Jazz lite
Three notes can carry a seventh chord: the root, the 3rd (major or minor), and the 7th (major or flat). That is a shell voicing — enough harmony to walk a ii–V–I without a six-string grip. v2 opens jazz; the dictionary still holds method-book sevenths, not a full extension chart.
Pair with Play along (progressions, titles only) · Chord dictionary · Scales ·.
Play becomes Stop on the same button. Tempo follows the metronome. TAB is high e on top — Foundations · TAB.
Shell voicings
Low to high, two useful orders: R–3–7 (3rd then 7th) and R–7–3 (7th then 3rd). Same three pitch classes; the 3 and 7 swap which string they sit on. Mute the unused strings.
A-string set — C shells
Root C on the A string, fret 3. R–3–7 stays on A–D–G. R–7–3 skips D and puts 7 and 3 on G and B.
R–3–7
e|----------------- B|----------------- G|-4---3---3------- B / Bb / Bb D|-2---1---2------- E / Eb / E A|-3---3---3------- C E|-----------------
Cmaj7 = C E B · Cm7 = C E♭ B♭ · C7 = C E B♭. Only the 3rd and 7th move. That is the whole colour change.
R–7–3
e|----------------- B|-5---4---5------- E / Eb / E G|-4---3---3------- B / Bb / Bb D|----------------- skip A|-3---3---3------- C E|-----------------
Same letters, 7th below the 3rd. Use this when the next chord’s guide tones want to move by a fret or two on G and B.
D-string set — G shells
Root G on the D string, fret 5. Friendlier box than C on this set (C is the same shapes twelve frets higher, or five frets up from G). R–3–7 on D–G–B; R–7–3 skips G and puts 7 and 3 on B and high e.
R–3–7
e|----------------- B|-7---6---6------- F# / F / F G|-4---3---4------- B / Bb / B D|-5---5---5------- G A|----------------- E|-----------------
R–7–3
e|-7---6---7------- B / Bb / B B|-7---6---6------- F# / F / F G|----------------- skip D|-5---5---5------- G A|----------------- E|-----------------
ii–V–I
The jazz cadence: minor 7 on scale degree 2, dominant 7 on 5, major 7 on 1. In C that is Dm7–G7–Cmaj7. In G, Am7–D7–Gmaj7. One bar each on ii and V, two bars on I — a four-bar loop.
The room dictionary has open G7, Am7, and D7. It does not have Dm7, Cmaj7, or Gmaj7. Where a seventh shape exists, the loop strums it. Where it is missing, you hear a shell (root + 3rd + 7th as fretted notes) — not a fake dictionary entry.
| Key | ii | V | I | How the model sounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dm7 (shell) | G7 (strum) | Cmaj7 (shell) | A-set shells + dictionary G7 |
| G | Am7 (strum) | D7 (strum) | Gmaj7 (D-set shell) | Am7 + D7 strums; I is the Gmaj7 shell |
Famous-title harmony (no melody): many standards sit on this cadence. Map a loop on Play along if you want campfire letters in the same keys. Scale work for Mixolydian / Dorian colour: Scales and Modes.
Swing feel & muted comping
Straight eighths split the beat in half. Swing eighths split it as a triplet: the first two parts tied, then the last part. Count 1-trip-let 2-trip-let; play on 1 and let. At slow tempos the long–short gap is obvious; as you go faster it tightens. The metronome still clicks quarters — you place the second note late, not the click.
Comping (accompanying) often leaves beat 1 open and chucks on 2 and 4 — muted eighths, not a full ring. That is a seed, not a transcribed chart.
e|----------------- B|----------------- G|-x---x---x---x--- muted swing eighths D|----------------- A|----------------- E|----------------- 1 2 3 4
Hold a C7 or G7 shell in the left hand while the right hand mutes. Compare straight muted eighths on Hands · palm mute.
Four to the bar
Before a jazz rhythm guitarist plays any fancy chord, they keep time: one short chord on every beat, four to the bar, all the way through the tune. It is the job the drummer’s hi-hat does, and it is the oldest rhythm-guitar sound in jazz. There is no pattern to learn. What matters is that the four strums are even and short.
- Set the metronome to 100 BPM. Hold the Cmaj7 R–3–7 shell from the A-string set.
- Strike only the three shell strings (A, D and G) together with a short down-stroke on every beat, 1 2 3 4, four strums to a bar. Use the pick lightly and keep the arm loose.
- Cut each chord short. Right after you strum, relax the left-hand pressure so the strings stop ringing, but keep your fingers on them. The sound is a short “chk”, not a ring.
- Keep all four strums the same volume. Do not accent beat 1. If you want a slight lean, put a little more weight on 2 and 4.
- Play two bars of Cmaj7, then change to C7 by lowering the G-string note one fret, then to Cm7 by also lowering the D-string note one fret. Make each change on beat 1 of the bar, without losing the pulse.
- Record two minutes. Listen for any strum that is louder, longer or earlier than the others. Those are what to fix.
Once it is steady, put it under a swung ride from the Drums room or the backing band. The four chords should lock to the ride or the walking bass, not fight it.
Dominant 7 → altered colour
A plain dominant is R–3–5–b7. Jazz players often add colour tones a half step above the root: the flat 9 (b9) and the sharp 9 (#9). On G7 that is A♭ and A♯/B♭ — two fretted notes, not a new dictionary chord. Play them as extras after the shell, then resolve to C. Generic colour, not a quoted lick.
e|----------------- B|----------------- G|-4---1---3------- B (3) · Ab (b9) · Bb (#9) D|-5--------------- G (root) stays A|----------------- E|-----------------
The 3rd (B) still says “this is major-third dominant.” The extra notes are paint. Resolve the colour into Cmaj7 (B and B♭ both want to move). Ear check:.