Why do beginner jazz solos always sound boring and predictable? The issue isn’t talent—I’ve coached many guitarists who’ve quickly transformed basic licks into authentic jazz solos using one simple method. So in this video, I’m going to show you exactly how to turn your beginner ideas into exciting, real jazz vocabulary.
So If your solos sounds like this:
Then stick around because by the end of this video, you will know exactly how to turn it into this:
The Simplest Phrase & The Best Solution
Let’s start with something really simple — a basic Dm7 line. Because what matters here isn’t the chord.
It’s the idea behind it: how you build phrases. When you start thinking in building blocks, you can improve your skills with rhythm, arpeggios, chromaticism, phrasing — and your solos start to sound like real jazz, not just notes.
Here’s a super basic lick:
Now… let’s break that down and make it better.
This line consists of two parts: a simple scale run and a Dm7 arpeggio.
What we’re going to do next is upgrade each of those.
Because if you improve the building blocks, the whole line starts sounding better.
Step #1 – Chromatic Flow
Let’s take that scale run and make it feel more like jazz. First, we’ll do that by adding chromatic notes — not just for tension, but to shape the phrase. Right now, the goal is simple: land on D — the first note of the arpeggio.
So what happens if we add a chromatic note before that D?
It already adds tension and forward motion. But check this out:
Instead of approaching from above, you can place the chromatic note below the D
Hear how that C# leads into D more naturally? It’s subtle, but it flows a LOT better!
Notice how easy it is to experiment with just a few notes, and you discover great things in the process.
Now let’s flip things around. What if we switch the order — say, switch E and C#?
That gives you a surprise direction change — an important part of the Jazz sound!
Remember, the most important part is how clearly you land on that D—not necessarily where you start. So why not experiment with starting on the 3rd of Dm7 instead of the 5th? This opens up even more possibilities for chromatic movement:
Already, this phrase is flowing much better — and we haven’t even touched the arpeggio or the rhythm yet.
Let’s do that next.
Step #2 – There Is More Than 1 Arpeggio!
This almost goes against what I usually teach, but it will add A LOT of color and variation to your solo lines, plus all your favorite jazz players do this!
In our basic example, the arpeggio we started with was simply the chord: Dm7. That’s a safe choice—playing chord tones always works. But to make your solos interesting, you need more options. Using different arpeggios will add richer colors and extensions to your sound.
This is how I go against my own teaching. Normally, I encourage students to start by improvising using only chord tones. In fact, that is very useful and one of the foundational exercises in my Jazz Guitar Roadmap course.
__already linked—
But once you have that down, exploring additional arpeggios is a great next step, and a part of learning Jazz. That is also outlined in the Roadmap. Here’s a quick, practical way to find these extra arpeggios, using Dm7 as our example. Once you learn this method, you can easily apply it to any chord you encounter:
Explainer with illustration – Put the text/note names on screen when you can:
Our Dm7 chord is the II chord in a II-V-I progression in C major.
So first, write out your C major scale (and two octaves is practical for this):,
`
Next, build the Dm7 chord by stacking thirds from D: D F A C
But you can add more extensions by stacking more 3rds. Like this you end up with these Dm7 with a 9,11 and 13:
Dm7 (9,11,13)
From these notes, you can pull out multiple 7th chord arpeggios:
But there are also triads:
As a general rule, if an arpeggio shares many notes with your original chord, in this case Dm7. It will sound great and be easy to use in a solo. For example, Fmaj7 and Am7 both fit perfectly over Dm7.
On the other hand, Cmaj7 might sound too distant because it doesn’t contain an F and has a B in there.
But, ultimately, you should trust your ear and experiment.
Now you’ve expanded your toolkit dramatically—and one especially useful trick is playing the arpeggio starting from the 3rd of the chord. Jazz players use this all the time, and it instantly adds color to your solos. Listen to how good this sounds:
As you probably noticed, when using the Fmaj7 arpeggio (The arpeggio from the 3rd of Dm7), I needed to adjust the scale run slightly to land on the F instead of the D.
This naturally created a chromatic run, adding more color. But you can also intentionally insert chromatic phrases like this to move things along even more:
Notice how using the Fmaj7 arpeggio immediately gives you new ideas for your scale run. Now, let’s place the arpeggio at the beginning of the bar. This makes it easier to experiment with rhythmic variations, and it also sets us up perfectly to introduce another powerful arpeggio choice: the Am7 (built from the 5th of Dm7).
Check out how clearly this arpeggio frames the F note, really emphasizing the Dm7 sound:
Here, I added a short descending line to smoothly transition into G7, but you could just as easily continue with another arpeggio instead, like this:
At this point, you’re already creating richer, more interesting phrases—but now, let’s talk rhythm — because changing just that can make your lines sound like instant Bebop.
Step #3 – Beautiful Rhythm
If you carefully listen to jazz legends like George Benson, Joe Pass, or Wes Montgomery, you’ll notice something powerful: they frequently use arpeggios as eighth-note triplets to add momentum, and a beautiful rhythmic flow to their lines.
