How to Jazz

How to Jazz

This is a guide of tips & tricks that I have learned over the years to get started playing some Jazz. These are mostly scattered nuggets of information so you can refer back to this at any time for pointers.

Practice Routines

Triads

• Take a chord, and play up & down all sorts of extensions (i.e. Gmaj7, Gmaj7#5, Gmin7add9, Gsus4 etc).
• Take a chord, and do the above ^ but then change chord (i.e. go to Amin, Bmin, Cmaj etc).
• Take a chord, and do the above ^ but go round through cirlces (i.e. circle of 5ths, circle of 4ths etc).

Chord Progressions

• In a major key, play the 1 as maj7, then play the minor 3rd as maj7 - pokemon does this alot (i.e. Cmaj7 - Eflatmaj7).
• In a major key -> ii V I.
• Use diminished to move between chords a tone apart (i.e. G - G#dim - A).

Modulation

• 2 - 5 - 1 to move to a new key - i.e. if you’re in G and wan’t to modulate to D, then play the 2 - 5 - 1 of D.
• You can safely borrow chords from the parallel mode that’s closest I.e. Dorian ~> aeolian.

Chord extensions

• dominant 7 sharp 5 is cool.
• Minor major 7 is cool.

Phrasing

Note choises

• When in a minor key (i.e. em), you can play the #2nd of the VIth dominant chord (i.e. D7#2). This is because the #2nd of the VIth is the major 7th of the em which creates this nice disonance.
• In a minor key, play the major 7th as a passing tone for some dissonsance.
• In a major key, use major 6th as a passing note, it adds some sort of melancholy spice.
• Use enclosures - i.e. you can play the minor 7th, major 2nd, then the root instead of just playing the route.
• Delay the 7th to add wonder at the end - I.e. play chords/arpeggios etc then add it at the end I.e. play chords/arpeggios etc then add it at the end and hold it.