How 2 Play Jazz Guitar

1

Table of Contents
Introduction .............................
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................... 5
Charlie Christian Biography ..........................

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Charlie Christian’s Inuences...........

Inuences........................
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......88
Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman ............

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Charlie & Bebop ...........

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Charlie Christian’s Guitar Technique ...........

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Charlie’s End .............

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....13
Charlie Christian’s Gear ............................

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Charlie Christian’s Guitars ............

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Charlie Christian’s Amps.............

Amps..........................
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Charlie Christian Discography...........................

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Chapter 1 - Chord Concepts

Concepts ...........................
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Minor Family Shapes ............

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Dominant Family Shapes ...........

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Major Family Shapes .........................

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....35
Diminished Family Shapes ................................

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Comping Study – Beginner ...........

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Comping Study – Intermediate .............

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Single Note Concepts - Arpeggios ..........................

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Major Family Arpeggios .................................

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................47
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Dominant Family Chords ...........

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Minor Family Chords.............

Chords.........................
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Diminished Family Chords ..................................

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Single Note Concepts - Scales

Scales .............................
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................... 85
Major Family Chords .............................

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Dominant Family Chords ...........

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Minor Family Chords.............

Chords.........................
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..101
Diminished Family Chords ...........

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Soloing Study - Dinah

Dinah........................
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..120
Soloing Techniques - Chromatics

Chromatics ...........................
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Approach Notes
Notes.........................
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Blues Notes .............

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Passing Notes .............

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Enclosures ............
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Soloing Study - Rose Room ...........

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Soloing Techniques – Concepts .........................

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Repetition ...........
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Phrasing.............................
Phrasing..........................................
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Chord Substitutions ...........

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Soloing Study – Seven Come Eleven ............

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.170
About The Author .............................

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...... 174

Introduction
Welcome to this Charlie Christian performance guide eBook, great to have you here!
In this eBook, you’ll focus on breaking

down the various parts of Christian’s
soloing approach, so that you can use
those techniques to create your own
jazz guitar solos.
The main sections of his approach

that you’ll explore are chord shapes
(which he used to base his single-
note lines), scales, arpeggios, licks,

patterns, and more.
As Christian based his soloing lines

o of common guitar shapes, you’ll
start by learning these shapes, then
build up in each chapter from there.
Using chord shapes as the basis for
single-note lines isn’t for everyone,
some people can use it comfortably and others

oth ers struggle to see the fretboard in that way.
Because of this, the book separates these items into dierent chapters, as opposed to
placing them side-by-side as other Christian instructional books often do. This way, you
can learn the chords in the beginning of the book, then use them to build your comping
skills, or pair them up with scales and arps later in the book.
If you decide to pair up your arps and scales with chord shapes, each scale or arpeggio
ngering has text that tells you which chords they pair up with on guitar.

Lastly, while learning technical shapes is important, learning Christian’s vocabulary will
get you directly into his thought process as you study his material on guitar.
To help you get into the Christian’s

Christ ian’s ears and head when he was soloing,
solo ing, there are dozens
of licks and phrases included in this eBook. There are also sample solos that you can
learn that bring the technical items you’ll study into a practical, musical situation.
Each of these licks and solos is based o of famous Christian performances, and will
help you dig into his vocabulary as well as the technical components of his playing.
Have fun with this material. Take your time, work each section slowly, and build your
understanding of Christian’s soloing approach in the woodshed.
Thanks for checking out this eBook, we hope you dig it!
Matt & Dirk

Charlie Christian Biography
There’s no question that Charlie Christian represents the genesis of modern jazz guitar.
guitar.
Christian’s uid, melodic lines that could swing like a horn, set the gold standard and
template for virtually all jazz guitarists to
guitarists to follow.
Until Christian hit the scene, the guitar was predominantly a secondary voice, constrained
to a rhythmic role.
role.
Although players such as Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson and Django Reinhardt
represented early proponents of the acoustic jazz guitar as a dominant
solo instrument, Christian not only took the guitar to a new level of electric
amplication, he jettisoned it into a lead solo spot that would gain greater
prominence and endure until this day.
It’s safe to say that if not for Charlie Christian’s brilliant work in electric jazz guitar, there
wouldn’t have been a Wes Montgomery,
Montgomery, George Benson, John McLaughlin, Chuck Berry,
Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix.

Charlie Christian’s Infuences
All jazz guitar players who came on the scene between 1940 and the 1960s
1960s cut their
teeth on the solos of Charlie Christian who’s style and approach served as a foundation
to their cognitive grasp of jazz guitar.
Christian’s style was a direct ancestor of the bop sound which

sound which eventually evolved into
the more complex styling of Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith, and Joe Pass.
However, Christians inuence was so pervasive and far ranging, it even infected his
direct competitors as well as followers such as Tiny Grimes, Billy Bauer, Billy Bean, Les
Paul, Oscar Moore, Herb Ellis, Jimmy Raney and Barney Kessel, all of whom continued to
expand upon Christian’s basic model with incredible creativity, each developing his own
unique voice that would in turn, continue Christian’s legacy of jazz
of jazz guitar evolution.
evolution.
No doubt Christian himself was probably

probab ly inuenced and inspired by the virtuosos of his
h is
time like Eddie Lang and Django Reinhardt. Christian was the rst to explore the new
realm of amplifed electric guitar,
guitar, as opposed to Lang and Django,
Django , who played acoustic
models.
Christian’s primary musical inuence, in terms of his articulated swinging solos, was
legendary saxophonist Lester Young.
Young. It was Young’s mercurial sax that seized the
imagination of Christian and stimulated his quest to develop a similar sound on the
guitar. By emulating a sax, Christian was able to meticulously develop a uid guitar solo
technique that was unprecedented in jazz guitar history.

Christian, who left this planet at the age of 25,

25, was originally a piano player in Oklahoma.
After leaving his birthplace of Texas (by 1937) he began to experiment with the electric,
amplied guitar after studying with the inventor of the guitar amplier, Eddie Durham.
Durham.
Originally using a primitive acoustic guitar with an attached pick-up, he used the new
amplier to excite audiences wherever he performed, eventually catching the attention
of pianist Mary Lou Williams in
Williams in 1939.
It was Williams who introduced Christian to producer John

producer John Hammond...
Hammond...

10
Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman

In 1939, Charlie was invited by Hammond to try out
o ut for Benny Goodman’s Sextet in
Sextet in Los
Angeles.
Goodman was the rst white bandleader who employed black musicians, but during
a short audition he
audition he wasn’t impressed by Christian’s playing. Hammond didn’t give up
though and snuck Charlie on stage during a concert without informing Goodman.
Goodman got angry because of this and launched his song Rose Room, assuming Charlie
didn’t know it. Charlie knew the song and his
hi s solo impressed Goodman, who immediately
immedia tely
became infatuated by his guitar abilities, calling it “unbelievable
“unbelievable.”
.”
Benny Goodman accepted Christian as his guitarist for the next two years, prominently
featuring him whenever possible including his most famous of all solos, Solo Flight.
Flight.
Countless famous guitarists have mentioned Solo Flight
Flight as the primary impetus that
drove their interest and inspiration for playing jazz guitar.
Many of Christian’s solo line concepts were reected in tunes like Seven Come Eleven,
Charlie’s Idea and Breakfast Feud.
Charlie Christian played in the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra from August 1939
until June
until June 1941.
1941.

11
Charlie & Bebop

Christian was one of the pioneers and key gures of the bebop era, and played an
important role in the transition from swing to bebop.
bebop.
While performing at Minton’s Playhouse in

Playhouse in 1940, Christian jammed with some of the
jazz worlds most famous budding talents, such as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker,
Kenny Clark and many more.
It was Minton’s Playhouse that Christian found

fou nd a second home, performing with many of
the jazz
the jazz greats who
greats who found a haven there to experiment and jam. Following his daytime
duties with Benny Goodman, Christian would quickly run to Minton’s and dazzle
audiences night after night.

12
Charlie Christian’s Guitar Technique

Christian’s innovative technique very likely had such an impact
imp act on other musicians, that it
might have laid the groundwork
groundwork for
for expanding the harmonic boundaries of jazz soloing.
Charlie Christian did not only inuence Dizzy Gillespie

Gillespie and Thelonious Monk, but his
playing eventually lead to the groundbreaking experimentations of Charlie Parker, which
directly lead to the dissonant sounds of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and
a new generation of jazz innovation.
His technique encompasses a vast clinic on how to play owing, modulated, jazz lines
over multiple chord progressions that
progressions that are strongly rooted in diatonic harmony.
Christian was one of the rst jazz guitarists to creatively execute uid
single note lines that dened the melodic harmonic points and extended
harmonies of the diatonic progression in a linear fashion.
His notes are crisply picked, articulated cascades of improvisation strongly simulating
the swing era sax lines such as Lester Young.
Young.
Charlie Christian used the entire neck in

neck in the manner that most jazz greats do, accessing
the full length of the fretboard in order to facilitate
facili tate dexterity, pitch, and sonic ambience.
Charlie used a technique that is now quiet common in jazz music, but not at that time,
called tension and release.
release. This technique helped to keep the music interesting for the
listener. Tension is usually built up on the dominant chord by using altered chords and
released on the tonic chord.

13
Charlie’s End
Although Charlie Christian was not a
a drug addict (like
addict (like many of his colleagues), his lifestyle
was hectic, staying late at jam sessions and not eating very well.
In 1940 he was hospitalized a few times to be treated for tuberculosis

tuberculosis..
Not being able to adapt his lifestyle, he was hospitalized again early 1942 in NY, where
he died March 2 at the age of 25.
25. He is buried in Bonham, Texas.
Although Christian’s time on this planet was tragically abbreviated

abbreviated,, his mark will be
indelibly carved into the historic evolutionary root of modern jazz guitar soloing.
Charlie’s brief catalog of guitar work has become the conscious and unconscious DNA
of all jazz
all jazz guitarists
guitarists who have followed, and could be dened as the one guitar who
spawned all succeeding jazz guitarists.
It is no exaggeration that by historical standards, Christian can justiably referred to as

the “father
“father”” of modern jazz guitar.
- Bio by Jef Aarons (Edited by Matt Warnock)

14
Charlie Christian’s Gear
One of the reasons why Christian was able to build his legacy in the way he did, was his
access to the newest technological developments of
developments of his time.
Because he was able to use electric guitars with pickups, and plug those
guitars into amps, he could play single-note runs like a horn player, and be
heard over the band.
This allowed Christian to explore soloing on the guitar in

guitar in a way his predecessors had
never been able to do, and set the stage for every jazz guitarist who followed.
In this section of the eBook, you’ll look at the gear
gear that helped Christian develop his
sound, and revolutionize jazz guitar at the same time.

15
Charlie Christian’s Guitars

To begin your review of Christian’s gear, you’ll explore the two main guitars
guitars that he
used throughout his recording and performing career.
As he was at the forefront of the electric guitar and amp revolution,

revolution, Christian used the
best guitars available to him at the time, Gibson archtop guitars with pickups.
Because he died at such an early age, he wasn’t able to see the evolution of the electric
guitar and amps that came in the 1950 and ‘60s.
‘60s.
But, his contribution to the instrument, in the Charlie Christian Pickup,

Pickup, can be felt even
until this day.
Gibson ES-150
The guitar that Christian played the most, and that most people associate with the
guitarist, is the Gibson ES-150.
ES-150.
ES stands for “Electric

“Electric Spanish,”
Spanish,” and the number 150 indicates that it cost $150 to
purchase when rst released in 1936.
The guitar also came with a 15-foot guitar cable and

cable and EH-150 amp, and it was the rst
electric guitar that achieved commercial success on the instrument market.
As you can imagine, the guitar became an instant favorite of jazz

of jazz band guitarists
guitarists,, as it
was amplied and therefore could be heard over the sound of the rest of the band.
Because of this amplifcation

amplifcation,, guitarists such as Christian were able to explore single-
note soloing in a whole new way, as their lines could cut through a band.
This opened up new possibilities from an instrumental

instrumental,, technical, and musical perspective
that guitarists such as Christian took full advantage of in their playing.

