How to Play Chord Progression Jazz Guitar

Jazz guitar relies heavily on chord progressions (cadences) to establish a tonal center and allow forward movement in the composition. Chord progressions also may provide resting places that can be resolved or used to start new cadences. The following steps will show how to play chord progression jazz guitar.

Instructions

1. Study the common cadential forms. These include Authentic, Deceptive, Half and Plagal cadences. Phrases usually end with Authentic or Deceptive cadences while Half and Plagal cadences are used to provide motion or transition between phrases.

2. Identify authentic cadences as chord progressions from the fifth to the first note in the scale. This is usually the strongest type of cadence and includes Perfect cadences, in which the root of the final chord is in the highest voice, and Imperfect cadences, in which the chords may be inverted or the first chord is based on the seventh note of the scale instead of the fifth.

3. Examine Deceptive cadences. These progressions start with a chord based on the fifth note and go to any other note other than the first. Deceptive cadences are weak cadence because of their suspended feel.

4. Observe the progression of a Half cadence. It is considered to be the weakest cadence and may start with any chord but must end on a chord of the fifth note. Half cadences that go from the fourth minor note to the fifth major note are called Phrygian Half cadences after their resemblance to the Phrygian mode.

5. Look at Plagal cadences. They start with chords from the fourth note and end with chords from the first note of the scale. Plagal cadences are frequently encountered in hymns.