Let’s explore two easy ways you can immediately incorporate this into your playing. First, here’s another simple line using our familiar Fmaj7 arpeggio:
The first rhythmic variation is simple but incredibly effective. Turn the arpeggio into a triplet by not playing on beat 1. You should also check out the classic Bebop enclosure I use to smoothly connect Dm7 to G7—this little phrase is everywhere in jazz:
Another essential Bebop rhythm trick—one you’ll hear constantly—is adding a leading note before the arpeggio root and playing it as a triplet. It instantly gives your lines that authentic jazz bounce:
As you can hear, rhythm is often even more important than the specific notes you play—it can completely transform your solos. And this idea doesn’t just apply to arpeggios; you can also use rhythm creatively with scale-based melodies. But before we dive into that, let’s quickly talk about how you can effectively practice like this yourself and level up your lines.
How To Build A Vocabulary
The biggest mistake most players make when learning these building blocks is immediately trying to use them in full solos. Instead, a much smarter approach is to first compose short, focused licks,
really what you’ve seen me do in this video. This allows you to figure out how the new building blocks fit in your playing and become a natural part of your solos.
Start simple, just like we’ve done in this video—pick one chord and one new building block at a time. Experiment by combining this new idea with familiar material to create fresh variations.
For example, let’s say you want to apply our triplet rhythm idea to a Cmaj7 chord, like this:
You could follow it with a chromatic run—an approach Charlie Parker loved to use:
Or you might move into an Am triad.
When I come up with this I play the triplet arpeggio, pause briefly, and then listen internally for what naturally follows it. This approach helps you develop your ear and intuition. Give yourself time, and allow yourself to try stuff out.
It’s ok if something doesn’t sound good, because that helps you find the stuff that does.
You can also try a melodic leap up to the 9th—something Wes Montgomery frequently did to emphasize colors in his solos:
When you’re exploring these ideas, don’t worry about rhythm or playing “correctly” right away. Take your time, experiment freely, and don’t fear mistakes—this is exactly how you improve and build your jazz vocabulary. Now that you’ve got a solid approach to building vocabulary, let’s take these scale runs to the next level by adding some rhythm!
Step #4 – The Trill Isn’t Gone
Just like triplet rhythms instantly spice up your arpeggios, trills (or turns) can dramatically improve your scale runs. Let’s start simple, so you can hear the effect. Here’s the line without anything.
The easiest spot to add a trill here is right on beat 3, between the notes E and F. Listen to how this small addition immediately brings the line to life:
Now, a quick practical tip about playing trills: they usually sound best when played legato, just as I do here.
Because of this, certain notes in the scale might be harder to trill from, depending on where you are on the neck. That’s okay—focus on using the ones that are easy to play, don’t spend time on the ones that always sound choppy.
You can also smoothly combine trills with arpeggios, which is also a great sound. Here’s how a trill fits with an Fmaj7 arpeggio:
Or you can use a trill along with a chromatic note to smoothly lead into an arpeggio, creating a seamless transition and more forward motion:
And there’s still another powerful trick—one directly from the Charlie Parker playbook—that I’ll show you next.
Step #5 – Chromatic Triplets
One common pitfall I see students run into is playing scale melodies as eighth-note triplets. Doing this usually makes your solo sound less like jazz and more like an Irish jig.
In jazz, triplets typically work better with arpeggios—but there’s one powerful exception that’s incredibly useful. Check out how I lead into the Fmaj7 arpeggio here:
This short chromatic run from E to G not only adds energy with rhythm,
but also creates a clear enclosure around the first note of the Fmaj7 arpeggio.
Charlie Parker frequently used this exact trick, combining chromatic triplets with arpeggios like this:
This technique instantly breaks up your eighth-note lines, adding rhythmic excitement and real jazz phrasing—clearly no risk of sounding like a jig here! Learning how to construct vocabulary in this way is one of the most effective ways to truly capture the jazz sound in your playing. When you master the flow, phrasing, and rhythmic feel, your playing immediately sounds more professional and expressive. One of the teachers who taught me a great deal about this was Barry Harris. This video covers some of his wisdom plus some other great concepts you can add to your playing. Check it out!
Learn Jazz Make Music
https://jenslarsen.nl/5-jazz-licks-that-turn-beginners-into-pros
Get the PDF!
You can also download the PDF of my examples here:
Get the PDF and GuitarPro on Patreon:
You can get the PDF and GuitarPro files on Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/107383320
Get a free E-book
If you want to download a Free E-book of 15 II Valt I licks then subscribe to my newsletter:
https://jenslarsen.nl/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/
Jazz Guitar Insiders Facebook Group
Join 15000+ Other Jazz Guitarists Join us in the Facebook Jazz Guitar Group Community: http://bit.ly/InsidersFBGroup
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for topics, then send me an email or leave a comment here or on the video. That ias the best way for me to improve my lessons and make them fit what you are searching for.