16
The Gibson ES-150 was made with an arched spruce top,

top, solid maple back and sides, a
mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard.
As well, the guitar featured a neck-position pickup that

pickup that became known as the Charlie
Christian Pickup.
This pickup is so desirable that companies will make exact replicas of it today, and was
used by Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, and Wes Montgomery,
Montgomery, among others.
I, Mytto, via Wikimedia Commons

17
Gibson ES-250
Along with the ES-150, Christian performed on the Gibson ES-250,

ES -250, which was released in
1939 and cost $250 at the time of its release.

The ES-250 was released as the “2nd
“2nd edition”
edition” of
the 150, and was built with a 17” body width and
21” length.
The guitar was built with a curly maple back,

spruce top, maple neck, and rosewood
ngerboard, which was slightly dierent in
comparison to the 150 models.
models.
Both guitars used the Charlie Christian Pickup,

though the 250 didn’t incorporate that pickup
until a later version of
version of the guitar was released.
Similar in tone to the 150, both producing a

warm, fat sound,
sound, this was a go-to guitar for
Christian after it’s release up until his death in
1942.

18
Other Guitars
Though he mostly played the ES-150 and 250 guitars, there is one photo that exists of
Christian playing a Vega guitar
guitar and amp. While this photo suggests that he did play
other guitars besides Gibson, it’s not certain how often he did, or even if this photo was
a one-o occasion.
occasion.
Before he died, Gibson produced an L-5 model for Christian,

Christian, that contained the Charlie
Christian pickups, but it wasn’t ready before he death. Though he never played that
guitar, it’s interesting to speculate on the sounds that Christian would have produced
with that style of jazz
of jazz guitar at
guitar at his ngertips.

19
Charlie Christian’s Amps

As amp technology was at its infant stages during Christian’s career, his choices were
slim for reliable technology.
technology.
Again turning to the Gibson brand, Christian normally played two Gibson models, the
EH-150 and 185.
185.
Though these were his go-to amps during his career, there is one photo mentioned
earlier where he plays a Vega amplifer.
amplifer. It’s not known how often he played that amp,
so it isn’t included in the description of his main guitar amps below.
Gibson EH-150
Used as Christian’s main guitar amp, an interesting fact about the EH-150 is that it was
built before the Gibson ES-150 guitar,
guitar, as it was used by lap steel players.
The EH-150 had a 10” speaker,

speaker, with one mic input, three instrument inputs, volume
control, a bass expander, and echo speaker jack.
The amp was small, and came as a package with the Gibson ES-150 guitar, and was later
lat er
replaced by the larger, 12” EH-185
12” EH-185 by many players, including Christian.
Being a popular amp of the time, the EH-150 was used by other legendary guitarists
such as Django Reinhardt and
Reinhardt and Mary Osborne.

20
Gibson EH-185
Made with a ip-top, and a two-piece head and speaker, the EH-185 was a larger
larger,, more
powerful version of the EH-150.
Featuring a 12” speaker and 18 watts of power, compared to the 15 watts the

watts the EH-150
produced, the 185 gave Christian more volume to cut through his ensembles.
The controls for the EH-185 were similar

similar to
to the 150, though this model did come with a
variable tone control that gave Christian more tonal options with his guitar.

21
Charlie Christian Discography
One of the most disappointing aspects of Christian’s career

ca reer is that he never recorded an
album as a bandleader.
bandleader.
While recordings exist of his playing, they’re under other leader’s names, or are amateur
recordings of jams and rehearsal that Christian
Christian participated
participated in.
Below are a list of essential recordings that fans, or newcomers

newcomers,, of Christian’s will want
to have in their library.
As there are many compilations of his playing,

playing, often containing the same songs just
under a dierent album title, these recordings give you the full Christian experience.
Recordings
* Electric – With the Benny Goodman Sextet and Charlie Christian Quartet

22
* Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra
* Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian

23
* The Genius Of The Electric Guitar
* Guitar Wizard

24
* Live at Minton’s Playhouse
* The Complete RCA Victor Recordings – Dizzy Gillespie

25
Films
* Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian
* Charlie Christian: The Life & Music of the Legendary Jazz Guitarist

26
Chapter 1 - Chord Concepts
When studying the playing of Charlie Christian, the main point to take away
is that he based his soloing lines around chord shapes.
The arpeggio, scale, and chromatic ideas that

ideas that are found in his playing can all be related
back to familiar (and often simple) chord shapes on the fretboard. Because of this, you’ll
begin your study of Christian’s playing style by learning the shapes that he used as the
foundation for
foundation for his single-note solos.
As was mentioned in the introduction, each of those concepts has been separated in
this eBook for those that prefer to keep them separate in
separate in their playing.
• When learning these chords shapes, you can memorize

memorize them
them and use them in your
comping and chord soloing phrases.
• Or, if you prefer, you can treat them as Christian did and

did and pair them up with arpeggios,
scales, and chromatic concepts to form the foundation for your solos.
Whichever way you choose to use these shapes in your playing, learning them and having
havi ng
them under your ngers is essential learning for
learning for any jazz guitarist. Take your time with
these chord shapes, memorize them, and work on playing them over tunes you know or
are working on in the practice room.
The more familiar with these chords you are, the easier it’ll be
be to use them in your
playing, and to pair them up with arpeggios and scales if you choose to do so.
Have fun with these chord shapes as

a s well, and don’t skip over any that seem “too easy” or
simple to spend time on. Even the simplest shapes can open new doors in
doors in your playing.
Besides, if they were good enough for Christian to use, they’re probably important
enough for us to spend time getting them under our ngers and into our playing.

27
Minor Family Shapes

You’ll start out with breaking down Christian’s chord shapes, which he used to base his
soloing lines o of, with minor family chords.
chords.
The two main chord types in this section are minor and m7 (minor
m7 (minor 7) chords, which have
the following interval construction:
As the ii V and ii V I chord

I chord progressions weren’t as popular in Christian’s
Christia n’s era as they were
in later jazz eras, minor family chords were often tonic sounds when applied to tunes.
Because of this, you can work these shapes to be used as Im and Im7 chords, but also
adapt them to
them to be used as iim7 chords in more modern progressions.
As was mentioned earlier, Christian’s playing inuenced

inuenced every
every player that came after
him in one-way or another, but that didn’t meant they stopped there. Those later
l ater players
such as Montgomery, Kessel, and others, took Christian’s approaches and adapted them
for their eras.
So, even if you don’t have an interest in pre-bop music,

music, you can learn a lot from Christian’s
approach to jazz guitar, and adapt it to your own musical style.

28
Minor Chord Shapes
To begin, you’ll learn four minor triad shapes

shapes that can be used as the basis for your
Christian-style minor family lines and phrases.
While most players after Christian would play m7 chords at

chords at a minimum, Christian was
still part of an era where minor chords were used in tunes and progressions. Because
of this, you can begin your minor family chord study with minor triad shapes, before
moving on to m7 chord shapes from that starting point.
Sometimes the simplest ideas lead to the biggest revelations

revelations in your playing. Even
though these shapes look simple, take some time to get them down; you never know
what new doors they’ll open up in your playing.
Audio Example 1
Click here to play audio example

29
m7 Chord Shapes
As well as basing his lines o of minor chords, Christian also used m7 shapes to
shapes to derive
his soloing lines and phrases.
Here are four m7 chord shapes that you should learn and apply to your comping and
chord soloing, as well as use as the basis for your soloing lines if
lines if you choose.
Though he did use m6, m9, and m11 sounds

m11 sounds in his solos, those colors were derived by
focusing on particular scale tones in his lines. Because of this, you don’t need to learn
chord shapes for those colors right now.
Instead, you can learn m7 chords, then color those

t hose shapes when you work on the Dorian
scale and
scale and other minor sounds later on in this eBook.
Audio Example 2
Click here to play audio example 2

30
Dominant Family Shapes

Dominant family chords
chords are some of the most common changes that you nd in
Christian era tunes, and therefore in his improvised solos.
Because the ii V I wasn’t used very often in Christian’s era (compared to jazz
eras that followed), V7-V7-I was much more common in major and minor
keys.
Since the V7 chord was so prevalent

prevalent,, working dominant family shapes in your studies is
an important aspect of developing the Christian sound.
Later in this eBook, you’ll look at ways of applying diminished sounds to creating 7alt
chords,, which give you an option for altered chords in this style.
chords
For now, you’ll focus on 7th shapes,

shapes, and some extensions such as 9ths and 13ths, which
Christian used as the basis for his soloing lines much more consistently.
It may seem weird to think of V7 to Imaj7 and V7 to Im7 as

Im7 as being the same thing, but in
Christian’s mind they basically were. Rather than have one dominant shape for major
keys and one for minor, Christian tended to use the same V7 shapes for both.
Because this style of playing has grown over the years to incorporate more 7alt sounds,
you will explore those ideas later
ideas later in the book.

31
V7 Chord Shapes
The rst group of dominant family chord shapes is based on 7th chords:
These shapes cover the entire fretboard, and can be used to pair up with the 7th-chord
arpeggios and Mixolydian scale later
scale later on in this eBook.
Because you’re working each foundational aspect separately, chords-arpeggios-scales,

be sure to memorize these shapes so
shapes so you can quickly reference them later.
Even if you decide that you aren’t comfortable basing your soloing lines
lines o of these
chord shapes, they’re worth learning and applying to your playing.
Modern guitarists, even playing in a traditional style,

style, are expected to comp, and
sometimes chord solo, over tunes in any jam situation. Having these shapes under your
ngers will allow you do comp and chord solo with condence, as well as use them to
build your single-note solos if you choose.

32
Audio Example 3

33
Extended 7th Chord Shapes
Because dominant chords were very common in Christian’s

Chris tian’s era, and they hold a number
of common extensions,
extensions, you can work these extensions in your studies.
These extended shapes are closely related to the 7th chords you previously
previo usly learned, but
they feature the 9th and/or 13th intervals add
intervals add on top of those chords.
As you’ll see in the major family chord section, you don’t have to work these extensions
into your chord shapes to use those sounds in those solos. Instead, you can build your
foundation around 7th chords, and then work the 9th and 13th sounds into your playing
with arpeggios and scale shapes.
shapes.
But, because these chords will come up in both Christian’s era tunes and
tunes and modern tunes,
they’re worth at least exploring to get these sounds into your ears.

34
Audio Example 4

4

35
Major Family Shapes

Moving on, you’ll now look at a number of major family
family chord shapes, built around
major and maj7 chords.
These chords
chords are
are built with the following interval patterns:
While Christian often favored maj6 sounds in

sounds in his solos, those phrases were created by
working diatonic notes around the chord shapes found below.
Because of this, you don’t have to learn a number of chord variations in

variations in this family, such
as 6 and maj9 etc. Instead, you can work the shapes below, and then when you add in
the arpeggios, scales, and chromatic notes later in this eBook, those sounds
soun ds will become
available.
Keeping things simple,

simple, based around a few chords shapes and expanding them with
arpeggios and scales, makes it easier to apply these sounds to your solos. Rather than
over complicate things in the beginning, work these shapes to create a solid visual
foundation that you can then use to build more complex sounds later on.

36
Major Chord Shapes
As Christian played in an era where major chords would be used, rather than always
being maj7 or maj6 chords,
chords, it’s advisable to study those shapes in your playing.
In this section, you’ll learn four major chord shapes, built on triads with no major 7ths,
7ths,
which Christian used to build his single-note soloing phrases.
Audio Example 5

37
Maj7 Chord Shapes
As well as base his lines around major triad shapes, Christian also based his arpeggios
and scales around maj7 chord shapes.
chord shapes.
Here are four common ngerings that you can learn and use as the foundation for major
family arpeggios and
arpeggios and chord shapes.
Audio Example 6

38
Diminished Family Shapes

The last group of chords is the least common in
common in Christian’s playing, but they do pop up
from time to time and are worth studying.
There are two types of chords in this section, half diminished (m7b5) and diminished
(dim7),, which are built with the following interval patterns.
(dim7)
Though you won’t nd as many examples of these chords in tunes that Christian played
compared to 7th, maj7, and m7 chords, they do crop up in
up in his playing.
As well, if you’re looking to adapt the Christian style to

style to other tunes, written after his era,
both of these chords will be much more commonly used. Because of this, it’s important
to spend time getting them under your ngers, and then using
us ing them as the basis for the
arpeggio and scale shapes later in this eBook.

