The tritone substitution is one of the most commonly used chord substitutions in jazz, and fairly

straightforward to understand, but learning how to add these cool-sounding chords to your comping ideas
can be tougher than it sounds.

In this lesson you will learn why tritone subs function as they do, how to apply them to various common chord
progressions, and how to take this fundamental chord sub to other areas of your jazz guitar comping output.

What is a Tritone Sub?

To begin, lets looks into exactly what a tritone sub is and how you can apply it in a basic way to any dominant 7th chord
you are comping over.

The basic application of a tritone sub is to take any 7th chord you see and play another 7th chord that occurs a tritone (#4
aka b5), away from that initial chord, such as playing Db7 over G7. The reason that this sub works is that 7th chords with
a bass note a tritone apart share the same 3rd and 7th.

Here are the notes of those two chords for comparison:

G7 G B D F

Db7 Db F Ab B

As you can see:

 The 3rd of G (B) is the same as the b7 of Db7 (B)

 The b7 of G7 (F) is the same note as the 3rd of Db7 (F)

This is glue that holds the two tritone sub chords together.
Here is how a tritone sub looks on those two chords (G7 and Db7). Notice that the 3rd and 7th of G7 are the same notes
as the 7th and 3rd of Db7 on the fretboard.

Now that you know how tritone subs function and how to apply them to Dominant 7th chords, let’s take a look at
some common applications of this jazz guitar chord sub.
Tritone Blues Chords

The first practical application of tritone subs we will look at is the fourth bar in a jazz blues chord progression.

When playing on a common blues progression, you normally play I7-IV7-I7-I7 in the first four bars of the tune. But, you
can apply a tritone sub in bar four, so in the key of F blues it would be a B7 chord, that then resolves down by a half
step to the IV7 chord, Bb7 in this key, in bar five.

Here is how that sub looks over a jazz blues chord progression in F.
To help you get started with this tritone blues sub, here is an example of how you can play through this pattern in the key
of C major.
When you have these examples under your fingers, try putting on a jazz blues chord progression in F, or Bb or C, and
adding this tritone sub to bar four of your comping lines over these changes.
Tritone ii V I Chords

Probably the most popular choice for a tritone substitution is over the V7 chord in a major key ii-V-I progression. When
doing so, you are creating the chord progression ii-bII-I, which you can see in the chord progression below and hear in the
accompanying audio example.

To help you get started with this tritone ii-V-I progression, here is an example of how you can play through this pattern in
the key of C major.
Once you have these tritone sub examples under your fingers, try applying them to tunes which contain a number of ii-V-I
progressions, such as “Tune Up” or “All The Things You Are” to take them further in your practice routine.

Tritone Turnarounds

Another popular progression that you can use to practice and apply tritone subs is the turnaround, which usually occurs at
the end of a tune or section of a tune. The standard major key turnaround uses the chords I-VI-ii-V, as you can see in the
top changes of the example below.

The first place to apply a tritone sub is with the V7 chord, as you can see with the chord changes in the lower staff, as
well as hear in the audio.

When replacing the V7 chord with a tritone sub, you are creating the chord progression I-VI-ii-bII.
To help you get started with this tritone turnaround, here is an example of how you can play through this pattern in the
key of C major.

You can also apply a tritone sub to the VI chord in a turnaround, which you can see in the following progression. When
doing so, you create the chord progression I-bIII-ii-V, which you can hear in the audio example.
To help you get started with this tritone turnaround, here is an example of how you can play through this pattern in the
key of C major.

Lastly, you can apply a tritone sub to both the VI and V chords in a turnaround to produce the chord progression I-bIII-ii-
bII, which you can see and here in the next example.
To help you get started with this combimed tritone turnaround, here is an example of how you can play through this
pattern in the key of C major.

Once you have explored the various applications and examples of tritone subs in this lesson, try playing over
your favorite jazz standard and adding in tritone subs wherever you can to hear and feel how they sound in a practical
situation.
Learning how to confidently apply tritone subs to your jazz guitar comping phrases is an essential tool for any jazz
guitarist to have, and so working on it in your daily routine until you can apply it smoothly will help take your comping to
the next level of creativity.

Chord Theory

What are jazz guitar chords? How are jazz guitar chords built? What makes a chord minor or major?
In this lesson you will learn how to construct jazz guitar chords. Learning the (relative) simple theory
behind chords will make your life as a jazz guitar player a lot easier and is essential when learning
how to play guitar chords, so let’s dive straight in!

