RJS – Guitar Intermediate

About this course

The course develops jazz guitar technique through work on chord types, extended voicings, common progressions, scales, arpeggios and four-in-the-bar rhythm playing. Participants explore intervals, the cycle of fifths, major-scale harmonisation and chord-scale relationships, alongside common jazz rhythms and melodic patterns. Teaching centres on playing jazz standards, including chords, melodies, chord melodies, accompaniments and improvised passages. Practical exercises are used to assess learning, while progress is tracked through personal goals. The course also examines the work of major jazz guitarists.

What you'll learn

• Apply major, minor, dominant seventh, major seventh, minor seventh, diminished and half-diminished chords in jazz settings.
• Use extended chord voicings and inversions in common jazz progressions.
• Play major, minor and pentatonic scales, including variations such as thirds and broken seventh chords.
• Construct and play major, minor and seventh-chord arpeggios across one and two octaves.
• Perform chord melodies, accompaniments and improvised lines over jazz standards.
• Relate intervals, scales and chords using basic jazz harmony concepts.

Is this course right for you?

This course is intended for guitarists developing beyond fundamental playing, particularly those with at least two years of experience. Participants should already work with chords and scales, accompany songs and pick out melodies. It is explicitly not designed for complete beginners, and Level 1 literacy is described as an advantage.

• Requires an established working knowledge of guitar chords and scales.
• Suitable for learners who can accompany songs and identify or play melodies.
• Learning is centred on playing, practical exercises and setting personal goals.

Before you go

• There is no formal assessment; learning is evaluated through practical exercises in class.
• Level 1 literacy is an advantage.