If you’re looking for ways to make my jazz guitar soloing more rich by making more of what you already know and do? Here’s some suggestions.

1. Explore Harmonic Extensions and Tensions

• Add 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths: Use chord extensions to create more colorful solo lines. If you know a basic chord shape or arpeggio, try adding a 9th or 13th to your lines.
• Use Tensions (b9, #9, b13, etc.): Adding these over dominant chords creates more tension and a sense of movement toward resolution.

2. Chromatic Passing Tones and Enclosures

• Chromaticism: Slip in chromatic notes between chord tones to add more fluidity and complexity. This works especially well in jazz where tension and release are central to the style.
• Enclosures: Approach target notes by playing notes above and below them chromatically before landing on the target. This adds a bebop flavor to your lines.

3. Rhythmic Variation

• Syncopation: Vary the rhythm by playing off the beat or using unexpected accents.
• Polyrhythms: Experiment with rhythms that contrast with the underlying groove (e.g., playing 3 against 4).
• Space and Phrasing: Use more rests and give your phrases room to breathe. This can make even simple ideas sound more profound.

4. Use Motifs and Develop Them

• Motif Development: Take a simple melodic idea (motif) and develop it throughout your solo by repeating it with variations in rhythm, note choice, or phrasing.
• Call and Response: Play a motif (the “call”) and answer it with a contrasting phrase (the “response”). This creates a conversational quality to your solo.

5. Arpeggio Superimposition

• Superimpose Arpeggios: Use arpeggios from related chords over the underlying harmony. For example, over a G7 chord, you could play arpeggios from G7, Bm7b5, or Dm7 to outline different harmonic textures.

6. Chord Substitutions

• Triad Pairing: Use two triads over a dominant or tonic chord to create harmonic tension. For example, over a Cmaj7, use G and D triads for a fresh sound.
• Tritone Substitution: Solo as if playing over the tritone-substituted chord. For example, over a G7, you could superimpose lines from a Db7 arpeggio or scale.

7. Altered Scale and Modes

• Altered Scale: Over dominant chords, use the altered scale (7th mode of melodic minor) to add tension and chromaticism.
• Mixing Modes: Take advantage of different modes over chords. For instance, instead of always playing the major scale over major chords, try Lydian (raise the 4th) or even Dorian.

8. Double Stops and Intervals

• Use Double Stops: Playing two notes at once, especially 3rds, 6ths, or 4ths, can thicken your sound and add harmonic interest.
• Intervallic Soloing: Try basing your lines on larger intervals like 4ths or 6ths to break away from scalar patterns.

9. Diminished and Whole Tone Ideas

• Diminished Runs: Use diminished arpeggios and scales to create tension, especially over dominant chords. Since diminished scales are symmetrical, they’re great for quickly moving up and down the fretboard.
• Whole Tone Scale: Over augmented or dominant chords, the whole tone scale offers a dreamy, unresolved quality that adds a modern edge.

10. Use Different Pick Techniques

• Hybrid Picking: Mix fingerstyle with picking to create more dynamic texture in your lines.
• Economy Picking: Improve the smoothness of your phrasing by using economy picking to reduce pick hand movement.

11. Octave Lines (à la Wes Montgomery)

• Play lines in octaves for a richer, fuller sound. It also forces you to slow down and be more deliberate with your note choices, adding a lyrical quality to your soloing.

12. Explore the Guitar’s Full Range

• Play Across the Neck: Don’t just stay in one area of the fretboard. Use vertical and horizontal movement to fully utilize the guitar’s range, making your solo sound more dynamic and interesting.

13. Utilize the Blues Scale Tastefully

• You probably already know the pentatonic and blues scales. Even in jazz, a well-placed bluesy phrase adds depth to a solo, especially over dominant chords.

By focusing on these elements, you can add new layers of complexity and richness to your jazz solos without needing to learn entirely new material. Experiment with combinations of these techniques in different contexts to find what works best for your style.

This is Peter Green.You may not recognize him today — he looks a lot different from the way he did in 1967, when at the age of 20 he became the founder and frontman for what would become one of the most successful and enduring acts in music history.

But when the band he created was selling millions of albums and playing to packed arenas, Green was long gone — destitute, homeless, and quite mad.

Peter Green had been a rising star in Britain’s blues revival of the 1960s. His guitar playing caught the attention of Bluesbreakers frontman John Mayall, who let the teenage Green sit in with the band when lead guitarist Eric Clapton was unavailable. When Clapton eventually left to form Cream, Mayall gave the job to Green, predicting that within a few years he would eclipse Clapton as England’s greatest blues guitarist.

After a year with Mayall, Green was eager to front his own band. He poached two of his Bluesbreakers bandmates, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, enticing them to join by naming the band Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.

The band, which played a mix of blues standards and original compositions by Green, enjoyed overnight success. Behind Green’s soulful voice and raw, authentic guitar playing, their debut self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, spent 37 weeks on the UK charts, and was the fourth best-selling album of the year. Green would quickly mature as a songwriter, charting with such compositions as Black Magic Woman (later a major hit for Santana) and the instrumental Albatross, which shot to No. 1.

