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8 Soul Jazz Guitar Lessons From Rory Ronde

Rory Ronde

If you, as a guitarist, are inspired by icons like Johnny Watson, Cornell Dupree, George Benson, or Grant Green, you are probably a blues player searching for some soul jazz in your playing.

In his course, Soul Jazz Signatures Guidebook, Rory Ronde takes you on a journey through the playing styles of these aforementioned legends. After all, there’s no better way to learn the roots of soul jazz than from the techniques of the players who pioneered the genre.

Here are 8 free soul jazz guitar lessons from the course. For the full course, check out Rory Ronde’s Soul Jazz Signatures Guidebook on TrueFire!

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Grant Green: Introduction


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Grant Green was a famous jazz guitarist who influenced people like George Benson. His pure tone, soulful phrasing and exciting rhythmic feel left a lasting mark on soul jazz playing. In this example, we’ll take as an inspiration his groovy way of emphasizing chords and single notes.

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Grant Green: Performance


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

First, I will play this example up to tempo for you. Let’s take a listen!

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Grant Green: Breakdown


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

Now, let’s break this down so you can learn it step by step.

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Cornell Dupree: Introduction


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

Cornell Dupree played a style using double stops and chord melodies that has influenced guitarist to this day. His style contains a lot of space; never filling it up with too many notes. You could say that he mastered the art of playing the right notes, but also when not to play. He could turn a simple melody into a full arrangement. A genuine soul man.

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Cornell Dupree: Performance 1


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

First, we’ll start with Dupree’s double stops melodies. I’ll play it first, and then we’ll break it down.

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Cornell Dupree: Breakdown 1


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

Let’s break this section down before we move on to the rest of the tune!

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Cornell Dupree: Performance 2


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

Here is another take on this Cornell Dupree style tune. Again, I’ll play it first, then we’ll break it down slowly.

Soul Jazz Guitar Lesson – Cornell Dupree: Breakdown 2


Download the tab & notation for this soul jazz guitar lesson

Finally, I’ll break this second take down step by step so you can get the hang of it too.

Digging these free soul jazz guitar lessons? Check out Rory Ronde’s TrueFire course, Soul Jazz Signatures Guidebook.

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