnarounds are short progressions that lead you back to the top of a song. Often a song (or a section of a song) will begin on the II chord.  The I IV II-7 VI7 turnaround is an easy way to get back to II.