You don’t need to know much about jazz theory to learn how to play jazz.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions jazz-curious musicians have. Many of the deeper jazz theory concepts develop naturally after you’ve been listening to and playing jazz music for a little bit.
To get the train rolling with jazz improvisation, jazz harmony, and learning jazz standards, you really only need to understand some basic music theory concepts. After that, the snowball effect takes over!
Learning jazz is more like learning a language than learning algebra—the more you immerse yourself in it and interact with other speakers, the more quickly it will come.
Though having a basic command of music theory and jazz harmony helps, speaking a new language naturally isn’t something you learn from books. Likewise, learning jazz music and jazz music theory is best approached through listening, playing, and interacting with jazz musicians.
In this ultimate guide to jazz theory, we will make learning jazz simple! We’re going to stick to the basics of what you need to know with the understanding that the other more complicated stuff will come to you naturally with time.
We’ll cover four steps to master the basics of jazz theory and get you playing jazz right away:
- Step #1: Basic 7th Chords (The Building Blocks of Jazz Music)
- Step #2: Scales (aka. Pitch Collections)
- Step #3: Guide Tones and Voice Leading
- Step #4: Jazz Chord Progressions
Take these four steps, and you’ll be well on your way to understanding jazz theory. If you want to take the plunge and go deeper into jazz theory, jazz harmony, and jazz improvising, then you should check out the Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle.
The Inner Circle has everything you need to take your jazz playing to the next level, whether you play jazz guitar or harp! We have instrument-specific resources, instrument-agnostic courses, and masterclasses to help you become the best jazz musician you can be!
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What Jazz Theory Is Useful For?
Jazz music is a language. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play, whether it’s jazz guitar, piano, trumpet, drums, or voice. All instruments can speak the jazz language.
All languages have rules—music theory is simply the grammar, sentence structure, and analysis element of understanding jazz language. However, you don’t need to know all the rules to converse with someone.
In fact, before you went to school and started learning the basic theory behind whatever your native language is, you were already speaking it.
Learning grammar helps you intellectually understand the language better and expand your abilities to express and formulate your own ideas, but knowing it isn’t necessary to communicate. Most native speakers of a language don’t have an excellent understanding of advanced grammar anyway!
What Is Jazz Theory Useful For, Then?
Knowledge of jazz theory—all the jazz scales, rich chords, and chord progressions—will certainly help you expand what you can do on your instrument, but you don’t need to know it inside and out to start playing! It certainly helps, though!
Here’s how.
1. Jazz Theory Helps You Understand What You Are Playing (And What You Are Playing Over)
Have you ever learned a jazz lick from one of your favorite players and didn’t understand why it sounded so cool?
Check out this Sonny Rollins jazz lick:
Sonny Rollins outlines the jazz harmony (a ii-V-I progression, in this case). By that, I mean he is choosing specific notes that complement or deliberately contrast with the harmony of the moment.
- The ii: First, he outlines an F-9 arpeggio (G-F-C-Eb or 9th-1st-5th-7th)
- The V: Then he resolves to the 3rd of the dominant seventh chord (the D in Bb7alt) from a whole step below and a half step above, also emphasizing the b9 altered extension (the B♮)
- The I: Then, he resolves to the 3rd of the Eb7 (G)
Don’t be intimidated if this doesn’t make sense yet! We’ll get there.
Understanding chord progressions and what notes are available to you is essential when learning jazz standards. If you recognize what chord progressions you are dealing with, you can start simplifying things into categories rather than trying to remember individual chords and choose notes accordingly.
Check out this article for more on ii-V-I progressions.
2. Jazz Theory Helps You Think About and Talk About The Jazz Language.
Jazz theory gives musicians a logical framework for understanding and communicating what is happening in jazz music. It helps players navigate jazz harmony and explains various characteristics of the jazz language, like chromaticism and swing.
If you understand the harmonic relationships jazz music takes advantage of, you’ll realize just how many possibilities you have when playing and composing in the jazz style.
