Ultimate Guide to Jazz Theory: 4 Steps To Master Jazz Harmony and Jazz Improvisation

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Let me tell you one of the biggest myths I hear about learning how to play jazz:

You need to know a ton of music theory.

WRONG.

You don’t. You only need to know a little bit about music theory to get started with jazz improvisation, jazz harmony, and learning jazz standards. You’ll learn more naturally along the way.

In fact, when it comes to playing jazz, it’s more about learning the jazz language than theory.

With that being said, having a command of the basics of jazz theory—like jazz harmony and elements of the jazz language—will give you a massive advantage when playing jazz.

But here’s the problem: Most blogs, courses, Youtubers, and teachers make introduction to jazz theory way too hard.

They overcomplicate it with hundreds of different ideas on chord/scale theory, verbiage that leaves many musicians in the dark, and assumptions of knowledge that intimidate the beginner jazz student.

That’s where I come in.

I’m here to make learning jazz theory simple.

Trust me when I say this is the only “jazz theory book” you need to play jazz, learn standard tunes, and crush it with jazz improvisation.

And, if you like what you read and want to join an active, passionate community of jazz musicians who are dedicated to improving their jazz playing, tune repertoire, and theory knowledge, then you need to check out the Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle.

You’ll have everything you need to know to master jazz theory—

  • You’ll gain access to over 100 courses designed to help you improve all aspects of jazz musicianship—from music theory and ear training to jazz tune analyses and improvisation workshops.
  • You gain access to the real-world wisdom and knowledge of working jazz musicians who provide invaluable insight into the jazz mindset and best practices for shedding jazz and understanding jazz theory concepts.
  • Improve the technical command of your instrument with our Instrument Accelerator Courses and learn how theory works on your instrument—now available for piano, trumpet, saxophone, bass, and jazz guitar.

Come see what the Inner Circle is all about!

Now, on with the post.

What Jazz Theory Is Useful For?

What Jazz Theory is Useful For

When musicians come to jazz and think that they need to learn a bunch of music theory to improvise, it is often under the assumption that jazz is a math equation needing to be solved.

Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Jazz music is, first and foremost, a language. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play, whether it’s jazz guitar, trumpet, drums, or voice. All instruments can speak the language of jazz.

Though all languages have rules—music theory is simply the grammar, sentence structure, and analysis element of understanding jazz language—you don’t need to know all the rules in to order a sandwich or have a conversation with someone.

Think about it:

Before you went to school and started learning the basic theory behind whatever your native language is, you were already speaking.

Learning grammar only helps you intellectually understand the language better and expand your abilities to express and formulate your own ideas.

That is what music theory does in relation to jazz music. You can spend all the money in the world on jazz theory books and never learn this basic fact.

What Is Jazz Theory Useful For?

Let’s first cover several great uses of music theory, which, as we mentioned earlier, are like the building blocks of jazz music.

1. It helps you understand what you are playing.

Have you ever learned a jazz lick from one of your favorite players, say Sonny Rollins and didn’t understand why it was so awesome?

Check this one out:

Lick 3

When you understand that he’s basically outlining the jazz harmony (a ii-V-I progression, in this case), the veil begins to lift. Here is what he does specifically:

  • The ii: First, he outlines an F minor 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 everything I just said went over your head. That’s why we start with the basics!

Understanding chord progression is particularly important when trying to learn 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.

2. It can help you conceptualize jazz language.

Jazz theory offers different ways to understand how to navigate chord changes.

This is especially apparent in what we call chord/scale theory, where we can match scales to chords. I’ll talk a lot more about this in the scales section.

Having this knowledge can also aid in composing your own music. If you understand the harmonic function of sounds, you’ll suddenly see a myriad of possibilities.

What is Jazz Theory Not Useful For?

While jazz theory is helpful for the reasons above, alone it will not be enough.

1. Learning jazz language

While jazz theory is helpful for understanding and conceptualizing jazz language, it’s not great for actually learning it.

As I alluded to before, when you first started speaking as a child you had no idea why and how language worked—it just worked.

You just heard your parents and family talk and copied them.

This is how we learn to improvise.

We listen, internalize, and then reproduce it our own way.

If you rely on theory or sheet music to learn jazz language, trust me, you will sound calculated and like you are running a bunch of linear scales. We don’t want that.

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 learn some of the fundamentals of ear training to be able to identify certain chords, certain scales, and important intervals.

Let’s start with step 1 of our “basic jazz harmony book.”

Step #1: Basic 7th Chords (The Building Blocks of Jazz Music)

Basic 7th Chords

In my opinion, the first place to start with jazz theory is chords. If you understand chords, then you can start to learn jazz harmony. Specifically, regarding harmony, the ii-V-I progression is an essential part of how standard tunes are composed.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. To start, there are only five chords you need to know.

Notice I didn’t say scales. We’ll get to that later.

In particular, 7th chords are the basic chords used in jazz music.

