Guitar Chord Colours: Guitar Book, CD & Online Audio

This resource treats harmony as a living toolkit rather than abstract theory, anchoring every concept to the fingerboard and real musical situations. Guitarists finally get a comprehensive treatment that covers everything from voice leading and modal interchange to the specific voicing techniques that define contemporary jazz, pop, and improvisation practices.

Like stepping into a well-organized studio where every harmonic concept connects to the next; the material moves from foundational tone system and counterpoint through advanced substitution and reharmonization techniques with clarity and intentionality. You'll recognize familiar progressions and voicing concepts, but understand them with newfound depth and color.

Guitarists ready to move beyond basic chord shapes and develop a sophisticated harmonic vocabulary for jazz standards, composition, and improvisation. This suits players who want both the conceptual framework and practical, fingerboard-specific application needed for working in contemporary ensembles or developing their own musical voice.

• Work through the exercises systematically before jumping to reharmonization tasks; understanding the foundational harmonic systems makes substitution and modal interchange intuitive rather than random.
• Use the online audio to hear the harmonic concepts in context; listening alongside the notation bridges the gap between intellectual understanding and ear training.
• Apply the voicing techniques to standards and songs you already know; transposing a single chord through close voicings or drop voicings reveals the tonal palette immediately.
• Revisit the slash chord and upper structure material when working on arrangements; these tools are essential for achieving specific colors in both written and improvised contexts.

Deploy this as a semester-long or year-long supplement for guitarists in jazz ensembles, combos, or chamber groups; the structured progression from harmony fundamentals through advanced reharmonization supports both written and improvised work. Guitarists preparing to lead arrangements or compose original pieces benefit from working through the material in tandem with their ensemble rehearsals.

• Chord voicing techniques (close voicings, drop voicings, slash chords, upper structures)
• Modal harmony and interchange
• Harmonic substitution and reharmonization strategies
• Voice leading and counterpoint as applied to guitar
• Pentatonic systems and the CAGED system in harmonic context
• Diatonic and symmetrical scale systems
• Turnaround construction and harmonic progression formulas (back cycling, Pachelbel, 50s progression, four-chord patterns)
• Tensions and alterations in chord construction
• Inside and outside playing techniques for improvisation
• Transcription and lead sheet interpretation for standards and contemporary repertoire