What Jazz Theory Won’t Help You With
Jazz theory helps contextualize and explain the jazz language, just like grammar helps you contextualize and explain your native language. However, jazz theory can only take you so far on its own. There are things that jazz theory won’t help you with.
1. Learning jazz language
While jazz theory is helpful for understanding and conceptualizing jazz language, it’s not great for internalizing it.
Children don’t learn to speak by reading grammar books. They learn through imitation and repetition of the sounds they hear. Learning jazz utilizes the same process. We listen, imitate, repeat, and as a result, we internalize the characteristics of jazz music.
You’ll sound calculated and robotic if you rely on theory or sheet music to learn jazz language.
2. Improving your ear
When it comes to becoming a great improviser, improving your ear is one of the most important things you can do. But music theory alone isn’t the best way to go about this.
You want to learn licks, solos, and standards by ear. You’ll also want to know some of the fundamentals of ear training to identify certain chords, scales, and important intervals. Books can teach you how to do this, but at the end of the day, you have to do it yourself.
Now that we know what jazz music theory can and can’t do for us, let’s dig into the four steps for mastering jazz harmony and music theory. To refresh, they are:
- Step #1: Basic 7th Chords (The Building Blocks of Jazz Music)
- Step #2: Scales (aka. “Pitch Collections”)
- Step #3: Guide Tones and Voice Leading
- Step #4: Jazz Chord Progressions
Step #1: Basic 7th Chords (The Building Blocks of Jazz Music)
Jazz chords are the place to start. If you understand jazz chords, jazz harmony is much easier to grasp.
7th chords are the basic chords used in jazz music. Triads are important, but the majority of jazz standards use 7th chords.
Chords with more than three notes are called 7th chords because, in theory, after stacking a triad (root-third-fifth), the following note is the 7th.
What’s a 7th chord?
A 7th chord is a triad plus the 7th tone of its corresponding scale stacked on top.
Basic formula: Root-3rd-5th-7th (3rd, 5th, or 7th altered depending on quality)
There are five qualities (or basic varieties) of 7th chords:
- major 7th chords
- dominant 7th chords
- minor 7th chords
- half-diminished chords
- diminished 7th chords
Let’s start with the major 7th.
Major 7 Chords
Formula for a maj7 chord: Root-3rd-5th-7th
You can think of a maj7 chord as a major triad (Root-3rd-5th) with the 7th scale degree stacked on top. By 7th scale degree, I mean the 7th scale degree from the major scale.
When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other, you get a Cmaj7: C-E-G-B.
Chords can be inverted, too. That means all the same notes are present, but the order in which they are stacked changes.
Here is a Cmaj7 notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.
Notice how the root moves to the top to give us a first inversion maj7 chord. Then, the third, on the bottom in the first inversion, moves to the top to give us a second inversion maj7 chord. This puts the fifth on the bottom, which moves to the top to give us a third inversion chord.
Common Maj7 Chord Symbols:
- CM7
- Cmaj7
- C△7
Dominant 7 Chords
Formula for a dominant seven chord: Root-3rd-5th-b7
The formula is nearly the same as a maj7 chord; however, a dominant chord has b7 instead. Dominant seven chords play a massive role in jazz, the blues, and jazz improvisation, so these are important chords to know!
This chord is built from notes of the Mixolydian scale, one of the modes of the major scale:
When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other, you get a C7: C-E-G-Bb.
Here is a C7 notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion:
Common Dominant Chord Symbols:
- C7
- C9 (dominant seventh chord with a natural 9th)
- C7b9 or C7#9 (dominant seventh chord with an altered 9th)
- C7#11 or C7b5 (dominant seventh chord with a sharp 11th or b5th)
- Csus7 (dominant chord with a natural 11th or 4th)
- C13 (dominant chord with a natural 13th)
- C7#5 or C7b13th (dominant 7th chord with a sharp 5th or b13th)
Minor 7 Chords
Formula for a minor 7 chord: Root-b3-5th-b7
Minor seventh chords have a flat 3rd (or minor third) and a flat 7th. You can think of them like a minor triad plus a minor 7th interval.
