Mightygnat
Verified buyer
05/18/26
great
Dimensions of Solo Jazz Guitar
Fingerstyle & Chord Melody Masterclass for Jazz Guitar with Martin Taylor
Get this course and 1,000+ more with All Access
Try 14 days free. Cancel any time.
About this course
“Martin is one of the most awesome solo guitar players in the history of the instrument. He’s unbelievable!” — Pat Metheny
Martin Taylor’s pedigree spans dozens of prestigious awards, multiple Top 10 albums, and global acclaim from fans, critics and fellow musicians. He dazzles audiences with a signature style that artfully combines his virtuosity, emotion and humor with a strong, engaging stage presence.
In this Fingerstyle and Chord Melody Masterclass, Martin shares how he internalizes the core framework of any piece of music and then builds upon it utilizing melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic variations to add dimension and color to an improvisational performance.
“Martin Taylor is one of the greatest and most impressive guitar players in the world.” – Chet Atkins
As a solo jazz and fingerstyle guitarist, I’ve found great joy in exploring the many dimensions of jazz composition and improvisation. I’m excited to share how I approach adding dimension and color to jazz standards for solo guitar performance and improvisations.
We’ll explore three popular jazz standards; A Foggy Day in London Town, In A Mellow Tone and Body & Soul. For each standard, I’ll demonstrate the 9 levels of exploration that I use myself to craft all of my solo arrangements.
We’ll start by learning the basic chord sequences for each, breaking them into smaller intervals, and adding the elements of accompaniment and feel. We’ll then learn the melody, build a basic chord melody arrangement, and learn to improvise using harmonic movement, melodic variation, and embellishments. Finally, I’ll give you two performances for each song to illustrate how I use this approach in my own improvisations.
My hope is that once we work through these 3 standards together, you’ll be able to craft your own arrangements in your own voice.”
”He out-shreds all of us put together — I’ve never seen anything like it!” – Jeff Beck
You’ll have all of TrueFire’s advanced learning tools at your fingertips to personalize your workspace and learn at your own pace.
You can loop, slow down, or speed up any section of a lesson. Plus, all of the tab and notation is synced to the videos for the optimal learning experience. You’ll also get tab and standard notation files to print out, Guitar Pro files, and all of the backing tracks to practice with.
Grab your guitar, and let’s dig deep with Martin Taylor!
Martin Taylor’s pedigree spans dozens of prestigious awards, multiple Top 10 albums, and global acclaim from fans, critics and fellow musicians. He dazzles audiences with a signature style that artfully combines his virtuosity, emotion and humor with a strong, engaging stage presence.
In this Fingerstyle and Chord Melody Masterclass, Martin shares how he internalizes the core framework of any piece of music and then builds upon it utilizing melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic variations to add dimension and color to an improvisational performance.
“Martin Taylor is one of the greatest and most impressive guitar players in the world.” – Chet Atkins
As a solo jazz and fingerstyle guitarist, I’ve found great joy in exploring the many dimensions of jazz composition and improvisation. I’m excited to share how I approach adding dimension and color to jazz standards for solo guitar performance and improvisations.
We’ll explore three popular jazz standards; A Foggy Day in London Town, In A Mellow Tone and Body & Soul. For each standard, I’ll demonstrate the 9 levels of exploration that I use myself to craft all of my solo arrangements.
We’ll start by learning the basic chord sequences for each, breaking them into smaller intervals, and adding the elements of accompaniment and feel. We’ll then learn the melody, build a basic chord melody arrangement, and learn to improvise using harmonic movement, melodic variation, and embellishments. Finally, I’ll give you two performances for each song to illustrate how I use this approach in my own improvisations.
My hope is that once we work through these 3 standards together, you’ll be able to craft your own arrangements in your own voice.”
”He out-shreds all of us put together — I’ve never seen anything like it!” – Jeff Beck
You’ll have all of TrueFire’s advanced learning tools at your fingertips to personalize your workspace and learn at your own pace.
You can loop, slow down, or speed up any section of a lesson. Plus, all of the tab and notation is synced to the videos for the optimal learning experience. You’ll also get tab and standard notation files to print out, Guitar Pro files, and all of the backing tracks to practice with.
Grab your guitar, and let’s dig deep with Martin Taylor!
What you'll learn
- Integrate moving bass lines into chord melody arrangements
- Create basic chord melody arrangements by placing melody notes on top of chord voicings
- Use barre chord technique with first finger while playing melody with other fingers
- Create fuller arrangements using only three notes
- Control dynamics independently across different voices
Release date: 09/26/2022 • 2h 20m runtime
Sample lessons
A Foggy Day in London Town
Overview
Learn the Basic Chord Sequence
Level 1: Demonstration
Adding Accompaniment & Feel
Level 3: Demonstration
Create a Basic Chord Melody
Level 5: Demonstration
What's included
40 lessons • 34 charts
Dimensions of Solo Jazz Guitar
Hello, I’m Martin Taylor and welcome to Dimensions of Solo Jazz Guitar.
As a solo jazz and fingerstyle guitarist, I've found great joy in exploring the many dimensions of jazz composition and improvisation.
