Free Jazz Guitar Lessons with Chris Standring

The Back Cycling Turnaround

Very often in jazz composition you see sequences where there are two chords to each measure. If the tune is particularly fast this will allow a maximum of only 4 notes per chord to solo with. It will be helpful for you to learn a string of 2, 5 resolutions for these situations. If you look at standards like "Joy Spring", "I Got Rhythm" "How High The Moon" and many others, you will notice this harmonic movement. You will see it mostly as a turnaround for the last four bars of the song to take the tune back to the top of the sequence. It is also a very good substitution for a 2, 5, 1 progression where there is only one chord per measure:

The following examples show some very typical be-bop phrases for this back-cycling progression. They are all b9 resolutions with a diminished line on each of the two dominant chords. Have fun with them...








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The Long Awaited Play What You Hear Volume Two Is Now Here!

It has been many years since the first edition of Play What You Hear (originally released in 2000). Now volume two is here with new ideas and concepts, complete with audio, video, traditional notation and TAB throughout. High resolution pdf available for printing the entire program. For intermediate and advanced players.

  • Part One: Melody

    Focuses on single note soloing. Learn how to effortlessly solo through complex chord changes.

  • Part Two: Harmony

    Focuses on chord melody. Learn new harmonic devices and understand chords in a whole new way.

  • Performances

    Study Chris Standring's six recorded solos, transcribed with audio and high def video.