As a jazz guitar player, you'll be asked to and will likely want to play the blues. It's a ubiquitous form and there are so many heads out there. Likewise, there have surely been times where you've heard someone play the blues and thought that it sounds way cooler than how it does when you play off of a lead sheet.

It's probably because they were using all sorts of jazz blues substitutions. In this podcast, I cover different blues substitutions and where and how to use them to make your blues sound hip and jazzy.

As a new jazz player, it can be tempting to want to jump into Giant Steps, a pillar of jazz music, and expect to be just fine! However, Coltrane changes are challenging if don't know how to approach them.

In this podcast, I give you a crash course on Coltrane changes including the context behind them and how to practice them!

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here: https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-38-coltrane-changes

It can be tough when you're out at a gig or jam session and you've gotta transpose for a singer. You've never played that song in that key...

Here's the podcast to explain how you can number chords in a tune to transpose on the fly, with All the Things You Are as an example.

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here: https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-37-numbering-chords-in-a-tune-to-transpose-with-ease

If you've ever run into the situation where you struggled to set-up a tune with a nice introduction or create a nice, smooth ending, this podcast episode is for you. Here, I'm discussing a few simple and effective approaches to do just that!

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here: https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-36-intros-endings

In this podcast, we'll look into an exercise that is relatively simple in concept, but that can go very deep (as far as helping you become a better improviser). The "big scales" exercise, so-called, deals with the entire range of the instrument. Start low, cover all the notes, climb all the way up. Then come back down! I challenge you to apply some big scales to your own favorite standard progression. See if you can keep playing the "right" scale (and change scales at the appropriate time) while your line keeps ascending/descending in the same direction. This is hard. You've been warned! :-)

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here:

https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-35-using-big-scales-unlock-fretboard

Jazz is intellectual, right? Or is it? Find out by listen to the latest podcast on this website!

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here:

https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-34-jazz-cerebral

As jazzers, we're often culprit of only learning "bits and pieces" of the stuff we learn. A scale, an arpeggio, a few licks (etc.), and off we go improvising. In this podcast, we discuss the relevance of learning actual "pieces" of music (or studies). Enjoy!

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here:

https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-33-studies-versus-bits-pieces

Playing *completely* free (without constraints of time, chords, scales, or other) is a great learning tool. See if you can incorporate the tips from this podcast in your daily practice. It's liberating to play free, and there are ways to do it that can encourage your musical growth. Enjoy! :-)

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here:

https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-32-playing-free-improving

In this podcast, we cover the basic chords found in both C melodic minor and C harmonic minor scales. This is generally a huge gap amongst students, so grab your guitar now, and learn those chords once and for all! Enjoy. :-)

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here:

https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-31-modes-c-melodic-c-harmonic-minor

Pop this quick micro podcast where we discuss the relevance of attending live jazz performances.

This podcast originally appeared on the blog here:

https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/podcast-30-live-shows-micro-podcast