Major Chord Construction

To get started, we begin with a scale we all know, the C major scale. The 7 notes in this scale are numbered, these
numbers are important (they are like a formula).

C Major Scale C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Chords are based on third intervals. There are 2 kinds of thirds (or 3rds):
Minor Third Interval of 3 half steps Symbol: minor 3rd

Major Third Interval of 4 half steps Symbol: major 3rd

 Let’s start by stacking 2 thirds on the first note (1, also called the root) of the C major scale:
C E G

1 3 5

The result is a C major triad or C (a triad is a chord that contains 3 notes).

 From note C to E is a major 3rd (4 half steps)
 From note E to G a minor 3rd (3 half steps)

Every major chord has this structure: first a major third, then a minor third. A chord like this is called
major because there is a major 3rd (4 half steps) between the root and the 3rd.
Memorize the chord formula for major chords: 1 3 5

Minor Chord Construction

Now let’s stack 2 thirds on top of the second note (2) of the C major scale. This might be a bit confusing, but
we now call that second note of the major scale “1”, because it becomes the root of our chord:

D F A

1 b3 5

The result is a D minor triad or Dm.

 From D to F is a minor third
 From F to A is a major third
 Every minor chord has this structure: first a minor third, then a major third (the mirror of a major chord).
A chord like this is called minor because there is a minor 3rd (3 half steps) between the root and the 3rd.
Memorize the chord formula for minor chords: 1 b3 5

Important: the b (aka flat) before the 3 means a half tone lower (than 3). Further in this tutorial we’ll
encounter a # (aka sharp), which means a half tone higher. A half tone on the guitar is 1 fret.

Dim Chord Construction

Back to the C major scale. Now we’re going to skip a few notes and stack thirds on the 7th note (7) of the C major scale:

B D F

1 b3 b5

The result is a B diminished triad or Bdim.

 From B to D is a minor 3rd
 From D to F is also a minor 3rd

Every diminished triad chord has this structure: a minor third and another minor third.
Memorize the chord formula for diminished chords: 1 b3 b5

Diatonic Chords

I’ll summarize and complete the other notes of the C major scale:
 Notes Formula Chord Name Symbol

1 CEG 135 C major C

2 DFA 1 b3 5 D minor Dm or Dmin or D-

3 EGB 1 b3 5 E minor Em or Emin or E-

4 FAC 135 F major F

5 GBD 135 G major G

6 ACE 1 b3 5 A minor Am or Amin or A-

7 BDF 1 b3 b5 B diminished Bdim or B°

These chords are called the diatonic chords of C major.

Finding Chord Tones

Next you’ll learn how to find the notes of a chord in a convenient way. There are actually 2 methods to
construct chords. The first method is explained here, the second (more practical) method, you’ll learn a bit
further in this lesson:
The first method starts from the major scale and involves 3 steps:
1) Find the major scale of a given key. If you’re not sure how to do this, you need to follow this tutorial
first: How To Construct a Major Scale
Example: to find the notes of a Gm chord, first find the notes of the G major scale:
G Major Scale G A B C D E F#
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2) Construct the major chord by using the major chord formula: 1 3 5

Example: In our G major example that would be:
G B D

1 3 5

3) Apply the minor chord formula to the major chord. The chord formula for minor chords is 1 b3 5.
Example: This means the 3rd of the major chord (G B D) has to be lowered half a step. This is because in a
minor chord (1 b3 5) there is a b in front of the 3, meaning the 3 is a half tone lower than the 3 in the major
chord (1 3 5), where there is no b before the 3.
Making the 3 (B) a half note lower is done by placing a b behind the note, like this: Bb (aka B flat). This is a
bit confusing because in formulas we place the b before the note, but with actual chord tones, we place the
b after the note.
The other notes of the chord don’t change, so these are the notes of a G minor chord:
G bB D

1 b3 5

To visualize this, have a look at the notes on the guitar neck:

At the left are the 3 notes of G (1 3 5 = G B D).

At the right are the 3 notes of Gm (1 b3 5 = G Bb D). The Bb is one fret (= half tone) lower than B:
Maj7 Chord Construction

Let’s have a look at seventh chords.

