John Coltrane's Giant Steps is rightly considered an ultimate challenge in improvisation. But: Hardly any other chord progression is structured so mathematically regular and at the same time completely logical. No matter what musical level you are at, it is always worth taking a look at Giant Steps. No other piece will help you get to know your fretboard better. My advice is to start these lessons in any case (even if you are still relatively new to jazz guitar). If you come to a point where it becomes too stressful for you, put the topic aside for a while and come back later. Learn the chords and solos and benefit from them!
Level
Strong
Lessons
14 Lessons | min
Lesson 1Introduction
Duration: min
Let me introduce you to the topics covered in the course "Giant Steps".
Lesson 2Melody
Duration: min
The iconic melody is structured in a mathematically logical way, just like the chords behind it.
Lesson 3Melody two-part
Duration: min
Interestingly, you can play parallel fifths upwards to the melody and maintain the exact fingering. This creates a nice second voice on the melody.
Lesson 4Accompaniment chords behind the melody
Duration: min
With this chord accompaniment I made sure that the voicing of the chords support the melody as much as possible.
Lesson 5Explanation accompanying chords behind the theme
Duration: min
Here, I'm explaining the basic chord progression of Giant Steps.
Lesson 6Comping
Duration: min
After the solo you are rhythmically free and can play more varied chord combinations.
Lesson 7Giant Steps in chord melody playing style
Duration: min
This is what the theme sounds like if you harmonize it à la Joe Pass.
Lesson 8Explanation of theme in chord melody playing style
Duration: min
Here, I'm explaining how the chord melody version is played.
Lesson 9Explanation improvisation
Duration: min
The heart of this course: I'll show you all the tools you need to survive this chord progression as a soloist in this 19-minute video.
Lesson 10Eighth note line
Duration: min
It makes a lot of sense to compose continuous eighth note lines (and improvising them later), because you want to add a musical rest when you want to pause your line, not when you get lost on the fretboard. When playing or composing eighth notes you constantly have to find suitable notes in your particular position on the fretboard. It's also important to compose lines like this yourself!
Lesson 11Solo 1 (slow)
Duration: min
Giant Steps in the real world of improvisation: You can find all the methods presented so far in this and the other solos. The pace is still moderate and you don't have excessive technical challenges.
Lesson 12Solo 2 (slow)
Duration: min
More ideas at a slow pace. Learn these solos carefully, preferably by heart.
Lesson 13Walking Bass
Duration: min
Here I'll show you how you can combine the chords of Giant Steps with a walking bass line.
Lesson 14Solo (fast)
Duration: min
Time to shred! Practice this solo at a slow tempo at first and gradually increase the speed.