39
m7b5 Chord Shapes
Though it was rare for

rare for Christian to use m7b5 chords in his playing, there are two shapes
included here, as you’ll see m7b5 chords in many jazz standards. Here are two shapes
that are based on dim7 chords that Christian used, which you can pair up with the
Locrian scale and m7b5 arpeggio in upcoming sections.
Often, when studying historical gures, you’ll nd that certain aspects of later jazz eras
weren’t popular when that player was on the scene. Therefore, you need to adapt a bit
of their approach so
approach so that you can apply their playing style to any musical situation,
situatio n, even
more modern ones.
The m7b5 chord,

chord, and later scale and arpeggio, is an example of this type of practice
approach in regards to Christian’s style of playing.
Audio Example 7

40
Dim7 Chord Shapes
You’ll also learn two dim7 chord shapes that

shapes that Christian used to base his arpeggio and
scale shapes in his playing.
Because dim7 chords can be moved up or down by 4 frets at

frets at a time to form the next
inversion (with the same shape), these are very versatile chords.
For example, if you play the rst Adim7 chord on

chord on the 4th fret, it’s the same notes but in
a dierent order, so still an Adim7 chord but on a dierent part of the fretboard.
Because of this, you can learn just two shapes,

shapes, and then move them around the neck to
match up with your arpeggio and scale shapes if you choose to do so.
Audio Example 8

41
Comping Study – Beginner

To help you get these chords further under your ngers and into your ears, you can
apply them to a jazz
a jazz blues chord progression in
progression in this beginner chord study.
The study uses chords from the previous examples in

examples in a musical situation, allowing you
to work them from both a technical and practical standpoint.
Feel free to learn each four-bar phrase

phrase one at a time to make it easier to read and
memorize this study.
From there, you can glue each phrase together to form the progression
progression as
as a whole.
There’s also a backing track

track for you to use when practicing the study, as well as for
building your own comping studies, and comping in the moment with these chords.

42
Audio Example 9 Backing Track 1

9 Click here for backing track 1

43
Comping Study – Intermediate

After you’ve learned the rst chord study, or if you feel ready for a challenge
challenge right
right away,
you can learn this intermediate level chord study.
Again, work the phrases separately to help with memorization

memorization,, and jam along to the
track with your own chord shapes for an extra challenge.
When you’ve learned both chord studies, you can practice them back-to-back
back-to-back to
to see and
hear the dierence between the chords used in each example.

44

10 Click here for backing track 1

45
Single Note Concepts - Arpeggios
Now that you’ve worked out the chord shapes that Christian used to create his single-
note lines, you’re ready to work on single note concepts.
concepts.
The rst single note concept that you’ll explore is Christian’s arpeggio
arpeggio technique.
technique.
Arpeggios and arpeggio-based lines

lines are commonly found in Christian’s improvised
solos, as they are of any player from his era. Because of this, and because they outline
chord changes
changes more directly than scales, arpeggios are an essential tool for any jazz
guitarist to have under their ngers.
In each section, you’ll learn how to play two larger arpeggio shapes
shapes for each chord
covered, one starting on the 6th string and one of the 5th string.
From there, you can learn the smaller 4th-string shapes if

shapes if you feel you want to move on
to a third option in your arpeggio studies.
As well as working the shapes in this section, you’ll learn three Christian-style arpeggio
licks for each arpeggio family.
family. This will allow you to integrate these shapes into your
solos in a musical fashion, as well as study common Christian vocabulary at the same
time.
Before you begin studying these shapes, it’s important to address the fact that Christian,
though he studied theory,
theory, probably didn’t think in scales and arpeggios. Whether he
saw shapes on the guitar, or used his ears and some theory, or a combination of all
three, it’s not entirely certain.
What is certain is that his lines used shapes that we recognize today as being common
guitar arpeggio and
arpeggio and scale patterns. Because of this, you can use the information taken
from analyzing Christian’s solos and build shapes on the guitar that you can learn and
use in your solos.
Shapes such as arpeggios and scales aren’t the ends, but they are a means to an end,

46
and a helpful
helpful way
way to understand what legends like Christian were thinking. They also
allow you to visualize specic sounds on the guitar, such as notes that you can use to
solo over various chord shapes.

47
Major Family Arpeggios

The rst groups of arpeggios that you’ll study are major family shapes
shapes that Christian
often used in his solos.
The two arpeggios used in this section are major and maj7 arpeggios,
maj7 arpeggios, and the interval
structures for these arpeggios are:
As you work on these shapes, make sure to memorize

memorize them
them as well as solo with them
over backing tracks in your practice routine. This will ensure that you learn the shapes,
but are also adept at using them to create improvised lines and phrases when the time
comes to use them on a jam or gig.

48
Major Family Arpeggio Shapes
You’ll now begin to explore these arpeggios on the guitar as you rst learn how to play
a major arpeggio from the 6th-string
6th-string root
root note.
This shape can be paired up with major chords and scales that have a root note on the
6th, 4th, and/or 1st strings.
strings.
After you’ve memorized this shape, use backing tracks to

tracks to solo with this arpeggio over
single major chords, ii V I vamps, and full jazz tunes.
Audio Example 11

49
You’ll now move on to a major arpeggio from the 5th-string

5th-string root
root note.
This shape can be paired alongside major chords and scales

sca les that have root notes on the
5th or 3rd strings.
strings.
Once you have this shape under your ngers, you can solo over a major chord and
switch between the 6th and 5th-string major shapes in your lines. This will allow you to
use these arpeggios to outline those changes,
changes, and cover a wide section of the fretboard
at the same time.
Audio Example 12

50
You’ll now add in the major 7th interval as you learn a maj7 arpeggio with
arpeggio with the root note
on the 6th string.
This shape can be paired up with any major chord or scale that has a root note on the
6th, 4th, or 1st string.
string.
When you have this shape under your ngers, put on a backing track, one chord, ii V I
vamp, or full tune, and work this shape over those changes.
changes.
Audio Example 13

51
In the next shape, you’ll play a maj7 arpeggio from the 5th-string
5th-string root
root note.
Once you have this shape down, you can pair it with major chords and scales that have
root notes on the 5th or 3rd strings.
strings.
Audio Example 14

52
Moving on to the next string set, here’s a major arpeggio from the 4th-string root.
root.
Because there’s a bit of a stretch between the 5th and second root, you can use your
ring fnger on
fnger on the 5th to make your pinky available to hit the root on the 2nd string.
This might be a big stretch for

stretch for you, if so, feel free to shift positions to make it easier to
“jump” to your 3rd nger rather than stretch over to reach that note.
Audio Example 15

53
The last shape is a maj7 arpeggio with the root note on the 4th-string
4th-string..
When pairing this shape up with chords and scales, you can mix it together with major
chords and scales that have a root on the 4th and/or 2nd string.
string.
After you’ve worked this shape out in the practice

p ractice room, mix it together with the
t he previous
major 4th-string shape to
shape to compare those two sounds in your solos.
Audio Example 16

54
Major Family Arpeggio Licks
You’ll now take these arpeggio shapes and apply them to musical situations by learning
Christian-inspired major family licks.
licks.
This rst phrase uses the Fmaj7 arpeggio over

arpeggio over the underlying chord, with one common
and important alteration, the 6th (the note D), is added in.
Christian loved to use the 6th mixed

6th mixed in with his major family
famil y arpeggios, and it’s a sound
that you can integrate into your own playing as well.
Audio Example 17

55
In the next lick you’ll use two types of triplets (8th

triplets (8th and quarter notes triplets), both of
which were an integral part of the Christian sound.
By mixing in various rhythms,

rhythms, such as you nd in this line, you’re able to be creative and
build interest even when sticking to a one-octave arpeggio shape.
Studying Christian’s playing is a lesson in simplicity, in a very positive way.
As you’ll see later in this eBook, he was able to use one note, or one-octave shapes, to
create memorable lines. Christian taught us all that less is often more when
more when it comes to
jazz improvisation.
Audio Example 18

56
The nal lick mixes in that classic 6th interval that

interval that Christian loved to blend into his maj7
arpeggio lines.
The note D in the second bar adds avor to

avor to the line but not too much to distract from
the overall sound of the maj7 arpeggio.
Keep working on mixing in the 6th to your

you r major and maj7 arpeggio lines as
lines as you integrate
that popular Christian sound into your improvised phrases.
Audio Example 19

57
Dominant Family Chords

In the next section, you’ll learn how to play Christian-style dominant arpeggios across
arpeggios across a
number of string sets on the guitar.
The two arpeggios you’ll cover in this section are 7th and 9th arpeggios,
arpeggios, which have the
following interval structures:
You’ll stick to these shapes for now in your studies, and then as you get into the scale
section and chromatic section,
section, begin to add color tones to these arpeggios.
Building a strong foundation

foundation of 7th arpeggios, and some 9ths, will allow you to nail
chord tones in your solos, and then add in color tones from scales as you progress.

58
Dominant Family Arpeggio Shapes
You’ll now take these shapes to the fretboard as you learn how to play dominant family
arpeggios on dierent string sets.
sets.
The rst shape is the 7th arpeggio from the 6th-string

6th-string root
root note.
When working this shape with chords and scales, you can pair it up with dominant chords
and scales that have a root note on the 6th, 4th, and/or 1st strings.
strings.
After memorizing this shape, and working it in a few keys, put on a backing track and
track and
practice soloing with this arpeggio in various musical situations.
Audio Example 20

59
In the next arpeggio, you’ll learn a 7th shape with the root on the 5th string.
string.
After learning this shape, you can pair it up with any dominant chord or scale that has a
root note on the 5th or 3rd strings.
strings.
When you have this shape down, put on a backing track and practice soloing between
soloing between
the previous shape and this one on the guitar. That’ll allow you to work these shapes
together, and cover more ground on the fretboard in your dominant arpeggio soloing
lines.
Audio Example 21

60
As well as working 7th arpeggios, you can also add the 9th in
9th in to get an extended arpeggio
shape into your Christian-style soloing lines and phrases.
This 9th arpeggio begins on the 5th string,

string, and can be paired with dominant chords
ch ords and
scales that have 5th-string root notes.
Audio Example 22

61
The nal dominant arpeggio shape begins with the 4th-string root note.
note.
This arpeggio can be paired up with any dominant chord or scale that has a root note
on the 4th or 2nd strings.
strings.
Audio Example 23

62
Dominant Family Arpeggio Licks
You’ll now learn three dominant family arpeggio licks in

licks in the Christian style as you take
the shapes you just learned into musical situations.
To begin, you’ll use a major triad to

triad to outline this C7 chord in a typical Christian style.
Often times you’ll be tempted to use entire arpeggio

arpeggio shapes for the duration of that
chord change. But, holding back and
back and using smaller versions of those shapes, such as
here where the b7 is left out of the line, can help you develop your phrases over time.
If you were to continue this line, you could add the b7 into
b7 into the phrase a few bars down
the road. This would allow you to build the interest
interest in your lines over time without
stepping outside the diatonic arpeggio shape on the fretboard.
Audio Example 24

63
In this next Christian-style phrase, you’ll use only the arpeggio notes as you outline a C7
chord in
chord in the three-bar line.
The triplets
triplets at
at the end are a typical Christian rhythm, and are something that you should
work on outside this lick to explore his sound further in your solos.
As well, notice the register shift between
shift between the two halves of the line, with the second half
being in a higher range than the rst half. This helps to create interest even though no
new notes were used in the second half of the bar, and it’s a technique that can elevate
your own jazz guitar solos.
Audio Example 25

64
In this nal lick, you’ll use a typical Christian melodic phrase that’s

phrase that’s played twice, with
a dierent ending the second time. This type of melodic development is a key part of
Christian’s soloing vocabulary.
Notice that it’s not a complicated development;

development; simply the last two notes in bar 2 have
been replaced by an A (the 13th) in bar 3.
Again, this is also an example of Christian’s use of the 13th to

13th to add color over 7th chords,
something you’ll explore further throughout this eBook.
Audio Example 26

65
Minor Family Chords

In this section, you’ll explore minor family arpeggios that
arpeggios that can be used to solo over minor
min or
and m7 chords in your improvisations.
These arpeggios have the following interval

interval structures:
structures:
As was the case with previous arpeggios and chord shapes, you’ll keep these minor
shapes simple
simple,, adding color later on when you mix in minor family scales.
You can think of these arpeggios as broken version of

version of the minor chords you learned
earlier, placed in note order on the fretboard.
Then, as Christian often did, you can add color tones such

tones such as the 9th, 11th, and 13th,
when bringing minor scales into the equation during the next section of this chapter.
From there, you’ll also be able to add chromatic notes,

notes, such as approach notes, passing
notes, and enclosures, during the nal chapter of this eBook.

