In this course, you’ll dive into one of the most essential and widely used progressions in jazz—a must-know for any serious guitarist.

Back cycles are a staple in countless jazz standards, and mastering them will greatly expand your harmonic vocabulary.

From classic tunes to modern compositions, these progressions are everywhere, and players like Joe Pass made them a core part of their playing.

Along with detailed lessons, you’ll receive a comprehensive PDF booklet packed with chord diagrams, examples, lines, and even chord melody examples.

Get ready to enhance your jazz playing with this vital knowledge!

So pick up your guitar, and let’s learn how to play and apply back cycles. The course outline and topics covered in this book include the following:

1. The ii-V-I-Vi – stand alone examples and jazz standards which use them.

2. The I-Vi-ii-V ‘cycle generator’ – how to add backcycles to a I Vi ii V.

3. Long I-Vi-ii-V – examples of these used in jazz standards.

4. Back Cycle Lines – a collection of phrases to outline back cycles.

5. Chord Melody Back Cycles – how to use these in chord melody situations

Going forward, you will have the skills and knowledge to do the following:

1. Interchange back cycle harmony to make things easier or more complex – for example the last four bars of ‘There Will Be Another You’ can be made easier or more advanced in both comping and single line situations.

2. Create harmonically rich and engaging chord melodies for solo situations.