Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Solo Jazz Guitar Lesson – Create a Melody With Chords – EP139

Description

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a jazz chord composition that creates a melody. This is played with no accompaniment and sounds great on it’s own. You’ll learn about the II V I jazz progression and how to create melodies out of chords. If you’d like to learn more about the chord numbering system (as mentioned in this video), be sure to check out last week’s guitar lesson where I cover it starting at 3:00 in the Part 1 video.

Part 1: Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2: For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through: For Premium Members

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

    • Bob L says

      Darn it Brian. A week earlier and I could have impressed my dear Wife on Valentine’s Day with my ever improving ( thanks to you) guitar skills! The good news is I should have it perfect by next Valentine’s Day. Ha ha. It is a thing of beauty…….. This number. Best wishes Bob

  9. bri-uklefty says

    Hey Brian

    This is a great sounding lesson and I’m really enjoying the last few weeks with; boogie woogie, bossa nova, jazz and blues. In fact I’m becoming like a kid in candy store and not sure which to go for, as I want to learn them all LOL!

    You’re really making learning, playing and moving forward really enjoyable; I agree with other comments of being really lucky to come across AM site.

    Cheers Bri

  15. Bill W2 says

    Brian thank you so much for this wonderful melody for us to learn and celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with! This ties in to the discussions on this weeks forum perfectly well.

    Please keep more of these jazz lessons coming. Jazz and Blues guitar playing are my life blood.

  19. Bruce H says

    This is a great lesson! I’m mostly a blues player and I still love blues guitar, but this lesson helped me realize there is life outside a I-IV-V. I love the jazzy sound but it is not something I practice. Anyway I love all your lessons, and I’ve been a premium member of lots of sites, but I’m usually in and out. I’m staying here!

  21. Mikek69 says

    Brian, I have been dabbling with Jazz but it(the lessons) din’t grab me and say this is why or how, but this lesson is beautiful and I now have a much greater understanding of what I have been trying, rather futilely, to do. More along this line would help, not only me, but I’m sure everyone else that comes to your lessons.
    Mike

  22. Woodnerp says

    Super well done! Mountains of info and creativity here. I’m Gypsy Jazzing a bit these days and lots of these ideas can be lifted/ transposed. The standard minor 6th shape is useful…if you substitute 6ths for the 7ths in your lesson, you can change from Cm6 to F6 (or F9) by only moving your second finger from 6th to 5th string at the 8th fret..simples!
    Paul

  23. jimbostrat says

    This could easily be Brian’s most important and vital complete lesson to date. It’s definitely he most jam packed with pertinent great information. Our goal as guitarists is to break away from the pack and stand out on our own while delivering great music and joy to others and it’s lessons like this one that separate us from the pack!

    Jim C.

  26. sunburst says

    cool,, going to get into this tonight! ,, I been learning lots of jazz chords and practicing them all over the neck..this should be easy and yet helpful practice.. sounds great too Brian,, very mellow and peaceful music! thank you!

    • Rollover33 says

      Ha, un autre français sur le site… et qui ne tente pas de causer anglais sans trop savoir où aller comme je le fais parfois ! On a trouvé là un super site, Brian aide vraiment à progresser et à motiver chaque semaine sur de nouvelles pistes. Suis là depuis un an, ça avance énorme ! Bonne poursuite !

  28. ben4given says

    I am constantly amazed with your ability to come up with a new lesson each week. I am curious, do you start out with a melody and then adapt the chords, or start out with a chord progression and then work out the melody? Or it is just a mixture of the two?

  29. Don D. says

    Thanks, Brian, lots of valuable info.

    Once you have what Brian’s shown you down, the next “logical” chord to add while staying in the key of Bb is D minor 7. When you’re dealing with the VI7 chord (the G7), you can always add the iii before it (in Bb, it’s D minor 7–that’s actually making another ii-V).

  31. Caymandiverjj says

    I really do think this lesson is one of your best yet. Anthony Purdy is an English player and lesser know, but he has chops for faster swing jazz. That might be a future consideration ? Look him uo on utube and subscribe to his F.B. page. YOU will not be disappointed.