66
Minor Family Arpeggio Shapes
To begin your study of these arpeggio shapes, you’ll learn a minor arpeggio from
arpeggio from the
6th-string root note.
If you’re working chords, scales, and arpeggios together, this shape can be paired up
with minor chords and scales that have root notes on the 6th, 4th, and 1st strings.
strings.
When this shape is memorized, take

tak e it to a few dierent keys before
keys before putting on a backing
track and working this shape into your soloing practice routine.
Audio Example 27

67
You’ll now learn the minor arpeggio from the 5th-string

5th-string root
root note.
This shape can be paired with minor chords and scales that

scales that have a root note on the 5th
or 3rd string.
After you’ve got this shape under your fngers,

fngers, practice soloing over a backing track and
mix the 6th and 5th-string root shapes together. This’ll help with memorization,
memori zation, but also
help you work on covering more over the fretboard with your minor arpeggio soloing
lines.
Audio Example 28

68
You’ll now explore m7 arpeggios on the guitar, starting with the m7 arpeggio shape
s hape from
the 6th-string root note.
note.
This arpeggio can be paired up with m7 chords and scales that have a root note on the
6th, 4th, or 1st strings.

strings.
Audio Example 29

69
Here’s the m7 arpeggio shape from the 5th-string root note.

note.
You can pair this shape up with m7 chords and

chords and scales that have a root note on the 5th
or 3rd strings.
When you have this shape down, as well as the previous minor shapes,
shapes, begin to move
between them on the fretboard. This will allow you to compare the minor and m7 arpeggio
arpeggio
sounds in your solos, as well as move around the fretboard in your improvisations.
Audio Example 30

70
You’ll now move up to the 4th-string root

root as you example a minor arpeggio in your
studies on that string set.
This shape can be paired up with any minor chord or

chord or scale with a root note on the 4th
or 2nd strings, if you’re working your shapes in that manner.

When you proceed to the next shape,
shape, the m7 from the 4th string, make sure to play
them back-to-back so that you can hear and see their dierences on the guitar. These
dierences are subtle, only one note, but they can be eectively used when coloring
minor family chords in your improvisations.
Audio Example 31

71
The nal m7 arpeggio shape has its root note on the 4th string of
string of the guitar.
You can pair this shape up with any m7 chords or

chords or scales that have a root
ro ot note on the 4th
or 2nd string, if you’re working your shapes together in that manner.
After memorizing this shape, take it to a backing track and begin to apply it
apply it to your m7
soloing lines and phrases.
Audio Example 32

72
Minor Family Arpeggio Licks
You’ll now explore three Christian-inspired m7 arpeggio lines as

lines as you bring these shapes
into your soloing practice.
In this rst phrase, you’ll use the pure Am7 arpeggio

arpeggi o to create a Christian-style line that
line that
works down, the back up again, the arpeggio shape.
Sometimes you’ll want to spice up your arpeggios with outside notes,

notes, but not always,
and this lick is a great example of a classy line built from only chord tones.
Audio Example 33

73
The second m7 line uses an approach note, which you’ll explore further
further later in this
eBook, to set up the rst C in the phrase.
From there, the rest of the line is made purely from the Am7 arpeggio.
arpeggio.
By adding in a single approach note,

note, from the diatonic scale, Christian brings a bit of
color into the line that prevents the arpeggio from being boring in this phrase.
When working arpeggios in your solos, you can keep them pure,
pure, or begin to add some
approach notes to bring a bit of color into your phrases beyond chord tones.
Audio Example 34

74
In this nal m7 arpeggio line, you’ll work on classic Christian triplets

triplets in the rst and
second measures, before mixing in one scale note (the B) in bar two of the line.
Christian loved to play triplets in his lines,

lin es, and they’re an essential rhythm when
rhythm when studying
the Christian style in your playing.

Though you can work on arpeggio lines in their pure form, it’s also eective
eective to
to practice
adding in a few scale notes to begin mixing those two sounds in your lines.
As you can see here, just that one note stands out

stands out in the phrase, and adds just enough
color in the second bar to prevent the arpeggio from being predictable.
Audio Example 35

75
Diminished Family Chords

In this last arpeggio section, you’ll work on learning diminished family arpeggios in
arpeggios in the
Christian style, which include the m7b5 and dim7 arpeggio shapes.
Here are the interval

interval patterns
patterns for these two arpeggios:
Though the m7b5 chord, and therefore arpeggio, was rarely used by
used by Christian, it’s worth
studying in this section, as it was in the chords section of this eBook.
This is because, though it was rare back then, this chord is commonly used in
used in the jazz
repertoire today, and has been for many years.
By adapting these dim7 shapes to t the m7b5 sound,

sound, you’ll allow yourself to translate
the Christian approach to a chord that wasn’t common in his time.
Doing so allows you to bring a Christian vibe to

vibe to tunes that weren’t popular, or around,
during his time, which can be an eective approach to soloing in this style.

76
Diminished Family Arpeggio Shapes
You’ll begin your study of diminished family arpeggios by working out a m7b5 shape
from the 6th-string root note.
note.
This shape can be paired up with m7b5 chords and Locrian scales that have root notes
on the 6th, 4th, and 1st strings.
strings.
Remember, after you’ve memorized this shape, take it to a backing track so that you
learn how to solo with this arpeggio, as well as run it from memory.
memory.
Audio Example 36

77
Moving on to dim7 arpeggios, you’ll learn a 6th-string dim7 shape

shape in the following
example, which you can memorize and add to your soloing practice.
This shape can be paired with chords and scales that have a root note on the 6th, 4th,
or 1st strings,
strings, if you’re practicing your shapes together.
As well, start by playing the two note groupings
grouping s with 1-4 fngers to
fngers to see how that sits with
your hands.
If you have larger hands, you can use 1-3 if

1-3 if it’s comfortable. Try both and see which one
suits your hands better with this shape.
Audio Example 37

78
In this next ngering, you’ll learn the m7b5 shape from the 5th-string root note.
note.
When pairing this shape up with chord and scales, you can work it on top of chords and
scales that have a root note on the 5th or 3rd strings.
strings.
After working this shape in a few keys, from memory, practice applying
applying it to chord
changes and you practice soloing with this m7b5 arpeggio in your studies.
Audio Example 38

79
Moving on, you’ll now work the dim7 arpeggio from the 5th-string
5th-string root
root note.
If you’re working your shapes together, you can pair this arpeggio up with any dim7
chord or scale shape that has a root note on the 5th or 3rd strings.
strings.
Because of the stretches between notes,

notes, as was the case with the 6th-string root shape,
you can up 1-4 ngers when you have two notes on one string.
Though, if you have larger hands, you could also

als o use 1-3 fngers if
fngers if that stretch is doable.
Try both and see what’s more comfortable for your hands on the guitar.
Audio Example 39

80
The next m7b5 arpeggio shape is built from the 4th string root note.
note.
Here, you can pair this shape up with any m7b5 chord or scale that
scale that has a root note on
the 4th or 2nd strings.
As well as working this shape with a metronome

metronome,, you can apply it to m7b5 chords in
your soloing practice to develop a fuller understanding of this shape.
Audio Example 40

81
You can also learn the dim7 arpeggio from the 4th string root note.
note.
This arpeggio can be paired up with chords and scales that contain a root note on the
4th or 2nd strings,
strings, if you’re working your shapes in that manner.
Don’t forget to memorize this shape, and then practice soloing over dim7 and 7b9
7b9
chords in your practice routine for a fuller practice experience.
Audio Example 41

82
Diminished Family Arpeggio Licks
Now that you have these arpeggio shapes under your ngers, you can apply them to
musical situations by
situations by learning three Christian-style diminished family lines.
The rst arpeggio lick uses an Em7b5 arpeggio to

arpeggio to outline that underlying chord.
Though Christian rarely used this

used this chord in his playing, it’s worth looking at how to adapt
his playing to the m7b5 shape, as you’ll see it in many modern jazz tunes.
Here’s an example of a line that would have been played more typically with a dim7
arpeggios, over a dim7 or 7b9 chord, adapted
adapted to
to a m7b5 sound.
This adaption allows you to take concepts that were common in Christian’s time,
time, dim7
sounds, and apply them to sounds that are common today, m7b5 sounds.
Audio Example 42

83
Here, you’ll look at a typical Christian turnaround lick that uses an Abdim7 arpeggio to
arpeggio to
outline that chord in the second measure.
Because the chords move by so fast, two per bar, using arpeggios
arpeggio s is often a more eective
way to solo over these changes, especially at up tempos.

tempos.
Though he used diminished scales as

scales as well, dim7 arpeggios were prevalent in Christian’s
playing over fast-moving changes such as these.
Audio Example 43

84
In this nal lick, you’ll see a G7 line where an Abdim7 arpeggio is

arpeggio is being used to outline
a G7b9 sound over that chord:
Besides soloing over dim7 chords themselves, applying dim7 arpeggios to dominant 7th
chords in this fashion is the most common application of these shapes. This’ll produce
a 7b9 chord sound in
sound in your lines, and allow you to use your dim7 arpeggios in a new
melodic situation.
You can solo over any 7th chord by playing a dim7 arpeggio from the b9 of
that chord, a half step higher than the root.
Example: play an Abdim7 arpeggio over G7
Audio Example 44

85
Single Note Concepts - Scales
As well as using arpeggios to create lines in his solos, Christian used scale shapes
shapes of
various kinds to outline changes in his improvisations. This section will explore major,
dominant, minor, and diminished family scales, how to play them, and their relationship
relationship
to Christian’s playing.
Now, before you go further, you’ll need to address the main issue
issue that
arises when discussing older players and their use of scales and modes.
The issue that arises, is that many modern players believe that older players
such as Christian didn’t think about scales
scales in their solos, or even know
what they were. This may be true; Christian could have come to the lines
in his solos by ear or instinct rather than knowledge of scales and modes.
While we may never know exactly what Christian was thinking

thinking from a scale
standpoint in his solos, these scales appear all over his recordings. Because
these scales are found in Christian’s playing, and we have the knowledge to
label these scales, you can use that knowledge to develop your own playing.
By analyzing Christian lines and

lines and full solos, you can develop an understanding for
the note groupings that he preferred to use in his playing. When doing so, you can
label the scales, as well as arpeggios and chromatic notes, he preferred to use over
dierent families of chords. You can then take that knowledge and use it to develop
your own soloing concepts and ability to outline chord changes in your playing.
Scale names are just labels for groups of notes with

notes with various interval patterns, and
those labels can help you shorten the learning curve when soloing over changes.

86
In this section, you’ll learn scale shapes that

shapes that Christian used in his playing over essential
jazz guitar chords. Whether he knew the labels for these scales, that’s hard to say. But,
But ,
he did understand how to use them correctly in his solos.
Working scale shapes is not the be all and end all to Christian’s sound, but it’s an important
part of his soloing concept.
concept. Therefore it’s something you’ll need to study, practice, and
apply to your playing if you want to dig fully into the Charlie Christian sound.

87
Major Family Chords

The rst group of scale shapes that you’ll learn are based on the major scale,
scale, which
Christian used to create lines over major family chords in his solos.
Here is the interval pattern for

pattern for the major scale, which is the rst mode of the major
scale system, and the scale that all other major scale modes are built from.
If you’re not sure how major scales are built, check out this tutorial...
There are a number of chords in the major family, and the major scale can be used to
solo over each of them, such as maj7, maj9, 6, and maj6/9 chords.
maj6/9 chords.
When you get into the maj7#11 chord,

chord, you’ll need to use the Lydian scale, so the major
scale won’t t over that chord.
Otherwise, this scale works over every chord in the major family when
family when soloing.

