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As guitar players, we are always trying to improve on the skills we have learned. And, one the best ways to learn new music and improve your performance is to play with other musicians! So, your goal should be to do this as much as possible, in many different situations. This holds especially true when learning jazz. Jazz is a genre in which the goal is to be able to express yourself and your own style fluently.

In his course, Trading Solos: Jazz Standards, Vol. 2, Sean McGowan covers a multitude of technical and musical concepts that you can employ in your own playing over any jazz standard.

Here are five video jazz guitar lessons from the course. For the full course, check out Sean McGowan’s Trading Solos: Jazz Standards Vol. 2 on TrueFire!

Trading Solos: Jazz Standards, Vol. 2 – Deep Winter Blues – Overview


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“Deep Winter Blues” is an example of a classic 12-bar jazz blues progression, in the key of F. We’ll talk about how to mix blues and bebop vocabulary, and how to play through each of the turnarounds.

Trading Solos: Jazz Standards, Vol. 2 – Deep Winter Blues – Comping Ideas Demo


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In this section, we’ll take a look at some comping ideas you can use over a classic 12-bar jazz blues. We’ll talk about using simple, “shell” voicings in the style of Grant Green, and creating big band style “shou” riffs using octaves and block chords.

Trading Solos: Jazz Standards, Vol. 2 – Deep Winter Blues – Soloing Ideas Demo


Download the tab & notation for this jazz guitar soloing lesson

Now let’s go over some soloing ideas for the blues. Solos don’t always have to feature burning lines based on scales or arpeggios. In fact, it can be very powerful to utilize a repeating blues-based shout line when playing the blues, which we’ll talk about. We’ll also talk about framing the blues scale in a jazz context, some organ-style double stops, and shaping lines with the 9th and altered 9th extensions.

Trading Solos: Jazz Standards, Vol. 2 – Deep Winter Blues – Playalong Preview


Download the tab & notation for this jazz guitar soloing lesson

As you listen to the track with both parts, pay attention to how they complement each other, and imagine what you might do differently or similarly when you comp and solo in the play along section.

Trading Solos: Jazz Standards, Vol. 2 – Deep Winter Blues – Let’s Trade Solos


Download the tab & notation for this jazz guitar soloing lesson

OK, it’s time to trade some solos! When the track starts, I’ll take the first solo and you comp. Then we’ll switch – I’ll comp and you take the lead! We’ll trade solos for each full chorus of the tune.

Digging these free jazz guitar soloing lessons? Check out Sean McGowan’s full course, Trading Solos: Jazz Standards Vol. 2.