Welcome to More Jazz Guitar Chords and Accompaniment! As a continuation of my introductory book, Jazz Guitar Chords and Accompaniment (ISBN: ), this book presents additional common jazz guitar chords and voicings while mainly focusing on comping—the most important element in jazz accompaniment. Although this book is a sequel and studying Jazz Guitar Chords and Accompaniment first is highly recommended, it is suitable for anyone who has a basic knowledge of guitar chords, a basic understanding of music theory, and a minimal ability to read music.

Chapter 1 first briefly reviews inversions, voicings, and how to transpose chords on the fingerboard. Then, it introduces one of the most popular and accessible guitar voicings, called drop 2. The chord diagrams of the drop 2 voicing and inversions for fifteen types of chords, along with common 2-bar comping rhythmic patterns, are presented.

Chapter 2 introduces another popular chord voicing, drop 3. Again, the chord diagrams of all the inversions for fifteen chord types are shown, in addition to various 2-bar comping patterns.

In Chapter 3, you will learn about chord substitution and synonyms—chords that have the same or similar structure, but are called by different names. The chapter first discusses three common types of chord substitutions: diatonic, tritone, and diminished. An extensive chart then lists chord synonyms that can be used for substitution.

Chapter 4 discusses several approaches and techniques commonly used in comping. Topics discussed include how a voicing is selected, what voice-leading is, and what rhythms are used to get various effects in comping. The discussion is focused on giving you ideas and directions that will help you integrate the information you’ve learned up to this point.

Chapter 5 introduces you some other popular guitar chord voicings. They include three-note open chords, guide tones, guide tones plus one, and fourth voicings.

Many of the topics or sections include musical examples and exercises so that you can practice each element discussed. For best results, you are highly encouraged to make up your own examples or exercises suited to your own taste or preference. With the vast amount of voicings and information presented, you may feel overwhelmed from time to time. Try to learn and digest one element at a time, gradually adding others as you feel comfortable. You may also skip sections and go directly to those topics that interest you most or that are relevant to your present purpose.

Good luck! I sincerely hope you will have a lot of fun and further advance your jazz guitar-playing skills by working with this book!

(from More Jazz Guitar Chords and Accompaniment)