As their fame and popularity increased, Green’s bandmates began to notice changes in his behavior. On a tour of Europe in 1970, Green abruptly left for several weeks to join a German commune where he ingested large quantities of LSD. His erratic behavior had intensified; he grew a beard and began wearing long robes and crucifixes, and spoke of his desire for the band to give away the money they’d earned. His compositions around this time became increasingly darker, as evidenced in his song The Green Manalishi (with the Two Prong Crown):

“Now, when the day goes to sleep and the full moon looks
The night is so black that the darkness cooks
Don’t you come creepin’ around – makin’ me do things I don’t want to
Can’t believe that you need my love so bad
Come sneakin’ around tryin’ to drive me mad
Bustin’ in on my dreams – making me see things I don’t wanna see“

Two months after his stay at the German commune, Green left Fleetwood Mac. He released a solo album the following year as well as sessions with B.B. King, and then faded into obscurity.

Broke and unable to care for himself, he moved into the home of his brother and sister-in-law, who encouraged him to seek psychiatric treatment. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the late 70s and began a long road to recovery. He was given anti-psychotic drugs which managed his symptoms, but according to Green, caused a complete loss of interest in music. So for the next several decades he went on and off the medication, a struggle which lasts to the present day.

He formed the Peter Green Splinter Group in 1997. The band released nine albums over the next eight years until Green abruptly disbanded the group.

He lives today in comfortable retirement in the south of England, looked after by close friends. Mick Fleetwood visited him several years ago and described the bittersweet day: “He’s still warm and kind, but otherwise he’s not the man I knew, clearly.”

It’s unclear whether the LSD Green took triggered his underlying schizophrenia or merely exacerbated it, but one thing seems clear: had he remained healthy, Peter Green would likely have become one of the most influential recording artists of all time.

Sadly, many people who read this post have probably never heard of him.

My 2004 (Crafted in Japan) Fender Stratocaster. I bought it 2010 from John Blackman of Far East Guitars who specialized in Fenders from Japan. The photos here are from John’s website, this was the first time I saw her, and fell in love! John retired around 2015. His website is no longer there. 🙁 I’m playing over a 12/8 Fusion Shuffle Jam Track in C minor. You can find the jam track on  @BensJamTracks  here…. https://youtu.be/ft9Y907Gs6U?si=D_XGxxjGXH1Un9mA

Summertime is in A minor and has a 16-bar structure divided into two 8-bar sections (A and A’). With this in mind, here are some ideas for reharmonization:

1. Explore modal interchange: Since the tune moves briefly to C major (the relative major), you could introduce more chords from C major throughout.
2. Add secondary dominants: The original has one secondary dominant (A7alt leading to Dm7). You could introduce more secondary dominants to create tension and resolution.
3. Tritone substitutions: Replace some dominant chords with their tritone substitutes for a more modern sound.
4. Extend harmonies: Where appropriate, you could extend some chords to 9ths, 11ths, or 13ths for added color.
5. Use diminished passing chords: These can be inserted between existing chords to create more movement.
6. Explore minor line clichés: Since the tune is primarily in A minor, you could use descending or ascending chromatic lines in the bass to connect chords.
7. Alter the harmonic rhythm: You could change how long each chord is held, creating more or less movement in certain sections.

Remember, the goal of reharmonization is to enhance the original while maintaining its essence. It’s important to preserve key structural points and the overall feel of the piece.

How do you start a solo in a jazz setting?
Especially when playing with a band. You want to keep your bandmates on their toes, so you don’t want to be predictable. Here are ten ideas for starting a guitar solo in a jazz setting:

1. Motif Development:
   • Begin with a simple motif (a short, memorable musical idea) and develop it through repetition and variation. This creates a thematic foundation for your solo.
2. Call and Response:
   • Start by playing a phrase and then “answer” it with a contrasting phrase. This creates a conversational feel, engaging the listener from the outset.
3. Quote the Melody:
   • Start your solo by quoting a line from the song’s melody. This grounds your improvisation in the context of the tune and provides a familiar point of reference.
4. Use Space:
   • Begin with a few well-placed notes and leave plenty of space. This builds anticipation and allows your phrases to breathe, setting up a dynamic contrast for what follows.
5. Rhythmic Variation:
   • Start with an interesting rhythmic idea, such as syncopation or an unusual subdivision. This can create an engaging and energetic opening.
6. Chordal Approach:
   • Start your solo with chord voicings or double-stops rather than single notes. This can add harmonic richness and texture right from the beginning.
7. Use Dynamics:
   • Begin softly and gradually build in volume and intensity. This dynamic approach can create a sense of drama and progression in your solo.
8. Blues Influence:
   • Incorporate bluesy bends, slides, and phrasing in your opening. The blues is a key component of jazz and can add a soulful, expressive quality to your solo.
9. Modal Exploration:
   • Start by exploring a specific mode or scale that fits the chord changes. This can give your solo a distinctive flavor and harmonic color from the beginning.
10. Rhythmic Displacement:
    • Play a phrase that starts on an offbeat or unexpected part of the measure. This rhythmic surprise can grab the listener’s attention and create a compelling starting point.

Experiment with these ideas to see which ones resonate with your personal style and the musical context of the piece you’re playing. Each approach can lead to different pathways and developments in your solo, helping you unfold your musical story in unique and creative ways.