Weekly Workorkout - Swinging Like Freddie Green

Week One
Review the most common diatonic (within the same key) seventh chords, with roots on the fifth and sixth strings. Ex. 1 depicts fifth-string-rooted chords within the C major scale. (If you happen to be on a 12-fret guitar, don’t worry about playing those chords falling way up on the neck.) Also based on the C major scale,
Ex. 2 uses sixth-string-rooted chords.
Ex. 3 is identical to Ex. 1, except it omits the fifth of each chord-a note that Green generally avoided. The fifth is considered inessential, as it doesn’t define the sound of the chord like the third or seventh do. And Ex. 4 shows fifth-string-rooted voicings on the adjacent strings 5-3 also containing just roots, thirds, and sevenths. Then, in Ex. 5, you’re back to sixth-string-rooted chords, this time without fifths.
Week Two
Ex. 6 uses the same chord shapes from Ex. 1 and 2, but in common chord progressions. The first two bars are based on the I-vi-ii-V in C major; the second two on the iii-VI-ii-V. The fifths from these chords are omitted in Ex. 7, for a more Freddie Green-like sound. In the third and fourth measures, note the use of common tones-the Em7 and A7 chords share the fifth-fret G and the Dm7 and G7 chords share the third-fret F. This makes for smooth transitions between chords.
Ex. 8-9 take the same approach as Ex. 6 and 7, but the first chord in each bar is rooted on the sixth string and the second one on the fifth string. In Ex. 9 you’ll see another common tone in action; the highest note of both the Dm7 chord and the G7 is the 10th-fret F. See if you can extend the pattern to the Em7 and A7 chords.
For the entire lesson check out the October 2015 issue of Acoustic Gutar

[@jakemf1]

Great lesson! I have your first album and boy that album was killer and I listen to it often!

[@oscaratienza4476]

nice lesson. can you tell me what is the wood for back and sides? thanks

[@LionelAlbert]

OK !

[@stoneyneff8555]

Talk about easy ....I thought Jazz was complex ...

[@bandicoot5412]

Your the real deal, thanks! 50 years Mr. Green played with Count Basie, wow!

[@judyrankin2391]

thanks Ron, Freddy is the MAN on rhythm and those chords are all you need if you can catch the groove.

[@chaserisinger]

for ex. 3 do you just play the same chords as ex. 1 but with the 5th of the chord being muted?

[@raphaelrousso7124]

this is clear and helped a lot . thank you

[@jeffbrown9039]

Hello Ron Jackson, where have you been hiding.?

[@Jack-OLantern]

How do I find the tabs for and entire set of lessons?

[@downhill240]

Excellent lesson!