Guitare Jazz Moyen [Intermediate Jazz Guitar]: Guitar Book & CD

This book cuts straight to what intermediate guitarists actually need: the harmonic vocabulary and comping patterns that let you function in a real ensemble. Fisher structures the material so that each concept builds logically, and the inclusion of stylistic contexts (Latin, swing, ballad, funk) means students see how these tools apply immediately.

Focused and methodical. This book feels like sitting with a patient teacher who knows exactly where the gaps in your playing are and fills them with precision. The stylistic variety keeps things alive; you're not drilling changes in isolation, but hearing how they actually breathe in Latin grooves, swinging heads, and funk backbeats.

Guitarists who have moved past basic jazz fundamentals and are ready to develop real improvisation and comping skills. This works best for students with at least a year of jazz harmony study and the harmonic literacy to understand chord extensions and alterations.

• Work through the ii-V-I progressions slowly with the CD, focusing on hearing the voice leading before you worry about speed. The progression is the foundation everything else sits on.
• When tackling altered chords, practice them first in isolation, then drop them into the progressions you already know. Context matters more than the chord itself.
• Record yourself comping through the different style sections. Listening back reveals rhythmic inconsistencies your ears miss in real time.
• Build solo lines by stealing phrases from the book, then transpose them to other keys. This develops pattern recognition faster than trying to improvise from scratch.

Use this as the core text for intermediate jazz ensemble preparation, assigning sections that align with the repertoire you're rehearsing. If you're programming a ballad, focus those weeks on the ballad section; same for Latin or funk tunes. The CD makes it perfect for independent study, so students can work ahead on their own time.

• Navigating ii-V-I progressions through multiple keys
• Constructing melodic solo lines over jazz changes
• Voice leading with altered chords (b9, #9, #11, b13)
• Comping with stylistic sensitivity (swing, Latin, ballad, funk rhythms)
• Hearing and reproducing jazz harmony by ear
• Building chord-scale relationships for improvisation