The Guitar Corner provides all guitarists, from those unfamiliar with jazz to seasoned professionals, with materials to improve their skills. Here you will find melody, solo and comping transcriptions of past legends and contemporary masters as well as arrangements for solo guitar and guitar trios. Our MINUS YOU section is comprised of play-along tracks that omit parts of your choice—play the melody, comp or practice playing in a trio format with professional musicians.

Check out the guitarists featured below or click on the blue categories. Or type guitar in our SEARCH box above on the right, and browse through our diverse catalog of songs and artists. NOTE: the audio clips below are from the original recordings, not necessarily from guitar recordings. Click on the titles to go to the song page, where you can see all recordings.

GUITAR SOLO TRANSCRIPTIONS Learn how past legends and contemporary masters approach improvisation.
GUITAR MELODY TRANSCRIPTIONS Learn how to deliver a convincing and inventive interpretation of a written melody.
CHORD MELODY Learn how to harmonize a melody on the guitar while developing your voicing vocabulary..
CHOP DEVELOPMENT Develop a fluid, relaxed technique to prepare you for any melody at any tempo.
EASY THREE-GUITAR ARRANGEMENTS These three-guitar arrangements are a perfect educational tool for less experienced guitarists. With our MINUS YOU Tracks, students also have the option of removing their part from the mix in order to practice locking in with the prerecorded parts. Three-guitar master tracks as well as tracks MINUS Guitar 1 and Guitar 2 are available for purchase.
DUETS Great for practicing and performing with friends (on any instrument). As guitar duets (just two guitars) adding soloing is an easy option. Without the cushion of bass and drums, it's great for two guitarists to really get their "time" together. As well as working on your time feel without bass or drums, you can also sharpen your sense of phrasing and accompaniment skills without bass and drums.
GUITAR TRIO Study how the masters have approached this popular yet challenging ensemble format. Build the skills required to create a powerful trio arrangement. No pianist needed in your rhythm section, just guitar/bass/drums.
WITH TABLATURE Musical notation plus a staff for tabs.
MINUS GUITAR Professionally recorded audio tracks for guitarists to practice with. Each available song in this category has multiple tracks (what we call "MINUS YOU" tracks). Options include Minus Piano (good for comping practice), Minus Melody (tracks without horns), and Trio (solely bass and drums).

Bruce Acosta
Bruce Acosta is an up and coming guitarist based in New York City. Born in Dubai, he grew up in Canada, Australia and Minnesota, picking up the guitar at age seven. As a high schooler, Acosta was selected for the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony and the Minnesota All-State Jazz Band and recognized as a National YoungArts award winner. Read more...
Blue Bossa - Kenny Dorham Latin (Bossa)
Down Through The Years - Clifford Jordan Swing (medium)
Grant's Tune - Grant Green Swing (medium)

George Benson
George Benson is a prime example of a child prodigy who grew into a mature and highly influential artist. Starting his recording career at the age of nine as a singer under the name of “Little Georgie,” Benson soon became renowned for his guitar playing prowess under the leadership of Jack McDuff in the 60s. Read more...
Good Picken's - Hank Mobley Swing (medium up)
Lookin' East - Hank Mobley Swing (groove - medium)
Our Miss Brooks - Harold Vick Swing (groove - medium slow)
Up, Over And Out - Hank Mobley Swing (uptempo)

Peter Bernstein
Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein has been a part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989. During that time he has participated in over 80 recordings and numerous festival, concert and club performances with musicians from all generations. Read more...
Bones - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium)
Break Through - Hank Mobley Swing (medium up)
Dragonfly - Peter Bernstein Even 8ths (medium)
Hidden Pockets - Peter Bernstein Swing (uptempo)
Jet Stream - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium up)
Jive Coffee - Peter Bernstein 5/4 swing (medium)
Let Loose - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium)
Lullaby For B - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium)
Metamorphosis - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium)
Minor Dues - Jon Gordon Swing (shuffle - medium)
Pivot - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium)
Simple As That - Peter Bernstein Swing (medium slow)

