Jazz guitar improvisation gets easier when you build it in layers. Start with the key of the tune and its pentatonic, analyze where the harmony goes, learn the melody and the chord functions by heart, find the anchor points, then outline each chord with its 1, 3 and 5, add the 7th, and finally add chromatic notes.
Before I moved to New York I lived in Tel Aviv, and I remember very vividly trying to understand how to solo over jazz standards. There seemed to be a huge gap between playing a blues, or a song with one center where you can use the pentatonic or one scale, and songs that are harmonically much more complex. I didn’t understand how to go about it. This lesson goes through eight points, from A to Z, using the tune Solar.
Step 1: zoom out to the key
Find the general key of the song and the pentatonic of that center, and solo with just that first. Solar is in C minor. It has strong, clear modulations, to E flat and to D flat, but the song is still in the key of C minor. So if I play C minor pentatonic over the whole tune, it’s going to sound pretty good.
In the video I only use those five notes, holding myself back. What I’m trying to prove is that even with five notes we can create a solo that’s interesting and still expresses the harmonic progression somehow.
Step 2: analyze the harmony
Find the centers, the points of gravity of the song. For me this isn’t a theoretical thing, it’s a very practical one, because I want to understand what’s happening there.
- Home. C minor, C minor 6 or even C minor major. That’s the tonic center.
- To F major. A ii-V-I that reinforces the fourth degree, with C7 as the secondary dominant.
- To E flat major. Another ii-V-I. E flat and C minor are very good friends, because they share all the same notes. If you know C minor, you also know E flat, and vice versa.
- To D flat major. The same trick, a ii-V-I, but D flat is definitely a different key.
- Back home. One more ii-V leads us back to C minor.
Solar is a 12-bar form that goes to the four chord (a major 7 here), so it reminds me of a blues, which helps me hear it.
Now we know what to practice: C minor, F major, E flat major and D flat major. Know those four keys flexibly, so you can connect C minor to F to E flat to D flat, and you can solo on this song. Take one area of the guitar and switch between the centers in quarter notes. It’s a lot of work, but if you want to solo comfortably it’s worth it. The ii V I guitar lesson is a good companion for this step.
Steps 3 and 4: know the melody and the harmony by heart
Learn the melody until you can play it anywhere, and learn the chords as functions, not just names. I heard “know the melody” many times, but it took me a second to really figure it out.
Really knowing it means playing it on one string, on two strings, in different keys and areas of the guitar, and understanding how each note relates to the center. In Solar you can see how the melody articulates the chords. You get a lot of 3rds in it, and the chromatic notes surround the important notes of the triads. Sometimes starting from an uncomfortable place and finding it there teaches you a lot. We see what we don’t hear and what we need to work on.
The melody is not just the melody. The melody is also the chords.
Rotem Sivan
Knowing the progression by heart isn’t just saying, oh, it’s Solar, it’s C minor, G minor, C7. I want to know: this is the one chord, my point of gravity. Then ii-V to the four, ii-V to the three, ii-V to the flat two, and ii-V back home. That’s a quick reduction, but it’s really what’s happening harmonically. Tag it again and again and you learn how it sounds, and when you’re soloing you’ll be clearer. Other songs are variations on the same moves, so once you’ve memorized the sound of the four or the flat two, you start seeing it in music, on the guitar and in the world.
Once that’s clear, take it to other keys. Play Solar in G minor. Maybe you’re not going to play that song tomorrow at a jam in G minor. Maybe you will. But doing it makes you stronger, and it makes C minor easier too.
Step 5: zoom in on the anchor points
Every song has more and less important points. Identify them and you can take your time.
On Solar, I articulate the C7 going to F, the B flat 7 to E flat, the A flat 7 into D flat, and then the G7. The ii chords aren’t as important. You can articulate them too, but what matters to me is seeing that change from minor into a major dominant, then to F. The keys here are far apart, F to E flat to D flat, so we have to articulate them. On a blues you can chill and have more time.
In the video I play C pentatonic and highlight just those moments where the center changes. A lot of times playing less information is really helpful. We don’t need a stream of 60 notes at all times. We still make music that’s relevant, because we’re connected to the song, the melody and the chords.
Steps 6 to 8: triads, 7ths and chromatic notes
Now outline every chord on the form, in time. It’s technical work, so put it in context on the song.
- Step 6: know your triads. Play the 1, 3 and 5 of each chord through the form, in time. If it’s too fast, take it slower. If that’s too fast, take it even slower. That’s not a problem, but keep it in time and on the form. Use half notes, quarter notes or eighth notes. That’s what I do when I practice over these songs. If triads are new to you, start with the guitar triads lesson.
- Step 7: add the 7th. Conveniently, it’s step number seven. Play the 1, 3, 5 and 7 of each chord on the form. First keep one subdivision going. Then chill out and switch between subdivisions to create music, still using only 1, 3, 5 and 7. It’s not a real solo yet, but it’s getting there.
- Step 8: add chromatic notes. Add chromatic notes to the 1, 3, 5 and to the 1, 3, 5, 7. Now this is really basically jazz. I’m thinking about the C minor center and C pentatonic, about the scales of F major and E flat, and I’m also very aware of the melody and the chord at hand, like E flat minor or A flat 7.
So many chords fly around all the time, but it’s a language. I’m taking the scales, the triads, the 1, 3, 5, 7 and the chromatic notes and making a big salad out of it. It takes time, and listening and transcribing are super important.
A practice idea for today
Pick one area of the guitar and play through the Solar form in quarter notes, switching between C minor, F major, E flat major and D flat major as the centers change. Then do one chorus with C minor pentatonic, highlighting the moments where the center changes: the C7, B flat 7, A flat 7 and G7. Be clear with yourself and honest about whether you hear it. If you don’t, that’s fine. Practice the part you’re not clear about.
If you want to go deeper, Solo Mastery is my full framework for improvising: over 40 concepts for soloing, 10 real performances broken down note by note, plus shell chords, harmony, ear training and rhythm work.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use one scale over a whole jazz standard?
As a starting point, yes. Solar is in C minor, and C minor pentatonic over the whole tune sounds pretty good, even with its modulations. With only five notes you can still make an interesting solo that expresses the progression. Then build up from there.
Do you need to know the melody to improvise over a jazz tune?
Yes. The melody is also the chords. Learn it on one string, two strings, in different keys and areas of the neck, and know how each note relates to the center. Then you can solo with the melody in mind.
What are anchor points in a jazz solo?
They’re the most important moments in the form, usually where the center changes. On Solar, they’re the dominants leading to new keys: C7 to F, B flat 7 to E flat, A flat 7 to D flat, and G7 back home. Highlight those and you can play less.
How do you practice arpeggios over jazz chord changes?
Play the 1, 3, 5 of each chord through the whole form in time, then the 1, 3, 5, 7. Use half notes, quarter notes or eighth notes, slow down whenever you need to, and stay on the form. Then switch subdivisions freely and add chromatic notes.
Take one step today, do it honestly, and come back for the next one tomorrow.
