Shell Voicings Jazz Guitar: The 11-Step Practice That Connects Voicings, Voice Leading, and Melody
Shell voicings are usually taught as 'root, 3rd, 7th — done.' That's the first percent. The real practice that turns shells into voice leading and chord-melody is an 11-step internalization process most players never encounter.
Jazz Guitar Upper Structures: Why the Altered Sound Is Just a Half-Step Triad
The altered scale terrifies a lot of advanced jazz guitarists because it looks like a different theory subject. It is not. It is a single upper-structure decision: play the minor triad a half-step above your dominant chord, and you have already produced the entire altered sound. Here is how to wire that into your II–V–I.
Upper Structure Triads: Stacking Eb and Gm Over Cm in Blue Bossa
There’s a moment in every advanced jazz guitarist’s development when a single chord stops looking like a single chord. A Cm7 is no longer just C–Eb–G–Bb on a page.
Jazz Guitar Upper Structures: Where Advanced Harmony Really Comes From
Upper structures, melodic minor modes, Bird Blues — advanced harmony isn't a separate world. It traces back to specific musicians and recordings. This guide explains where these concepts came from and how to study them the right way.
The Diminished Major 7th Chord Explained — Advanced Harmony for the Serious Jazz Guitarist
The Diminished Major 7th chord sounds exotic, but it shows up in the opening bars of Stella by Starlight, Someday My Prince Will Come, and How Insensitive. This post unpacks how to identify it, how it functions as a dominant upper structure, and why understanding it unlocks a large portion of the jazz standard repertoire.