Seventh chords are chords that contain 4 or more different notes and are the bread and
butter of jazz music.
Again, let’s start with the C major scale:
C Major Scale C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The construction of seventh chords follows the same principle as constructing triads: stacking thirds on top
of each other. Triads were made by stacking 2 thirds on top of the root. Seventh chords are constructed by
stacking 3 thirds on top of the root.
Let’s stack 3 thirds on the 1 of the C major scale:

C E G B
 1 3 5 7

The result is a C major 7 chord (Cmaj7).

 From C to E is a major third.
 From E to G is a minor third.
 From G to B is a major third.

Every major 7 chord has this structure: first a major third, then a minor third, followed by a major third.
Memorize the chord formula for major 7 chords: 1 3 5 7

m7 Chord Construction

Let’s do the same for the 2nd note of the C major scale:

D F A C

1 b3 5 b7

The result is a D minor 7 chord or Dm7.

 From D to F is a minor third.
 From F to A is a major third.
 From A to C is a minor third.

Every minor 7 chord has this structure: first a minor third, then a major third, then a minor third.
Memorize the chord formula for minor 7 chords: 1 b3 5 b7
 Dominant 7 Chord Construction

Now let’s skip some notes and stack 3 thirds on top of the 5th note of the C major scale:

G B D F

1 3 5 b7

The result is a G dominant 7 chord or G7.

 From G to B is a major
third.
 from B to D is a minor third.
 From D to F is a minor third.

Every dominant 7 chord has this structure: first a major third, then a minor third, followed by another
minor third.
Memorize the chord formula for dominant 7 chords: 1 3 5 b7
Learn more about dominant chords in this lesson: What Is a Dominant Chord?

m7b5 Chord Construction

We’ll skip some more notes and stack 3 thirds on top of the 7th note of the C major scale:

B D F A

1 b3 b5 b7
 The result is a B half diminished chord or Bm7b5.
 From B to D is a minor third.
 From D to F is a minor third.
 From F to A is a major third.

Every half diminished 7 chord has this structure: first a minor third, another minor third, followed by a
major third.
Memorize the chord formula for half diminished 7 chords: 1 b3 b5 b7

Diatonic 7th Chords

I’ll summarize and complete the other notes of the C major scale:

Notes Formula Chord Name Symbol

1 CEGB 1357 C major 7 Cmaj7

2 DFAC 1 b3 5 b7 D minor 7 Dm7 or Dmin7 or D-7

3 EGBD 1 b3 5 b7 E minor 7 Em7 or Emin7 or E-7

4 FACE 1357 F major 7 Fmaj7

5 GBDF 1 3 5 b7 G dominant 7 G7

6 ACEG 1 b3 5 b7 A minor 7 Am7 or Amin7 or A-7

 7 BDFA 1 b3 b5 b7 B half diminished 7 Bm7b5 or Bmin7b5

Now that we know how seventh chords are constructed, we’ll focus our attention on tensions in the next
section.

Maj9 Chord Construction

Tensions (aka extensions) are notes that are part of a chord, but are not chord tones (1
3 5 7).
The first extension we’ll have a look at is the 9
Here’s the C major scale again:

C Major Scale C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

There are 3 notes left in the major scale that are not chord tones: 2, 4 and 6
If we add these tones to the chord, they become tensions. Most of the time we play tensions an octave
higher than chord tones because otherwise they get in the way of the chord tones (the chord would sound
“muddy”). That’s also the way tensions are notated:
 2 becomes 9: 2 + 7 (the amount of notes in an octave) = 9
 4 becomes 11
 6 becomes 13

So if we add the 2 to Cmaj7 we get Cmaj9:

 C E G B D

1 3 5 7 9

Special Cases – 4ths and 6ths

The two other notes that are left in the scale (4 and 6), are special cases in combination with major
chords:
 First of all there is something we call avoid notes: notes that are a half tone above a chord tone.
Avoid notes sound dissonant, that’s why they are generally avoided.The 4of the C major scale (f) is a half
step above the e (the 3rd of Cmaj7). So the 4 (f) is an avoid note for Cmaj7 and is not often used on this
chord.
 The 6 is also a special case in combination with major chords. Most of the times when we add a 6 to a
major chord, the 7 is omitted and there is no octave added to the 6. This is because the 6 and 7 get in each
other’s way.

