Learning the guitar: It’s Complicated

You know the guitar is complicated, and so do I. There are different ways to do everything, and the fact that all the strings are tuned in fourths EXCEPT the interval between the second and third strings makes the instrument truly schizophrenic. But look, if you understood other instruments one percent as much as you understand the guitar, you wouldn

The Cycle of Fourths

If you’re interested in learning jazz guitar (or any style of guitar), it’s important to learn how the neck of the instrument relates to musical notes. Start the journey here.

Part One:

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Part Two:

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How to learn the Fretboard (start here)

What fret are you on? What position are you in? Let’s learn how to think about the guitar neck.

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Jazz Guitar Scales: 5/2 Major Scale

All these scale fingerings are important if you want to be able to play through the chord changes of standard and jazz tunes.

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Jazz Guitar Chords: Minor 7 Flat 5 Chord (-7b5)

Also called “half diminished,” this is the most important chord in jazz because it is used so many ways.

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Jazz Guitar with Frank Portolese