This chord is built from the root, third, fifth, and seventh of the natural minor scale:
When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other, you get a Cmin7: C-Eb-G-Bb.
Here is the Cmin7 notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.
Common Min7 Chord Symbols:
- Cm7
- C-7
- Cmin7
Half-Diminished Chords
Formula for a Half-Diminished chord: Root-b3-b5-b7
Half-diminished chords are diminished triads with a minor seventh interval added on top. These chords are also minor 7(b5) chords because they are like min7 chords with a flattened 5th.
These chord tones come from the Locrian scale, a major scale mode:
When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other, you get a Cmin7(b5): C-Eb-Gb-Bb.
Here is the Cmin7(b5) notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.
Common Min7b5 Chord Symbols:
- C-7b5
- Cmin7b5
- Cø
Diminished 7 Chords
Formula for a Diminished seven chord: Root-b3-b5-bb7
To make a fully diminished 7th chord, take a half-diminished chord and flat the 7th again!
We can build this chord from the Whole-Half Diminished scale:
When spelling this chord, we call the 7th a bb7th, not a 6th, even though they are enharmonically equivalent. In the key of C, the 7th in a fully diminished chord would be a Bbb.
When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other, you get a Cdim7: C-Eb-Gb-Bbb.
Common Diminished Chord Symbols:
- Cdim7
- C°7
You can play most jazz standards if you know how to build these five types of 7th chords.
Chord Extensions and Alterations
The basic chord quality types we just reviewed are just the beginning. Jazz musicians will add chord extensions and alter chord tones to produce the many colorful and rich-sounding chords in jazz music.
Let’s go over some of them!
What’s a Chord Extension?
Chord extensions are essentially chord tones added above the basic 7th chord structure. In other words, chord extensions are the notes beyond the root, the 3rd, the 5th, and the 7th.
These extensions don’t replace the R-3rd-5th-7th but are added in addition to achieve the desired sound. Depending on the voicing, certain chord tones can be omitted, usually starting with the 5th.
The possible extensions are the 9th, 11th, and 13th.
- The 9th is the same as the 2nd, just up an octave.
- The 11th is the same as the 4th, up an octave.
- The 13th is the same as the 6th, up an octave.
How To Use The 9th
You can add a 9th to the following basic 7th chord types:
- Maj7
- Dominant
- Min7
- Half-diminished
Formula: R-3rd-5th-7th-9th
Example: Cmaj9
How To Use The 11th
You can add an 11th to the following 7th chord types:
- min7
- half-diminished
- diminished
Formula: R-3rd-5th-7th-9th-11th
Example: Cmin11
How To Use The 13th
You can add a 13th to the following 7th chord qualities:
- maj7
- Dominant
- Min7
Formula: R-3rd-5th-7th-9th-13th
Example: C13
What is An Altered Extension?
An altered extension is a chord extension that is raised or lowered by a half step. Altered extensions are commonly found on dominant chords (i.e., b9/#9), but other 7th chord qualities can also have them.
Major 7(#11)
The natural 11th is not used on maj7 chords because it would clash with the 3rd. However, the #11 can be used on Maj7 chords.
Dominant 7th chords
Dominant chords resolve back to the tonic chord in chord progressions. Because of this function, musicians often heavily alter them to create strong tension that gets released upon the resolution. Dominant chords are the most flexible when it comes to altered extensions.
Altered extensions for dominant chords:
- b9
- #9
- b5
- #5
- #11
- b13
Alt Chords are dominant chords where anything goes. When you see C7alt, you can assume any alterations are on the table.
Here is a C7alt chord:
That’s a pretty comprehensive crash course on jazz chords! Let’s move on to step 2, or scales!
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE...
If music theory has always seemed confusing to you and you wish someone would make it feel simple, our free guide will help you unlock jazz theory secrets.
Step #2: Scales (aka. Pitch Collections)
Scales are extremely important, but unfortunately, they are often misused!
Scales are often thought of as the building blocks of solos and melodies. This is technically true because scales isolate which notes you should or shouldn’t play over a certain tonality. However, memorizing every scale won’t make your solos better.