Skeeter Best
Clifton "Skeeter" Best was an American jazz guitarist. Best played in Philadelphia from 1935 to 1940, recording with Slim Marshall and Erskine Hawkins. In 1940, he joined Earl Hines's orchestra, playing with him until he joined the U.S. Navy in 1942. After the war, he played with Bill Johnson from 1945 to 1949. Read more...
Mister Man - Eli "Lucky" Thompson Swing (medium up)

Kenny Burrell
Duke Ellington's favorite guitar player, Kenny Burrell has influenced musicians worldwide. His career spans from his first recording session with Dizzy Gillespie at the age of twenty to his current job as head of the jazz program at UCLA. Originally from Detroit, Burrell has played with many of the greats in both the jazz and pop fields, from John Coltrane to Tony Bennett. Read more...
Chitlins Con Carne - Kenny Burrell Latin (groove - medium)
Kenny's Sound - Kenny Burrell Swing (uptempo)
Midnight Blue - Kenny Burrell Swing (groove - medium)
Our Miss Brooks - Harold Vick Swing (groove - medium slow)
Swingin' - Clifford Brown Swing (uptempo)

Charlie Byrd
Charlie Byrd’s early life found him in a variety of locales, from the calm borough of Chuckatuck, Virginia, in 1935 (where he began to learn guitar), to the orchestra of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1942, and even to service in a G.I. band in Paris in 1945 (prior to which he faced combat service). Read more...
Danielle - Al Cohn Ballad
Pensive - Al Cohn Ballad

Charlie Christian
As the first guitarist to popularize the electric guitar, Charlie Christian has influenced generations of musicians of all genres. He is known for his breathtaking solos, which featured bluesy melodies, winding, chromatic lines and off-kilter rhythms all combined with a deep groove. Read more...
Soft Winds - Fletcher Henderson Swing (medium)

Joe Cohn
The son of saxophonist/composer Al Cohn, Joe is well known as man who can play anything on the guitar. If it's impossible, he'll do it anyway. Heralded by Pat Metheny as an "unbelievable improviser" "able to keep ideas going and flowing" and turn "sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into stories", his apparent virtuosity is complemented by a sensitivity to the narrative qualities of music. Read more...
Carvin' The Rock - Elmo Hope & Sonny Rollins Swing (medium up)
Cohn On The Cob - Joe Cohn Swing (medium up)
Danielle - Al Cohn Latin (Bossa)
Dio Dati - Norman Simmons Latin (Bossa)
Mellow Side - Al Cohn Swing (medium)
When April Comes - Eddie Higgins Latin (Bossa)

Larry Coryell
As a titan of jazz-rock fusion, guitarist Larry Coryell was known for his blistering lines. However, as pianist Billy Taylor stated, "[Larry] plays all the styles: Latin, jazz-rock, straight-ahead jazz, European classical music. You name it, he's a master of it."
Born in Galveston, Texas in 1943, Coryell began playing the guitar in his teens and performing in various high school rock bands. After moving to New York to attend the Mannes School of Music, he replaced Gabor Szabo in Chico Hamilton’s quintet. Later, after breaking new musical ground with his fusion group the Free Spirits in the mid 1960s, Coryell went on to join vibraphonist Gary Burton. Since then, he performed and recorded with the likes of Charles Mingus, Ron Carter, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea. Read more...
Abra Cadabra - Santi Debriano Latin (Samba)
Compulsion - Harold Land Swing (uptempo)
Terrain - Harold Land Swing (medium)
Ursula - Harold Land Swing (medium)

Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis was widely known for his blues-inflected soloing and masterful rhythm playing, most famously alongside Ray Brown in Oscar Peterson’s trio. Guitarist Jim Hall revered him for his “fantastic fire and drive.” Born in Farmersville, Texas, in 1921, he played banjo and harmonica before learning the guitar and studying at North Texas State Teachers College—currently known as the University of North Texas. Read more...
Pensive - Al Cohn Ballad
Windflower - Sara Cassey Swing (medium)

