Beginner's guide in the sense of, a guide written by a beginner! I'm certainly not qualified to teach anybody anything about jazz guitar. But in the last few years I've been making heavy use of all sorts of educational materials for jazz guitar learners, so I think I'm in a good position to provide a kind of consumer's guide. I've attempted to collect and summarize the tips and information that in retrospect seem to have been most useful. Then in the sections on books and resources, I've listed where I've been getting this stuff from and where you can find more on the theme - from people who really know what they're talking about. My background seems to be a common one - self-taught campfire strumming in the folk and rock genres since my early teens, coming to jazz guitar later in life and through that rediscovering my original enthusiasm for music making. If your background is similar, you may find my tips useful.

David (right) in a lesson with Thomas Katz, jazz guitar teacher at the Ettlingen Music School

Listening to jazz Understanding intervals Chord construction and what the names mean Putting chord knowledge to work Harmonizing the major scale The ii-V-I progression Improvising - tricks, cheats and shortcuts Scales and modes Chords substitutions Books, web resources and videos Software for learning jazz guitar Fake books and other sources for tunes Figuring out chord-melodies Transcribing Playing with others and for others Last word - get a teacher!