Jazz for the Curious Guitarist
Jazz for the Curious Guitarist is a 92-page reference workbook designed to teach jazz guitar through a step-by-step curriculum. Written by Dan Dresnok, this book guides students through the transition from standard guitar playing to jazz musicianship. It covers rhythm studies, music theory, reading notation, and complex harmony. Both standard music notation and Guitar Tablature (Tab) are used throughout the book.
Fundamentals and Rhythm The course begins by establishing the necessary skills for jazz performance. You will review open and barre chords before moving into specific rhythm studies.
Rhythm Studies: Learn about beats, rests, and how to play triplets.
Reading Music: A dedicated section teaches you how to read standard notation for the guitar.
Technique: Covers essential physical techniques required for cleaner playing.
Chord Harmony and Voicings A major focus of this book is understanding how jazz chords are constructed and applied. You will move beyond basic triads into extended harmony.
7th Chords: Learn the different types of 7th chords and how to apply them.
Extensions: Instruction on building and playing 9th, 11th, and 13th chords.
Chord Progressions: Detailed study of the "ii-V-I" change, the most common progression in jazz.
Advanced Voicings: Learn about chord tones, tone clusters, dyads, and the numbering system.
Advanced Theory and Composition This section explains the "why" behind jazz music, helping students analyze and re-harmonize songs.
Substitutions: Learn how to use tritone substitutions and secondary dominants to add variety to your playing.
Passing Chords: How to use passing diminished 7th and dominant chords to connect phrases.
Intervals: Understanding musical distance and its role in harmony.
Cycling 4ths: Exercises on moving through the circle of fourths.
Arpeggios and Fretboard Navigation This book teaches you how to map out the entire fretboard using arpeggios rather than just scale patterns.
Full Fretboard Mapping: Learn shapes and positions for major and minor arpeggios.
Complex Arpeggios: Covers arpeggios for 7ths, 6s, 9s, 11s, 13s, and altered chords.
Soloing Application: How to use arpeggios to solo over specific chord changes.
Scales and Improvisation You will learn the specific scales used in jazz improvisation and how they relate to chords.
The Modes: A complete guide to the 7 relative modes and how to use them in the Key of C.
Jazz Scales: Includes the Bebop scale, Whole Tone scale, and Diminished (Whole-Half) scale.
Altered Scales: Instruction on the Super Locrian mode and altered chords.
Pentatonics: How to apply pentatonic scales within a jazz context.
Application and History To ensure you can apply these concepts, this workbook includes:
Jazz Progressions: Two full-length jazz chord progressions to practice accompaniment and soloing.
Jam Sections: Designated sections for jamming over relative C chords and altered chords.
Jazz History: A brief overview of the history of the genre.
This workbook is intended for guitarists who already know the basics and are ready to tackle the complex harmony and improvisation techniques found in jazz music.
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