chords

Turnaround Progressions - Infographics with Guitar Chords

By Stef Ramin
On 09/15/2019
In Infographics
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minor II V I Voicings - Cheat Sheets - Infographics

By Stef Ramin
On 08/30/2019
In Infographics
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36 Ways of Playing a Dominant 7 Chord on Guitar - Beginner to Advanced

By Stef Ramin
On 07/30/2019
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Dominant 7 chords are one of the most important chords to know, they can be found in many styles of music as blues, funk, pop and of course in jazz music. In this lesson we will see how dominant 7 chords are built and how to play them on guitar using 36 different voicings and shapes.

Harmonization of the Melodic Minor Scale - Chord Shapes and Theory

By Stef Ramin
On 07/26/2019
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In this lesson we will see how to harmonize the melodic minor scale in thirds with seventh chords. In other words we will see how to build seventh chords by stacking thirds from each degree of the melodic minor scale.

What Scale to Play Over 7b9 Chord

Dominant 7 flat ninth chords (7b9) are generally related to the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale known as Phrygian dominant scale, which makes it the most obvious choice for improvising over 7b9 chords. However, we will see in this article that there are many other options.

Solar - Miles Davis - Guitar Chord Melody Lesson and Analysis

"Solar" is a jazz standard written by Miles Davis in the key of C minor with four tonal centers that are : C minor, F major, Eb major and Db major. Solar contains essential chord progressions as major and minor II V I. This lesson provides a short harmonic analysis and a chord melody arrangement for guitar with tab, standard notation, chord shapes and audio file.

Octave Playing - Guitar Lesson With Lines and Theory

By Stef Ramin
On 12/30/2018
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What's Octave Playing?

How to play in octaves Wes Montgomery style Octave playing is a big part of jazz guitar language, this technique has been popularized by guitarist Wes Montgomery one of the greatest improvisers and jazz genious of all times. Theoretically, the principle is quite easy to understand. You just have to play lines using two simultaneaous notes separated by twelve semitones. In practice, it is more difficult because of the fingerings. Indeed, you have to move two fingers at the same time while keeping the same hand position. This lesson provides guitar diagrams and easy guitar lines for a good mastery of this technique.

What's An Inverted Chord

By Stef Ramin
On 12/16/2018
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What's An Inverted Chord?

The notes of a chord whether it is a triad (containing just three notes) or a tetrad (built with four notes) can be reshuffled in different order. The name of the chord will still remain the same, but the bass will not necessarily the root note. This is the lowest note (the bass note) that determines the name of the inverted chord. So, chord inversion simply refers to which note is in the bass. You will find here some example for a better understanding of what are inverted chords.

Extended Diatonic Arpeggios - Infographic

By Stef Ramin
On 11/27/2018
In Infographics
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Extended areggios, Extensions, Upper-Structure of Chords, Superimposition, Secondary Arpeggios, Chords

Extended Diatonic Arpeggios - Upper-Structure of Chords and Superimposition

Extended diatonic arpeggios When learning how to play jazz guitar, one of the most important device to master is to play each tone of a chord in order to outline a specific progression. This is what we call arpeggios. They are great melodic tools when you want to highlight the chords you are soloing over.

This article is focused on diatonic seventh arpeggios and their extensions. In a first time, before applying these extensions, it is recommended to have a very strong knowledge of the triads, both the chords and the arpeggios.

Major and Major 6th Arpeggios with Chords - Guitar Infographic

By Stef Ramin
On 10/21/2018
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Major 6 and minor 6 arpeggio shapes with chord diagrams.

6th arpeggios and chords for guitar

How To Use Triad Chords - Comping Lesson

By Stef Ramin
On 10/08/2018
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How to use triads lesson Triads are one of the first harmonic tools to study. They are very useful for comping and chordal enrichment. Learning close and open triad voicings increase your harmonic knowledge and at the same time help you discover your fretboard. In this lesson you will see the main triad chord shapes including root positions and inversions. You will also find some ideas on how to use triads over a II V I sequence, in order to create interesting melodic movement in your comping.

What are Dominant Seventh Chords ?

By Stef Ramin
On 09/29/2018
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What s a dominant 7 chord

Dominant seventh chords are the most important features in music, you can find them in many styles of music, especially in blues and, of course, in jazz. In this lesson, you will see how to construct drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2 & 4 dominant seventh chords, what is their harmonic function and how to play them on guitar.

Tetrad Chords Infographic - Drop 2, Drop 3 and Drop 2-4 Voicings

By Stef Ramin
On 09/24/2018
In Infographics
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This guitar infographic enables to learn in a fun way the five main most important chord types found in music thru three kinds of voicings : Drop 2, Drop 3 and Drop 2-4.

Drop 2 & 4 Chords - Advanced Guitar Voicings

By Stef Ramin
On 09/14/2018
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What Are Drop 2-4 Chords?

Drop 2 and 4 chords are created by dropping down an octave the second and fourth note of a seventh chord in close position. They can be very important tools for composition and arrangement. This lesson with diagrams provides useful explanations on how to build and play drop 2 & 4 chords on guitar.

What's a Tetrad Chord - Music Theory

By Stef Ramin
On 09/11/2018
2 comments

What's a Tetrad ?

A basic chord is built with three notes this is what we call "triad chords" or "triads". Tetrad chords aka "four note-chords" are simply chords containing four notes, “tetra“ is a Greek root meaning four. This means that tetrads have an additional note, a major seventh or a minor seventh. In other words , a tetrad is a triad with a supplementary note. This article will enlighten you on how these tetrad chords are built and how they can be classified.