88
Major Family Scale Shapes
You’ll now take this theory onto the fretboard as

fretboard as you work on learning three major scale
shapes, as well as three Christian-inspired major scale phrases.
To begin, here are three major scale shapes on the guitar, starting with the major scale
from the 6th-string root note.
note.
If you want to practice this scale shape along with chords and arpeggios, it works
alongside chords and arpeggios that have a 6th, 4th, and 1st-string root
1st-string root note.
Audio Example 45

89
The next major scale shape is based on the 5th-string

5th-string root
root note.
If you’re working chords, scales, and arpeggios together, this shape pairs up with chords
and arpeggios that have a 5th or 3rd-string root
3rd-string root note.
As always, don’t forget to practice soloing with this scale over various keys
keys and
progressions as you take it further in your practice routine.
Audio Example 46

90
Lastly, here’s a major scale that begins on the 4th- string root note.
note.
If you’re pairing up chords, scales, and arpeggios, this pattern will line up with chords
and arpeggios that have 4th or 2nd-string root notes.
root notes.
After you’ve gotten this shape down, feel free to put on a backing track and mix
mi x all three
major scale shapes together in your solos.
solos.
Audio Example 47

91
Major Family Scale Licks
Moving on to the practical side of major scales, here are three Christian-style licks that
licks that
you can apply to your improvised solos.
The rst lick uses repetition

repetition in
in the second bar in the typical Christian style. By repeating
the Eb-D notes in the second bar, you’re using one melody multiple times to lead the
listener along to the end of the line.
Often times you’ll nd yourself searching for what to play next,
next, when the best option
would have been to repeat
repeat what you just played. Not only does this allow you
you to create
two sections of a line, or two whole lines, with one melodic device, it connects with your
listener’s ears on a deep level.
Christian knew the power of repetition,

repetition, both with his listener and in regards to creating
creatin g
energy in his solos, and it’s a big part of his personal soloing sound.
Audio Example 48

92
Syncopation was an important aspect of Christian’s

Chri stian’s soloing lines, and this next phrase
p hrase is
a great example of just such rhythmic control.
control.
In the rst bar you see 8th notes placed

notes placed on every up beat, followed by a more evenly
placed line in the second measure.
Playing on the upbeats can be tough,

tough, as it’s easy to rush lines like this, but if you can
control the tempo, they’re also very eective ways to build interest in your solos.
Audio Example 49

93
The nal major scale line features a favorite Christian scale pattern in
pattern in the second half
of the rst bar, one that you’ll see return throughout this eBook.
Using scale patterns is an eective way

way to create melodies out of scale shapes, and
it’s something Christian used to great eect. If you nd that you enjoy these types of
patterns, feel free to extract them from any lick and apply them to other scales, keys,
chords, and phrases in your solos.
Audio Example 50

94
Dominant Family Chords

The next group of scale shapes will be used to solo over dominant family chords.
family chords.
The scale that Christian used most often over these chords is the Mixolydian scale,
scale, the
fth mode of the major scale, often mixed with chromatic and blues notes.
Here’s the interval

interval pattern
pattern for the Mixolydian scale.
Because there are several chords in the dominant family, you can use the Mixolydian
scale to solo over 7th, 9th, and 13th chords in your improvisations.
When you get into the 7#11 and 7b9 chords,

chords, for example, then you’ll need to explore
other options, otherwise Mixolydian is a good t.

95
Dominant Family Scale Shapes
You’ll now take this theory onto the

th e fretboard as you learn Mixolydian scale shapes and
shapes and
Christian-style licks in your studies.
The rst Mixolydian scale shape is built from the 6th-string root note,
note, and can be paired
with chords and arpeggios that have a 6th, 4th, or 1st-string root note.
After getting this scale under your ngers, from memory,

memory, make sure to take it to chord
changes as you work it into your soloing lines and phrases.
Audio Example 51

96
In this next Mixolydian scale shape, you’ll work this scale from the 5th-string root.
root.
If you’re working chords, arpeggios, and scales together,

together, this scale shape would pair up
with chords and arpeggios that have a root note on the 5th or 3rd string.
Lastly, make sure to work this scale in multiple keys with

keys with your metronome, as well as
solo with it over chord changes in your improvisational practice routine.
Audio Example 52

97
The nal Mixolydian scale shape begins on the 4th-string root note.
note.
If you’re practicing chords, scales, and arpeggios together, this scale shape will pair up
with chords and arpeggios that have root notes on the 4th or 2nd strings.
strings.
After working this scale as is in multiple keys,

keys, make sure to solo with it over 7th chords,
ii V I vamps, and full jazz tunes in your practice routine.
Audio Example 53

98
Dominant Family Scale Licks
You’re now ready to explore a few Christian-inspired licks in

licks in your practice routine in
order to expand on the Mixolydian scale shapes you just learned.
In this rst line, you’ll be breaking up the scale with large intervals, as well as a lower
pedal A note,
note, to create a typical Christian-style dominant 7th line.
One of the big dierences between a master like

master like Christian and a developing player is
that developing players sound like scales when they solo with scale shapes.
But, Christian was able to break up his scales into

scales into melodic phrases that allowed him to
use those shapes without sounding like he was running scales in his solos.
Working on lines such as this will help you bridge that gap in
gap in your own playing.
Audio Example 54

99
Here, you’ll learn a melodic phrase that uses rhythmic displacement,

displacement, melodic
development, and carefully placed rests to built a dynamic line.
One of the key elements in Christian’s soloing was his use of syncopation
syncopation and
and rests to
break up his lines, in comparison to his longer, 8th-note phrases.
The lesson to take away from this lick

li ck is that you don’t have to run 8th-notes to
8th-notes to create an
interesting jazz guitar solo. In fact, it’s syncopated lines such as these that really sound
jazzy when you apply them to your improvisations.
improvisati ons.
Because of this, working syncopated and spread out lines such

lines such as these is something
that every jazz guitarist should spend time on during their development.
Audio Example 55

55

100
This nal Mixolydian lick uses repetition

repetition to
to create interest in the middle section of the
line, something that was common in Christian’s solos.
The F#-G notes are played four times in

times in a row, enough to create energy but not enough
to sound boring during the phrase.
This is key when using repetition in your solos, play the notes
no tes enough to hook the listener
in, but not too many times that they know what’s coming next.
next.
Audio Example 56

101
Minor Family Chords

Moving on, you’ll now explore the Dorian scale,
scale, which Christian used to outline m7 and
other minor family chords in his solos.
There are examples of Christian using other minor scales,

scales, such as melodic minor and
Aeolian, but Dorian is the most common minor scale in his playing.
Because of this, you’ll focus your attention on this commonly used jazz scale
scale in your
practice routine while working the material in this chapter.
The Dorian scale contains the m7 arpeggio,

arpeggio, as well as the natural 6th interval, making it
stand apart from Aeolian, which has a b6 interval.
Here’s the interval

interval structure
structure for the Dorian scale:

102
Minor Family Scale Shapes
You’ll now take the Dorian scale

scal e to the fretboard
fretboard as
as you learn three scale shapes in your
practice routine, as well as Christian-style licks with this scale.
In this rst shape, you’ll learn the Dorian scale from the 6th-string
6th-string root
root note.
If you’re working chords, scales, and arpeggios on top of each other, this shape pairs up
with chords and arpeggios that have a 6th, 4th, and 1st-string root
1st-string root note.
Be sure to work this shape with both a metronome and solo with

solo with it over backing tracks
to develop a well-rounded approach to your practice routine.
Audio Example 57

103
In the next shape, you’ll learn the Dorian scale from the 5th-string
5th-string root
root note.
If you’re working chords, scales, and arpeggios together, you’d pair this shape up with
chords and arpeggios that have a 5th or 3rd-string root
3rd-string root note.
After you memorize this shape, make sure to take it to other keys,
keys, as well as use it to
solo over backing tracks in your practice routine.
Audio Example 58

104
The nal Dorian scale shape begins on the 4th string root

string root note.
If you’re pairing these scales up with chords and arpeggios, they match up with chords
and arpeggios that begin on the 4th and 2nd-string root
2nd-string root note.
Audio Example 59

105
Minor Family Scale Licks
Now that you’ve worked the Dorian scale around the fretboard, you can learn a few
Christian-style licks to
licks to expand these shapes in the woodshed.
The rst line uses a typical Christian mixture of rhythms and rests to create an interesting
Dm7 phrase.
phrase.
Go slow with this one, count out the rhythms

rhythms if
if needed, and then work the tempo back
up from there.
Learning the play licks in this style can be tough,

tough, they move fast and their sparse nature
requires counting, but when mastered, they add a new level to your solos.
Audio Example 60

106
In this Dorian line, you’ll see how Christian mixed arpeggios and

arpeggios and scales together in his
playing to create interest throughout his solos.
Even though he used scales as the foundation

foundation for
for lines such as these, he didn’t simply
run up and down shapes or patterns, he created melodies.
In this line, you’ll notice the Dm triad at the start of

o f the line (D-F-A), as well as the Bm7b5
arpeggio in the second bar (B-D-F-A).
The Bm7b5 arpeggio is

arpeggio is diatonic to the underlying key, and it outlines a Dm6 chord at the
same time, as B is the 6th of Dm:
When soloing over m7 chords, playing a m7b5 from the 6th of the
underlying chord is a great sound to work with.
If you dig this sound, feel free to explore it further in

further in your soloing practice routine.

107
Audio Example 61

108
The nal lick uses typical Christian melodic patterns in

patterns in the rst bar, followed by quarter
notes and a triplet in the second measure.
Though patterns sometimes sound like an exercise in your solos, mixing them up like
Christian did prevents them from sounding monotonous

monotonous..
In fact, a carefully used scale pattern can create forward motion,

motion, connect with the
listener, and build intensity in our solos.
Audio Example 62

109
Diminished Family Chords

You’ll nish up your study of Christian’s scales by working on scales that t over diminished
family chords, including m7b5, dim7, and the related 7b9 chords.
chords.
The two main scales in this family are the Locrian scale and the diminished scale, often
referred to as the whole half diminished scale.
scale.
The whole half diminished scale is so named

named because it’s built by alternating whole
steps and half steps in its construction.
Here are the interval patterns, and their related chords, for the Locrian scale:
scale:
And here are the interval patterns for the (whole half) diminished scale:
scale:
These scales aren’t as commonly used by Christian as the previous

previou s scales in this chapter,
mostly because these chords weren’t as commonly used at
used at that time. In fact, it’s rare
to nd an occurrence of Christian using the Locrian scale in his playing, but it’s included
here for the sake of completion.
As well, though it was rare in his time, the m7b5 chord and

chord and Locrian scale are commonly
used in each period of jazz that followed. Therefore, you’ll come across it a lot in your
playing, and so it’s a good idea to explore this scale, as you’ll struggle to solo over jazz
standards without it.

