Learn jazz with a straight-forward lesson on a solo in D.
Taught by Dennis Hodges in Jazz Guitar With Dennis Hodges seriesLength: 21:39Difficulty: 3.0 of 5
Dennis Hodges teaches jazz for students with a rock background. In this series you will learn to play jazz chord progressions and licks without theory being forced upon you. Dennis has arranged each lesson so that you can learn the example piece first and then learn about the theory in the following scene if you want.
Lesson 1
Dennis kicks off the lesson series with a lesson on an F major blues solo.
Length: 27:19 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 2
Dennis covers the rhythm accompaniment to the F blues solo presented in the previous lesson.
Length: 16:58 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Learn how to play a 12 bar jazz blues solo in Bb. Dennis provides an in depth analysis of the solo from a theoretical standpoint.
Length: 20:30 Difficulty: 2.5 FREELesson 4
Dennis teaches the accompaniment part to the Bb blues solo taught in the previous lesson.
Length: 13:03 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
Learn a 12 bar jazz blues solo in Eb.
Length: 21:55 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 6
Learn how to accompany a 12 bar jazz blues in the key of Eb. Dennis uses a walking bass line and three note chord voicings for this particular accompaniment.
Length: 18:58 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 7
Learn this Ab jazz blues solo taught by Dennis Hodges.
Length: 21:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 8
Dennis explains the accompaniment part to the Ab blues solo taught in lesson 7.
Length: 14:14 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 9
Dennis teaches a jazz blues solo in Db major.
Length: 20:45 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
Dennis teaches the accompaniment part to the solo in lesson 9.
Length: 7:46 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 11
Learn this Gb blues in 6/4 time based on the Miles Davis tune "All Blues."
Length: 12:42 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 12
Dennis teaches the accompaniment to the solo in lesson 11.
Length: 12:58 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
Dennis continues his straight ahead jazz series with a lesson on a jazz blues solo in B.
Length: 18:59 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
Here's a lesson on jazz blues accompaniment with a walking bassline.
Length: 12:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 15
Learn jazz guitar with this straight-forward look at a solo in E major.
Length: 13:52 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 16
Learn the accompaniment part to the solo in lesson 15.
Length: 3:28 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 17
Dennis Hodges continues his growing Jazz-Blues series with a lesson on a solo in A.
Length: 15:33 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 18
Learn the accompaniment to the solo in lesson 17.
Length: 11:14 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 19
Learn jazz with a straight-forward lesson on a solo in D.
Length: 21:39 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 20
Learn the accompaniment to the solo in lesson 19.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 21
Here is a very "outside" and modern sounding jazz-blues solo. The timing is very important here! This is one of the trickier solos that Dennis teaches in this series.
Length: 18:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 22
Learn the rhythm accompaniment for lesson 21.
Length: 3:00 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 23
Here is the final solo to learn for this jazz series. This solo is inspired by the great bebop saxophonist Charlie Parker.
Length: 15:00 Difficulty: 4.0 Members OnlyLesson 24
Here is the final lesson for Dennis Hodges jazz series. Learn the comping for lesson 23.
Length: 12:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
About Dennis Hodges
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For better or worse, Dennis Hodges cannot stop playing music, and (he hopes) will never stop playing music.
Growing up in Flint, Michigan, Dennis had a tremendous passion for drawing. He couldn't stop copying moves from bands he saw on MTV, though, and it didn't help that his parents filled the house with Santana, Stevie Ray, and Allman Bros. (on real records, no less!) so it wasn't long till he got his first guitar. It was junk. Within a few weeks his parents traded in a poor acoustic for a less junky 3/4-size electric.
Dennis started lessons right away at the age of 8. He still remembers hating it for awhile, and not taking it seriously until he was 12. He is thankful his parents forced him to practice early on and kept paying for lessons,
even though rational thinking should have stopped them after a year.
Around this time drawing became less important, and guitar consumed all his attention. After 6 years of lessons he parted ways with his teacher and, after trying out two others with no results, decided to continue alone.
His nerdistic tendencies paid off, as he put in hours working on picking and left hand exercises and learned as many Randy Rhoads and Kirk Hammett solos as he could.
Luckily, there were playing opportunities at school talent shows and church. Dennis was playing bass at his church when he was 13, helping to hone his performance skills in a group setting.
In high school, Dennis joined the marching band on sousaphone for all 4 years. It was as awesome as you could expect. He was also fortunate enough to be in several different metal bands, still play at church, and get the
incredible opportunity to play guitar for many local community theaters. This kept his sight-reading in shape and gave him an appreciation for different styles of music (and paid pretty well, from a high
schooler's perspective).
In 2001, Dennis came to Bexley, Ohio to study guitar at Capital University with Stan Smith. His studies emphasized jazz and classical guitar. Here his metal past merged with a deeper understanding of the instrument and
music in general, and the basis for most of his teaching style was set in motion.
Dennis now plays guitar for Upper Arlington Lutheran Church every Sunday, for St. Christopher in Grandview, Ohio, with the youth group, and also plays for touring Broadway shows that stop in Columbus. Occasionally,
he plays weddings and private parties, and he is starting a new cover band with some friends, called Dr. Awkward. He is blessed to have his understanding and supportive wife Kate, and is glad to be at JamPlay!
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Dennis, how about a lesson and download for the funky backing track to this beautifully crafted solo?