  34. drlknstein says

    yeah! theres a lot in here. Great mixture of very salty chords and I m finally getting some of the concepts of mixing the minor and major scales. I am a little confused tho. This key is B but the first chord is a Cminor? some trickeration?

    • Larry K says

      As Brian explained in the video, this lesson uses the ii-V-I chord progression which is very popular in jazz circles, but also frequently is used in all other music venues. That’s why it starts with a Cm7 (ii chord), then follows to F7b9 (V chord) and finally resolves to Bb (I chord). No trickeration, just a different chord progression than what you are accustomed to, probably a I-IV-V progression.

  35. drlknstein says

    yes, and i admit that I don t understand the chord progression (the one, two three etc.) – my bad, -and my lack of knowledge. I got a lot to learn.

    My question was more related to the lead being in B…..when the first chord was in C

    Usually I look to the first chord for the root and then I play some lead in that key- (which is what brian has said many times)

    this first chord bing in C (minor7).. I would have tried playing lead in C… so, when he said the key is B ..it cornfused me, …which btw is not hard to do

    the answer is probably as you say- but I guess I don’t understand it – because I don’t know the one-2-3, chord progression- ?

    I hope to get to it one day- but first things first- like the 5 patterns etc.

    I didn’t mean “trickeration” as anything but a joke.- on me. (not any criticism )

    thanks

  36. jaystrings2@aol.com says

    Bravo! Your best lesson yet. Love the II-V-I progression & this style of playing. I doubt I’m alone in this but I’d sure like it if you did a lots more lessons like this. It is not only great for the set list, it’s a real chops builder. And there is a sweetness in jazz chords & jazz melody songs that appeals to a larger audience. Thanks & keep ’em coming. It just makes being a premium member all the more valuable .

  37. KingB says

    This is a such beautiful chord melody arrangement that I feel embarrassed to make any critical comment, but WADS the chord which you call F7b9 is in fact F#diminished, which is an excellent substitute for the plain vanilla F7 (the V chord), given that it created by moving the root note F up a semi-tone.

    • Larry K says

      I’m sure Brian was naming the chords to keep them within the context of the ii-V-I progression, the F7b9 being the V chord. Even though the chords as played are diminished 7th chords, adding an F note makes them a F7b9. Fret the 6th string on fret 1 to make the first position chord a F7b9 or fret the 5th string on fret 8 to make the 7th position chord a F7b9. The only one that is impossible to add an F note would be the 4th position chord, unless you have hands unlike any I have ever seen 🙂

  38. sweeney679 says

    Really good lesson Brian.
    I was wondering when playing the F9 cord or any 9cord in that shape do you play the high E string , also is f7flat9 cord also known as a dimished cord.

    • Larry K says

      No, the open E is not played. The chords as played are not truly 9th chords as the 9 is omitted. However it is common practice to play them this way and call them 9th chords. To make them true 9th chords, you would have to fret the high E (1st) string at the same fret as the 2nd and 3rd strings. Change the fingering from X-2-1-3-4-X to X-2-1-3-3-3 and then you can play the 1st string.

  39. drlknstein says

    after 4 times thru it.. i gotta say, ,….. it s amazing…

    very easy to improvise and make it last forever… the T BONE WALKER CHORD ..DOWN LOW or high—–down and up THE KEY BOARD …AND across THE
    UNa -VERSE is awesome

    Dreamy chords. 13th to end …..and begin sometime or another

    ..i guess “the one” ….. ( JAMES BROWN ‘S FAV PLACE … cuz he never left it..and is still there -or in prison w/ johnny cash)

    …is where you start.. and finish

    (…..ah know! ……….its ii-V-I chord progression and ….867 5309 jenny jenny–i got ur number on the wall… ……negative 3 times pie square )

    like + THE POINT (. + footnote number …..ONE or J B “the one” or …the 9chord all nite if ur in JB’s band) sooner or later – we all get to the one-some stay there

    + footnote number ONE ……The Point! is a fable by American songwriter and musician Harry Nilsson about a boy named Oblio, the only round-headed person in the Pointed Village, where by law everyone and everything must have a point….AND THATS THE LAW

  41. greg505 says

    Fantastic lesson thanks Brian and the theory behind it is very well explained. Just 1 question. You said the 6 chord was a dominant 7th chord, but you played a G9. Is that just because you can and it makes it more interesting?

