Alfred's PLAY: Beginning Jazz Guitar: Guitar CD-ROM

Opening the door to jazz guitar feels like stepping into a room where experienced musicians are willing to show you everything: how they voice chords differently than pop music demands, how their right hand maintains pocket and swing, how improvisation builds from the changes rather than random playing.

Beginning jazz guitarists who want structured, video-based instruction they can access at home, whether they're working alone or supplementing private lessons. It's equally useful for "weekend warriors" returning to guitar and for young students exploring jazz after mastering basic chord playing.

• Pause the video frequently to mirror the instructor's hand positions before playing along. Jazz guitar technique requires precise finger placement and angle, and stopping to check your setup prevents ingrained habits from forming.
• Use the CD-ROM on a second device or printed reference nearby so you can glance at chord voicings or progression diagrams without stopping playback.
• Work through each lesson multiple times. The first pass builds awareness of what you're hearing; subsequent passes let you focus on different layers (comping rhythm, bass line movement, improvisation targets).

Assign this to students as pre-lesson or post-lesson reinforcement when your program introduces jazz guitar. It works well as a self-paced summer resource for students who want to explore jazz between school years, or as independent study material for ensemble members interested in jazz history and technique without disrupting your main rehearsal schedule.

• Jazz chord voicings (seventh chords, extensions, upper structures)
• Comping rhythm and articulation
• Improvisation over changes
• Swing feel and rhythmic interpretation
• Jazz harmony and progression navigation
• Blues forms and turnaround structures