Don’t get me wrong, triads are important. However, it’s the lush, colorful chords that give jazz a richer harmonic sound than other forms of music. If you were a painter, you’d want to use way more colors than just three. Chords that have more than three notes in them are called 7th chords because, in theory, after stacking a triad (root-third-fifth), the next note is the 7th.


What’s a 7th chord?

A 7th chord is a triad with 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 5 qualities of 7th chords: major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, half-diminished, and diminished 7.

Let’s start with the major 7th.

Major 7 Chords

Formula for a major 7 chord: Root-3rd-5th-7th

Same as a major triad (Root-3rd-5th) but with the 7th scale degree stacked on top. Pretty simple, right? If you know your major scale (we’ll get to that), it’s simple to pick out where all of the chord tones come from.

Major scale

When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other you get a Cmaj7: C-E-G-B.

Cmaj7

Of course, there are also inversions to all of the major 7 chord qualities. Because there are four chord tones, we end up having three inversions:

Here is the Cmaj7 notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.

Cmaj7 inversions

Just to be extra clear, the 3rd Inversion has the 7th in the bass. If you see the 7th in the bass of a chord or arpeggio, it is in its 3rd Inversion.

Dominant 7 Chords

Formula for a dominant 7 chord: Root-3rd-5th-b7

Same as a major 7 chord but with a b7. Dominant 7 chords play a huge role in jazz and the blues, so these are important chords to have down solid! This chord comes straight out of the Mixolydian scale.

C

When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other you get a C7: C-E-G-Bb.

C7

Here is the C7 notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.

Dom7 inversions

Minor 7 Chords

Formula for a minor 7 chord: Root-b3-5th-b7

Like the minor triad, the 3rd is flatted. And like the dominant 7 chords, the 7th is flatted. Take a look at the natural minor scale, which is where you can draw these chord tones from.

Natural minor scale

When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other, you get a Cmin7: C-Eb-G-Bb.

Cmin7

Here is the Cmin7 notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.

Cmin7 inversions

Half-Diminished Chords

Formula for a Half-Diminished chord: Root-b3-b5-b7

Take a minor 7 chord and flat the 5, and you have what we call a half-diminished chord. This chord is also commonly known as a minor 7(b5) chord. We can draw these chord tones from the Locrian scale.

half dim scale

When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other you get a Cmin7(b5): C-Eb-Gb-Bb.

Cmin7b5 1

Here is the Cmin7(b5) notated in Root Position, 1st Inversion, 2nd Inversion, and 3rd Inversion.

Half dim inversions

Diminished 7 Chords

Formula for a Diminished 7 chord: Root-b3-b5-bb7

That’s right! If you take a half-diminished chord and flat the 7th chord tone twice, you get a fully diminished 7 chord.

I suppose it makes the meaning of half-diminished all that more clear. We can draw these chord tones straight out of the Whole-Half Diminished scale.

Whole Half dim

Mind you, when we spell out the chord, we call it a bb7 not a 6, so in the key of C, it would be a Bbb.

When you stack these scale degrees on top of each other you get a Cdim7: C-Eb-Gb-Bbb.

dim7

That’s it!

If you know how to build these 5 qualities of 7th chords, you can play most jazz standards out there.

Chord Extensions and Alterations

Now, I would be doing you a bit of a disservice if I left it there and said there was nothing more to it.

Jazz musicians will often take these basic 7th chords and add more color to them.

What’s a chord extension?

Chord extensions are essentially chord tones that are added above the basic 7th chord structure (R-3rd-5th-7th).

The possible extensions are the 9th, 11th, and 13th. These extensions don’t replace the R-3rd-5th-7th but are added in addition to achieve the desired sound. However, in some cases, an extended chord may exclude a basic chord tone to avoid dissonance.

The easiest way to understand chord extensions is to think of them as the notes in between the basic structural chord tones: the 2nd, 4th, and 6th.

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.

If that doesn’t quite make sense right away, hopefully, this visual will help you see what I am talking about.

Chord

Which extensions can you use on 7th chords?

9th

You can add a 9th to: Major, dominant, minor, and half-diminished chords.

Formula: R-3rd-5th-7th-9th

Example: Cmaj9

Cmaj9
11th

You can add an 11th to: minor, half-diminished, diminished

Rule: the 11th can be added to chords with a b3 in it. Otherwise, the 11th would clash with the major 3rd.

Formula: R-3rd-5th-7th-9th-11th

Example: Cmin11

Cmin11
13th

You can add a 13th to: major, dominant, or minor.

Formula: R-3rd-5th-7th-9th-13th

Example: C13

C13 1

Note: 13th chords usually do not include the 11th in the chord.

What’s an altered extension?

Now, many of these extensions, depending on the chord quality, can be altered.

Major 7(#11)

Note: While the 11th is not used in a major 7 as an un-altered extension, it is used as an altered chord tone, specifically a #11.