Think of scales like clay and your solo like a sculpture.
You can buy all the varieties of clay you want, but that won’t make you a good sculptor. The same is true for scales. You can memorize all the scales you want, but if you don’t know how to shape, use, and develop ideas with them, it’s all a bunch of clay.
Let’s break down what memorizing scales will and will not help you with.
Scales Will Help You:
1. Learn Your Instrument
Scales are essential for navigating your instrument, understanding chord qualities, reading music, and learning other cornerstone elements of playing. If you want to be a good jazz improviser, you need to know your instrument inside and out.
2. Develop Proper Technique
Musicians use scales to practice the act of playing their instruments. They are one of the musical categories—along with chords, arpeggios, and chord progressions—musicians can practice to improve on their instruments and deepen their understanding of music theory.
3. Conceptualizing musical ideas.
Scales are kind of like the medium we use to paint melodies. Using the earlier metaphor, they are the clay we use to sculpt musical ideas.
Scales can help you identify pitch collections that conceptualize a harmonic or melodic concept. Understanding different aspects of music theory can be incredibly helpful.
Scales Will not Help You:
1. Learn Jazz Language
Again, scales are ways of organizing groups of pitches. They are the medium musicians use to create melodies, but they are not the melodies themselves. It would be like trying to label paint “Impressionist paint,” “post-modern paint,” or “high Renaissance paint.”
It’s not the paint that makes a piece of art belong to a certain style. Likewise, it isn’t the scale that makes a piece of music belong to a certain language.
Scales are pitch collections, not musical phrases.
2. Learning how to play melodically.
A scale is not a melody. It is a set of pitches ordered by frequency! Scales are an essential part of melody, but they aren’t melodies themselves. Only my learning melodies can you play melodically!
Scales show you the “right note” to play, but they don’t teach you how to create actual music.
3. Improving your ear.
Practicing scales won’t directly improve your ear (at least not nearly as well as dedicated ear training practice will). You can certainly use scales as a subject of study for ear training, but playing scales robotically will not push your ear where it needs to go.
To get started with ear training, check out these three ear-training exercises!
Think of Scales As Pitch Collections
Think pitch collection when you hear scale.
Scales are a set of pitches organized by frequency—low to high and high to low. However, the order from low to high can limit your imagination. That is why you should think of scales as a set of all possible note choices or, in other words, pitch collections.
When playing diatonically (in a major or minor key), a pitch collection represents all the possible correct note choices you have.
Thinking of scales as pitch collections helps you break free from the linear thinking scales often lock students into.
When we think about scales this way, it’s no longer “play melodic minor scales over the minor i chord.” Instead, it is “use the melodic minor pitch collection to target different important chord tones.“
Basic Scales You Need To Know To Play Jazz Right Away
You only need to find one scale (or pitch collection) to play over each of the five 7th chord qualities discussed earlier in the section on jazz chords.
Four of the five scales we’re about to discuss are modes of the major scale, meaning they are the same scale but start on a different note in the sequence.
To quickly break down modes, check this out:
- 1st Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- 2nd Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- 3rd Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- 4th Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- 5th Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- 6th Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- 7th Mode: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
The sequence of notes stays the same, but the note you start on changes based on which mode of the major scale you are playing. For more on modes, check out our ultimate guide to the modes of the major scale.
So, the five scales you need to play over the five different chord qualities most commonly found in jazz are:
- Major Scale (Ionian mode)
- Dorian Minor Scale
- Mixolydian Scale
- Locrian Scale
- Whole-Half Diminished ScaleLet’ss look at each in greater detail.
Major Scale
- Intervallic formula: W-W-H-W-W-W-H
- Scale tone formula: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
- C major scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B
- Chord Quality: Maj7 chords (either the I chord or the IV chord—that is, diatonic maj7 chords)
Dorian Minor Scale (2nd mode of Major Scale)
Dorian is the 2nd mode of the major scale and starts on the second scale degree. You can also consider this scale a natural minor scale with a raised 6th.