  46. tendagaroo says

    Brian, love this but you don’t walk us through the little riff that ends video one and leads into video two. Please can you rectify, as I really want to get this piece note perfect..
    Colin.

  48. Ernie G says

    Thanks Brian, just joined and am very impressed with amount of content and how well organized everything is. All of the features you have included make it easy to learn. I appreciate your effort and look forward to playing better. Thanks again.

  49. jon morgan says

    Hello Brian,
    I’m an old codger living in England. I’m totally devoted to your lessons but I wish I found them many years ago. Just a small query; what make and gauge of strings do you use on the Gibson that you play on lesson 139 ? Many thanks.

  50. stevevegas says

    Sorry to disagree with so many people but for me this lesson was way too much talk and jumping around and not enough playing. Contrast this lesson with the Boogie Woogie lesson to see what I mean. In that lesson, the finger placement is clearly explained and phrases are gone through several times for clarity. Yes, the melody is beautiful but I could use a bit less academics and a lot more illustration.

    • Brian says

      Steve, unfortunately it’s impossible to find a cadence that pleases everyone because we’re all at different levels. The good news is that I never make a video over 30 minutes in length, so WORST case scenario is you have to suffer for 30 minutes to learn a new skill. Also, the very reason I created the on-screen tab viewer and the slow walk-through video is for people that do not want to listen to the conversational portion and only want to learn the notes – that way you can skip all of the talking if you want.

  51. John K says

    Thank you Brian for bringing back some child hood memories.

    When I was a child back in the early 60’s I had a very close friend of the family that had since passed away and he played guitar. It was beautiful large body Gibson. No sure what model it was but he would play for our family’s get together and we all sat around and sang as he played.

    Later in the evenings he would sit by himself and play songs. As I watched him play and listen I never really understood what he was playing until now. It sure was different. But so relaxing sounding.

    My friend was playing Jazz. Thank you Brian for your Slow Jazz lesson EP-139. I just love this Lesson.

    John

  52. Eel1948@aol.com says

    Why oh why don’t you use key signatures…..l Love the site but a song in Bb with 2 flats Bb and E flat would avoid all those sharps. Incorrect notation just makes things more difficult. To see a Bb maj. 7th notated in sharps, what’s up with that. Is it a software program that prints out what you play?

  55. Marty V says

    I’m loving learning this one. Some of those chord forms are really challenging. Great melody too (I wake up hearing it, which is always a great sign).

    But there’s one BIG problem….

    This lesson is SCREAMING for vibrato! But my guitar doesn’t have a whammy bar!

    Oh well, I guess I’ll have to buy a new guitar. Thanks, Brian! I’m going to tell my wife it’s all YOUR fault!

  56. Nima says

    Dear Brian,

    First of all, thanks for making this video, bluesy jazz which I love and hope that you make more videos in this genre. However, it seems to have not been described and missed the fifteenth bar after Bb chord .

  59. LeRoy says

    Brian: I really enjoyed this lesson and , at one time in my life I had a mickey baker book , it is all coming back to me . I love songs like misty and other slow blues soft songs. Thanks. keeping me happy while I am homebouond.

  61. BARRY D says

    Great, easy to use and navigate site, lots of excellent material, well taught, and this is my favorite lesson so far. I like compositions that sound great with only a solo guitar. I really enjoy the slow, jazzy chord progression with a beautiful melody- please more like this one.

    Could you explain more about the F7 flat9 chord- I just don’t see how that works out when you play it at frets 7 and 8 (notes are A, E flat, C, and F#)- almost if the F# were an F. What am I missing?

  63. Charles D says

    Anyone else have trouble with that final Bb13??? Fifteen years of playing and I’ve never in my life had as much trouble with a chord – I don’t see how it’s even possible to get that chord with your
    Pinky while still creating what’s essentially a Dom 7 chord up
    Top. Extremely frustrating.

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