So if we add the 6 to C major chord we get a C6:

C E G A

1 3 5 6

The same goes for 6 in combination with minor chords: the b7 is omitted.
If we add the 6 to Dm7 we get Dm6. Note that the 6 is no longer A like in the C6 example above because the
root of the chord changed to D. The 6 is now B (D E F G A B C).
D F A B

1 b3 5 6
The 4 is not an avoid note in combination with minor chords because it is two half tones above the b3 and
not one half tone.
When you add the 4 to Dm7, you get a Dm11 chord:
D F A C G

1 b3 5 b7 11
(Note: theoretically, the 9 should be included as well in a minor 11 chord)

The 4 is also a special case in combination with dominant chords. When a 4 is added to a dominant chord,
the 3 is omitted. Chords like these are called sus4 chords and often function as a delay for a dominant
chord.
Sus4 chords often include a 9. Here’s the G9sus4 chord:
G C D F A

1 4 5 b7 9

There’s also something called altered tensions (b9, #9, b5, b13). These tensions come from the harmonic
minor scale or from the altered scale and will be covered later in another lesson. The same for goes for #11,
which comes from the Lydian dominant scale.

Diatonic Tensions

Here’s a list of all chord types we’ve seen so far and their tensions:

Chord Type Extension Symbol

 9 (=2) Cmaj9

4 / avoid note
Major #11 (=#4) Cmaj7#11 #11 comes from the lydian scale

6 C6 7 is omitted

9 (=2) Cm9

Minor 11 (=4) Cm11

6 Cm6 b7 is omitted

9 (=2) C9

b9 comes from the altered scale

b9 (=b2) C7b9 or the 5th mode of the harmonic
minor scale

#9 (=#2) C7#9 #9 comes from the altered scale

Dominant
4 C7sus4

13 (=6) C13

b13 comes from the altered

b13 (=b6) C7b13 scale or the 5th mode of the
harmonic minor scale
Chord Formulas

Here’s a summary of the chord formulas we covered until now + some additional chord types.
Chord Type Chord Formula

Major Triad 135

Minor Triad 1 b3 5

Diminished Triad 1 b3 b5

Augmented Triad 1 3 #5

Major 7 1357

Minor 7 1 b3 5 b7

Dominant 7 1 3 5 b7

Half Diminished 7 1 b3 b5 b7

Diminished 7 1 b3 b5 bb7

Augmented 7 1 3 #5 b7

Suspended 4 1 4 5 b7

Minor/Major 7 1 b3 5 7
 A Practical Method For Chord Construction

Earlier in this lesson you learned a first method to construct chords. Now you’ll learn a faster and more
practical method.

The first step is memorizing the chords and chord tones of the C major scale and their chord formulas:
Cmaj7 CEGB 1357

Dm7 DFAC 1 b3 5 b7

Em7 EGBD 1 b3 5 b7

Fmaj7 FACE 1357

G7 GBDF 1 3 5 b7

Am7 ACEG 1 b3 5 b7

Bm7b5 BDFA 1 b3 b5 b7

You must be able to picture the chord types, chord tones and formulas of C major without thinking.

The rest of this method is best explained with some examples…

Chord Building Examples

Now that you know the chords of C major, it’s easy to find chords of other keys.

Example 1: to find the chord tones of Cm7:

1. You know the chord tones of Cmaj7: C E G B
2. You know the chord formula of Cmaj7: 1 3 5 7
3. You know the chord formula of minor 7: 1 b3 5 b7
4. Adapt the chord tones of Cmaj7 to the formula of minor 7: bring the 3 and the 7 a half step down.
5. Conclusion: the chord tones of Cm7 are: C Eb G Bb

Example 2: the chord tones of Ddim7:

1. You know the chord tones of Dm7: D F A C
2. You know the formula of Dm7: 1 b3 5 b7
3. You know the formula of diminished 7: 1 b3 b5 bb7
4. Adapt the chord tones of Dm7 to the formula of diminished 7: bring
the 5 and the 7 a half step down
5. Conclusion: the chord tones of Ddim7 are: D F Ab B

Example 3: the chord tones of F#7:

1. You know the chord tones of Fmaj7: F A C E
2. To find the chord tones of F#maj7 you just have to raise each chord tone a half step: F# A# C# E#
3. You know the formula of major 7: 1 3 5 7
4. You know the formula of dominant 7: 1 3 5 b7
5. Adapt the chord tones of F#maj7 to the formula of dominant 7: bring the 7 a half step down
6. Conclusion: the chord tones of F#7 are: F# A# C# E

Now you know how to find the notes of a chord, but how do you translate this to the guitar?

