Hi guitarists. I’m happy to share this with you.

It’s composing exercise steps for advancing modern jazz guitarists, including one very simple polyrhythm, open strings in one of the examples, counterpoint, and going away from the diatonic major scale dorian mode at the end using one of the modes of melodic minor.

I shared this only with a few people, a few guitar students who were interested in composition and creative exploration during the time I worked as a mentor for the “Learn with Sonora” online guitar mastery program. I also shared it with a few of my private students and one or two guitarist friends of mine.

I only shared this with a few students who were particularly ready to explore more composing for the guitar. And since so many of my instagram followers (and this blog’s potential readers) from near and far are pretty advanced (and advancing) guitarists as well as composers, I am thinking this could help with some new and fresh composition ideas. And it would make me happy if it did help someone and opened a new flow of some musically creative ideas.

Charts go into detail about what each step implements.

It starts with the simplest of polyrhythms, which is 2:3, and you need to start this with clapping.

I then add different ways to compose some things implementing counterpoint as well as open strings, and the very last example shows implementation of the Dorian b2 scale (it’s also Phrygian #6 – the 2nd mode of Bb melodic minor).

I actually filmed a video about this composing exercise. But never edited it to publish. I am pondering filming more video lessons, but of course, it’s all about finding the time to do so. 

Since I made this chart some years ago, I am simply sharing it with you guys. As I want to have consistency in publishing these practice posts for those guitarists who find value in them. Let me know if any composition came out of this. I would love to hear it! I had a student who wrote an amazing modern jazz tune and played it in finger style. Other students implemented some ideas from this into their debut record they released (they shared them at the time on a private Facebook group only for students).

Ok, here is the pdf.

And midi audio of this composing exercise complimenting it.

If you like this one maybe you also may like Jazz tune learning steps blog post.