110
Diminished Family Scale Shapes
The rst scale shape you’ll learn is the Locrian scale from the 6th-string
6th-string root
root note.
If you’re working chords, scales, and arpeggio on top of each other, this shape pairs up
with chords and arpeggios that have 6th, 4th, and 1st-string root
1st-string root notes.
After learning this shape, in multiple keys, put on a m7b5 backing track and
track and begin to
solo over that chord with this Locrian scale. From there, you can take this shape to
minor ii V I progression,
progression , as well as to full jazz standards.
Audio Example 63

111
You’ll now move on to learning a two-octave diminished scale from

scale from the 6th-string.
If you’re working scales, chords, and arpeggios together, this shape pairs up with chords
and arpeggios that have 6th, 4th, and 1st-string root
1st-string root notes.
After you’ve worked out this ngering on the fretboard

fretboard,, memorize it and take it to
multiple keys on the guitar.
From there, you can put on a dim7 or 7b9 backing track and

track and solo over those chords
using this scale.
If you work the diminished scale over a 7b9 chord, you’ll play the diminished
scale from the b9 of that chord shape. Example: playing Bb diminished over
A7b9.
Audio Example 64

112
The next Locrian scale has its root on the 5th string,
string, and can be paired up with arpeggios
arpeggi os
and chords with 5th and 3rd-string root notes.
After memorizing this shape, work it in multiple keys,

keys, as well as use it to solo over
backing tracks as you use it in your improvisational practice routine.
Audio Example 65

113
The next diminished scale begins on the

t he 5th string, and if you’re pairing it up with chords
and arpeggios, works with 5th and 3rd string root
string root notes for those shapes.
When this scale is comfortably under your ngers, take it to as many keys as you can
around the neck, and use it to solo over backing tracks.

tracks.
Audio Example 66

114
Next, you’ll learn a Locrian scale shape from

shape from the 4th-string root note.
This scale shape will line up with arpeggios and chords that have their root note on the
4th or 2nd strings,
strings, if you’re working these shapes on top of each other.
Audio Example 67

115
Lastly, here’s a diminished scale that begins on the fourth-string root note.
note.
If you’re comfortable combining chords, scales, and arpeggios, this shape will match up
with chords and arpeggios that have root notes on the 4th or 2nd strings.
strings.
Audio Example 68

116
Diminished Family Scale Licks
Now that you’ve learned how to play these diminished family scales, you’ll work on
applying them to real-world situations.
situations. The following three Christian-inspired licks will
provide you with examples of how to apply diminished family scales to your improvised
solos.
As was mentioned earlier, it was rare for

rare for Christian to solo over m7b5 chords, and so
these lines focus more on the diminished scale, which was more commonly used.
Each line will outline a 7alt chord, 7b9

7b9 specically,
specically, using the diminished scale.
Christian would more often than not use dim7 arpeggios

arpeggios when soloing over dim7
chords, though he sometimes used the diminished scale as well.
Because of this, you’ll study a more common use of diminished scales with

scales with these three
licks, soloing over 7alt chords.
When soloing over 7alt chords, you can play a diminished scale a half step above the
root note of that chord, creating a 13(b9) sound in
sound in the process:
Each of the licks below use this application,

application, which can be found in Christian’s playing,
and in the playing of every great jazz guitarist that followed him. Since it’s such an
important aspect of the jazz soloing vocabulary, it would be worth your time to expand
upon this application in your practice routine.

117
The rst lick mixes an arpeggio up with the diminished scale down as you outline an
A7b9 chord in V7 to I progression in Dm.
Dm.
Mixing arpeggios up and scales down was a popular sound in Christian’s era, as well as
in the Bebop era,

era, and is a concept that’s worth exploring further in your studies.
Audio Example 69

118
The second lick uses wide intervals to bring a Bb diminished scale over

scale over the A7b9 chord
in a V7 to I progression in D minor.
By using larger intervals,

intervals, Christian would be able to use
u se a scale (such as the Bb diminished
dimin ished
scale used here), without his lines sounding like he’s running scales.
Experiment with larger interval lines such as these in your playing,

playing, as they’re an eective
way to use scales in your solos without telegraphing your lines.
Audio Example 70

119
The last lick features the diminished scale used to outline the A7b9 chord in
chord in a minor ii
V I progression in D minor.
Again, you’ll be playing the Bb diminished scale over

scale over A7b9 so imply an A13(b9) sound
over that chord change.
As you’ve seen in these licks, this is

i s the most commonly
commonly used
used application of the diminished
scale, as Christian used arpeggios more often than not over dim7 chords. Because of
this, make sure to keep drilling this application in your studies, as it’ll open up both your
diminished scale and 7b9 soloing vocabulary.
Audio Example 71

120
Soloing Study - Dinah

To nish your introduction to the scales and scale shapes that Christian used in his
soloing, you’ll learn an improvised solo over the tune Dinah.
Dinah.
This solo study uses lines inuenced by Christian’s

Christian ’s scale concepts,
concepts, as well as his phrasing
and pacing during his solos.
Feel free to read through the whole solo to

solo to see how it sits on the guitar.
But, when it comes time to learning this solo,

solo, breaking it down into 2 or 4-bar chunks is
the best way to memorize and absorb this information. From there, you can piece those
chunks together to form the solos as a whole.
Lastly, there’s a backing track included so

included so that you can work the solo without the guitar
guide track, as well as solo with your own lines over the tune.

121

72 Click to hear backing track 2

122

123

124
Soloing Techniques
Techniques - Chromatics
After breaking down the technical side of Christian’s playing, by working on the chord,
scale and arpeggio shapes he used, you’ll have a look into his soloing techniques.
techniques.
In this chapter, you’ll explore two main sections of

sections of Christian’s soloing approach:
approach:
• Chromatic notes.
• Large-scale concepts such as phrasing and chord subs.
Both of these sections will present an inside look into

look into how Christian created his most
memorable lines, and how he used tension and release in his solos.
By studying these concepts, you’ll take your scale and arpeggio lines

arpeggio lines to the next level,
and develop that cool sound that Christian had in all of his recordings.
To begin, you’ll look at four dierent chromatic concepts found

concepts found in Christian’s playing:
playing:
• Approach notes
• Blue notes
• Passing notes
• Enclosures

125
Approach Notes
The rst chromatic soloing technique that you’ll explore is the approach note.
note.
Approach notes are where you target a diatonic note (from an arpeggio or
scale), and lead into that note chromatically by a half step above or below.
By doing so, you create a tension-release

tension-release sound in your lines that is essential to
developing a jazz, and also Christian, vibe in your solos.
To begin, here’s an example of the most popular approach note, the ascending
ascending approach
approach
note.
You’ll notice that you create tension with the approach note, and then resolve
resolve that
tension as you lead it up into the next diatonic note.
After you’ve worked on the D7 example below, practice applying ascending approach
notes to other keys, chords, scales, and arpeggios.
arpeggios .
Audio Example 73

126
As well as the more commonly used ascending approach note, you can also use
descending approach
descending approach notes in your playing.
Christian used both approach notes, up and down, in his lines, and therefore both are
worth studying when breaking down the Christian soloing style.
style.
Here’s an example of descending approach notes added to a D7 arpeggio,

arpeggio, rst
demonstrated on a D note in the rst bar.
Once you’ve played this example, practice applying descending approach notes to other
arpeggios, scales, and specic intervals in your improvisations
improvisations..
Audio Example 74

127
Approach Notes Licks
Here are three Christian-style lines using approach notes that you can study, add to your
vocabulary, and insert into your jazz
your jazz guitar solos.
solos.
The rst line uses a b6 approach note

approach note that leads into the 5th of the underlying Bbmaj7
chord.
Though they’re not as commonly used as the ascending approach notes, descending
approach notes such as this one are worth studying and
studying and adding to your solos.
Audio Example 75

128
In the next example, you’ll use the more common ascending

common ascending approach note to lead into
the 2nd over an Am7 chord.
Because ascending approach notes are much more commonly used by Christian and his
peers there’s
peers there’s only one example here, as you’ll nd them in many other studies.
Though they’re more common, don’t take them for granted;

granted; make sure you spend
time working these approach notes. Sometimes you think you have a technique down
because you’ve seen it a lot in your lines, but then it slips passed your ngers when it
comes time to jam on a tune.
Avoid that scenario by

scenario by working both ascending and descending approach notes in your
studies.
Audio Example 76

129
In this nal phrase, you’ll use an approach note to lead into the b7 during
b7 during the opening
two notes of the line.
As descending approach notes aren’t as common as their ascending cousins, this is an

eective example of a Christian-style line using
line using that technique.
Though you won’t use them as much as the ascending versions, practicing descending
approach notes is still worth spending time on
time on in the woodshed.
Audio Example 77

130
Blue Notes
The next set of chromatic notes is the most commonly used in any modern music,
including jazz, blue notes. Blue notes are taken from the blues scale and used to create
a bluesy, chromatic
chromatic sound
sound over various chords in your solos.
The three most commonly used chords when it comes to applying blue notes are the
m7, 7, and maj7 chords
maj7 chords and their variations. This means that m7 blue notes can also
work over m9, m6, and m11 chords.
Here are those three chord types and

types and their related blues notes that you can use as a
reference in the practice room:
room:
• m7 chords = b5 blue note

• 7th chords = b3 and b5 blue notes
• maj7 chords = b3, b5, and b7 blue notes
Here are those three chord types and their related blue notes for
notes for comparison both on
the page and on the fretboard.
Audio Example 78

131
Here are the three blue notes applied to a Dmaj7 chord,

chord, rst in an arpeggio setting and
then over a D major scale.
You’ll notice how much these three blue notes jump out in this context, creating a bluesy,
chromatic, and tense sound compared to the surrounding diatonic notes.
notes.
This is an important aspect to

aspect to consider when using these notes in your solos.
Yes, they are simply blue notes and can be used almost anywhere in
anywhere in your solos. But,
you still need to deal with these notes properly to avoid having them sound like mistakes
in your lines and sound like hip, bluesy phrases instead.
Audio Example 79

132
Blue Notes Licks
To take this chromatic concept further, here are three Christian-inspired lines that
lines that you
can practice and add to your soloing vocabulary.
The rst line uses only one blue note (the

( the b3),
b3), leading into the 3rd of the F7 chord in the
th e
last bar of the phrase.
As you’ll see with any chromatic note

note concept, having restraint is very important to
avoid these notes from sounding predictable or overdone.
Often times one carefully placed chromatic note, such as this blue note, will go further
in your lines than a dozen placed in a four-bar phrase.
phrase.
Audio Example 80

133
In this next classic Christian-style line, you’ll use the b3 blue note as
note as a grace note, leading
into the 3rd in both measures, as well as the b7 blue note
blue note to end the line.
This style phrase is commonly heard in Christian’s playing,

playing, where you play a melody,
then repeat that melody but change the ending note.
This allows you to use one melody twice without sounding repetitive,
repetitive, it sounds like
you’re developing the melody over the course of the phrase.
Audio Example 81

134
In this nal example, you’ll use the b3 and b5 blue

b5 blue notes to create a two-bar F7 phrase
in the Christian style.
Notice the b3 follows

follows the natural 3, emphasizing that note in the phrase, and the b5
resolves both down and up into the next diatonic note of the scale.
Learning how to resolve blue notes is as important as learning where to use them in
your soloing lines. An unresolved blue note can sometimes sound like a mistake if
mistake if not
handled properly, but a properly used blues note is one of the sweetest sounds in jazz.
Working on that aspect of blue note application

application will
will get you the sound you want out of
this common jazz chromatic concept.
Audio Example 82

135
Passing Notes
The next chromatic soloing concept is one of the most commonly
com monly used in jazz music, the
passing note.
note.
Passing notes are chromatic notes placed between two diatonic notes in
your solos.
This creates a series of three chromatic notes (either

notes (either ascending or descending), as you
play a diatonic note, then chromatic note, and then diatonic note all in a row. Passing
notes create that smooth, chromatic sound that you hear in the solos of your favorite
players, including Christian.
The easiest way to think about these chromatic notes

no tes on the guitar is that whenever you
have two notes two frets apart, you can connect them with
them with a passing note. So,
S o, if you see
a space on the fretboard, you can ll that space with a passing note, as long as you lead
it up or down into the next diatonic note in the arpeggio or scale.
Here are two examples of passing notes on the fretboard, one ascending and one
descending,, that you can explore.
descending
Audio Example 83

136
In the example below, you can see ascending passing notes added to a D7 arpeggio, and
descending passing notes added to a D Mixolydian scale.
scale.
When learning how to use passing notes, it’s an eective practice tool to work them over
both arpeggios and scales where applicable. That way you’ll be ready to use them in
your solos with both of those improvisational devices,
devices, and not get handcued during
your solos.
It’s one thing to apply these concepts to a technical exercise,

exercise, and another to add them
into your solos in real time. Practicing adding passing notes to your soloing lines will
ensure that you’re ready to use them with condence during your next jam session or
gig situation.
Audio Example 84

137
Passing Notes Licks
You’ll now take the passing note concept and practice

pra ctice using it over various chord changes
ch anges
with these three Christian-style licks.
licks.
In this rst phrase, you’re adding in three passing notes the 7, b6, and 7 again),
7 again), over an
Am7 chord to create a long, chromatic sounding phrase.
Notice how the passing notes fall right on the beat,

beat, not in between the beat, as they
create tension in the line.
When working with passing notes, you can place them anywhere in
anywhere in the bar, or on the
beat, that you want, as long as you resolve them into a diatonic note. Resolving the
tension created by a passing note is more important than where you place it on the
tension
beat.
In fact, placing a passing note on the beat creates emphasis on

emphasis on that note, and therefore
more tension, that emphasizes the tension-resolution part of the line. But, if you don’t
resolve the passing note,
note, you leave it hanging; it’ll sound like a mistake in your line.
Audio Example 85