Cmaj7#11
Dominant 7(alt)

Note: The dominant 7 chord has the most alterations possible. Also, the same as it was with the major 7, the 11th can be used with the dominant 7 as an alteration (#11).

One important chord to understand when it comes to dominant 7ths is the alt chord.

If you ever see on a piece of sheet music “C7alt” that just means that some or all of the extensions are included in the chord and altered.

Jazz musicians can choose to outline all of them, whether playing a chord or improvising or picking and choosing which ones are included.

Possible alterations for a dominant 7: b5, #5, b9, #9, #11, b13.

C7alt

In summary:

  • There are only 5 basic 7th chords we need to worry about in jazz
  • Jazz musicians often add extensions and alterations to these chords to add more color

You don’t need to worry about knowing everything right away! The more that you learn jazz standards, the more you will face these chords.

But when we understand that the basic 5 7th chords are our cornerstone, we can breathe a sigh of relief and take a load off.

Step #2: Scales (aka. “Pitch Collections”)

Scales

Prepare yourself for a rant!

So many musicians go straight to scales when starting to learn how to improvise over jazz standards.

It makes me want to curl up in a corner and start to weep.

Don’t get me wrong, scales aren’t bad. Quite the contrary!

But unfortunately, they are often misused.

Let’s start with some “pros and cons” of scales in general.

What scales are useful for:

1. Learning your instrument.

Scales are essential for learning how to navigate your instrument, understanding chord qualities, how to read music and other cornerstone elements of learning how to play. If you want to be a good jazz improviser, you need to know your instrument!

2. Technique.

Scales can help train you to move freely around your instrument without restrictions so that you can execute any musical situation you come across.

3. Conceptualizing 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.

What scales are NOT useful for:

1. Learning jazz language. 

To learn jazz language, you need to be listening to jazz music and learn solos and smaller musical phrases from the greats by ear.

Scales are pitch collections, not musical phrases. They will not help you learn the way jazz musicians speak and communicate with each other.

2. Learning how to play melodically. 

A scale is not a melody. A scale is a set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch (there’s a bland textbook definition for you).

To play melodically, you need to learn melodies. Scales can show you what the “right notes” to play are, but they don’t teach you how to create actual music.

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.

Jazz Theory Made Easy Fast Track Guide Ebook Cover

3. Improving your ear. 

One of the most important things to be equipped with as a jazz musician is a great ear. To become an extraordinary improviser, you need to be developing your ear. Scales are calculated and, therefore, not great for training your ear.

Scales as “Pitch Collections”

Scales as Pitch Collections

If there is one thing I want you to take away from this section on scales, it is that scales should be thought of as “pitch collections.”

Pitch collections are simply an organized set of pitches that identifies note choices over a given chord or chord progression.

This is very different from thinking about them as scales, which insinuates playing a linear pattern.

When we think about scales this way, it is no longer “play a melodic minor scale over the minor i chord,” it’s. “Oh, look! I can target the major 7th in my line to add some color!”

That’s the difference.

If I can help you make that shift in your perspective, my job is well done.

The Only Scales You NEED to Know

This may make some people upset. But I’m not here to please everyone’s pre-conceived notions of jazz improvisation.

I’m here to make jazz easier.

The good news: I’ve already covered a handful of the scales when I talked about the chords. But there are a few new ones.

Here they are:

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

Chords you can play it over: any major 7 chords or any chord in the major diatonic series (I’ll talk about this in a second)

Major scale

Dorian Scale (2nd mode of Major Scale)

Dorian is the 2nd mode of the major scale and starts on the second scale degree.

Modes don’t have to be confusing. Just think: If I have a starting note, what major scale is that the second scale degree of?

You can also think of this mode as 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

Chords you can play it over: Dmin7 (ii) or Dmin7 (i)

D Dorian

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

Chords you can play it over: G7 (V) or any dominant 7 chords.

G

Locrian (7th mode of Major Scale)

Locrian is the 7th and last mode of the major scale and starts on the seventh scale degree. The Locrian mode is a bit of a more obscure one. The best way to think of it is a major scale starting and ending on the leading tone (the preceding and last tone of the scale).

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 you can play it over: Half diminished- aka. Minor 7(b5)

B Locrian

Note: You can also play what is called a Locrian #2 scale over a half-diminished chord. It’s spelled as it sounds. Just sharp the 2! Check out our blog post explaining musical modes.

Whole Half Diminished Scale

Diminished 7 chords show up in a variety of different circumstances in jazz.

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

Chords you can play it over: Any diminished 7 chord

Whole Half dim

That’s it! Those cover all 5 qualities of 7th chords and are the most common options.

Please don’t get me wrong.

There are a lot more scales that you can apply over different kinds of chords, and if you’re looking for a slightly larger list that covers common chord alterations and such, check out this list of 16.

But since I fundamentally don’t believe we should rely too heavily on scales for jazz improvisation, I’m leaving it here.

In fact, I’ve even had the audacity to suggest you only need to know 2 scales for jazz improv (gasp)! 