- Intervallic formula: W-H-W-W-W-H-W
- Scale tone formula: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7
- D Dorian: D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- Chord Qualities: Dmin7 (ii) or Dmin7 (i)
Check out this article for more on the Dorian minor scale.
Mixolydian (5th mode of Major Scale)
Mixolydian is the 5th mode of the major scale and starts on the fifth scale degree. You can think of this mode as a major scale with a flatted 7th.
- Intervallic formula: W-W-H-W-W-H-W
- Scale tone formula: 1-2-3-4-5-6-b7
- G Mixolydian: G-A-B-C-D-E-F
- Chord Qualities: G7 (V) or any dominant 7th chords
Check out this article for more on the Mixolydian scale.
Locrian (7th mode of Major Scale)
Locrian is the 7th and last major scale mode. It starts on the seventh scale degree. The Locrian mode is a bit of a more obscure one.
- Intervallic formula: H-W-W-H-W-W-W
- Scale tone formula: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7
- B Locrian: B-C-D-E-F-G-A
- Chords Qualities: Half diminished/min7(b5) chords (diatonic viiø chords or iiø chords in a minor iiø-V progression)
Whole Half Diminished Scale
Diminished scales are octatonic symmetrical scales.
Symmetrical scales can be evenly broken into smaller, even pieces. The diminished scale breaks up into four even groups of minor thirds, which are made of a whole step and a half step (or a half step and a whole step). Other symmetrical scales are the whole-tone scale and the chromatic scale.
The whole-half diminished scale starts with a whole step, and the half-whole diminished scale starts with a half step.
Octatonic scales break an octave up into eight notes (as opposed to the major scale, which is a heptatonic scale with seven notes).
- Intervallic formula: [W-H]-[W-H]-[W-H]-[W-H]
- Scale tone formula: 1-2-b3-4-#4-#5-6-7-8
- C whole half diminished scale: C-D-Eb-F-Gb-G#-A-B
- Chord Qualities: Any diminished 7th chord
We can talk about many other jazz scales and scale applications, like the altered scale or many uses for pentatonic scales, but knowing about them isn’t necessary to start playing jazz.
In fact, you can check out this video to learn more about the only two scales you really need to play jazz:
For more on other jazz scales, check out this article on 16 jazz scales. You can also check out this article on the many different applications for pentatonic scales.
Step #3: Guide Tones and Voice Leading
We’ve learned the chords and scales you need to know in order to play jazz and master jazz theory. But there’s more! We’re about to take the next step and learn about guide tones and voice leading. It is the guide tones of a chord that make the magic happen.
Guide tones are the 3rd and the 7th of each chord. Here is why they are important:
- The 3rd lets you know if the chord is major or minor
- The 7th lets you know if the chord is minor, dominant, or major.
Putting aside diminished and half-diminished chords, which have b5s, you can see that the 3rd and the 7th are the most important chord tones in terms of identifying a chord’s quality.
Guide tones are notes within a chord structure that both help define a chord and can be used to transition to another chord melodically.
When you examine guide tones in a chord progression—like a ii-V-I progression—you’ll notice how guide tones move stepwise.
Dmin7 guide tones:
- 3rd: F
- 7th: C
G7 guide tones:
- 3rd: B
- 7th: F
Cmaj7 guide tones:
- 3rd: E
- 7th: B
In the transition from D-7 to G7, the F remained the same through both chords, and the 7th of the D-7 (C) moved down a half step to become the 3rd of the G7 (B).
In the transition from G7 to Cmaj7, the B remained the same through both chords, but the 7th of G7 (F) moved down a step to become the 3rd of Cmaj7 (E).
This is an example of voice leading. Voice leading is the smooth melodic movement of notes (or voices) from one chord to the next.
Prioritizing smooth, stepwise motion is the key to using guide tones effectively.
Guide tones are effective for outlining jazz harmony, but you don’t have to play them in the context of chords. You can also play them as lines.
If your jazz improvisation incorporates the principles of guide tones and strong voice leading, you won’t even need a chord player! You’ll be outlining the changes with your note choices. There are many ways to do this, but basic guide tone maps like the one above are a great place to start.
