The approach that I talk about in this Rhythm Changes lessons is probably the best way to learn how to improvise over complex chord progressions. Using Target notes is a great way to create lines that naturally move forward and helps you stay ahead of the chord changes rather than trying to catch up when it has already happened.

The lesson package contains 2 transcribed solos on a medium tempo Rhythm Changes and some exercises and etudes to help you get started soloing using target notes. The two lessons are analyzing one of the solos and going over the exercises to introduce you to this way of thinking and how to start practicing.

This lesson consists of 2 choruses of solo on the Rhythm Changes progression. The first chorus is mostly demonstrating the approach that I described in the free lesson: Rhythm Changes – Part 1, using arpeggios and diatonic scales. The 2nd chorus is a more extended approach with more chords, scales, alterations and chromatic passing notes.

The download includes 46:50 minutes HD video, PDF + GuitarPro sheet music and mp3 backing track and examples,

The Rhythm Changes can appear to be very dense and hard to be free on. An essential part of knowing how to solo on this form is to have several ways of negotiating the chords so that you don't only have to think about the form in one way. This approach makes it much easier to play solos that develop and don't sound the same all the time.

The solo transcription and analysis included in this lesson demonstrates several ways that you can re-interpret the changes and also how that directly gives you different ways to solo over them.

Two things are certain: Comping is probably what you will be doing most of the time as a guitarist and Rhythm Changes is an essential chord progression to master if you want to learn how to play jazz.

Hopefully this lesson package helps you with both of those things.

What you will Learn:

There are two goals in this lesson package. One is to give some insight in how you can comp on the rhythm changes and especially on the I VI II V progression.

The other goal is to help you start thinking in phrases when comping. It is very important to connect what you are playing and make it a complete musical statement. This is more useful than worrying about what extensions to use or what reharmonization to play. Listening to what is going on around you and making musical sense should always be a top priority and especially when accompanying somebody else.

The goal of this lesson is to help you improve the way you improvise over a chord progression like the rhythm changes with many chords and lots of movement. The exercises in the lesson serve to let you play them and hear how the melodies flow. Another thing you can use them for is to see them as examples of compositions where you can write your own similar compositions and, in that way, build a larger vocabulary.

Working on this type of progression will make all other moving progressions a lot easier to improvise over as well, so it is a great place to build that skill.