I won’t go into that further in this guide, but here is a video I did on the subject.

One important note:

I intentionally started with chords vs. scales because scales don’t necessarily spell out chord changes.

If you were paying attention, 4/5 of the chord qualities were essentially using the major scale, just starting on different scale degrees.

Chord tones are what matter.

The scales just represent notes you can play in between.

Step #3: Guide Tones and Voice Leading

Guidetones and How to Use Them

When it comes down to it when improvising over jazz standards we want to hear the chord changes come out in our solos.

At least, that’s what I remember feeling when I first started out playing jazz. I would hear my favorite musicians play, and a big distinction between me and them was that I would be able to hear the chord changes even if there was no accompaniment.

So we’ve already identified the chord tones of the 5 basic 7th chords, and we’ve already figured out the notes in between (scales).

But we need to dig deeper and discover the notes that really make a difference.

That’s where guide tones and voice leading comes in.

What are guide tones?

Guide tones are notes within a chord structure that both help define a chord and can be used to transition to another chord melodically.

In jazz, the guide tones are the 3rds and 7ths.

These two notes are your best friends when it comes to jazz improvisation. Why?

Take a look again at the 7th chord formulas:

Major 7: Root-3rd-5th-7th

Dominant 7: Root-3rd-5th-b7

Minor 7: Root-b3-5th-b7

Half diminished: Root-b3-b5-b7

Diminished 7: Root-b3-b5-bb7

Now look through them and identify which notes are changing chord to chord.

It’s the 3rds and 7ths.

The only exception would be the b5 in the half-diminished and diminished 7, which would make the b5 a possible guide tone as well. But still, the 5th really isn’t the strongest of chord tones.

The 3rds and 7ths define whether a chord is major, minor, or dominant. In jazz harmony, this is incredibly important.

So do you think using the 3rds and 7ths in your musical lines is going to be important? You bet it is.

Let’s take a look at the 3rds and 7ths guide tones over a Cmaj7 to get started.

Guide tone Cmaj7

Now let’s take things up to the next level and introduce a ii-V-I chord progression (I’ll talk about those in a second—bear with me). We’ll stay in the key of C and use the chords Dmin7-G7-Cmaj7.

Guide tones ii V I

Dmin7 guide tones: F and C

G7 guide tones: F and B

Cmaj7 guide tones: E and B

Now I want you to pay close attention to something very important.

Did you notice how I started the Dmin7 with the 3rd in the bass, but then when we moved to the G7, the 7th was in the bass?

The reason I did this is to demonstrate good voice leading.

What is voice leading?

Voice leading is the smooth melodic movement of notes (or voices) from one chord to the next.

The reason I put the 7th of the G7 in the bass is because the F was already there. Also, see how the 7th of Dmin7 (C) moves in an easy stepwise motion into the 3rd of G7 (B)?

The key term there was stepwise motion.

Take a look at how these voices move.

Guide tones ii V I 2

Now let’s make these guide tones with voice leading melodic rather than chordal.

Guide tones melodic ii V I

If you can start thinking about the guide tones and how you can target them in your lines, you WILL start to hear the chord changes come out in your solos.

There are many techniques and approaches for doing this, such as enclosure.

But having this basic knowledge will give you the tools you need to start to understand the music you are hearing and learning by ear.

Step #4: Jazz Chord Progressions

Jazz Chord Progressions

When it comes down to it, what do jazz musicians improvise over?

Chord progressions.

We already know the basic chords that are used in jazz standards, now it’s time to put the puzzle pieces together.

How to build chord progressions

I don’t want to leave anyone in the dark, so I will briefly explain a fundamental of music theory which is how to derive chord progressions.

In order to know how to build chord progressions, we need to start by harmonizing scales with 7th chords.

If we are in a major key, we will need to harmonize the major scale.

C major scale harmonized

I’m skipping a few steps here, but essentially you start with a C major scale (key of C) and then stack 3rds on top of each scale degree.

When you do this, it automatically spells out different qualities of 7th chords.

Now, when we put this all together and add Roman numerals under each scale degree, we get what I call the “Major Diatonic Series of 7th Chords.”

Major Diatonic Series of 7th Chords

The Roman numerals are important, so keep this in mind when I discuss the basic jazz chord progressions in just one second.

Unfortunately, minor harmony isn’t quite so simple.

Why? Because there are 3 minor scales we can harmonize:

  1. Natural Minor
  2. Harmonic Minor
  3. Melodic Minor

Here they are harmonized:

Natural Minor Harmonized

Harmonized Natural Minor

Harmonic Minor Harmonized

Harmonized Harmonic Minor

Melodic Minor Harmonized

Harmonized Melodic Minor

If you’re paying attention you can already see the problem.

There isn’t one set of possible changes!

For example, the natural minor has the V chord (Gmin7) as a minor 7 chord. In no world, universe, or alternate universe is a V chord ever anything but a dominant 7 chord.

