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 Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Guitar Improvisation:

These 3 Easy Scales are All You Need to Get 

Started on 95% of Jazz Progressions

So you want to improvise wicked jazz guitar solos, but you don’t know a lick of jazz
theory? No problem. You don’t need to learn years of jazz guitar theory or history to
start improvising right now. All you need are these three scales:

1. C Major

2. D Dorian

3. G Mixolydian

Notice that each of these scales is associated with a particular type of chord: C Major
is played over a Cmaj7 chord; D Dorian is played over a Dm7 chord; and G Mixolydian
is played over a G7 chord.

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Because these three scales are so strongly associated with a particular chord type,
we’ll call them “chordscales”. You can start any of these scales on a different starting
note on the same string too, and you will have transposed the scale to the new note -
e.g. play the C major scale shape starting on the 7th fret of the 5th string and you will
instead be playing the E major chordscale.

What do we do with these chordscales? Well, chordscales give us all of the notes that
are technically “correct” to play over that chord. If we want to be able to improvise
effectively on 95% of jazz chord progressions, we need to practice these three different
chordscales in a way that will give us mastery over these notes. Let’s start with a basic
list of what you should do when you want to practice improvising over a new tune:

1. Look at the chords (duh)

2. Decide on the scale that fits, and play it
• For example, if you see a Bbm7, play the scale fingering for Dm7 (D dorian), but
starting on a Bb note instead. This will give you the Bb dorian scale. Play it!

3. Play the short version or long version of the scale

• Notice that on the first page we gave you two different patterns for each
chordscale: the first is meant to be played over a chord that lasts for 1 bar, while
the second is meant to be played over a chord that lasts for 2 bars. This is a simple
way of getting used to how much time you have to improvise over, while also
practicing the chordscale. NOTICE: we use only 7 notes in each scale.

4. With the metronome, practice the scales in 8th-notes over the progression
• This is the hardest part, but if you can do it, it means you are ready to start creating
improvised melodies using the notes you practiced in each chordscale. Your ability
to play the scales correctly in time is a good predictor of your ability to improvise
with those same scales later ;-)

Here’s what the last step looks like on the first 9 bars of “Out Of Nowhere”. We’re still
using the same 3 chordscales, but notice the new fingerings. Same scales, different
positions on the guitar - check the next page to see some good alternative fingerings.


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Here are some alternate fingerings for each of the three chordscales for you to
experiment with - it’s good to know multiple places to play each chordscale so that you
don’t have to jump around the fretboard in the middle of your phrases!

Start by practicing one or two starting positions for each chordscale until you’re
comfortable with them, then practice improvising on a tune using these fingerings.
When you feel like you’re running out of room or you’re jumping around the fretboard
too much, learn another position, then come back to practicing improv.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to practice these chordscales and improvising
with these chordscales over every song you come across in order to truly master their
chord progressions!

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Finally, here’s a short solo composed over the first 16 measures of “Out Of Nowhere”
as an example of what you can do with chordscales. Try playing through this half-
chorus of the solo yourself, and then improvising for the remainder of the chorus; or
take ideas/licks from the solo and play around with them yourself! Have fun!

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