138
In this Gmaj7 Christian line, you’re adding in a passing note between the 6 and 5 during
5 during
the second bar of the phrase.
Besides the one passing note, the rest of the notes are part of
o f the G6 arpeggio,
arpeggio, a common
Christian note choice when soloing over maj7 chords.
Just the one passing note is

note is enough to break up the diatonic sound of the rest of the
line, creating interest while outlining the chord change directly at the same time.
When working on passing notes, start by inserting one at a time,

time, with arpeggios or with
scale tones, in order to get the sound if this chromatic concept into your ears.
From there, you can add more passing

more passing notes into your lines with greater condence.
Audio Example 86

139
In this nal example, you’ll see passing notes used to connect the 2nd and 3rd,
3rd, as well
as the 3rd and 4th, in this Bb7 phrase.
As was mentioned earlier, any time you have a free space on

space on the fretboard between
notes, you can add in a passing tone, such as between 2 and 3, and 3 and 4 below.
Notice how though there are only two passing notes in this phrase,
phrase, they add enough
avor to create interest in an otherwise diatonic line.
This is the main lesson to learn from Christian’s use of chromatic notes,
notes, that a little goes
a long way, and a lot can sound overdone and predictable over time.
Audio Example 87

140
Enclosures
The next chromatic concept is one that is found throughout both Christian’s, and every
major jazz guitarist’s vocabulary, the enclosure.
enclosure.
Enclosures are devices that use diatonic notes,

no tes, chromatic notes, or a mixture of both, to
create interest within a melodic phrase.
phrase.
There are two main groups of

groups of enclosures:
enclosures:
• The ones that begin above the target notes.

• The ones that begin below the target note.
You’ll start by looking at the more common of the two, beginning above the target note,
and four variations of
variations of that style of enclosure.
To build an enclosure, you rst choose a target note (such

note (such as the root of the D7 chord
in the examples below).
From there, you play one note above, then one note below, before nally landing on the
target note that you chose for that enclosure
enclosure..
When doing so, you have four options to

options to choose from, which are:
• Diatonic Above – Diatonic Below

• Diatonic Above – Chromatic Below
• Chromatic Above – Diatonic Below
• Chromatic Above – Chromatic Below
Each of these variations is played below so that you can hear how they sound,
sound, and try
each out on your guitar to feel how they sit on the fretboard.

141
As you learn these dierent enclosure variations, experiment

experiment with
with each of them to see
which sit better for you and your style of playing.
You don’t have to use all of them in your solos, in fact it’s better if you choose one or
two that you prefer and focus on those in your improvisations. That way you get the
enclosure into your lines, but aren’t paralyzed by choice
choice when it comes to applying
them to your lines in the moment.
Of course you could use every variation if

variation if you wanted, but it’s not necessary to build an
eective enclosure vocabulary in your solos.
Once you’ve played through the examples below, practice applying each

applying each enclosure to
dierent intervals over chord changes in your solos. Start simple, one chord with one
interval target note and one enclosure variation, then branch out from there as you
expand upon these concepts.
Audio Example 88

142
As well as applying enclosures that begin above the target note,

note, you can use enclosures
that begin below the target note.
Though not as commonly used as the previous examples,

examples, starting below the target note
gives you the same four options when applying these enclosures to solos.
• Diatonic Below – Diatonic Above

• Diatonic Below – Chromatic Above
• Chromatic Below – Diatonic Above
• Chromatic Below – Chromatic Above
Here are those four options applied

options applied to the root of a D7 chord so that you can hear these
enclosures in action.
Once you’ve listened to, and played through,

through, these examples, you can experiment with
applying these enclosure variations to your soloing practice routine.
Work on picking an interval,

interval, such as the root or third, and one type of enclosure,
chromatic below and above, and enclosing every root in a tune you’re working on.
You can also mix and match intervals

match intervals and enclosure variations when you’re ready, but
in the beginning working one at a time is the best way to go.
The key is to integrate these enclosures into

enclosures into your solos over dierent root notes
no tes as you
take this Christian concept o the page and onto the fretboard.

143
Audio Example 89

144
Enclosures Licks
To help you take these enclosures to the fretboard, here are three sample licks in
licks in the
Christian style that use various variations of the enclosure technique.
The rst phrase encloses the root over an E7 chord,

chord, which you can see at the start of the
nal bar of the phrase.
Notice how the D# sounds a bit outside (it

outside (it creates tension), before resolving into the
root, E, bringing the line back inside at the same time.
Enclosure that use chromatic notes are eective tension-creating

tension-creating devices, but they
need to be resolved to be fully eective in your lines. This is an example of a tension-
resolution sound that you can explore further in your jazz guitar practice routine.
Audio Example 90

145
In this next Christian-style phrase,

phrase, you’ll see a chain of enclosures used to highlight the
5th (E), 4th (D), 3rd (C#), and root (A), throughout the line.
This type of sequencing

sequencing was
was a favorite of Christians, and later players like Joe Pass, as it
allowed him to work down the scale without just playing the scale notes.
The enclosures keep the line interesting

interesting,, and though he uses them four times in a row,
it doesn’t sound repetitive as he encloses a dierent interval each time. Work on using
enclosures with dierent intervals in your lines to bring a similar sound to your playing.
Audio Example 91

146
In this nal example, you’ll use an enclosure to outline the 3rd of

3rd of a Gmaj7 chord, which
you can see in the nal bar of the line. Enclosing the third is a classic Christian sound, as
the upper chromatic note is the 4th and the lower chromatic note is the b3, both from
the minor blues scale.
This integration of the blues scale and a maj7 chord tone

tone is an essential sound for
anyone looking to play with a Christian vibe in their solos.
By using the enclosure, you not only get a chromatic concept in

concept in your playing, you bring
a bluesy feel to your lines at the same time, a win-win in the practice room.
Audio Example 92

147
Soloing Study - Rose Room

Now that you’ve looked at these chromatic concepts individually, you’re ready to bring
them all together in a soloing study.
study.
In this study, over the chord changes to Rose Room,

Room, you’ll apply the chromatic soloing
concepts learned earlier to a full jazz standard.
Since the form is 32-bars long,

long, it’s recommended, to learn this study
stu dy four-bars at a time.
From there, you can glue those shorter phrases together
phrases together to form 8, then 16, then 24
bar, and nally the entire 32-bar form.
As well, you can work this solo with a metronome

metronome at
at slower speeds before bringing it
up to the desired tempo, and playing it along with the backing track. Lastly, there’s a
backing track below that you can use to solo over the chords with your own improvised
lines.
Once you’ve learned the study, practice creating your own Christian inspired lines over
lines over
the chord progression as you expand these concepts in your studies.

148


149

150

151
Soloing Techniques
Techniques – Concepts
After zooming in and studying small-scale soloing concepts, you’re ready to zoom out
and look at the large-scale

large-scale concepts
concepts Christian used in his improvisations.
These concepts include ideas such as repetition

repetition,, phrasing structure, and chord subs, all
of which are important aspects of the Christian sound.
In this section, you’ll explore these three large-scale soloing concepts

concepts in detail, learn
sample licks, and study ways to expand upon these ideas in your own playing.
Often times you can become too focused on the small-scale items,
items, such as chromatic
notes, and forget that the bigger picture items are just as important.
Working on both the smaller and larger concepts in your playing will help you bring an
authentic Christian vibe to
vibe to your solos.
It’ll also help propel you to the next stage in your improvisational development.
development.

152
Repetition
A common soloing concept that is heard many times in Christian’s solos is repetition
repetition..
Though he often repeat one, or two, notes for many bars at

bars at a time, Christian’s sense of
swing and groove allowed him to create interesting ideas, even with one note.
As well, his advanced sense of rhythm, especially syncopation

syncopation,, allowed him to play
repetitive phrases without sounding predictable or boring in his lines.
By studying the concepts behind each of these sample

sampl e lines, you’ll be able to apply those
same repetition concepts to your lines and phrases.
phrases.
Repetition can be taken too far at times,

times , so watch that you don’t over do it in your solos.
so los.
But, with the right amount of restraint, interesting rhythms, and strong swing feel,
feel, you
can create Christian style lines with only one or two notes on the guitar.

153
Repetition Style Licks
To help you work on understanding, absorbing, and applying the use of repetition in
Christian’s solos, here are three sample lines that
lines that use various repetitive techniques.
Each line is worth learning on its own,

own, but it’s also important to study and apply the
larger-scale concept behind these licks to your playing. Make sure to learn the lines,
but also practice each concept further in order to get the most out of this section of the
eBook in your playing.
The rst lick uses a three-note repetitive phrase with some variation over the rst two
bars of the line.

line.
There is an Em triad in
triad in rst inversion (G-B-E), used to kick of the phrase, and the E note
remains on top of each three-note group from that point forward.
To add a bit of variety

variety,, Christian moves the bottom two notes down a fret to F# and A#
in the second and 5th occurrence of the grouping.
This allows him to repeat the three-note group,

group, but not repeat himself directly every
single time. It also brings a sense of tension and chromaticism to the line, which is then
resolved immediately after.
Lastly, by playing a three-note melodic shape in 8th notes (a

notes (a two-note rhythm), there is
a syncopated feel to the line. This means that every time the three-note group starts,
group starts, it
begins on a dierent beat of the measure.
By playing the group on dierent beats, Christian

Christia n ensures that he can repeat the melody
for long periods without
periods without it becoming predictable or boring.

154
Audio Example 94

155
This next line is the most obvious use of repetition in

repetition in Christian’s soloing, playing a single
note many times in a row over the course of a longer phrase.
Here, there’s an A note played with

played with an interesting rhythm over a G7 chord. The rhythm
rhythm
is what holds this line together, without an interesting rhythmic gure the line becomes
boring.
But, with the syncopation and rhythmic variety used

variety used in the line, the phrase is interesting
and shows how far you can go with just a single note in a phrase.
To work this concept further, practice soloing with one note at a time, but use many
dierent rhythms to keep things interesting
interesting while
while focused on one note at a time.
Audio Example 95

156
In this nal sample line, you’ll see a two-note pattern

pattern repeated for two bars before
resolving into a moving line in the last measure. Repeating two notes, either diatonic or
chromatic, is a staple of Christian’s soloing concept and his approach to repetition.
To take this concept further in your studies, put on a backing track and

track and solo using two-
note repetition from time to time in your lines.
You can work those two notes for as long as you want. But, to avoid sounding predictable
predictable,,
it’s best to resolve the repetition after 3 or 4 bars at most.
Audio Example 96

157
Phrasing
Another important aspect to understanding Christian’s soloing concept is his approach
to phrasing and phrase development.
development.
Phrasing can mean the length of each musical idea you play in your solos. It
also means how you organize those notes during your phrases.
By studying Christian’s phrasing,

phrasing, you’ll learn how to work melodies in your solos, as well
as how to use sparse and busy lines to create contrast in your playing.
To ensure that you get the most out of this section of the lesson, make sure to learn the
sample phrases,
phrases, but also apply the concepts behind those lines to your playing.
By doing so, you’ll digest the vocabulary

vocabulary in each line, while at the same time expand
your soloing by learning and applying the larger-scale concept behind the lines.

158
Phrasing Licks
To help you understand Christian’s approach to phrasing, here are three sample phrases
that are indicative of his approach to
approach to improvisational phrasing.
The rst line is an 8-bar phrase that

phrase that uses a common Christian technique, rhythmic
displacement, throughout the line.
• Starting with a sparse approach to the line, a small melodic idea picks

idea picks up in bar
four, using the notes A, B, C, and D.
• This four-note phrase begins on the & of beat 3 in the fourth bar, and is repeated
repeated
on that same beat in the following measure.
• From there, the melody is then moved back one beat in
beat in each bar, starting on the
& of 3, then the & of 2, the & of 1, and nally the & of 4 in its last playing.
Taking a melody, repeating it over the course of a longer phrase,

phrase, and then placing it on
dierent beats, allowed Christian to repeat lines without being predictable.
To take this concept further in your playing, work on coming up with a short melody,
3-5 notes long to start, and working it in a similar manner.
manner. Begin by playing it from the
same beat in each bar, and then when you’re ready, start
star t that melody on dierent beats
of the bar in your solos.
This approach to phrasing prevents you from

you from starting your lines on the same beat in
each bar.
At the same time, it allows you to use one idea for a long period of time as you expand
a melody across 4, 8, 16,
16, or more bars in your solos.

