Good Jazz Chords

[Bernardo Pires]

So Friends,
Let´s post some Jazz chords (your favorites). I like Am7, and all m7 chords. 5X555X (6string to 1st string), => Am7 (pay attention to the shape of the chords, because it´s moveable). If you play this shape on the 3rd fret ->Gm7.
Let´s continue with more chords...
BPGUITARPK

[Bernardo Pires]

Come on friends. Let´s post some good progressions or chord ideas...

[Robert G. Denman]

I play jazz rhythm guitar after the fashion of the late
Freddie Green. He mainly used 3-note voicings, and
mostly kept them on strings 6-4-3 with the 5th muffled
and 2&1 not played.

Take your Am7 mentioned above and drop out the
note on the 2nd string.

Like this: 5X55XX

Now to illustrate a substitution for 2 measures(8 beats)
on Gmajor with Freddie Green chords:

Eight beats on the same chord can be boring. So, try
this idea that I use a lot.

Here are the chords:

Gmaj7 3X44XX
Am7 5X55XX
Bbdim 6X56XX
Gmajor 7X57XX

Put it together now with 2 beats on each chord-

|Gmaj7 Am7 | Bbdim Gmajor|


Strum across strings 6-5-4-3 with the 5th string muffled
Do not strum strings 2-1.

This is typical Freddie Green. He played 50 years
with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1937 til 1987.

I suggest taking some time to browse the Freddie Green
website. Read all about his career, and try some
of his transcriptions of rhythm guitar work. It will
change how you regard rhythm guitarists, as he
took it to a high level of playing. The man rarely
took a solo, and was content with playing rhythm guitar.
Green was called the "heartbeat " of the Basie band.

www.freddiegreen.org

Keep on pickin',

Robert

[Robert G. Denman]

Hi,

Here are some unusual voicings that I like to use for
special effects and endings.

Emaj13 O 11 11 11 12 11

Em(add 9) O 2 4 O O O

Em(maj9) O 2 5 4 4 1

Am(maj9) O O 10 9 9 7

Amaj9 X O 6 6 O O

Em(maj7) O 2 2 O 4 X (stretch that pinky)

There are many more, but try these and see how you
like them.

Keep on pickin',

Robert

[Bernardo Pires]

Hi Robert,
Thanks for the tip.
Nice post.
I am a WN member too.
All the best,
Bernardo

[Robert G. Denman]

Ola, Bernardo,

When you mentioned wholenote, I knew you must be
Bernardo Pires. I have read through many of
your lessons at WN.

Nice meeting you!

I always enjoyed the Bossa Novas of Antonio Carlos
Jobim and Louis Bonfa. Also, La Garotta de Ipanema
sung by Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto. She has a
website if you just search on her name. I think Joao
is deceased. I know Jobim is gone also. Those guys
used classical guitars and played some driving
samba rhythms with their chords.
You have probably been to Ipanema many times.

Ate breve--

Keep on pickin',

Robert

[Bernardo Pires]

Thanks for reading my lessons at WN, Robert.
Yes Ipanema is beautiful (beach). THey play Bossa Nova using an acoustic guitar (nylon strings). Antonio Carlos Jobim was a great composer (I like Bossa Nova too). I will try to find some good link them I will send to you (about Bossa Nova). Have u heard a Brazilian style music named CHORO?
Cya friend
All the best

[Bernardo Pires]

Nice meeting you too Robert.
Regards Bernardo

[Robert G. Denman]

Boas, Bernardo,

I am not familiar with the style called Choro. You will
have to fill me in about it.

Let me ask you this. Do you remember Charlie Byrd?
He died in 1999, but was a great jazz player using a
classical guitar. Charlie Byrd along with his brother
Joe on bass, took Stan Getz(sax) to Brazil around 1961
or so. They went on a state department tour playing
jazz. Well, they discovered Bossa Nova in Brazil and
brought it back to The U.S. They released a record
around 1962 called "JAZZ SAMBA". It was really good!

In 1965 Stan Getz teamed up with Jobim and Joao
Gilberto and did a great album. Astrud Gilberto
joined in with La Garota De Ipanema singing a chorus
in English. It was this take that was edited into her
hit record here translated as "The Girl From Ipanema".

