Nuages Solo Etude // Jazz Mandolin Lesson // Master Django's Changes
Oct 03, 2025In this lesson, my mandolin students asked: "How can we better understand the chord changes of Nuages by Django Reinhardt?
How can we more easily improvise over this brilliant jazz standard?"
To master jazz improvisation, you need to develop voice leading through chord changes - playing melody lines that clearly outline the harmony. This solo étude for Nuages explores the tune using arpeggios, specifically focusing on the 3 to 9 arpeggio technique throughout the chord progression.
This approach is excellent for building your jazz vocabulary and becoming familiar with these classic chord changes. If you haven't yet learned the melody and chords for Nuages, I recommend starting there first - you'll find links to those lessons in the description below.
We've got you covered here at Mandolin Secrets! This étude will help you develop the skills to navigate Django's beautiful changes with confidence.
In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:
- Sheet music/tabs
- Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
- How-to-play-instructions
Want to deepen your understanding of music theory, fretboard navigation, and chord shapes? Check out my complete program Fretboard Success by clicking the link below.
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