Skeptical Guitarist

Author: Bruce Emery
Format: Book with Audio Online
Instrumentation: Guitar

This book proceeds onward from Volume Two, The Fretboard, and presumes that you are up to speed on the first two volumes. We start out with a description of jazz chords with regard to the Rhythm Changes, voice leading and the spelling of complex chords. You'll get experience playing two popular progressions of complex chord shapes, what I call the MVP (Most Valuable Progression) and the VIP (Very Important Progression). Other topics include modulation from key to key, comping and mystery chord analysis.

Then comes an introduction to the use of scales and modes in improvising jazz lead lines. We seek out the C-A-G-E-D scale shapes in the Key of C all around the neck of the guitar.

Table of Contents:

• What are jazz chords?
• Rhythm changes in the Key of C
• Preliminary issues
• Minimizing redundant notes
• Closed voicings
• Extensions and alterations
• Substitutions
• The Major 6th substitution
• Rhythm changes up the neck in C
• Recap of the modified rhythm changes
• Modified rhythm changes in G
• Basic jazz chord roundup
• Voice leading
• Rhythm changes in G
• The spelling of complex chords
• Worksheets
• Our favorite chord progression the MVP
• Modifications to the MVP
• The flat-five substitution
• On to the VIP
• G7 variants and worksheets
• Modifications to the VIP
• The flat-five substitution
• The MVP and VIP around the fretboard
• Modulating with a 2-5-1 progression
• The 1234567 progression
• Stripped down comping
• Examples of jazz standards
• Mystery chord analysis
• Scales: Jazz a la Mode
• Modes in the Key of C
• Ionian mode
• Dorian mode
• Phrygian mode
• Lydian and Mixolydian modes
• Aeolian and Locrian modes
• Modes shmodes?
• Worksheet on the modes
• Improvising on the modes
• Arpeggios first, then scales
• C-shape modes
• A-shape modes
• G-shape modes
• E-shape modes
• D-shape modes
• C-shape modes (high)
• Improvising with the E- and C-shape modes