By this time, Bossa Nova was in. Then along came
the rockers' answer to Bossa Nova using the name
only and totally corrupted with their rock style. It was
comical and was hardly true Bossa Nova.

Charlie Byrd released an album around 1970, wherein
he introduced a 5/4 Bossa Nova style. These were
pieces like "Esperando O Sol", and really could swing
in a variation of the samba in the 5/4 time.

Great music! Um optimo dia para ti.

Keep on pickin'

Robert

[Bernardo Pires]

Yes friend.
Charlie Byrd was a great player indeed. Nice remembrance.
Um bom dia para você, amigo (portuguse)/ in english => Have a great day, friend.
All the best
Bernardo

[BobMc]

Be nice guys; I'm kinda sorta self taught;
Here's an E7 I like (better be in tune!): 0-11-12-13-0-0
a A7 add4 (pardon the name) X-7-5-6-3-3
Still learning mind you, but I get a lot use out of these at jams with my 'barre chord buddies"

[jsuasbtaijn]

I'd like to say that this is my first post in the Jazz guitar message boards and before i show you what i like to use i'd like to take 20 words to introduce myself. I am a 19 year old student currently enrolled in my first year at the William Paterson University jazz program. That being said here is something i like to use in substitutions for a variety of chords.

i guess in d it would a d min/maj with a flat 5 played like this
X5666X

However, it could be used in a number of different functions. I like to use it as an E dominant sound with the 13 and the b9. This E13b9 quality becomes more apparent when you play an open E in the bass like so
05666X

The D in the bass of the first voicing of the chord acts as a nice voice leading tone to resolve to the third of the C# in the next A chord i usually voice like X4445X or X4745X

When using it as an E dominant sound, you can also use your pinky to voice either the 5 or the aug 5 on the e string like so
(perfect 5th) X56667 (or augmented) X56668

when doing a 2 5 back to A you can create some pretty cool stuff with a pedal E in the bass and voice leading like so

Bm/E 07777X E13b9 05666X A(9) 04745X

Also, instead of using it for an E dominant you can use it for its Tritone sub as well and use it as a Bb7#9 with the 3rd of the chord in the bass. Sounds really dirty without the root in the chord and adds a LOT of tension when doing a sort of funk thing when you have measures of just sitting on a dominant.

Yet another usage of the chord is the way Chick Corea uses it in Spain, to get to a D chord. In this way i think of the chord as a C#/D that just resolves up a half step with a D pedal. I personally don't like this too much because the voicing of D it would most easily resolve to would be X5777X and personally i don't think that it's a strong enough chord to resolve all the tension set up by the first chord and so i use the Dmaj7 but also find this not strong enough as a major chord to cancel out everthing that the first chord establishes. Oh well, i guess i'll just have to work on it more.

Anyway, that's all i can stand to write about chords for now. I'm glad i could contribute some of my stuff to the board and i hope to join more discussions in the future.

-Justin

[kahbar]

I just want to continue on the theme of m7 chords particularly the formation mentioned already

5X555X (Am7)

You can move the tones down a half step for some interesting tones.

Ex:
1) 5X555X (Am7)
to 4X455X
to 4X444X (Abm7)
or
2) 5X555X (Am7)
to 4X455X
to 4X445X
to 4X444X (Abm7)

I hope this makes sense! I guess it's a variation on the original chord tone, moving towards another tone. I'm not sure what the names of the other chords are, I just was playing around with this and thought it sounded good. ;D

[pd]

Here's a nice turnaround I found in the book "latin guitar:" Its a bossa pieces in A minor--the main progression is Am7-D9-Bm7-E9, then this turnaround:

Gmaj7: 3X443X
F#+7: 2X233X
F13: 1X123X
E7#9: 07678X

[arp]

You cant really just "pick out" some nice sounding jazz chords. At least that's the way I see it.
Learn your harmonised scales, grasp the fundamentals of harmony. Lydian voicings often can enhance your comping IF you use it correctly.
As does Altered Dominant. Diminished and Augmented will help you chromaticise your comps, but can also be included of course as minor (diminished) and altered dominant ( augmented )
but its all related and needs to be studied.