At the end of the day, it’s about understanding the possibilities and then recognizing which combinations of harmonizations are most common.

Here is what I believe to be some of the most common:

Minor Diatonic Series of 7th Chords 2

Note: Unlike the Major Diatonic Series, the top line does NOT represent a scale. It simply represents the root notes of each chord.

This being said, there are other chords that are used depending on the circumstance or the composition. This chart is just to help you have a basic understanding of what you commonly will see come up in jazz chord progressions.

For a more detailed explanation of minor harmony check out this video:

I also did a fantastic podcast interview with one of my old college professors on this subject:

4 Basic Jazz Chord Progressions

Once again, I’m going to boil things down and make this as simple as possible.

I’m going to show you the 4 most basic jazz chord progressions you will find come up time and time again in jazz standards.

1. Major ii-V-I

The major ii-V-I is easily the most important chord progression to get a handle on when it comes to jazz.

This chord progression is also important in other styles of music as well. You’ll want to spend plenty of time working on ii-V-I’s.

Example:

ii V I

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

This chord progression has the same function as the previous major ii-V-I, but of course, is in a minor key.

In many jazz standards, you will find major and minor ii-V-I’s in the song form.

Example:

minor ii V i

The V chord can be altered, meaning you can add a b9, #9, or #5 (sometimes #11). In this case, I notated the V as just a regular G7 chord, but know that jazz musicians will often manipulate this.

3. Major I-vi-ii-V

This chord progression you see all of the time. You can find it most naturally in any rhythm changes tune, such as Oleo.

Example:

I vi ii V

It’s important to note that the vi chord, to be diatonically correct, is a minor chord. However, jazz musicians will often turn it into a dominant 7 chord.

This is common practice, and so I have listed it as an option above. This is important to be aware of.

4. Minor i-vi-ii-V

Now let’s bring this progression into the minor.

Example:

minor i vi ii V

Remember that the vi chord in the minor diatonic series is being borrowed from the melodic minor harmonization of 7th chords. Therefore it is a half-diminished chord.

These are the basic 4 jazz chord progressions.

Please don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of other chord progressions and alterations that come up in jazz standards, but if you know these, you will have a solid foundation.

If you want a slightly larger list with some other possibilities, check out my 9 Jazz Chord Progressions You Need to Master post.

So how do I start improvising over chord progressions?

Given what we’ve learned in this guide, here are some options:

  1. Learn licks by ear over these important chord progressions that you find on recordings.
  2. Map out the chord tones and connect them together with voice leading.
  3. Map out the guide tones and connect them together with voice leading.
  4. Map out the scales and connect them together with voice leading.

This is where we come full circle to what jazz theory is good for and not good for.

First and foremost, you need to learn jazz language, which is best done by learning it by ear.

However, armed with this jazz theory knowledge, you now have the ability to understand the sentence structures and understand how jazz standards are constructed.

Next Steps for Jazz Improv Success

Missing Puzzle Piece

The heart of my message in this Ultimate Guide to Jazz Theory has been this:

Jazz theory can be made simple.

I’ve given you the essentials, and you don’t need to know much more in order to start succeeding as a jazz musician. I strongly believe that.

However, if you want to go beyond the basics and take your jazz playing to the next level, then check out the Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle.

When you join the Inner Circle, you get access to everything you need to accelerate your jazz playing and exponentially expand your jazz theory knowledge, including access to:

  • Monthly jazz standard studies to help you understand jazz theory in practice and improvise over jazz standards
  • In-depth courses and practice programs to help you target and fill the holes in your playing and theory knowledge
  • Plus, you’ll join a diverse community of musicians who love jazz as much as you do

Ready to accelerate your jazz playing and understanding of jazz theory? Come see what we’re all about.

TAKE YOUR JAZZ PLAYING TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

We help musicians of all instruments start improvising confidently over jazz standards in just 30 days without mind-numbing hours of practice or the overwhelm.

TAKE YOUR JAZZ PLAYING TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

We help musicians of all instruments start improvising confidently over jazz standards in as little as 30 days without mind-numbing hours of practice or the overwhelm.

“Jazz music is the power of now. There is no script. It’s conversation. The emotion is given to you by musicians as they make split-second decisions to fulfill what they feel the moment requires.”
WYNTON MARSALIS

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Learn Jazz Standards The Smart Way Ebook Cover

OUR PROVEN PROCESS FOR LEARNING JAZZ STANDARDS LIKE A PRO

A step-by-step guide for how to effectively learn jazz standards so you’ll feel confident playing them, and won’t forget them.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Welcome to LearnJazzStandards.com! We’ve created this page so that you (and any visitor to LearnJazzStandards.com) will understand the terms and conditions that govern your use of this website. If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions, which together with our privacy policy comprise our (LearnJazzStandards.com’s) entire relationship with you.

Exclusion of Liability

The content found on any page of this website is for your general information and use only, and it is subject to change without notice. Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law. Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.

