My First Year Learning Jazz Guitar: Lessons, Challenges, and Where to Start

A little over a year ago, I began my journey into learning jazz guitar. Although I had been playing guitar for a while, I had never reached a point where I was fully satisfied with my playing skills. I always felt like something was missing, and that frustration held me back from progressing.

Determined to make a change, I decided to approach learning guitar more seriously. Along the way, I discovered jazz players and quickly realized that jazz was exactly what I had been searching for. It felt like the perfect fit for the musical growth I was after.

But as I dove deeper into jazz, I quickly learned that the real challenge wasn’t just learning jazz—it was knowing where to start.

Where to Start?

With a bit of previous guitar knowledge, I didn’t think I was starting from scratch, but I soon realized how much foundational knowledge I was lacking. This was my first hurdle: I had skipped over essential concepts, which made it difficult to progress effectively. It became clear that I needed to go back to the basics.

The Search for a Mentor

My second challenge was finding the right mentor. I didn’t want to go to a formal school or pay for private lessons, so I turned to YouTube as my main source of learning. It seemed like the most natural path, given the wealth of resources available.

But the more I explored, the more overwhelming it became. There were endless options—teachers, courses, and techniques—and soon I found myself buying courses, gear, and books without a clear focus. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t making the progress I hoped for. Not only was I wasting money, but I was also mentally drained from trying to absorb everything at once.

What I Wish I Knew: Where to Start

Here’s my advice for anyone just starting their own jazz guitar journey:

Focus on What You Have
Invest in Tools for Learning
Master the Basics
Set Realistic Expectations
Consistency is Key

Focus On What You Have

Avoid the temptation to buy new gear unless you really need it (like if you don’t have a guitar). It’s easy to get excited about the idea of owning that shiny new instrument, but let’s be real: it won’t solve your foundational issues or make you a better musician. It could be actually a bad thing for your development as you may feel guilty to have bought that expensive guitar without not knowing how to play the simplest of the tunes.

Want what you have.

I came across this idea in Adam Levy’s book String Theories (see the recommended books section), and it made me rethink my own gear obsession.

The main takeaway? Develop a sense of appreciation for the guitar you already own and commit to playing it every day.

The more you play it, the more you’ll discover about your instrument, and the more you’ll realize that you’ve barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer.

The guitar you have is more than enough for where you are in your musical journey. Don’t let the allure of new gear distract you from the essential work of getting to know your instrument and improving your skills.

Invest in Tools for Learning

Buy a good metronome and a digital tuner. These are the essentials for building rhythm and pitch accuracy, which are crucial when learning jazz.

You don’t need to buy something expensive, but also don’t go too cheap as you want to buy something that can support you not only at the beginning but at later stages of your development.

These are the tools I recommend (because I use this exact same ones):

Korg TM-60 – Metronome and Tuner

This one is a great metronome and tuner. It has a mic to listen to your guitar and help you to tune it, but also has an input jack if you want to connect your guitar directly to the tuner. Pretty handy. The metronome is also great. I highly recommend this one.

D’addario Digital Tuner

Playing your guitar always in tune is a must. Specially at the beginning where you will develop a lot your aural senses.

While you learn to tune your instrument, the best and quickest way is to clamp this little tuner to your headstock and tune the strings.

While you develop your tunning skills, you will slowly use it less, but at the beginning, this tuner is super handy and helpful to your progress.

Master the Basics

Don’t skip the fundamentals. Even if you have some experience, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll improve by revisiting basic skills like scales, shell chords, arpeggios, and chord progressions. These are your building blocks.

You’ll quickly realise that most of these concepts must be crystal clear on your head and fingers before you can properly perform a tune or easily get a lead sheet or a score of a tune and play it.

Also, over time you will transcribe phrases or even melodies from ear, just by listening to the songs. This skill is immensely supported by the foundational knowledge in Jazz Guitar.

Set Realistic Expectations

Jazz can be complex, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Set achievable goals and don’t expect to master everything overnight. Jazz is a lifelong learning process.

Continue listening and watching your favourite jazz players, but understand that what sounds simple, most of the time has a hidden complexity behind that you may not understand, leading to frustration, as you cannot play what seems to be a “simple” tune.

Be patient, and observe consciously your progress. Start with easy pieces, exercises, do them in the right way, and bear in mind that this is what will lead you to the next level. Don’t skip this part.

Consistency is Key

Develop a regular practice routine. Even if it’s just 20-30 minutes a day, consistency will have a bigger impact over time than sporadic, intense sessions.

As I said at the beginning, I’ve been playing guitar for a while. There were moments where I was able to play some pop/rock songs nicely. But, every time I will have a break from playing, and when I got back to play those same songs I realised I forgot how to play them. The same happened with music theory. I learned and understood it, but didn’t practice. When I needed it, it was gone.

Learning to play and instrument, not only guitar, is like walking up a escalator that is going down. If you keep walking and improving our speed gradually, eventually you will reach the top of it. If you stop, you will be brought back to the beginning.

Learning to play jazz guitar is the same. Remember that. A little a day goes a long way!

I hope this tips are helpful for you to start you jazz guitar learning roadmap. If not, drop me a message saying what you missed and I will improve this guide base on your feedback.

Happy playing!

Jazz Guitar Roadmap