Search the Community

Here I show you some nice and tasty minor smooth jazz guitar licks over the progression Fm7 / Fm7 / Db7 / C7 It's not only the licks - it's also about understanding how they are buildt and how you can start building your own licks and lines over standard progressions. Here you can download the files associated to this tutorial :

This is a smooth pop or lounge song played with a acoustic nylon guitar.

Here you can learn the chords, the melody and some improvisation tricks of the song on Broadway by George Benson. George Benson used to be a great jazz guitarists and performer and one of his signature songs was On Broadway. It is basically a blues which works with a simple riff and that one I am showing you in the tutorial. The Melody comes around with the singing of George Benson but I show an instrumental version of it here. Therefore I took the simple part of it and did not go too much with the little variations he did in his singing. The improvisation work like a blues and I am showing you a few simple tricks how can work in a jazzy way over these chords. In the original song it transposed each chorus one half step up till the guitar solo comes. On Broadway ( George Benson ).pdf On Broadway ( George Benson ).gp george benson _ on broadway.mp3

Here you can learn 2 very basic smooth jazz licks which work out great in any variation you make of them. The track is basicly a vamp with the chords G-7 / C9 - so those 2 chords repeat themselfs all the time. smooth jazz basics.pdf smooth jazz gm.mp3

Guitar Secrets - Minor Smooth Jazz In this guitar secrets tutorial I talk about minor smooth jazz. I am giving you a whole bundle of ideas how you can work out on a typical minor smooth jazz chord progression. In this case I made it pretty simple for you. This is the chord progression I have used : Fm7 / Fm7 / Db7 / C7alt First I show you the chords I have used and then I give some really deep insight how to play a great lead guitar over this progression. So the first step is to analyze what kind of modes can be played over each of the chords. For beginners in the smooth jazz topic it's the F minor blues scale which can be used over the entire track. To follow the chords you can use a simple trick by just playing the bluenote ( B ) on the Db7 chords and the E on the C7alt chord. These are guide tones so you match pretty well to those chords. For more sophisticated soling I do an analysis for you and give you a 2nd possibility for each chord. This is called modal interchange. That means you can select the mode which you like more or you can mix up the different modes the way you want to make your soloing sound more interesting. I give you some short tips on the secondary modes on how to make your mode sound more interesting by using upper structure triads. That's a great way of working out the sound of any selected mode. At the end I give some instructions how to work out the modes with a distorted lead sound. Here are the modes to each chord : Fm7 Fm Blues Scale F Aeolian F Dorian Db7 Fm Blues Scale Db Lydian b7 C7alt Fm Blues Scale Fm harmonic minor C Phrygian Nat. 3 C altered Scale At the end I play a full sequence for you to give you some inspiration. Minor Smooth Jazz - Fm.pdf Minor Smooth Jazz - Fm.gp minor smooth jazz fm.mp3

Creative Smooth Jazz ( Lee Ritenour Style ) - Guitar Lesson Here you can learn a few creative tricks how to play a creative smooth jazz guitar in the style of Lee Ritenour or others. The trick is to have a few rhythm figures together in a really secure way that you can start to play around with them in a creative way and you can start to move motives and ideas around those rhythm ideas. Creative Smooth Jazz.pdf Creative Smooth Jazz.gp creative smooth jazz.mp3

3 Pro Mixolydian Smooth Jazz Guitar Licks Here I show you 3 professional mixolydian licks which you can use on any smooth jazz guitar song or and modal improvisation in mixolydian. The licks are played with D mixolydian mode and I also show you the 3 patterns I am using and also give you some ideas how to include those licks into a great professional improvisation in combination with the D blues scale. Here you can download the files associated to this tutorial here : If you have any detailed question or need more advice on this topic please book some private online guitar lessons here : https://www.hanspeterkruesi.com/members/store/category/1-private-online-guitar-lessons/

Here you can learn everything about the famous jazz standard " Autumn Leaves " as a smooth jazz version. The tutorial is devided into the following chapters : Introduction 0:07 Chords 3:42 Scales 10:29 Melody 20:03 Easy Improvisation 27:52 Advanced Improvisation 35:57 The chords which I used are displayed here : C-7 / F7 / Bbmaj7 / Ebmaj7 A-7b5 / D7#9 / G-7 / G-7 C-7 / F7 / Bbmaj7 / Ebmaj7 A-7b5 / D7#9 / G-7 / G-7 A-7b5 / D7#9 / G-7 / G-7 C-7 / F7 / Bbmaj7 / Ebmaj7 A-7b5 / D7#9 / G-7 C7/ F-7 Bb7 Eb7 / D7#9 / G-7 / G-7 The modes used are : G-7 - aeolian C-7 - dorian F7 - mixolydian Bbmaj7 - ionian Ebmaj7 - lydian A-7b5 - locrian D7#9 – phrygian nat. 3 G-7 - dorian C7 - mixolydian F-7 - dorian autumne leaves smooth jazz.mp3

Here you can learn some cool licks and tricks which you can use on the smooth jazz version of the famous jazz standard sunny. The key is the phrasing and the smoothness. Licks - Sunny.pdf sunny smooth jazz.mp3