Tal Farlow
Tal Farlow started out playing a ukulele-tuned mandolin as a hobby before building his own electric guitar in the downtime of a sign painting job. First playing professionally in Philadelphia in the early 1940s, Farlow’s big break into the scene came with a stint in the Red Norvo trio with Charles Mingus in 1949. Read more...
Ittapnna - Walter Bolden Swing (medium up)
Shabozz - Gigi Gryce Swing (medium up)

Barry Galbraith
One of jazz’s most recorded guitarists, Barry Galbraith was known for his immaculate taste as an accompanist in any musical context. His guitar studies books are still some of the most popular practice materials for aspiring jazz guitarists today. Read more...
Barry's Tune - Barry Galbraith Swing (medium up)
Holiday - Al Cohn Swing (medium)

Dick Garcia
Dick Garcia first picked up the guitar at age nine, teaching himself the instrument and the jazz language well enough to begin working professionally at nineteen with clarinetist Tony Scott. Read more...
Bebop Irishman - Ray Bryant Swing (medium up)
Stairway To The Steinway - Freddie Redd Swing (medium up)

John Gray
While lesser known than some of his contemporaries, John Gray was a highly versatile and proficient guitarist who recorded with numerous important figures. Over the course of his twenty-one year recording career, from 1947-1968, Gray participated in sessions with the likes of George Shearing, Teddy Edwards, Louis Armstrong, Jack Wilson, and Philly Joe Jones, and recorded the excellent album "The New Wave" (which also features guitarist Herb Ellis) as a leader in 1962. Read more...
Bel Aire - Ray Bryant Swing (medium up)

Grant Green
Groove, impeccable taste, a shimmering tone and a deep feeling for the blues define Grant Green’s musicianship. Whether playing in soulful organ groups, hard bop ensembles or leading a funk band, Green’s guitar sound is instantly recognizable. While Charlie Christian and Jimmy Raney are certainly influences of his on the guitar, Green claimed to listen primarily to horn players, particularly Charlie Parker. Read more...
Blues For Charlie - Grant Green Swing (medium slow)
Grant's Tune - Grant Green Swing (medium)
Green's Greenery - Grant Green Swing (medium)
Luny Tune - Larry Young, Jr. Swing (medium up)
Our Miss Brooks - Harold Vick Swing (groove - medium slow)
Paris Eyes - Larry Young, Jr. Swing (medium up)
Uh Huh - Hank Mobley Swing (medium)

Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel cut his teeth working in the lively music scene of Oklahoma, landing his first professional gig at the age of 14, and becoming one of the first and only electric guitar players in the area. Read more...
Danielle - Al Cohn Ballad
Pensive - Al Cohn Ballad

Ben Monder
Ben Monder is truly one of the most innovative and inimitable guitarists on the scene today. Able to summon a multitude of soundscapes from his guitar, a result of his nearly mythical work-ethic and connection to the instrument, Monder’s expansive palette has found him in demand from artists as wide ranging as Paul Motian, Brother Jack McDuff, and David Bowie. Read more...
Joe Said So - Jon Gordon Swing (medium up)
Shape Up - Jon Gordon Even 8ths

Wes Montgomery
Arguably the most famous jazz guitarist of all time, Wes Montgomery has had a lasting impact on guitarists of all genres. Known for his stunning chord solos, signature use of octaves and velvety tone—which he achieved by picking with his thumb—Montgomery’s guitar work is instantly identifiable, whether leading his own bands in club settings, adding textures as a sideman or soloing atop an orchestra. Read more...
Compulsion - Harold Land Swing (uptempo)
Pretty Memory - Bobby Timmons Swing (medium)
Terrain - Harold Land Swing (medium up)
Ursula - Harold Land Swing (medium)

Remo Palmier
Remo Palmier may not be jazz’s most well known guitarist, but his resume speaks for itself. During the 1940s, Palmier worked with Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan—the few available recordings from this era showcase Palmier’s bebop-influenced style. Read more...
Windflower - Sara Cassey Swing (medium)