Indemnity

By accessing our website, you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from all claims, actions, damages, costs and expenses including legal fees arising from or in connection with your use of our website.

Copyright Laws & Intellectual Property

This website contains some material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions. All logos, trademarks, and other intellectual property found on LearnJazzStandards.com are the property of their respective owners. They do not indicate ownership, affiliation, sponsorship, or any other relationship with LearnJazzStandards.com. In addition, this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse those websites, and we have no responsibility for the content of those linked websites.

Unauthorized Use

Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of the United States of America. Any unauthorized use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offense. Thanks, and enjoy LearnJazzStandards.com!

Return Policy for Products

Refund Policy

For play-alongs and eBooks:

Because these are digital downloads, and not returnable, we have a strict no refund policy. All purchases are final and cannot be reversed. Please be sure that you fully understand the product you are purchasing and what is and what is not included. Of course, if you ever have any questions about a product feel free to contact us or visit our FAQ page.

For 30 Days to Better Jazz Playing eCourse

Please make sure you completely understand the product you are buying before purchasing. 14 Day 100% Money Back Guarantee
  • This guarantee lasts 14 days, which completely covers almost half of the course, enough for you to observe its’ effectiveness.
  • We can’t guarantee you will be Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, or John Coltrane in 2 weeks. We’d be suspicious of anyone who could promise that. Becoming a better jazz musician is a process and it requires work.
  • If you’re not happy with the quality of this program…send us an email and showing you did the work. We’ll refund 100% of your money (We’ll even eat the credit-card processing fees) and we’ll part as friends. We believe in the power of this course and so we’ll take responsibility for it.

For Inner Circle Membership

Please make sure you completely understand the product you are buying before purchasing. 30 Day 100% Money Back Guarantee
  • This guarantee lasts 30 days, which is enough for you to observe the membership’s effectiveness.
  • We can’t guarantee you will be Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, or John Coltrane in 30 days. We’d be suspicious of anyone who could promise that. Becoming a better jazz musician is a process and it requires work.
  • If you’re not happy with the quality of this program…send us an email and showing you did the work. We’ll refund 100% of your money (We’ll even eat the credit-card processing fees) and we’ll part as friends. We believe in the power of this course and so we’ll take responsibility for it.

Rights of use

All digital products are for the use of the individual customer only. Redistribution or reselling of our digital products is strictly prohibited and a violation of United States and New York State law.

PRIVACY POLICY

At Learn Jazz Standards LLC, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important.

Here are the types of personal information we may collect when you use and visit LearnJazzStandards.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

Log Files

As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.

Cookies and Web Beacons

We may use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to log in to some of our features, such as forums. We collect this information to help send you only pertinent content that we believe you are interested in and will benefit from.

We also use third party advertisements on LearnJazzStandards.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP, the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed.

This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

DoubleClick DART cookies

We also may use DART cookies for ad serving through Google’s DoubleClick service, which places a cookie on your computer when you are browsing the web and visit a site using DoubleClick advertising (including some Google AdSense advertisements).

This cookie is used to serve ads specific to you and your interests (“interest based targeting”). The ads served will be targeted based on your previous browsing history (For example, if you have been viewing sites about visiting Las Vegas, you may see Las Vegas hotel advertisements when viewing a non-related site, such as on a site about hockey).

DART uses “non personally identifiable information.” It does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, telephone number, social security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers. You can opt-out of this ad serving on all sites using this advertising by visiting http://www.doubleclick.com/privacy/dart_adserving.aspx

You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.

Deleting cookies does not mean you are permanently opted out of any advertising program. Unless you have settings that disallow cookies, the next time you visit a site running the advertisements, a new cookie will be added.

Email Addresses

If you share your email address with LearnJazzStandards.com via the contact page, we will only use it to contact you, and will NOT add you to any lists or newsletters without your consent.

In addition, if you sign up for the free newsletter, your email address will only be used to send special offers and updates from LearnJazzStandards.com. Addresses are recorded and kept secure through MailChimp, which we use to distribute information to our subscribers. Neither MailChimp nor LearnJazzStandards.com will give or sell your address to any third party, nor will you be added to any additional lists.

Right to Be Forgotten

If at any point you wish to be completely deleted from our databases, whether it be as a newsletter subscriber or an account holder on learnjazzstandards.com, you have the complete right to do so.

Contact us, and we will ensure your data is cleared from our system.

Data Control Contact

If you ever wish to reach out to us regarding the use of your data, we are reachable at [email protected]. Additionally, you can use our contact page, to reach out any time.

In short, your information is safe with us, and we greatly value your trust.

Thanks for using Learn Jazz Standards!

Terms of Use

Welcome to LearnJazzStandards.com!

We’ve created this page so that you (and any visitor to LearnJazzStandards.com) will understand the terms and conditions that govern your use of this website.

If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions, which together with our privacy policy comprise our (LearnJazzStandards.com’s) entire relationship with you.

