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Welcome to Jazztheorylessons.com, the best place to find lessons on jazz theory and improvisation. If you are looking to learn jazz theory then our free jazz lessons will help you. We will be adding new and interesting jazz theory lessons each week. Our site is here to make learning jazz theory fun and interesting. We have lessons on scales, jazz chords, modes, arpeggios and jazz repertoire.

Jazz Turnarounds

In this lesson we are going to take a quick look at turnarounds in jazz and how you can play over them. A turnaround is simply a chord sequence which happens at the end of chord progression which takes you back to the beginning. There is a lot of room to experiment with jazz turnarounds because usually there is not much happening in terms of the melody when you get to the last few bars of a song. This means that jazz turnarounds are an ideal place for chord substitutions. Generally turnarounds in jazz are two or four bars long.

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The Jazz Theory Book – Mark Levine

This is a review of the most complete guide to jazz theory you will find. The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine is the most important jazz theory book ever published and it still stands up today as the definitive guide to jazz theory. Mark Levine leaves no stone unturned and covers the II-V-I progression, scale theory, rhythm changes, the blues and almost every other topic you can think of. This is essential reading for all jazz instrumentalists. I have had this book in my collection for several years but I still refer to it from time to time. As well as an accessible writing style, Mark also includes hundreds of relevant musical examples that demonstrate the most important concepts in the book.

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Chromatic Picking Exercises

I thought for today’s lesson I would take a look at some chromatic picking exercises for guitar which have really helped me with my technique. Although they are not particularly the most exciting exercise from a musical point of view, chromatic picking exercises are a great way to improve your alternate picking on guitar. Because jazz is such a technically demanding style of music these kind of exercises can really help improve your jazz playing.

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Learn Jazz Improvisation

This is a lesson that will help you learn jazz improvisation. Jazz theory and improvisation can be a tricky subject to master and difficult to teach but it is easy to start improvising on your instrument. Here are four great tips to help you get started with jazz improvisation.

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Major 7#5 Arpeggio

Welcome to another lesson on using arpeggios in jazz. In this lesson I will be teaching you how to play the major 7#5 arpeggio in all 12 keys. The major 7#5 sound is pretty unusual but yet it is one of my favorite sounds. The M7#5 arpeggio is simple a M7 arpeggio with a sharp fifth note.

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Minor 11 Arpeggios

The minor 11 arpeggio is worth learning but not something you will use all the time. You can use the minor eleven arpeggio over most minor chords. The minor 11 arpeggio has five notes.

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Major 9 Arpeggios

Welcome to another installment of our jazz arpeggio series. In this lesson we will be focusing on the major 9 arpeggio. The major 9 arpeggio is a useful 5 note arpeggio that can add a lot of melodic interest when playing over major 9 chords. You can also use arpeggio substitution to find more interesting ways of using the major 9 sound.

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