In this course, I'll share with you how I internalize the core framework for any piece of music and then build upon it, utilizing melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic variation to ultimately add more dimension and color to an improvisational performance.
We'll explore three popular jazz standards – first learning the basic chord sequences for each, breaking them into smaller intervals, and adding the elements of accompaniment and feel.
We’ll then learn the melody, build a basic chord melody arrangement, and learn to improvise using harmonic movement, melodic variation, and embellishments. Finally, I'll give you two performances for each song to illustrate how I use this approach in my own improvisation.
Grab your guitar, and let’s go!
As a solo jazz and fingerstyle guitarist, I've found great joy in exploring the many dimensions of jazz composition and improvisation.
In this course, I'll share with you how I internalize the core framework for any piece of music and then build upon it, utilizing melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic variation to ultimately add more dimension and color to an improvisational performance.
We'll explore three popular jazz standards – first learning the basic chord sequences for each, breaking them into smaller intervals, and adding the elements of accompaniment and feel.
We’ll then learn the melody, build a basic chord melody arrangement, and learn to improvise using harmonic movement, melodic variation, and embellishments. Finally, I'll give you two performances for each song to illustrate how I use this approach in my own improvisation.
Grab your guitar, and let’s go!
A Foggy Day in London Town
In this first video we'll discuss how the influence of 1930s jazz has set the building blocks and foundation of the modern jazz movement. I will break down A Foggy Day in London Town by George Gershwin step by step and break down all the elements of this timeless jazz tune.
Learn the Basic Chord Sequence
In this video segment, I will walk you through the chord progression of the timeless tune, A Foggy Day in London Town. This basic breakdown will help you identify the structure, sequences, and turnarounds you need to build your own arrangements further down the line.
Simple Bass & Tenths
Now I will walk you through the bassline for A Foggy Day in London Town. This creates a nice feel that is truly the heart of the track. I'll show you the roots, basic scales that walk up the neck to complement the chord progression, and we'll work on playing the melody in intervals of tenths.
Adding Accompaniment & Feel
In this video, we'll take a look at some ways to build accompaniment parts into our simple arrangement of A Foggy Day in London Town. We're also going to discuss the basic rhythmic feel that runs throughout. Don't be afraid to sing or hum the melody for timing and melody purposes.
Learn the Melody
Now it's time for what is likely the most important aspect of any solo jazz guitar arrangement, playing the melody. In jazz the charges will vary by interpretation of each individual players. These are now the jazz standards but were the pop music of yesterday.
Create a Basic Chord Melody
In this demonstration I will breakdown the Chord Melody of A Foggy Day in London Town. Pay attention to using your index finger as a bar chord while the other four fingers dance around the neck of the guitar.
+ 33 more lessons
Reviews
26 results
houndymarcello
Verified buyer
04/29/26
super content and presentation
Melodious T.
Verified buyer
03/22/26
A fantastic lesson that also offers something unexpected but valuable.
This is, without question, a fantastic lesson in fingerstyle jazz guitar. The depth of knowledge, clarity of explanation, and musical insight on display are exactly what you would expect from a master of the instrument. There is a tremendous amount to learn here, and any serious student of jazz guitar will come away with valuable tools and perspectives. That said, the biggest takeaway I personally gained from this masterclass goes beyond technique or harmony—it’s about self-consciousness and how it can subtly interfere with communication. Throughout the lesson, Martin frequently sings melodies to demonstrate phrasing and musicality, which is an incredibly effective teaching method. However, he also repeatedly apologizes for his singing and makes self-deprecating jokes about it. While this is clearly done with humility and a sense of humor, it has an unintended effect: it keeps drawing attention back to something that, frankly, doesn’t matter. None of us came to this class to evaluate his singing. We’re here to learn from a world-class guitarist and musician. The singing serves its purpose perfectly well as a teaching tool, regardless of how “good” or “polished” it is. But by continually calling attention to it, the focus shifts—however briefly—away from the music and onto an insecurity that most listeners likely wouldn’t have noticed or cared about in the first place. This isn’t meant as criticism of Martin, but rather as a relatable observation. Many of us, myself included, fall into the same habit of over-apologizing for perceived shortcomings. It’s a reminder that our own self-consciousness can sometimes become more distracting than the thing we’re worried about. In that sense, the lesson offers something unexpected but valuable: not just insight into jazz guitar, but also a gentle reflection on confidence, presence, and trusting that what we bring to the table is enough.
Nbevan3
Verified buyer
11/09/25
Good course
This is a good course for late intermediate players (in my opinion). It describes well Martin's 'three voice' concept through using three standard jazz pieces
SimonK001
Verified buyer
10/10/25
Excellent course taught by the master in this style
Excellent course, taught me a completely different way of approaching chords and the fretboard for "chord melody" playing. Martin takes you beyond Chord Melody - excellent teacher, relaxed style, clear and goes from basic to advanced. Recommended. . . I am now looking into his other courses and I have learnt so much I want to expend my knowledge in his style further. . . although taking this method and applying to any song is a skill for life and at a bargain price.
…
Stop searching. Start improving with All Access.
Try 14 days free. Cancel any time.
