Fred Hamilton is a Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas, where he taught jazz guitar and improvisation. He grew up in Denver, studied guitar with Jim Atkins, played guitar in the NORAD Band in Colorado Springs and went to the University of Northern Colorado for Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in composition. He also was on the faculty at Bowling Green State University and St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia. 

Some of the artists Fred has recorded with are Art Lande, Spike Robinson, Rob Mullins, David Friesen, Ed Soph, Dan Haerle, Kenny Wheeler, Marc Seales, Shelly Berg, Ndgu Chancellor, Lou Fischer, Pat Coil, Steve Houghton for labels which include Rabbit Ears Entertainment, Capri Records, Origin Records, Summit Records and North Texas Jazz. In 2022 he began a project of writing and filming video jazz guitar books published by Guitar by Masters. Other music, books and collaborative works are published by UNC Jazz Press, Mel Bay Publications and Alfred Music. 


Fred Hamilton

Fred Hamilton's "Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs" is a three-part course that aims to provide any aspiring guitarist with the fundamental knowledge, resources, and skills they need to build up their jazz playing. As Fred puts it, "Jazz guitar is in the player's mind and heart. It's not the instrument that you play." So, regardless of what type of guitar you have available (whether it is a classical, acoustic, or electric guitar), you can start developing your jazz skills right away! After going through scales, modes, and arpeggio patterns in Parts 1 and 2 of "Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs", the third and final part in this series provides a treasury of exercises and melodic patterns in different modes, followed by a review of some essential bebop ideas. Practicing and mastering these patterns will give you the building blocks you need to generate beautiful and meaningful melodic lines on the spot. 



Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs 3: Exercises and Patterns

Fred Hamilton's "Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs" is a three-part course that aims to provide any aspiring guitarist with the fundamental knowledge, resources and skills they need to build up their jazz playing. As Fred puts it, "Jazz guitar is in the player's mind and heart. It's not the instrument that you play." So, regardless of what type of guitar you have available (whether it is a classical, acoustic, or electric guitar), you can start developing your jazz skills right away! Part 1 of "Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs" is a comprehensive study of the scales and modes typically used in jazz compositions and improvisations. It is an invaluable resource that you can go through as a full course and keep coming back to depending on your particular needs and interests.

Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs 1: Scales and Modes

Fred Hamilton's "Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs" is a three-part course that aims to provide any aspiring guitarist with the fundamental knowledge, resources, and skills they need to build up their jazz playing. As Fred puts it, "Jazz guitar is in the player's mind and heart. It's not the instrument that you play." So, regardless of what type of guitar you have available (whether it is a classical, acoustic, or electric guitar), you can start developing your jazz skills right away! Part 2 of "Jazz Guitar Melodic Designs" addresses the very important topic of arpeggios. Fred goes through the most important chord types used in jazz and demonstrates how they can be arpeggiated on the fretboard in different keys. By the end of this comprehensive course, you will notice a remarkable improvement in your knowledge of the fretboard and your improvisation skills. 