Exclusion of Liability

The content found on any page of this website is for your general information and use only, and it is subject to change without notice.

Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose.

You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.

Indemnity

By accessing our website, you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from all claims, actions, damages, costs and expenses including legal fees arising from or in connection with your use of our website.

Copyright Laws & Intellectual Property

This website contains some material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.

All logos, trademarks, and other intellectual property found on LearnJazzStandards.com are the property of their respective owners. They do not indicate ownership, affiliation, sponsorship, or any other relationship with LearnJazzStandards.com.

In addition, this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse those websites, and we have no responsibility for the content of those linked websites.

Unauthorized Use

Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of the United States of America. Any unauthorized use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offense.

Thanks, and enjoy LearnJazzStandards.com!

Return Policy for Products

Refund Policy

For play-alongs and eBooks:

Because these are digital downloads, and not returnable, we have a strict no refund policy. All purchases are final and cannot be reversed. Please be sure that you fully understand the product you are purchasing and what is and what is not included. Of course, if you ever have any questions about a product feel free to contact usor visit our FAQ page.

For 30 Days to Better Jazz Playing eCourse

Please make sure you completely understand the product you are buying before purchasing.

14 Day 100% Money Back Guarantee

  • This guarantee lasts 14 days, which completely covers almost half of the course, enough for you to observe its’ effectiveness.
  • We can’t guarantee you will be Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, or John Coltrane in 2 weeks. We’d be suspicious of anyone who could promise that. Becoming a better jazz musician is a process and it requires work.
  • If you’re not happy with the quality of this program…send us an email and showing you did the work. We’ll refund 100% of your money (We’ll even eat the credit-card processing fees) and we’ll part as friends. We believe in the power of this course and so we’ll take responsibility for it.

Rights of use

All digital products are for the use of the individual customer only. Redistribution or reselling of our digital products is strictly prohibited and a violation of United States and New York State law.

Learn Jazz Standards Messaging Terms & Conditions

Effective Date:

This SMS message program is a service of Learn Jazz Standards. By providing your cell phone number, you agree to receive recurring automated promotional and personalized marketing text messages (e.g., SMS/MMS cart reminders, sale notices, etc) from Learn Jazz Standards. These messages include text messages that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system, to the mobile telephone number you provided when signing up or any other number that you designate. You give Learn Jazz Standards permission to send text messages to the enrolled cell phone number through your wireless phone carrier, unless and until you end permission per these Terms & Conditions. Consent to receive automated marketing text messages is not a condition of any purchase. Message & data rates may apply.

Message frequency may vary. Learn Jazz Standards reserves the right to alter the frequency of messages sent at any time, so as to increase or decrease the total number of sent messages. Learn Jazz Standards also reserves the right to change the short code or phone number from which messages are sent and we will notify you if we do so.

Not all mobile devices or handsets may be supported and our messages may not be deliverable in all areas. Learn Jazz Standards, its service providers and the mobile carriers supported by the program are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

By enrolling in the Learn Jazz Standards messaging program, you also agree to these messaging terms & conditions (“Messaging Terms”), our Learn Jazz Standards Terms of Use and Learn Jazz Standards Privacy Policy.

Cancellation

Text the keyword STOP, STOPALL, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE or QUIT to the telephone number, long code, or short code that sends you our initial confirmation message to cancel. After texting STOP, STOPALL, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE or QUIT to the telephone number, long code, or short code that sends you our initial confirmation message you will receive one additional message confirming that your request has been processed. If you change your preferences, it may take up to 48 hours for it to take effect. You acknowledge that our text message platform may not recognize and respond to unsubscribe requests that do not include the STOP, STOPALL, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE or QUIT keyword commands and agree that Learn Jazz Standards and its service providers will have no liability for failing to honor such requests. If you unsubscribe from one of our text message programs, you may continue to receive text messages from Learn Jazz Standards through any other programs you have joined until you separately unsubscribe from those programs.

Help or Support

Text the keyword HELP to the telephone number, long code, or short code that sends you our initial confirmation message to receive a text with information on how to unsubscribe.

No Warranty

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE MESSAGING PROGRAM IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AGREE THAT IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER OF Learn Jazz Standards OR ANY PARTY ACTING ON BEHALF OF Learn Jazz Standards BE LIABLE FOR: (A) ANY CLAIMS, PROCEEDINGS, LIABILITIES, OBLIGATIONS, DAMAGES, LOSSES OR COSTS IN AN AGGREGATE AMOUNT EXCEEDING THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO Learn Jazz Standards HEREUNDER OR $100.00; OR (B) ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES. YOU AGREE EVEN IF Learn Jazz Standards HAS BEEN TOLD OF POSSIBLE DAMAGE OR LOSS ARISING OR RESULTING FROM OR IN ANY WAY RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE Learn Jazz Standards MESSAGING PROGRAM. Learn Jazz Standards AND ITS REPRESENTATIVES ARE NOT LIABLE FOR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF THIRD PARTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DELAYS OR NON-DELIVERY IN THE TRANSMISSION OF MESSAGES.

