BOOK AND VIDEO PACKAGE
Chord Melody FUN-damentals
By Bruce Forman
$24.99
Unlock the fretboard using a jazz-oriented CAGED approach, melodic prioritization, and deceptive substitutions. From mastering Kessel and Pass-style “moves” to harmonizing standard etudes, this manual provides the tools to stop memorizing and start creating. Develop professional-grade chord-melody habits with a focus on voice leading and rhythmic groove.
Learn tons of authentic chord melody phrases
5 fully transcribed performance pieces that put it all together
Includes audio and video of every example
Digital access on all your devices
Optional paperback available
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From an honest and useful take on the CAGED system, to many aspects of chord melody - integrating everything into useful “moves.” Wes type block chords, comping, 2 note lines, voice leading, ii/Vs, dim substitutions and much more I haven’t got into yet!
There’s over 100 pages of enough information to keep you (me, anyway) busy for months! Lots of light bulb moments😁. There are support videos… and, std/tab/chord blocks throughout the book. For the price of a lunch… just grab it.
After going through the first portion of this book, I took some chord solos and found myself doing harmonies and passing tones stuff that I had never thought of before. I would strongly recommend this to any beginning jazz guitar student, or even intermediate players looking to get out of the typical jazz guitar ruts that we all fall into.
Besides being an incredible player, Bruce Foreman is a world class guitar instructor.
With excellent tools to add to your musical vocabulary, through internalizing these lessons a guitarist will be well on their way to creating their own arrangements and solos.
A brilliant exposition comlete with audi and video examles.
Highly recommended!!!
A Fun & Musical Method!
Approach 1: Exercises
Learn exercises that will develop your fretboard knowledge, technique, and musicianship.
Example 1-13
Approach 2: Concepts
Discover the underlying tools & concepts used by Wes, Pass, Garland, & more!
Example 2-7
Approach 3: Etudes
5 musical etudes that will challenge and grow your playing!
Etude 5: Big Band Blues
To Chord Melody
COVERING
- Bruce’s 5 Zone System
- Essential Chord Melody ‘Moves’
- ii-V-I Vocabulary
- Pianistic Self Accompaniement
- Substitutions and harmonization
- Wes Style Block Chords and Shout Choruses
- Real World Applications & more!
✨ Bonus content: 90min video masterclass and audio & video of every example.
"One of the biggest mistakes I made when learning chord melody was thinking that if I just learned more and more voicings, everything else would eventually fall into place. If I'd had this book, I probably wouldn't have lost so much hair on my jazz guitar journey. This book shows the flair—the missing pieces that go deeper than just where to put your fingers. It teaches you how to support melodies, how to sound authentically jazzy, and most importantly, how simple it can be."
Luke Lewis
Founder of GuitarVivo
Available in Paperback and PDF
Digital Version
- 110 Page PDF
- Video & Audio Demonstrations
- Guitar Pro Files
- Bonus Video Masterclass
Physical Version
- 110 Page Book
- Video & Audio Demonstrations
- Guitar Pro Files
- Bonus Video Masterclass
Course Overview
Chapter 1: The Essential Zones
Explore fretboard navigation through essential chord zones based on the CAGED system. This foundational chapter lays the groundwork for fluid chord melody playing across the neck.Chapter 2: Three Chord Melody Moves
Learn three powerful, idiomatic moves from the legends—Barney Kessel, Red Garland, and Joe Pass—and start building your own chord melody language.Chapter 3: ii-Vs in Chord Melody
Master the core jazz progression with shell voicings and melodic ideas using the CAGED system to create smooth, connected II-V movement.Chapter 4: Wes Style Block Chords
Dive into Wes Montgomery’s approach using block chords, diminished shapes, and melodic phrasing for a classic swing sound.Chapter 5: Minor Third Magic
Explore diminished and dominant substitutions through the magical lens of minor thirds to open up a world of harmonic possibilities.Chapter 6: Two-Note Harmonization
Add depth and texture to your playing with intervallic harmonization—focusing on thirds, sixths, and beyond.Chapter 7: Comping with Lines
Develop a piano-inspired approach by comping underneath your own lines, creating conversational and musical textures.Chapter 8: Big Band Shout Chorus
Emulate the punch and energy of a full horn section with powerful, rhythmic shout chorus-style phrases.Chapter 9: Common Tone Technique
Use sustained notes as anchors while moving harmonies underneath for compelling, ear-catching progressions.Chapter 10: Voice Leading Exercises
Build your voice-leading intuition with chromatic and common tone exercises that strengthen your harmonic awareness.Chapter 11: Deceptive Cadences
Surprise your listeners by resolving melodies in unexpected harmonic ways, creating tension and drama in your arrangements.Chapter 12: Five Etudes on Standards
Apply all the concepts from the book in fully notated chord melody solos on five classic standards, with analysis and performance notes.By the End of This Book…
You’ll have a complete chord melody toolkit, capable of improvising arrangements, crafting solos, and applying harmonic ideas to real tunes with confidence.HAVE FUN LEARNING
CHORD MELODY
How did the great solo jazz guitarists keep audiences hooked with just a guitar?
Or how do you craft chord melody arrangements that don’t sound formulaic?
In Chord Melody Fun-damentals, Bruce Forman reveals the moves, concepts, and creative approaches that unlock expressive artistry—just like Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, and Barney Kessel. You’ll develop musical depth, harmonic freedom, fretboard fluency, and the tools to craft authentic chord melody performances.
YOU'LL LEARN HOW TO...
✔ Apply substitutions, voice leading & cadences
✔ Use legendary jazz “moves” to develop a personal style
✔ Play block chords and harmonized lines with confidence
✔ Apply substitutions, voice leading & cadences
Featuring practical applications, expertly transcribed etudes, and downloadable audio and video, this book puts traditional jazz teachings into an easy-to-digest format.
THIS BOOK INCLUDES...
✔ Step-by-step breakdowns of jazz guitar voicings & techniques
✔ Chord melody studies across the fretboard zones
✔ 5 full-length etudes on essential jazz standards
✔ Notation and Tab for each example
Pick up your copy today and take a deep dive into the art of chord melody with one of jazz guitar’s most respected educators!
Bruce Forman
Bruce Forman’s life and musical journey provide an
American saga that is still in full swing. His Texas origins, his
early career in San Francisco and New York, and his years
on the road, all contribute to the unique and highly personal
vision that he demonstrates today.
Bruce’s credits include; twenty-one recordings as a leader,
countless sideman recordings including Ray Brown, Bobby
Hutcherson, and Roger Kellaway; soundtrack performances
on three of Clint Eastwood’s distinguished films—most
notably Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby, and
raconteur, arranger, acclaimed educator in residence at
USC’s Studio/Jazz Guitar Dept.
In addition to these contributions, Bruce also created the
“First Chorus of the Day” Instagram series where he posts
improvised performances of jazz standards. Totaling over
1,000 videos, the series has been highly praised by fans and
contemporaries alike.
