Chord Solos In Easy Mode (Play It Instantly!)
“Instant Chord Soloing” sounds like a big promise, right? When you think of a jazz chord solo, you probably picture thousands of chord voicings played very quickly. But most of the time, that’s not what’s actually happening! Once I realized this, everything became so much easier. And the best part? You don’t need to memorize countless inversions to start using this. Even if you’re new to jazz, you can get started right now. It is that simple!
An Easy Foundation
I am going to start simpler than most of you need, but let’s get the foundation right. For a II V I in C major I am sure you know these basic chords:
We’ll start with this short progression because it makes the most sense for the lesson. But dont’ worry—I’ll give you some real song examples to apply this to later.
To make this work for chord soloing, we need to convert these into rootless voicings—because that’s how most chord solo phrases are played on guitar. I’ll also add a note on the top string to make them more useful.
(MAYBE HERE BELOW YOU HAVE TO CHANGE A BIT THE TEXT…..)
So you this Dm7 becomes this rootless voicing, the G7 adds a D and gives you this (play) and on the Cmaj7 I also add the D on top for now, so you have this great maj7(9) voicing: play.
But so far, this is just chords—no chord solo yet! Let’s expand it and start turning this into real music. Later, I’ll also give you tips on using this in chord melody or solo guitar playing.
Melody & Rhythm
The first step is to find more melody options for each of these three chords.
Let’s start with Dm7. Right now, you have this:
But you could also add a 9th or a high 3rd as a melody note.
Even with just three notes, you can already create real phrases—especially if you add some rhythm:
The same simple idea works for G7, giving you this:
And on Cmaj7, you can start with these two melody notes:
I’ll show you more options with melody in a bit, but the key to chord soloing isn’t playing a ton of chords—it’s about rhythm and simple melodies.
First, get comfortable playing different melody notes over these chords. Then, start creating short phrases, like this:
As you can hear, this already works—even with just a few notes! Chord solos aren’t about long, complicated 8th-note lines. They’re about riffs and rhythm. Just listen to Wes Montgomery—he repeats simple melodies but adds variations to make them swing.
Try this approach—repeat and develop short melodies:
Another easy tool for chord soloing is chromatic passing chords, I’ll show you in a moment. But first, let’s add more melody notes to expand your options!
More Melody & More Rhythm
Here’s a simple trick to make your chord solos even more flexible:
Instead of always playing the melody on the top string, you can leave that out and add melody notes on the B string. This way, you have both 3-note and 4-note voicings to improvise with—almost like a small scale fragment for each chord.
For Dm7, you get:
I’m keeping things easy to play and practical, so for G7, I’m using one less option:
And finally, here are a few Cmaj7 variations:
Notice how I’m just leaving out notes that don’t fit the chord or aren’t easy to play. Don’t overthink it—keep it simple and playable. Now, you have more melody options than you’ll ever need—maybe even too many?
But remember, rhythm is still the most important part of this:
Here’s another example that’s a bit more like an 8th-note line, but rhythm is still the key:
- List:Easy To LearnEasy To UseFocus On Rhythm
As you can tell this approach is easy to learn, easy to use and helps you focus on the rhythm.
Let me show you how you can even add chromatic passing chords—without changing the voicings!
Sliding In Some Jazz
This is one of the few things that’s actually easier on guitar than piano and there are not a lot of those!
until now we’ve been working with just three voicings and their variations. But you can stick with these same voicings and still add chromatic passing chords to create even more movement.
It’s incredibly simple: when you play a phrase, you think melody first. Here’s how it works on Dm7:
Now, I want to add a leading note to the second note—a D#.
And the way you harmonize that? Just play the voicing you already have under the target note, E.
That gives you this:
And that’s the trick! You don’t need to think about extra chords—just think ahead and focus on where the melody is going.
This works for all the chords in the II V I, whether you’re moving up or down:
But of course, you want to use this in real songs—and maybe even in a chord melody setting. Let’s explore how to make that happen!
Good Songs To Start With
If you’ve been working on these II V I exercises, the next step is to try the same approach with other progressions. But it doesn’t get really fun until you start applying this directly to real songs—so instead of getting stuck with II V I licks, let’s explore some great tunes where this method works right away.
Pent Up House
This tune, in G major, and is only II V I and II V progressions, making it perfect for practicing chord soloing using what you now know.
Plus, you can easily shift riffs around the neck while keeping everything musical. The last half of the form could sound something like this—it even has a bit of a Wes Montgomery vibe to it:
Lady Bird
Another great option is Lady Bird. This tune lets you reuse what you already know, and since it doesn’t rely on II V I all the time, you get a chance to work with maj7 voicings in a different context.
Again, repeating riffs and motifs is key to chord soloing. Here’s an example using the first half of that form:
As you can tell, I’m just shifting the same voicings around the neck to create a chord solo.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore other positions—but this method makes it much easier to get started and actually use chord soloing in your playing.
Chord Melody Soloing
If you want to use this in chord melody or solo guitar, you can still stick to the same voicings you’ve learned so far. The only difference is that adding a bass note here and there can help get the groove and harmony across. Joe Pass plays like this most of the time when he is playing solo guitar.
Luckily, we started with voicings that include the bass note, so you can simply bring those back in at the start of the bar and then mix in chord solo phrases. Here’s how that works on the song Perdido, adding shell voicings and full chords at strategic points to keep things clear. Make sure to start with slow medium tempos with this approach. That makes it so much easier.
As you can hear, I state the full chord first, then continue the melody with rootless voicings:
- Cm7 starts with a shell voicing, then a phrase with a chromatic passing chord
- F7 and Bbmaj7 follow a similar pattern
- On Dm7 G7, I opted for playing everything with full voicings
It’s a great way to blend chord soloing and chord melody, keeping your playing melodic and with clear groove and harmony.
Learning From A Master
When it comes to chord soloing and chord melody, my biggest influence is Joe Pass. His approach to both soloing and comping is absolutely mind-blowing, and there’s so much to learn from his playing.
Some of the most inspiring examples are his duo recordings with Ella Fitzgerald. Navigating that setting—where the guitar carries the harmony, groove, and dynamics all on its own—is incredibly challenging, but Joe Pass makes it sound effortless.
If you want to learn how to add variation, groove, and walking bass to your comping, check out this video where I break down his approach! See you over there!
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