How to use this course
What is in the course, how the lessons are built, how to practise, and how to get the most from the tools.
Who this is for
The course takes you from "I can play a few open chords" to the skills a working jazz guitarist needs. It assumes you own a guitar, can tune it, and can fret clean notes. It does not assume you read music or know any theory. If you are already an intermediate player, take the quizzes at the end of Modules 2–4; if you score above 85 %, skip ahead.
What is in it
| Part | Modules | What you build |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | 1–3 | reading, fretboard knowledge, intervals, scales, triads, seventh chords, keys and diatonic harmony |
| Playing jazz | 4–7 | shell voicings, swing rhythm and comping, the jazz blues, chord-tone improvisation |
| Craft | 8–12 | drop-2/drop-3 voicings, chord-scale theory, bebop language, reharmonisation, standards and song form |
| Artistry & profession | 13–15 | chord melody and solo guitar, modern harmony and rhythm, professional skills |
Every lesson ends with a practice assignment and most end with a quiz. Each module page lists its lessons; the sidebar tracks what you have completed.
How the material is verified
All chord diagrams, fretboard maps, theory tables and quiz answers are generated by a music-theory engine that lives with the course source and is covered by an automated test suite. Every piece of notation is parsed by the same library that draws it (alphaTab), its bars are checked against the time signature, and where a lesson says "these are the chord tones of G7" the notes in the example are checked against the engine. If you find a mistake it is almost certainly in the prose, and worth reporting.
Reading the notation
Examples show standard notation with guitar tablature underneath. Press Play to hear them. The player uses a general-MIDI guitar sound with straight eighth notes: you must supply the swing feel (Module 5 explains how). Use tempo to slow an example down, loop to repeat it, click for a metronome, and count-in for two bars of clicks before it starts. The alphaTex source is shown under each example so you can copy and edit it.
Chord diagrams use the convention of this course: the vertical grid has the low E string on the left, dots are labelled with the chord degree (R, 3, b7 …) rather than a finger number, and the note names are printed under the grid. Fretboard maps are horizontal with the high E string on top and the nut (or the lowest fret of the window) on the left.
How to practise
- Short, daily, focused. Thirty minutes a day beats four hours on Saturday. Use the practice plans.
- Slow with a metronome, click on 2 and 4. The metronome is built for this.
- Say the names. Name notes, degrees and chords aloud as you play them: it builds the link between ear, eye and hand.
- Sing. Sing every line before you play it; sing the root under every chord.
- Listen more than you play. Each module has a listening list. Jazz is an aural tradition: the records are the textbook.
- Transcribe. From Module 7 onwards, learning phrases by ear from recordings is part of every week.
- Play with people. Jam sessions, play-along tracks and duo partners are where the material becomes music.
Tools
- Chord dictionary & voice-leading assistant
- Scale & arpeggio finder
- Fretboard trainer
- Ear trainer
- Metronome
- Reference tables, glossary, repertoire & listening, your progress
A note on copyright
Jazz standards are copyrighted compositions, so the course does not print their melodies or lead sheets. It teaches the progressions (chord sequences are not copyrightable), uses original études written over those progressions, and tells you which standards to learn and where to find legal lead sheets (the published Real Books, iReal Pro, and the composers' sheet music). Learning tunes by ear from recordings is both legal and the best way.