- 1
Django leads the band
Watch and listen to as much jazz as possible, concentrating on the standards played by the great guitarists such as Django Reinhardt, Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. Watching videos allows you to pick up both fingering and tonal techniques. - 2). Practice vocal improvisation. Scat singing may have been born of error, but it has since become a common method by which players draw ideas and inspiration for their own soloing. Many runs are standards in themselves, and verbalizing them will allow you to both recognize them and transfer them to the fret board more easily.
- 3
Crack open the chord book and bone up on seventh chords, paying attention to set formations that can be played up and down the guitar neck. Multiple formations also allow subtle changes in tone and pitch. Ninth, diminished and augmented chords will tax you further. - 4
From the Real Book
Focus on building a repertoire of the traditional standards. Most can be found in the infamous "Real Book," available at serious instrument shops. Commit the chords to memory before improvising. Once a solid bedrock has formed, ornamentation can begin on top. - 5). Take lessons. Jazz is far too complex a music to be learned entirely on your own, especially theory. Professional teachers can cost you upwards of 40 dollars an hour, but musicians at your local music college may offer more affordable lessons.
- 6). Record your progress. The audible improvement will motivate you further. Likewise, just as a second set of eyes always sees more clearly, so too do ears. Play your recorded performance to a fellow student or your teacher. Their input can make a world of difference.
- 7
Playing in the band
Practice daily. No student of jazz guitar should expect to make any real progress if he isn't practicing at least an hour every day. Any less won't allow the fingers to limber up for the complex jazz chords or produce the callous to last more than 20 minutes on stage.
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