Here you can learn all smooth jazz guitar parts of the song " Summertime " by George Gershwin. I first talk about the theme and show you the very simplified version of the theme in the key of Am. Then I show you how you can spice up the theme with your own interpretation or by adding fillins or addons. After that part I show you the chords which I have used which you can use in a band setting or in a solo guitar setting. The chords and the form are displayed here : Am7 / E7#9 / Am7 / A7b13 / Dm9 / F13 / E7#9 / E7#9 Am7 / E7#9 / Am7 / D9 / C Am / D E / Am7 / E7#9 After that I give you some insight how you can improvise by using the A minor pentatonic, A blues scale, the A minor scale, octaves in the Wes Montgomery or George Benson style and how you can do scatting ( singing the playing your improvisation at the same time ) I also explain how you follow the chords by using target notes of the chords A7b13 , E7#9 and D9. At the end I give you some final notes how you can train your ears that you can hear the notes you are playing in an improvisation better by singing what you are playing. Here you find the chapters of this tutorial 0:00 Introduction 3:25 Theme 11:57 Chords 17:15 Improvisation 27:01 Final Notes I have composed a smooth jazz backing track in the key of Am ( original ) on 80 BPM for this tutorial but you can practice this with any other backing track as well. Summertime.pdf Summertime.gp summertime.mp3

3 Sexy Smooth Jazz Guitar Licks Here you can learn 3 sexy smooth jazz guitar licks in the key of Am. I created some really cool guitar licks for you which will open a new world for you I guess since I tried to break up the normal way of playing a simple track in the key of Am and I am also including some special techniques which should be easy for you to follow. Enjoy ! 3 Sexy Smooth Jazz Licks.pdf 3 Sexy Smooth Jazz Licks.gp 3 sexy smooth jazz licks.mp3

In this tutorial you can learn how to play a smooth jazz guitar. when it comes to smooth jazz the guitar lines have to be smooth relaxed and have a great phrasing. It's the phrasing which makes the smoothness and the difference between cool and very smooth jazz guitar lines in this genre. I broke down three main phrasing tricks which you can use to enter this really great genre of smooth jazz even if you're not so experienced in jazz guitar playing. In the first part of the tutorial I get some technical advice how you can build up your speed with the pentatonic or the minor scales and then I show you three rhythm figures and phrasing tricks which you can use in any situation by using any scale you like. When you analize protagonist of smooth jazz like Lee Ritenour, George Benson or other players it more or less leads to these three rhythm figures in any combinations.The combination of those three figures I am showing you if any notes you are using makes you a pro in smooth jazz guitar even if you're not experienced in jazz and you get a lot of fun in this kind of playing. But take your time to build up the speed which is needed to play 16 notes in the genres. Easy Smooth Jazz Guitar Phrasing Tricks.pdf Easy Smooth Jazz Guitar Phrasing Tricks.gp easy smooth jazz guitar phrasing tricks.mp3

You can learn a smooth latin minor blues on guitar. The musical form is basically a minor blues in the key of C minor by having a 12 bar blues : You can see the chords in the form below. Cm7 / Cm7 / Cm7 / Cm7 Fm7 / Fm7 / Cm7 / Cm7 Gm7 / Fm7 / Cm7 / Cm7 First time showing you how to play those chords with a finger picking technique. It is a Latin Rhythm or Groove and is based on switching between the thumb and the index middle and ring finger. The thumb make the bass and the movement and the other fingers make the chord. Therefore please follow my instructions in this tutorial. Timing and rhythm is essential and there I gave your close instructions how you count and how you switch between the base and the chords. The C Minor 7 chord is a little bit difficult to grab but with some exercise you might be able to do it in the way I am showing. The melody or lead guitar works around these so-called options. I used the ninth as a target note in the improvisation. For the C minor 7th chord the 9th is the D and for the F minor 7 its the G. In the improvisation I'll show you an easy method how to play around those arget notes. If you want to go into phrasing it is essential that you can play the C minor scale in 16th notes on at least 90 BPM. This way you are able to make a movement in the scale you are playing and to achieve a great phrasing which works wonderful for this latin minor blues song. Smooth Latin Minor Blues.pdf Smooth Latin Minor Blues.gp smooth latin minor blues.mp3

When comes to smooth jazz George Benson is one of the go-to guys. I've always been a huge fan of George Benson and his guitar playing even his more sweet songs like on his CD Breezin. In this tutorial I'll show you some tricks and tips how to play a song pretty much in the style of breathing by George Benson with the chords Dmaj7 / Bm7 / Em7 / A7. This is a so-called 1625 progression which is normally displayed with Roman letters. In this tutorial I first show you the chords, then explain the progression, then show the used scales and then show you a simple theme which really works nights on this progression. The theme is very simple to play and give you an idea how you can develop a theme with simple melodic lines. Then I'll show you how to make variations on a theme by using the associated scale in this case this is the D major pentatonic. Since the major pentatonic sounds a little bit sweet I show you a trick how to use an approach note on the third note of the major pentatonic scale to create a more bluesy sound. For the concept to play smooth jazz theme song is to first play the theme then start to do variations on the theme then go into improvisation with a major pentatonic and then give you the more highlighted line with the Blues Licks and at the end you come back to the theme. Discounted is very similar to normal Jazz improvisation and it smooth jazz you just going to work more in a bluesy kind of way. At the end of the tutorial I going to play for 3 minutes example how to develop your ideas on improvisation on variations on a theme and to make it interesting to the listener. Orange Smooth Jazz ( I VI II V ) .pdf Orange Smooth Jazz ( I VI II V ) .gp grabbel_jam.mp3

