“Chords can not be named out of context. They can only be named in the context of a chord progression or chord sequence and then only when the chord's harmonic function within that progression can be determined.” - Curt Sheller(me)

That's the single most sensible statement about music that I've read in months, maybe years. Thanks, Curt.

John Kavanagh - The 4th Peg Parlor Room

I wanted to pay you a compliment. (Now don’t get a big head!). I have purchased many books over the past 15 years I have been playing and none of them come even close to having the detailed and easy to understand information yours have. I really got a chance to get some practicing in and am finding your books to be such a great learning tool. I also purchased a timer like you suggested and my practice sessions the past 4 days have been my best in years. Take care.

Nick (Matty) Matyszczak

“Your chord of the week lessons are great! Really opened my eyes as to what I was doing & has allowed me to figure out the best way to play the chords I need, depending on the arrangement. Ive actually only looked at the first 2 weeks so far, then worked out the 3rd week myself.

I especially like the way that each week builds on what was learned the previous, so you are incorporating all the forms into the exercises!” - - S. (sharp21 at 4th Peg "The Parlor Room" Ukulele Forum)

If you ask, "When I'm playing a solo over a jazz song, how do I know which notes work at any point in the song?" then you may want to have a look at this book (Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution)

You can glean this information from many sources, but this is a pithy, direct approach to the heart of the answer you're looking for. I would also suggest, for a broad, comprehensive, and beautifully written "Bible" on understanding jazz, Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book."

James K. Kroger, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, New Mexico State University

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution.

If you ask, "When I'm playing a solo over a jazz song, how do I know which notes work at any point in the song?" then you may want to have a look at this book:

You can glean this information from many sources, but this is a pithy, direct approach to the heart of the answer you're looking for. I would also suggest, for a broad, comprehensive, and beautifully written "Bible" on understanding jazz, Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book."

- James K. Kroger, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, New Mexico State University

JazzGuitarLife.com

(A review of The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Vol.1 by Lyle Robinson of JazzGuitarLife) ...When I received this instructional book for review my first question was, “where was Curt Sheller when I needed him twenty years ago?” If I had access to this book early on I would have most likely progressed quicker than I did, especially when faced with a lead sheet from a fake book with all those “weird” chord names and alterations.

Sheller’s “The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Vol.1” provides the beginner and intermediate jazz guitar player with the most common and great sounding chord voicings of all the major, minor, dominant, augmented and diminished chords plus their alterations: 9, 11, and 13ths. As well, he discusses the sus, add, and slash theory of such chord formations.

This is a text that is beautifully laid out and very easy to work through. What little chord theory there is throughout the book is clearly explained and doesn’t bog the student down with too much theoretical discourse. The chord diagrams are clearly defined and there is no confusion about where fingers should be placed. This is definitely a book that you can begin utilizing in a practical playing situation almost immediately. And it’s great for teachers to get their beginning Jazz guitar students to start hearing and playing those wonderful voicings that excited us all early on in our development as Jazz guitar players.

“The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Vol.1” is a great beginning for any aspiring Jazz guitarist and I can't wait to check out Volumes two and three.

Thank you Lyle Robinson