159
Here’s the sample line to get under your ngers before taking this phrasing concept
concept
further in your studies.
Audio Example 97

160
In this next phrasing example, you’ll see a busy, eight-note run at

run at the start of the line,
followed by a single-note played with an interesting rhythm in the second half.
This is a common phrasing technique used by Christian in his solos, where he starts a
line with moving notes and nishes on a single repeated note.
note.
The rhythm used in the last two bars is a dotted quarter note,
note, also a favorite phrasing
technique from Christian. When you play a series of dotted quarter notes in a row, you
wind up placing that note on dierent parts of the bar each time.
You can see this in the example below, where the G is played on
played on the & of 2, beat 4, & of
1, beat 3, and the & of 4 in the nal bar.
It’s a small, but highly eective,

eective, rhythmic technique that can open up your phrasing,
and bring a Christian sound to your soloing lines and phrases.
Audio Example 98

161
The nal phrasing example uses a reverse of the technique you

technique you just explored, as here
you’ll play a sparse opening section followed by a busy second half of the line.
Christian, and Wes Montgomery after

Montgomery after him, was a master as mixing note densities in his
lines to create interest and intensity in his playing.
By having sparse sections in some sections of his lines,

lines, and busier sections in others,
Christian was able to avoid sounding repetitive or predictable in his lines. Just when you
think you know what’s coming next, he switches gears and
gears and hits you with an unexpected
phrase grouping, keeping interest high at all times.
When working on this approach in your practice routine,

routine, play one section of an 8-bar
phrase with lots of space, and one section with lots of notes. Work on alternating these
two phrase types as you develop the ability

abil ity to move from busy to sparse
spars e and back again
at will in your jazz guitar solos.

162
Audio Example 99

163
Chord Substitutions
Though he used chord substitution less than those that followed in his footsteps,
Christian did use a few common chord subs of
subs of his time when soloing over changes.
While you won’t see advanced subs in his playing, Christian

Chri stian was able to use simple chord
subs to great eect, especially when creating colors over
colors over diatonic chords.
In this section, you’ll look at three chord subs found in Christian’s solos:
solos:
• Relative minor over tonic maj7.

• Upper structure arpeggios.
• 3 to 9 arpeggios.
All three of these sounds are not only important when working on Christian’s vocabulary,
but they’re essential sounds for any guitarist to
guitarist to learn.
After you’ve learned any of these subs, and the sample licks
lick s provided, take these concepts
to other areas of your practicing to expand upon them
upon them in your playing.
For example, after learning about the upper structure arpeggio sub,

arpeggio sub, take that concept
to a tune you’re working on. You could focus on a section of that tune and
an d run the upper
structure arpeggios over the chords in that section during your solos.
Or, you could work that sub over every chord in

chord in the tune.
However you decide to take these concepts further in

i n your playing is ne, as long
lon g as you
work these subs in
subs in other keys, over other chords, and over tunes.

164
Relative Minor Substitution
To begin your study of Christian chord subs, you’ll look at one of the most commonly
used subs in jazz, the relative minor sub.
sub.
In this sub, you play the relative minor chord when soloing over a tonic major chord. An
example of this, as you’ll see below, is playing Am7 over a Cmaj7 chord.
chord.
Here’s how you can quickly fnd the relative minor chord on
chord on guitar:
guitar:
• You can look four frets down from the tonic major chord root on the same string.
string.
• Or, you can place your pinky on the tonic major root note,
note, then laying down one
nger per fret; your index nger will land on the root of the relative minor chord.
These approaches will work for any string on the guitar,

guitar, and in any key.
When playing the relative minor chord in place of the tonic major chord, you’re highlighting
highlightin g
a major 6 sound in
sound in your soloing lines.
For example, when playing Am7 over Cmaj7,

Cmaj7, you’re playing the notes A C E G. Those
notes form the following intervals when played over the C root note:
The tonic 6th chord is a sound that Christian loved to use in his soloing, as did many of
his contemporaries. Rather than learn something new, such as a new arpeggio shape,
Christian often played a m7 arpeggio four frets down from the root to produce a 6 chord
chord
sound.

165
Here’s an example of this chord sub in action that

action that you can learn and apply to your own
improvisations.
Once you’ve tried out this lick, take this chord sub to other musical situations in
situations in your
soloing practice. You can put on a maj7 backing track in various
vario us keys and work on soloing
over each chord with its relative minor arpeggio.
Or, if you feel ready, you can put on a ii V I progression

progression and use the relative minor
arpeggio to solo over the Imaj7 chord in those changes.
Audio Example 100

166
Upper Structure Arpeggio Substitution
Even back in Christian’s time, upper structure intervals were

intervals were an important and commonly
used sound in jazz solos.
Upper structure notes are those that occur above the 7th in
7th in any chord.
If you think of the root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th as the chord tones, then the 9th, 11th, and 13th
13th
are the upper structure notes.
When applying this chord sub, you play a diatonic arpeggio one

arpeggio one tone higher than the
root you’re one.
For example, as you can see below, if you’re soloing over Cmaj7, you’d play a Dm7
arpeggio over that chord to hit all the upper structure notes, plus the root on top:
The cool thing about this chord sub concept is that

th at it’s always the same formula for
formula for each
of the three chords in a ii V I, play a m7 arpeggio a tone above the root.

Because a m7 chord follows the iim7, V7, and Imaj7
Imaj7 chord in the diatonic key, iiim7,
vim7, and iim7 respectively, it’s always the same.
If you were to apply this chord sub to a ii V I in C major,

maj or, you’d play the following arpeggios
over the diatonic chords.
chords.
• Dm7 = Em7
• G7 = Am7
Cmaj7 Dm7
167
As you can see, each new arpeggio is a m7 chord above the diatonic change.
change.
Not only does this make it easy to remember and

remember and apply this chord sub to your playing,
it allows you to move melodies around easily in your solos.
As you could technically use a m7 shape

shape over all three chords, you can play an idea,
move it to the next m7 shape, and nish it on the third m7 shape.
Here’s an example of a Christian style line that

line that uses the upper structure arpeggio sub
over a Cmaj7 chord for you to explore in your studies.
Audio Example 101

168
3 to 9 Arpeggio Substitution
The nal chord sub that you’ll explore in this section is often referred to as the 3 to 9
sub,, though it has not that ocial name in music theory.

sub
This sub, which Christian used often in his solos,
solos, involves playing a diatonic arpeggio
from the 3rd of any chord that you’re soloing over.
When doing so, you highlight the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th intervals
9th intervals over the underlying
chord in your lines.
Here’s a quick table to help you with remembering

remembering which
which 3 to 9 arpeggio to play over
any diatonic chord:
As you can see, there’s no 3 to 9 arpeggio for

arpeggio for a m7b5 chord, as it’s not commonly used
in this situation.

169
To help you take this concept into your playing, here’s a sample Christian lick that
lick that you
can learn and work in dierent keys around the fretboard.
Once you have this lick down, practice applying the 3 to 9 chord sub to
sub to other changes in
your practice routine.
You can start with one chord at a time, using a backing track,
track, before moving on to ii V I’s
in major and minor keys. From there, you can apply this concept to entire jazz standards
as you expand upon this important chord sub in your improvisational studies.
Every well-known jazz guitarist from Christian onward has

onward has used the 3 to 9 chord sub in
their soloing at one time or another.
Therefore, it’s an essential sound to learn, understand

understand,, and apply to your own jazz guitar
solos as you continue your development on the instrument.
Audio Example 102

170
Soloing Study – Seven Come Eleven

No that you’ve studied three big-picture soloing techniques from the Charlie Christian
playbook; you can apply those techniques to a tune.
In the following soloing study, over the chords to Seven Come Eleven,
Eleven, you’ll use phrases
that you just learned, but in a larger, musical situation.
Most of the phrases in this study are ones you’ve seen earlier in this section, but now
chained together over a longer form to study them over
them over an entire tune.
To make it easier to learn, work on one phrase at a time, building up to two phrases,
then three, and so on until you can play the entire solo in
solo in one sitting.
There’s also a backing track included that you can use to practice the written solo, as well
as to practice your own soloing over this jazz
this jazz classic.
classic.
Have fun with this solo, learn it note for note, and then start to improvise with it as you
expand upon these lines further in your own jazz guitar improvisations.
guitar improvisations.

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About The Author
Like many guitarists, I grew up listening to classic Rock and Blues, and I still love those
styles of music.
But it’s the improvisation I really love, and that’s what drew me to Jazz. My love of Jazz
has taken me from small town Canada around the globe.
I was able to study at three of the top Jazz programs in the world. Starting with McGill
University, then Western Michigan, and nishing with a Doctorate in Jazz from the
University of Illinois (UIUC).
It’s also allowed me to teach over 5000 private Jazz guitar lessons. My students have
ranged from complete beginners, all the
th e way to Professors of Jazz at NYU, and everything
in between.
I’ve also taught Jazz guitar, popular music, and music business at:
• Western Illinois University

• Western Michigan University
• University of Illinois
• Carleton University (Canada)
• Concordia University (Canada)
• The Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory
• University of Ouro Preto (Brazil)
• University of Sao Joao Del Rei (Brazil)
• University of Juiz de Fora (Brazil)
• Leeds College of Music (UK)
• University of Chester (UK)
My love of Jazz has also enabled me to play over 2000 gigs in 8 countries.

175
These gigs run from mostly empty coee shops, to sell out concerts. I’ve even shared the
stage with Jazz legends such as Randy Brecker, Stefon Harris, and Slide Hampton.
Some of my favorite gigs include shows at:
• Lincoln Center
• International Association for Jazz Education Conference
• NuJazz Festival (Brazil)
• Savassi Jazz Festival (Brazil)
• International Jazz Day Festival (Nepal)
Jazz has been in my life for 20 years, and every day I’m glad I found this great music.
Because of this, I want to share this love of Jazz and guitar with you. You never know
where it’ll lead you.

How 2 Play Jazz Guitar

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Charlie Christian Biography ..........................

Charlie Christian’s Inuences...........

Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman ............

Charlie & Bebop ...........

Charlie Christian’s Guitar Technique ...........

Charlie’s End .............

Charlie Christian’s Gear ............................

Charlie Christian’s Guitars ............

Charlie Christian’s Amps.............

Charlie Christian Discography...........................

Chapter 1 - Chord Concepts

Minor Family Shapes ............

Dominant Family Shapes ...........

Major Family Shapes .........................

Diminished Family Shapes ................................

Comping Study – Beginner ...........

Comping Study – Intermediate .............

Single Note Concepts - Arpeggios ..........................

Major Family Arpeggios .................................

Dominant Family Chords ...........

Minor Family Chords.............

Diminished Family Chords ..................................

Single Note Concepts - Scales

Major Family Chords .............................

Dominant Family Chords ...........

Minor Family Chords.............

Diminished Family Chords ...........

Soloing Study - Dinah

Soloing Techniques - Chromatics

Blues Notes .............

Passing Notes .............

Soloing Study - Rose Room ...........

Soloing Techniques – Concepts .........................

Chord Substitutions ...........

Soloing Study – Seven Come Eleven ............

About The Author .............................

In this eBook, you’ll focus on breaking

The main sections of his approach

note lines), scales, arpeggios, licks,

As Christian based his soloing lines

some people can use it comfortably and others

To help you get into the Christian’s

Matt & Dirk

Charlie Christian Biography

Charlie Christian’s Infuences

Christian’s style was a direct ancestor of the bop sound which

No doubt Christian himself was probably

Christian, who left this planet at the age of 25,

It was Williams who introduced Christian to producer John

Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman

Charlie & Bebop

While performing at Minton’s Playhouse in

It was Minton’s Playhouse that Christian found

Charlie Christian’s Guitar Technique