jazz?

[MDS]

Re: jazz?

Hey Shred...

I'm a jazzer, so I'll chime in a bit. Learning to really play jazz is a serious undertaking, but whatever exposure you have to it will undoubtedly improve your playing. With the exception of 20th+ classical music, Jazz has the most complex harmony and it is often moving by very quickly. The challange is to improvise over these harmonies in something that sounds remotely like music. Learning to play jazz can take a long time, but once you've learned to navigate your instrument, learned the basic chords, and get some tunes under your belt it is a lot of fun. I think what non-jazzers don't often recognize is the interplay going on between the various members of the band both harmonically and rhythmically. The aspect of group interaction is what makes it such a gratifying music to play.

The number one thing you can do to understand jazz is to listen to a lot of it. Get a couple of records. Miles Davis Kind of Blue is the traditional first record. Get Blue Train by Coltrane, too. Since you play guitar you'll probably enjoy some early Benson or Wes. Listen to this stuff a lot. Try to count a long with it. Look for recordings with simple tunes on it, like Autumn Leaves (Cannonball Aderely Something Else is a good example). Get a chart for Autum Leaves from a real book and watch the changes go by as you listen and try to make it through the track without loosing your place. This type of ear training is really important.

There are a lot of resources for getting the chords and scales together on guitar. You'll need to own your major scale forms and blues licks. There are other scales to learn, but don't worry about them at first. Get some arpeggios happening and try to arpeggiate through some tunes. Learn some licks. Pick them off of records and buy a couple of good lick books. Corey Christainsen has been putting out some really useful lick books lately.

Jazz is hard, but anyone can learn it if they put some energy into it. Find a buddy who wants to do it too, you'll both learn 100x faster. A teacher is probably a really good idea.

Good luck!

Mike

[Quencho092]

Re: jazz?

where can one get a real book or a fake book, and what is in it? What do these charts look like? How do I develop better chord comping skills using different rhythms?

I really want to learn but I've gone through a few months asking around and I don't know where to begin.

[benjaturner]

Re: jazz?

Hello Quencho,
I think you're trying to run before you can walk. Why don't you really work on your music theory first? You can buy a good theory book from almost any good book store. I learnt most of my theory from the AB books. They're not specifically jazz orintated, but a fully comprehensive theory background will set you up excellently for learning Jazz. How much work have you put into theory so far?

[shred me good]

Re: jazz?

thanks alot mike, thats darned fine advice!!
once iv learned the jazz, then ill be sorted!

[MDS]

Re: jazz?

where can one get a real book or a fake book, and what is in it? What do these charts look like? How do I develop better chord comping skills using different rhythms?

I really want to learn but I've gone through a few months asking around and I don't know where to begin.

Chuck Sher publishes REALLY good fakebooks. Start with The New Real Book Volume1. This book is licensed, legal, and accurate.

The "old" book is harder to come by since it violates copyright. Ask some jazz guys in your city where you can get one. Ebay might be a good source. Hal Leonard has published a book with the same cover, but it has different tunes, changes etc. It is probably a good book, but it isn't the classic book many guys have used (that is good and bad).

Jamey Abersold play alongs usually come with good charts for tunes and the play alongs can give you a place to try out your licks and get used to the feeling of a swinging rhythm section. Some of the CD volumes have questionable performances from the band (they rush, they're out of tune, etc.), but most of the later ones are pretty good.

Mike

[Quencho092]

Re: jazz?

I'm on my way to getting very fluent with chord inversions and rhythm playing, and I've seen my jazz skills and fluidity skyrocket over the past two weeks.

Playing chords using tones all over the neck really helps to get familiar with the guitar and the sounds. I've also found that as you traverse upward playing the same chord, but in different locations, you could produce a series of melody notes within playing the same chord. It's a really simple concept, but it has really turned my playing around.

[MDS]

Re: jazz?

Right on...thats the right idea...try to explore the instrument as melodically as possible. It is really good to try to come up with lots of stuff you can do over a given harmony, too.

Mike