Navigating Chord Changes in Jazz Guitar with Three Different Fingering Approaches: Vertical, Horizontal, and Diagonal

Abstract

Abstract: This article discusses the evolution of jazz guitar fingerings through three different approaches to navigating chord changes: vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. It explains the early limitations of vertical fingerings and how it was improved with the advent of the horizontal approach, evidenced in the jazz world by Pat Metheny in the 1970s. It also looks at how Kurt Rosenwinkel introduced diagonal fingerings to the broader jazz audience in the late 1990s. This article explains these three fingering styles and provides examples and a pedagogical guide for their study.