Jazz Guitar for Classical Cats: Harmony: Guitar CD

York understands the classical guitarist's ear and technique, and he uses that understanding to introduce jazz harmony without abandoning the musical rigor that classical players expect. The addition of performed examples on the included CD means students can hear the concepts in action rather than imagining how they should sound, making the learning process both faster and more musical.

The harmonic world opens up as you realize that jazz chords and progressions aren't arbitrary but follow their own internal logic. Working through these exercises on a classical guitar in your own hands creates a conversation between the structured elegance you already know and the swinging, chromatic richness of jazz.

Classical guitarists exploring jazz language and harmonic expansion beyond the diatonic systems they already know. This is ideal for intermediate to advanced players who want to add jazz vocabulary to their vocabulary without abandoning their classical foundation.

• Listen through the entire CD passage before attempting to play along; hearing the harmonic movement first helps your ear recognize the patterns your fingers will eventually execute.
• Practice the exercises slowly enough that you can voice each chord cleanly; rushing through to match the CD tempo will reinforce sloppy voicings.
• Isolate the harmonic progressions that feel unfamiliar, working through them without the CD until the movement becomes natural under your hands.

Use this as a bridge curriculum for classical guitarists preparing for jazz ensembles or contemporary classical works that incorporate jazz harmonies. It works equally well as supplemental material for a guitarist already in a jazz setting who wants to solidify theoretical understanding.

• Jazz chord voicings on classical guitar
• Understanding harmonic function in jazz contexts
• Reading and hearing jazz chord progressions
• Translating written harmony into idiomatic guitar voice leading