Indemnity

To the maximum extent allowed by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Learn Jazz Standards, its directors, officers, employees, servants, agents, representatives, independent contractors and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities, actions, causes of action, costs, expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, judgments or penalties of any kind or nature arising from or in relation to the these Messaging Terms or your receipt of text messages from Learn Jazz Standards or its service providers.

Dispute Resolution

  1. General. Any dispute or claim arising out of or in any way related to these Messaging Terms or your receipt of text messages from Learn Jazz Standards or its service providers whether based in contract, tort, statute, fraud, misrepresentation, or any other legal theory, and regardless of when a dispute or claim arises will be resolved by binding arbitration. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, BY AGREEING TO THESE MESSAGING TERMS, YOU AND Learn Jazz Standards ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION AND THAT THESE MESSAGING TERMS SHALL BE SUBJECT TO AND GOVERNED BY ARBITRATION.
  2. Exceptions. Notwithstanding subsection (a) above, nothing in these Messaging Terms will be deemed to waive, preclude, or otherwise limit the right of you or Learn Jazz Standards to: (i) bring an individual action in small claims court; (ii) pursue an enforcement action through the applicable federal, state, or local agency if that action is available; (iii) seek injunctive relief in aid of arbitration from a court of competent jurisdiction; or (iv) file suit in a court of law to address an intellectual property infringement claim.
  3. Arbitrator. Any arbitration between you and Learn Jazz Standards will be governed by the JAMS, under the Optional Expedited Arbitration Procedures then in effect for JAMS, except as provided herein. JAMS may be contacted at www.jamsadr.com. The arbitrator has exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, or enforceability of this binding arbitration agreement.
  4. No Class Actions. YOU AND Learn Jazz Standards AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Further, unless both you and Learn Jazz Standards agree otherwise in a signed writing, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding. You agree that, by agreeing to these Messaging Terms, you and Learn Jazz Standards are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action, collective action, private attorney general action, or other representative proceeding of any kind.
  5. No Class Actions. YOU AND Learn Jazz Standards AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Further, unless both you and Learn Jazz Standards agree otherwise in a signed writing, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.
  6. Modifications to this Arbitration Provision. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Messaging Terms, if Learn Jazz Standards makes any future change to this arbitration provision, you may reject the change by sending us written notice within 30 days of the change to Learn Jazz Standards’s contact information provided in the “Contact Us” section below, in which case this arbitration provision, as in effect immediately prior to the changes you rejected, will continue to govern any disputes between you and Learn Jazz Standards.
  7. Enforceability. If any provision of these Messaging Terms is found to be unenforceable, the applicable provision shall be deemed stricken and the remainder of these Messaging Terms shall remain in full force and effect.

Changes to the Messaging Terms

We reserve the right to change these Messaging Terms or cancel the messaging program at any time. By using and accepting messages from Learn Jazz Standards after we make changes to the Messaging Terms, you are accepting the Messaging Terms with those changes. Please check these Messaging Terms regularly.

Entire Agreement/Severability

These Messaging Terms, together with any amendments and any additional agreements you may enter into with us in connection herewith, will constitute the entire agreement between you and Learn Jazz Standards concerning the Messaging Program.

Contact

Please contact us with any inquiries or concerns at [email protected]

OUR PROVEN PROCESS FOR LEARNING JAZZ STANDARDS LIKE A PRO

Get our FREE eGuide “Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way” and follow the 5 simple steps for crushing it with jazz standards.

Learn Jazz Standards The Smart Way Cover
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OUR PROVEN PROCESS FOR LEARNING JAZZ THEORY LIKE A PRO

Get our FREE “Jazz Theory Made Easy Fast Track Guide” and follow the 4 simple steps that make learning jazz theory easy.

Jazz Theory Made Easy Fast Track Guide Ebook Cover
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OUR PROVEN PROCESS FOR IMPROVISING JAZZ SOLOS LIKE A PRO

Get our FREE “Jazz Improv Made Easy Fast Track Guide” and follow the 3 simple steps for improvising amazing jazz solos.

Jazz Improv Made Easy Fast Track Guide Ebook Cover

DOWNLOAD THIS CHORD CHART

Get our FREE "Ultimate Guide to Jazz Theory: 4 Steps To Master Jazz Harmony and Jazz Improvisation" chord chart and our entire library of 200+ jazz standards!

Chord Chart

DOWNLOAD THIS CHORD CHART

Get our FREE "Ultimate Guide to Jazz Theory: 4 Steps To Master Jazz Harmony and Jazz Improvisation" chord chart and our entire library of 200+ jazz standards!

Chord Chart

DOWNLOAD THIS CHORD CHART

Get our FREE "Ultimate Guide to Jazz Theory: 4 Steps To Master Jazz Harmony and Jazz Improvisation" chord chart and our entire library of 200+ jazz standards!

Chord Chart