Unlock the Art of Melodic Chord Phrasing to Create Beautiful, Expressive Jazz Guitar Harmony
If you’ve ever wondered how the great jazz guitarists, from Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery to George Benson, craft lush, harmonically rich chord passages, this is the complete guitar course for you.
In Melodic Jazz Guitar Chord Phrasing, celebrated jazz guitarist and educator Mark Whitfield reveals the methods behind this magic.
This course bridges the gap between chord voicings and melodic expression. You’ll discover how great jazz guitarists think melodically, even when they play chords, and you’ll use the same mindset to craft rich, voice-led chord sequences that sound spontaneous and alive.
Melodic Jazz Guitar Chord Phrasing shows you how to build sophisticated chord phrases directly from melodic lines. It will transform how you think about both chords and melody, so you no longer treat them as separate elements. You’ll learn to make them work together, then develop the harmonic awareness and voice‑leading fluency that define the world’s most expressive jazz guitarists.
You will learn how to:
- Develop advanced chordal phrasing from simple melodic ideas through a step‑by‑step process that grows naturally with your understanding
- Master voice‑leading and smooth harmonic motion through major and minor ii–V–I progressions – the foundation of jazz harmony
- Explore powerful substitution ideas, including tritone, chromatic, and minor third cycles, to add depth and complexity to your chord phrases
- Create harmonized lines by choosing voicings that reflect the mood and color you want, from bittersweet to modern to beautifully dissonant
- Combine melodic and harmonic thinking to unlock a more lyrical and fluid approach to jazz guitar accompaniment, and lay the foundation for solo chord melody
Think “Melody,” even when you play chords!
This approach echoes the artistry of Joe Pass, who visualized chords beneath his single‑note lines; Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis, who blended melodic phrasing with rhythm‑section sensibility; and Wes Montgomery, whose block‑chord phrasing influenced every jazz guitarist who followed.
You’ll learn the techniques that underlie the ideas of these jazz chord masters, including how to:
- Use tritone substitutions and “backdoor” dominants
- Cycle through minor thirds with symmetrical ii–V chains
- Add extensions and tension notes tastefully
- Understand the theory and practice of reharmonization
- Turn single‑line ideas into full harmonic statements
- Move fluidly across the neck while you maintain strong melodic continuity
- Build expressive chord melodies that sound complete and musical on their own
Includes Audio Download
Every musical example comes with a free downloadable audio track, so you can hear exactly how each idea should sound. All examples appear in standard notation and TAB for quick study.
If you want to expand your harmonic vocabulary and connect melody and harmony more deeply, Melodic Jazz Guitar Chord Phrasing is your direct path to beautiful, modern chord passages with strong melodic intent.
Buy it now and start to transform your jazz guitar sound today!
