Chord Tone Soloing for Jazz Guitar: Master Arpeggio Soloing for Jazz Guitar Paperback – 11 May 2015

This book is a tool which can help you come to an understanding of your own musicality through the weaving of jazz into your playing. The book in itself will not engender mastery. Jazz is an ineffable presence in music - developing insights into it that align with your playing can sometimes feel insurmountable. However, with this book and determination, that way of thinking can be dispelled. It is a great starting point for someone who is somewhat comfortable with their guitar-playing and who has at least a burgeoning interest in the many facets of jazz and its fluid and contradictory rules/non-rules. The only criticism I have is that the book can seem too brief at times in its explanations and examples; also the pacing of the introduction of more complex concepts is slightly too fast. But this is precisely where one's determination is key.

This book is a brilliant perspective on soloing. Joseph breaks everything up into logical sequence, introducing each new concept and common progression in easy to understand terms, imparting huge amounts of information without ever making the reader feel like their drowning under theory. The backing tracks and audio examples are brilliant for quickly turning theory into practice; This book is an absolute must for anybody looking to improve their understanding of arpeggios and jazz.

Finally… a book on jazz that makes sense! Whilst having a pretty good grip on jazz theory and being competent with a number of standards I was still at a loss as to how jazz solos were constructed. On video sites etc. I found a billion videos showing me which scales to use and how the jazz guitarist is constantly switching between scales for each chord and applying this vast memory exercise of remembering which scales with which chords, that I found over complex and rather like standing at the bottom of Everest wondering where to start. This book give you that starting point: arpeggios not scales; chords not scales; linking tones and a logical path not scales. get the point?! Thanks Joseph for a great step by step book - I now understand a lot more and have applied the lessons and noticed an improvement, I sound more, well…. jazzy!

I’m really enjoying working my way through the book- one of the few books where I’m actually working through each page methodically (playing a chord and identifying and playing the relevant notes) although you can also dip in to any page or chapter. I also like the large music notation so I don’t need to squint my eyes when reading the notes, or wear glasses.

This book is a brilliant way into the at times overwhelming word of jazz soloing. Joseph breaks everything up into manageable chunks, introducing each new concept and common progression in easy to understand terms, imparting huge amounts of information without ever making the reader feel like their drowning under theory. The backing tracks and audio examples are brilliant for quickly turning theory into practice; just working my way through the first few chapters made me feel like i'd progressed more in a few weeks than I had previously in years. This book is an absolute must for anybody looking to improve their understanding of arpeggios and jazz.

Have a number of books on jazz guitar soloing all of which have their merits. Mastering chord tones is an essential first step to soloing , and this book provides a logical step wise approach, The format is easy to understand, well set out and consistent throughout the book . I have learnt lots from this book and my playing has taken a significant leap forward as a result. Would recommend this book very highly and mastering all its content as a basis for moving on to more advanced concepts.

Only just got this. Had to have it really. Tried the kindle sample to see what it was like before ordering the hard copy. Kind of prefer a paper printed version for music books. I know some of the theory of how to solo, but how to apply it is another matter, as there are so many options. This shows practical ways to get there, starting with II - V - Is and then moving on to other popular jazz chord sequences. Mr Alexander gives you the technical explanations and makes them easy to understand and his tone of writing is very encouraging. Quite excellent.

If you want a structured, coherent and lucid book on chord tone soloing for jazz guitar, then this is it. Chapters contain enough theory to help you understand the various techniques and concepts used in CTS, but without overwhelming you with musical theory. Then there are plenty of examples to practice these ideas and use them to make music (what it's all about). It's not just learning by rote either. For example, regarding smooth transitions between arpeggios, you're given a couple of examples and then encouraged to expand these across the fretboard. Highly recommended.