Jeanfrançois Prins
Belgian jazz guitarist Jeanfrançois Prins is a professional musician, arranger, producer, and educator. By the age of nineteen Prins was a band leader and was awarded the "Golden Sax" and First Prize for Instrumental Performance at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles. He has released six CDs as a leader. His most recent, "El Gaucho," was recorded in NYC and released on Challenge Records in mid-2012. His interviews and performances have been featured on TV around the globe. In 1994 he was an actor/musician in the Oscar-nominated Belgian movie, "Just Friends." Read more...
My Main Man - Jeanfrançois Prins Swing (groove - medium slow)

Joe Puma
Born to a musical family, Joe Puma came of age during the advent of the bebop era, and first found work in 1949 in the band of vibraphonist Joe Roland. Puma recorded prolifically as a session player in the '50s and '60s, accompanying the likes of Carmen McRae, Herbie Mann, Artie Shaw, Lee Konitz and Eddie Bert. Read more...
Here's That Mann - Eddie Costa Swing (medium up)

Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney was one of the most fluent and deft bebop players of all time, having assimilated the language of musicians such as Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie in such a thorough manner that pianist Barry Harris, one of the world’s foremost bebop masters, once remarked that “Man this cat (Jimmy Raney) plays like Yard (Charlie Parker)!”’ Read more...
Blues Cycle - Jimmy Raney & George Mraz Swing (medium)
Elegy For Ray Parker - Jimmy Raney Ballad
Melody Express - Gigi Gryce Swing (uptempo)
Ovals - Jimmy Raney Swing (medium up)
Sir Felix - Jimmy Raney Swing (medium up)
Wildwood - Gigi Gryce Swing (medium up)
Yvette - Gigi Gryce Swing (medium up)

Toots Thielemans
While his virtuosic harmonica playing was featured on Sesame Street and Midnight Cowboy and his whistling on Old Spice advertisements, Toots Thielemans considered himself first and foremost a guitarist. Born in Brussels, Belgium in 1922, Thielemans got his start playing accordion as a child in his parents’ cafe. Read more...
18th Century Ballroom - Ray Bryant Swing (medium up)
Pawn Ticket - Ray Bryant Swing (uptempo)

René Thomas
While often overlooked, Belgian guitarist René Thomas was one of Europe’s finest. Born in Liège, Belgium in 1927, Thomas eventually moved to Paris in the 1950s, where he would become an integral part of the jazz scene. Known for his elegant style influenced by Django Reinhardt and Jimmy Raney, he found work with Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Kenny Clarke. Later, after a brief stint in Montreal and return to Paris, Thomas played in Stan Getz’s European band from 1969 to 1972. He is featured on the saxophonist’s album "Dynasty" (1971). Read more...
M.T.C. - J.R. Monterose Swing (medium up)

Jesse van Ruller
Jesse Van Ruller is widely regarded as a contemporary jazz guitar master for his fluid, dynamic phrasing and deep groove. Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1972, he began learning the guitar at age seven. Read more...
Green's Greenery - Grant Green Swing (medium)

Chuck Wayne
Born Charles Jagelka, New Yorker Chuck Wayne was a jazz guitarist, composer and arranger noted for distinctive bebop style and legato technique. He became an expert in the banjo, mandolin and balalaika as a child, focusing on swing. He was heavily influenced by classical music in addition to jazz. He became prominent in the early 1940s on NYC's 52nd Street and in Greenwich Village where he made the transition to bebop. Influenced by Oscar Moore and Charlie Christian, and horn players of the day like Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker, Chuck made his way into Woody Herman's big band and later worked with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, spreading the bebop revolution with recordings like Groovin' High and Blue 'n' Boogie. Read more...
Askaterine - Chuck Wayne Latin (Samba)
Slightly Dizzy - Chuck Wayne Swing (medium up)

Jack Wilkins
Known for his exceptional work in the guitar trio format, blistering technique and sensitive accompaniment, Jack Wilkins is one of the foremost jazz guitarists on today's scene. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Wilkins began learning the guitar at age ten, counting Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Johnny Smith, Joe Pass and Barney Kessel among his early influences. Read more...
Third Phase - Kenny Drew, Jr. Swing (uptempo)