Translating Chord Theory to the Guitar

The first thing you need to know is that not every chord tone is equally
important:
 3 and 7 are the important notes of a chord because they determine the chord type. They are also
important for voice leading.
 The 1 is the least important note, because it is usually played by the bass player.
 The 5 is not so important either and can be disturbing sometimes.
 Tensions add color and interest to a chord, so it’s preferable to use tensions instead of 1 and 5.

The second thing you need to know is that 1 half step equals one fret on the guitar.
Here’s an example with chord diagrams, we’ll start with a C: C E G (1 3 5)
Let’s have a look at the chord diagram:

X15135: C

From left to right (from low E string to high E string) we have:

 X: the low E-string is not played

 1: the 1 or root of the chord is played on the A-string
 5: the 5th of the chord is played on the D-string
 1: again the root, but now on the G-string
 3: the third is played on the B-string
 5: the 5th is played again, but this time on the high E-string
You see that it is OK to duplicate chord tones, like the 1 and the 5 in our example.

This chord doesn’t sound very jazzy though, so let’s spice it up a bit and make it a Cmaj7 (1 3 5 7) by
replacing the 1 on the G-string with the 7:
X15735: Cmaj7

Instead of duplicating the root on the G-string, we exchanged it for the 7 of the chord.

Now let’s add some color, let’s make it a Cmaj9 chord (1 3 5 7 9):

X1379X: Cmaj9

We exchanged the 5th on the D-string for the 3rd and we changed the 3rd on the B-string to a 9.
 This Cmaj9 would be a nice chord if you’re playing Bossa Nova, solo guitar or in duo setting, but if you play
with a bass player and you don’t want to get in his way, it’s better to omit the root and to play on the higher
strings only:

XX3795: Cmaj9/E

Chord Inversions

Instead of playing the root of the chord, we play the 5th on the high E-string in the previous example. A
chord like this is called a chord inversion
A chord inversion is a chord that doesn’t have its root as its bass note.
There are three types of chord inversions:

 First inversion: the 3rd in the bass.

 Second inversion: the 5th in the bass.
 Third inversion: the 7th in the bass.

In our previous example we have a Cmaj9 chord with the 3rd (E) in the bass, notated like this: Cmaj9/E
What do you need to do if you want to make this chord dominant? Simple, just look at the chord formulas:
the 7 has to go a half step down (major is 1 3 5 7, dominant is 1 3 5 b7).
Have a look at the chord diagram, the b on the g-string has to become a b flat. The result is the first
inversion of C9: C9/E

XX3b795: C9/E

And if we want to make this chord minor? Starting from the dominant chord we have to lower the 3rd a half
step (dominant is 1 3 5 b7, minor is 1 b3 5 b7). On the guitar this means we have to lower the e note on the
d-string half a step to an e flat. The result is the first inversion of Cm9: Cm9/E

XXb3b795: Cm9/Eb
THE TRITONE INTERVAL FOR JAZZ GUITAR
written by Matt Warnock

One of the first theory terms you hear, and one that comes up time and again when studying jazz
guitar, is the tritone. There are different applications of the tritone, including guide tones and tritone
subs, but before you dive into those concepts, you need to know exactly what a tritone is.
In this lesson you learn what a tritone is, how it sounds, and how to apply it to your comping and soloing in
a jazz guitar situation.
From there you can move on to more advanced applications of the tritone in you playing with the confidence
needed to tackle that material.

What is a Tritone Interval?

A tritone is the distance between a root note and 3 tones above or below that note.
If you want to know what a tritone sounds like, it’s the opening notes to the Simpsons theme song. “The
Simps” is a tritone, then it resolves to the perfect 5th on “ons”.

