Learn to improvise, jazz up your pentatonic scales – 8:17 min

In this lesson Mike Sculli teaches how to jazz up those Pentatonic scales and add jazzy textures and flavor to your soloing and improvising. Mike teaches chromatic ideas, major tonalities, and jazzy tonalities and how to add them to your playing. These devices were used by many of the jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Giliespie, and many many more. Mike discusses chromatic passing tones and how easily you can add them into your playing to give it a real jazzy tone. Practice these devices in all keys and over jam tracks to hone your lead guitar skills and improvisation to a sharp edge. 

LOU PALLO of the Les Paul Trio teaches arpeggios and discusses soloing part 1 – 11:06 min

In this special video Lou Pallo of the Les Paul trio discusses jazz soloing and also teaches some arpeggios and arpeggio use when soloing. Lou was Les Paul rhythm guitar player for over 30 years and one of the most respected players in the music business. Everyone loves Lou and he has shared the stage with a who’s who list of guitar player and musicians over his long career. We are so happy that Lou joined us for a few lessons and we invite you to check out part two as the man of a million inversions will get into all kinds of chords in his next lesson on chord inversions – stay tuned for part 2. Enjoy! 

Gypsy Jazz guitar licks off the V chord – 5:41 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some more Gypsy Jazz licks. Here he concentrates on licks that can be played over the V chord, the Dominant 7th V chord which then resolves back to the I chord. For this lesson we are in the Key of A minor and this lick is inspired by a version of minor swing in the style of Django. So this lick is a chromatic type lick that will be played over the D7 chord. Start off slow and slowly work the lick up to speed. Enjoy!

Gypsy Jazz lesson on Dm chords, inversions, substitutions – 7:17 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross takes you through some rhythms and teaches a big bunch of Dm chords, inversions, and substations. The Am and Dm chords are often used in Gypsy Jazz so be sure to also check out the previous lesson where Jeff Goes over a huge batch of Am chords. Get comfortable with these chords and then try and insert and substitute them in your rhythm playing. They will add new color and flair to your playing and will also be very fun to move them around and springboard to new creative chordal ideas. Enjoy! 

Gypsy Jazz lesson on Am chords, inversions, and substitutions – 8:14 min

In this Gypsy Jazz lesson Jeff teaches a whole bunch of new chords based off Am and its inversions. Its so important to have a big chord vocabulary and know when and how to use them. This lesson is in the style of Django Reinhardt. Learn these chord substitutions and get comfortable going in and out of them. This will add much more interest and possibly melody to your rhythms as opposed to just vamping on a straight Am chord all the time. Enjoy! 

Octave playing in the GEORGE BENSON jazzy style 13:08 min

In this lesson Dave Nassie teaches some jazzy playing in the style of George Benson. Here you will learn all about adding octave rhythms and licks to your playing. These examples are played over a jazzy jam track in the key of Bminor. Be sure and check out the jam tracks to practice these devices – its the Bm jazzy jam in the jam tracks section of the site. Here Dave outlines the B minor pentatonic scale and the B natural minor scale to build the lick examples. Use these devices and techniques in your playing and get creative with them. Rock oN!