Here you can learn some cool smooth jazz licks in the style of Wes Montgomery, George Benson or Lee Ritenour. All those played that style exclusivly. I also give you instructions how to make variations with different moods and to tell a story. 3 Wes Montgomery Smooth Jazz Licks.pdf smooth jazz Bbm.mp3

Here you can learn some cool mixolydian licks which you can use on any smooth jazz, jazz rock or funk tunes. You also learn the combination of the mixolydian mode and the minor pentatonics. Smooth Jazz Licks D7.pdf smooth jazz D7.mp3

Here you can learn some essential phrasing tricks which work great for smooth jazz and on the dorain mode. Such phrasing can be heard by artist like Lee Ritenour, George Benson or others. Smooth Jazz Phrasing ( Dorian ) .pdf smooth jazz dm.mp3

Here you can learn, the chord, the melody and some easy improvisation tricks which come along with the popular jazzstandard " Blue Bossa ". I have seleceted a smooth jazz style but all goes with the original Bossa Nova style. Here are the chords : C-7 / C-7 / F-7 / F-7 D-7b5 / G7b13 / C-7 / C-7 Eb-7 / Ab13 / Dbmaj9 / Dbmaj9 D-7b5 / G7b13 / C-7 / Dm--7b5 G7b13 blue bossa.mp3 Blue Bossa.pdf

Smooth Blues Guitar Licks If you want to play some very smooth blues guitar in the ballpark of smooth jazz these guitar licks I am showing to you are for you. This is a smooth jazz type blues track in the key of Bb and I show you some guitar licks with a lot of legato playing and let ring effects. It does not look so spectacular but it sounds really great and smooth. You can download the tabs and the backing track for this tutorial here : If you have any questions please ask it in this post below or book a private online guitar lesson.

Smooth Jazz Guitar Masterclass Vol. 1 Here you can learn real pro tricks on how to master a smooth jazz guitar track by using parallel arpeggio's, modes, parallel modes and by inserting alterations. The track I am talking about has the following chord progression : A-7 / A-7 / A-7 / A-7 / A-7 / A-7 / A-7 / A-7 ( Aalt ) / D-7 / D-7 / A-7 / A-7 / Ealt / D-7 / A-7 / A-7 / This is a guitar masterclass so you need to have your things a bit together or you can get some ideas and inspiration here. It's not so much about speed, it's about understanding a progression and using different tools of expression.

Smooth Minor Jazz Guitar - Advanced Lesson When it comes to smooth jazz in minor keys we are often pretty close to the concept of a minor blues. In this tutorial I talk about advanced improvisation concepts for a simple smooth jazz guitar progression in the key of A minor. Beside the easy way of just playing the A minor pentatonic or the A blues scale over this progression I show you concepts of advanced improvisation by using the different modes for each chord and by working with concepts of modal interchange and upper structure triad. Here is now the progression with which I work in this tutorial : Am7 / Am7 / Am7 / Am7 / Am7 / Am7 / Am7 / Am7 A alt Dm7 / Dm7 / Am7 / Am7 / E7alt / Dm7 /Am7 / Am7 / The modes which can be used are displayed here : Am7 : A minor pentatonic A blues scale A aeolian A Dorian A7alt: A minor pentatonic A blues scale A altered Dm7 : A minor pentatonic A blues scale D dorian E7alt: A minor pentatonic A blues scale E altered Minor Smooth Jazz Guitar - Advanced.pdf Minor Smooth Jazz Guitar - Advanced.gp minor smooth jazz guitar - advanced.mp3

Here you can learn a happy smooth jazz song of mine. It is basically in the style of George Benson in the style of his CD Breezin or another protagonist would be Lee Ritenour a great smooth jazz guitar player. The song itself is a vamp over the chords C major 7 A minor 7 D Minor 7 G 7 and I am showing you a very simple to play theme which even beginners among you have a chance to play. I'm showing you the theme and variation of the theme and then how to improvise with the c major pentatonic by spicing it up with the blue note. This will be in this case the E-flat as an approach note to the E. By adding this bluesy style of improvisation you can spice up the sweetness of the major pentatonic which is sometimes a little bit hard to take when you only play major pentatonic in improvisation. At the end of the tutorial I show you how you create the theme going to the main progression, go back to the theme and then start to mix up the theme of improvisation and finally come back to the theme. This is a very common way of playing instrumental smooth jazz songs. the song is in the color of green and she'll give you some uplifting feelings in this probably a little bit hard times in the corona crisis. If you are more interested in my color music concept please search for Farbmusik. joy ride.pdf joy ride.gp joy ride backing track.mp3 and here you can listen to my version of this song