Trying to start in Jazz? Look here...

[memphisrain]

I picked up the recent issue of Guitar One last night. The cover story this month is "Rockers guide to playing Jazz" I've been trying to start in Jazz for the past couple of years, but I just now commited to really doing it. Anyways, I picked up this issue last night and I'm very excited about it. They've written up some instruction on jazz coming from a rock/blues background. It seems to be very promising. Guitar One also includes CD's with thier mags now so all of the lessons include sound clips!

Link to Guitar One:

http://www.guitaronemag.com/


Also a good book I've found seems to be "Mel Bay's Complete Jazz guitar method" I'm just getting started into it, but they put things in easy to understand terms and start form scratch, so there is no learning curve before you get started. They also include a CD with the book


Just thought I would pass this along to any other struggling rockers or bluesmen trying to get into jazz.

Disclaimer:
I'm not affiliated with Guitar One, Mel Bay, or any of thier subsidiaries, co-horts, advertisers, employees or thier pets. Also these things are not guaranteed to make you the next Pat Metheny, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Lance Armstrong, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, etc.


MR :blbros

[mgade]

Saw "Ray" (The movie) a couple a days ago. Recommended :)

OH, Thanks for the heads up!

[moonpie]

or here

http://hotjazzguitar.com/

[mgade]

Incredible - a parallel dimension being created. Like watching Big Bang!

[memphisrain]

How come all of these wierd thing happen when Moonpie is involved?



Coincedence? I think not


MR :blbros

[moonpie]

:lol I can't take credit for this one.....that's fellow Moe Humble's baby.....

Hope it gets up and running well 'cause he's a caring, sharing, and very talented picker.

[ric480]

Hmmmmm. Timely thread. I just went thru my wife's old jazz albums this AM, trying to come up with the name of a jazz club she used to go to in the late 50's - early 60's im midtown Manhattan. No luck.

So what do I find - an old album of Miles Davis with John Coltrane playing sax !!! I've read many times about how to "mimic" the horns from jazz tunes to spice up guitar soloing. Gonna have to listen to that album a few times - but which lines to mimic ???

[mgade]

:lol I can't take credit for this one.....that's fellow Moe Humble's baby.....

Hope it gets up and running well 'cause he's a caring, sharing, and very talented picker.

Amen.. I noticed too. Didn't know it was his though..

[coldshot3]

Ric480...Miles' Kind of Blue is awesome. I like Freddie the Freeloader. Miles, "trane and cannonball wailing. I have copped a lot of their blues licks

[memphisrain]

I'd say cop which ever licks you can get. Those guys freakin fly!!

[frankus]

Hey, my Teacher was relating to me how he was a bit perturbed by Giant Steps until he heard the bootleg of the rest of the takes, Coltrane basically used the same licks on all the tracks, just in different sequences.

I generally just use the arpeggios and a suitable scale and change every chord change. Finding a scale to use over all the chords is brain-frying.

[memphisrain]

Frank,

The guitar one issue that I was refering to has a whole lesson on how to play over the "Coltrane" changes. Specifically "Giant Steps."

[pc]

Hey, my Teacher was relating to me how he was a bit perturbed by Giant Steps until he heard the bootleg of the rest of the takes, Coltrane basically used the same licks on all the tracks, just in different sequences.

Find a new teacher, or at least don't put too much stock into what that one says. Diminished whole-tone can sound similar in different places to an untrained ear, but Coltrane wasn't playing "licks," first of all, and second, each of those takes is noticeably different in approach.

Learning and transcribing Trane or any other jazz great is fantastic because it makes your fingers rethink the fretboard and break you out of boxes, and certainly gives you plenty of great ammo for playing in the Jazz genre, but rare is the occasion where you can easily slide a line from Giant Steps into Mustang Sally.

Not that I haven't tried from time to time. :)

Memphisrain, every so often Tom Carroll gives a Master Class type thing over at OSU's Conservatory--make sure you check that out for great jazz tips. Also make sure you watch Capital University's website for their Conservatory's recital schedule. When their Jazz Guitar prof (Stan Smith) gives a recital--go check it out if you can. They're always free and you'll be really pleased. :yay

[memphisrain]

Thanks PC, I'll check that out.