Simple Jazz For Beginners
The melody that Sounds Jazzy
Today I want to help you learn a simple Jazz chord progression for beginners. The goal is to play chords such as min, maj7, dominant 7, and min7b5 combined with a simple melody.
Before you freak out, let me tell you that I did my best to really develop a simple jazz chord progression.
We will be playing 8 chords as well as a simple melody.
The chords are basic but challenging, starting on position VIII of the neck and mainly three notes per chord.
Time to play!
Grab your guitar, and let’s get started.
The Video
The Chords
Simple Jazz Chords Diagram
In this section, I really want to go into details and show you each chord individually to really understand the nature of each chord and how to (eventually) build your own chord progression.
For this guitar lesson, we will be focusing on this chord progression Em – Am – D7 – Gmaj7 – Cmaj7 – F#min7b5 – B7 – Em.
Let me show you each chord individually.
The E minor and A minor Chord
The first two chords are simple triads played extraordinarily. Playing a Jazz song doesn’t mean that every chord needs to be played with extensions.
I really like the sound of the minor triad with the voicing on the Minor 3rd.
The D dominant 7 Chord
The D dominant 7, also known as D7, is a major triad with the minor 7.
This chord sounds bluesy, and it is used a lot in blues and jazz.
In this guitar lesson, we will play the chord with the Root note, min7, and major 3rd.
The Gmaj7 and Cmaj7 Chord
The maj7 chord is a beautiful sounding triad with the maj7.
I really love the sound of the maj7 chord in jazz music and pop and Latin music.
The two chords are played with the same intervals: Both chords will be played with the root note, maj7, and major 3rd.
The F#min7b5 chord
A fancy name for a straightforward jazz chord. The F#min7b5 is a min7 chord with the flat 5th. The chords will have the following notes: F# (the root note), A (minor 3rd), C (flat 5), and E (minor 7).
The B7 and E minor Chord
The last two chords are B dominant 7 and E minor.
The B dominant 7 will be played with the Root note, min7, major 3rd, and the E minor with Root, perfect 5th, and min 3.