Jazz theory, improvisation, instruments, listening guides
Jazz guitar chords are extended harmonies, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths, built on guitar-specific voicings that prioritize the guide tones (3rd and 7th) over root-position stacks. Unlike the … Read more
Jazz guitar is a style of guitar playing, and a family of instruments, central to jazz music from the 1920s to the present day, encompassing everything from the … Read more
Modal jazz is a style of jazz improvisation, originating between 1958 and the mid-1960s, in which musicians improvise over static or slowly-changing scales (modes) rather than working through … Read more
Jazz piano chords are multi-note harmonies built from stacked thirds, typically 7th chords extended with 9ths, 11ths, or 13ths, that define the sound of jazz through tension, color, … Read more
What You’ll Learn in This Guide What jazz improvisation is and why it defines the genre How improvisation works structurally, including common song forms The full historical arc … Read more
Jazz chord progressions are recurring harmonic sequences, built primarily from seventh chords and their extensions, that form the structural foundation of jazz standards, bebop heads, blues forms, and … Read more
What You’ll Learn in This Guide A precise definition of bebop jazz and why it changed everything How and where bebop originated, including the key role of Minton’s … Read more
The best jazz albums for beginners are records chosen not just for critical acclaim, but for immediate accessibility, short tracks, familiar melodies, steady grooves, and minimal harmonic abstraction. … Read more
Jazz scales are the melodic building blocks that define the harmonic language of jazz, forming the foundation of improvisation, composition, and ear training for players at every level. … Read more
What You’ll Learn in This Guide A plain-language definition of jazz and why it resists a single category All 16 major types of jazz music, explained in chronological … Read more
The instruments used in jazz are trumpet, saxophone, double bass, piano, drums, trombone, guitar, clarinet, flute, vibraphone, and organ — the specific acoustic and electro-acoustic instruments that form … Read more