For example (see tabs below): F-B is a tritone interval: F to G is 1 tone, F to A is 2 tones, then F to B is 3
tones.
The last bar in the example below shows you how to play a tritone interval without stretching your fingers
beyond 1 fret on the low 2 strings.
Try playing the last two notes in this example and sing “The Simps,” then play the 3rd fret C on the 5th string
and sing “ons.” You’ll hear it right away.
Tritone Intervals and Dominant 7th Chords

Now that you know what a tritone is, let’s look at how we use it in your jazz guitar playing, specifically over
dominant 7th chords.
If you look at any 7th chord, you find a tritone interval built into that chord shape,
between the 3rd and 7th of the chord.
Here’s how that looks on the fretboard for a D7 chord:

Below you’ll see the D7 example in tabs:

The first two bars are a D7 chord solid and broken so you can see the full shape.
The last two bars are the same shapes with the root and 5th removed, leaving only the 3rdand 7th.
The 3rd and 7th of any chord are called “guide tones,” because even if you only play
those two notes on a chord you can hear the chord progression.
These two notes “guide” you through the changes.
The 3rd tells you if the chord is major or minor based, and the 7th tells you if it’s maj7, m7, or 7th.
Play these shapes on the guitar to get a feel for how they sit on the fretboard and how they sound.

Guide Tone Comping

With the knowledge of how tritones create the 3rd and 7th intervals of any dominant 7thchord, you can now
take that to the fretboard.
Here’s the tritone (3 and 7), for D7 in four positions on the guitar. Play each one to hear how they sound
and get an idea for how to finger tritone intervals on the fretboard.
After you play through these 3rds and 7ths, move on to the next section where you apply those shapes to a
12-bar blues in D progression.
Guide Tone Comping Study

Now that you know what a tritone is and how it fits into dominant 7th chords, you can take that knowledge to
a playing situation.
Here’s a 12-bar chord study over a blues in D that uses the 3rd and 7th only of each chord.
For each 7th chord, the 3rd and 7th is a tritone interval. For Em7 that rule doesn’t apply, though the 3rd and
7th still sound good over that chord.
Work out this comping study, and then when you have it down add this concept to your comping over other
blues and standard chord progressions.
Guide Tone Soloing Study

You can also use tritone intervals in your single-notes solos, both to outline the 3rd and 7thof any chord, as
well as the transitions between chord changes.
Here’s an example of a solo that focuses on both approaches. You see the 3rd and 7th, a tritone, played
over specific 7th chords.
Then, you also see the 3rd of one chord move by half step to the b7 of the next chord, creating a smooth
movement between chords along the way.
Work on this solo in your studies, then when you’re ready add this concept of 3rds and 7ths to your own
solos over blues and other progressions.
 DROP 3 CHORDS & INVERSIONS
A favorite of jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass, who used these shapes to perfection in his solo guitar
performances, drop 3 chords are ideal to use when playing in a solo or duo setting.
While they might take a bit of time to get under your fingers, having a strong understanding of drop 3 chords
will greatly expand your Jazz guitar comping, chord soloing, and chord melody playing. Experiment with the
fingerings for these chords as different hand sizes will use different fingerings.
Here’s why drop 3 chords are so popular:

 With a strong sense of bass in each chord (the lowest notes are always on the 6th or 5th
strings), drop 3 chords will give you that fat-bottom sound when covering the low end in a bassless
duo or trio setting.
 Because there is a string skip in every shape, drop 3 chords are ideal for solo guitar playing, as they
keep the bass notes involved in your voicings, but separate them from the rest of the chord, allowing
the melody line to stand out at the same time.

When practicing drop 3 chords, there are two main ways to get these chords under your fingers, before
taking them to your favorite Jazz standard and applying them to tunes in your studies:
1. The first way to practice drop 3 chords is to learn each inversion on one string set:
 Take Cmaj7 on the 6432 string set and play all four inversions of that chord from memory.
 Move on to Cmaj7 on the 5321 string set and play all four inversions of that chord from memory.
 From there, play all 8 Cmaj7 Drop 3 chords to cover the entire fretboard.

Here is an example of that exercise on the 6th string with Cmaj7.

 2. The second way to practice drop 3 chords is to work on inversions across all chord types:
 Play the root position, 6432 string set, for Cmaj7, C7, Cm7, Cm7b5, and Cdim7 chords.
 From there, play the 1st inversion, 6432 string set, for Cmaj7, C7, Cm7, Cm7b5, and Gdim7 chords.
 When you can do the 1st inversion, move onto the 2nd, and 3rd inversions for the 6432 string set,
before repeating the exercise on the 5321 string set.

Here is an example of that exercise on the 6th string with each chord type in root position.

So grab you favorite guitar, set it to a warm, jazzy tone, and dig into these essential and fun to play jazz
guitar chords…