Check out this article exploring 20 jazz lines to learn more about the characteristics of jazz vocabulary.
That brings us to the last step! Jazz Chord Progressions!
Step #4: Jazz Chord Progressions
The last piece of our puzzle is jazz chord progressions. We’ve already talked about the ii-V-I, which is probably the most important progression in jazz harmony. But where do these Roman numerals come from, and why are things structured this way?
Chord Progressions Start With Harmonized Scales
Diatonic chord progressions use chords built from the major and the natural minor scales (with some borrowed chords in the minor chord scale).
Here is the major scale harmonized in 7th chords. The Roman numerals beneath indicate both the scale degree and the quality of each chord.
The number lets you know the scale degree the chord is based on. In the key of C major, the I would be Cmaj7; the ii would be D-7, and so on. Uppercase numbers (I, IV, and V) indicate major tonality, while lowercase numbers indicate minor tonality (ii, iii, vi, and viiø).
Take a look at the major diatonic series shown in the following chart:
When you see Roman numeral chord progressions like the ii-V-I, you are actually referring to harmonized scale tones. With a major ii-V-I, you are harmonizing the second, the fifth, and the first scale degree in the major scale. Let’s use the C major scale as our default.
- the ii is built from D
- the V is built from G
- the I is built from C
The major scale limits what kinds of thirds, fifths, and sevenths you get depending on the scale tone you start on. Check out the appropriate scale tones bolded below:
- ii: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-c-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- V: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-c-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
- I: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-c-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
Minor Harmony Is More Complicated
Minor harmony uses chords from three minor scales:
- Natural Minor Scales
- Harmonic Minor Scales
- Melodic Minor Scales
Let’s harmonize them.
Natural Minor Scale Harmonized
Harmonic Minor Scale Harmonized
Melodic Minor Scale Harmonized
Here is one minor diatonic series of 7th chords. However, remember that you may encounter chords from other minor scales depending on the song.
For a more detailed explanation of minor harmony, check out this video:
Or, check out this podcast episode on minor chord progressions:
4 Basic Jazz Chord Progressions
Let’s dig into the four most common chord progressions in jazz.
1. Major ii-V-I
As we discussed, the major ii-V-I is jazz’s most important chord progression.
This jazz chord progression is also important in other styles of music as well. Spend plenty of time working on major and minor ii-V-I’s!
Example:
In this case, we are in the key of C major. Dmin7 is the ii chord, G7 is the V chord, and Cmaj7 is the I chord.
Refer back to the Major Diatonic Series chart to see where these come from!
2. Minor ii-V-i
There is a minor variant on the ii-V-I that uses chords from the minor diatonic series.
Example:
The V chord often has altered chord extensions with minor ii-Vs, meaning you can add a b9, #9, or #5 (sometimes #11).
3. Major I-vi-ii-V
You see this chord progression all of the time, especially in turnarounds.
Example:
It’s important to note that the vi chord is minor. However, jazz musicians will often turn it into a dominant 7th chord. This is a common chord substitution you should be aware of.
Check out this article to learn more about this chord substitution and other chord substitutions.
4. Minor i-vi-ii-V
The I-vi-ii-V also has a minor variant, which pulls from the three minor scales discussed above.
Example:
Remember that the vi chord in the minor diatonic series is pulled from the melodic minor scale and is half-diminished. The ii chord is half-diminished also, just like the regular minor ii-V.
For more on other chord progressions, check out this article on 9 jazz chord progressions.
Improvising Over Jazz Chord Progressions
Here are some actionable tips for practicing jazz chord progressions:
- Learn licks by ear over these important chord progressions that you find on recordings.
- Map out the chord tones and connect them together with voice leading.
- Map out the guide tones and connect them together with voice leading.
- Map out the scales and connect them together with voice leading.
This is where we come full circle to what jazz theory is and isn’t good for. Remember, jazz theory is important, but it isn’t everything! Listening extensively, ear training, and learning licks from the masters are just as important. Jazz theory helps you put that stuff in context.
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