This study is not only a great technique builder, but also an important tool to begin creating strong melodic phrases that outline the harmony.
A great jazz line should tell the story of the harmonic structure of the song, so digging into the arpeggios is the first step to “playing the changes,” then adding embellishments is the next step to making your melodic solos come alive.
Start here with learning the chromatic below embellishment to your major triads. This study I’ve shared with you can lead you on your way to great technique and to endless inventiveness with rhythmic possibilities.
Click here to download the chart for this lesson.
About Sheryl Bailey
Top recording artist, educator, composer and jazz guitarist Sheryl Bailey has eight releases as a leader, is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, is on the faculty of The Collective in New York City, and has many educational publications to her credit. Hailed as a modernist burner with an abundance of Pat Martino-style chops by JazzTimes Magazine, Bailey’s solo from her composition Old and Young Blues is included in the compilation Jazz Masters Anthology Vol. VI. In addition to her many solo outings, Sheryl has toured and recorded with David Krakauers Klezmer Madness, Richard Bona, Shingo Okudaira, Abraham Inc., Fred Wesley, Kim Plainfield, Ian Froman, George Garzone, Jack Wilkins, Howard Alden, John Pisano, Gary Portnoy and pop diva Irene Cara. Sheryl also has had the honor of being a Jazz Ambassador for the Kennedy Center and US State Department touring the music of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Bailey also leads the highly popular “Jazz Guitars Meet Hendrix,” with jazz