Jazz Guitar Improvisation: Beginning with Guide-Tones

This article discusses an approach to teaching linear improvisation to beginning jazz guitarists through the function ofvoice leading in harmonic progressions. The student may gain a clear understanding of improvising melodies byestablishing clear visual and aural relationships between the chordal and melodic textures. Three dominant 7thchordvoicings are introduced and applied to a twelve bar blues progression in F major. After learning the rhythm guitaraccompaniment, single note guide tones consisting of the flat 7thand 3rdchord tones of each dominant seventh chordare extracted from the chord voicings and applied in a melodic texture following chromatic voice leading principleswithin the harmonic progression. Musicality within the exercises is increased by the addition of a series of rhythmicvariations that are applied to the guide-tone lines. Continuing with the concept, full dominant seventh arpeggios areintroduced in order to expand the available note choices as a way to build a solid foundation for improvising withinharmonic progressions prior to using diatonic scales