Masters of the Nylon String Guitar: Andres Segovia

In this series I will be covering some of the most influential figures of the nylon string guitar. This will include the fields of classical, Latin Jazz, Flamenco and world music. Andres Segovia Segovia was a hugely influential figure of the classical guitar.  He was born in 1893 in Linares, Jaén. Interestingly he did not […]

How to solo over Girl From Ipanema

In video we will explore the scales the you can use over The Girl From Ipanema. Improvising blends your knowledge of harmony, scales, voice leading and technique. The scales that I use here are only one option but I think they work well in a Latin Jazz context. I have included a backing track for […]

Top 5 Mistakes Guitarists Make

Counting down my top 5 mistakes guitarists make. Note that these mistakes are not entirely just guitarist mistakes but are still very important things to try and improve on: 5. Right Hand Organisation I often see guitar students pay a lot of attention to their left hand but not enough to their right-hand work. It’s […]

Essential Latin Guitar Scales

Latin Guitar Scales you need for know  (Great for improvising) Harmonic minor played over Am – E7 The A harmonic minor is a natural minor scale with a sharp 7th degree. This scale has a dark and moody feel and is characterized by a minor third interval which gives it a lot of tension. The […]

Learn Modes on the Guitar

Modes are types of scales, they include the major and natural minor scale but also include other more interesting scales which feature in Latin Jazz flamenco and Brasilian music as well. In this tutorial, we’ll look at modes on the guitar. I will try shed some light on this often confusing topic. I thought the […]

Flamenco Improvising over Spanish Cadence Tutorial

 I’ve had a few comments about improvising over flamenco chords and in particular over the Spanish Cadence. The Spanish Cadence is a very common chord progression that occurs in Spanish music and flamenco which uses the chords IV – III – II – I. It is usually in a minor key and often occurs […]

The Mixolydian Scale

   The Mixolydian mode is a useful scale mainly for playing over blues and dominant 7th chords. It is similar to a major scale but has a flattened 7th degree. Let’s look at an example, you can improvise over a C7 chord using a C Mixolydian scale. The chord tones in C7 are C […]

5 Essential Latin Chords

Latin Jazz includes jazz music that is written in a Jazz style. These pieces usually take the form of Bossa Novas, Sambas, Cha-Chas, Mambos, and more. Here are some common jazz chords found in Latin Jazz Guitar Pieces. Minor 7 This minor 7 chord is part of the Minor Chord Family (there are 5 chord […]