Whether to study jazz or classical.

[hubert54]

let the "Jonas Brothers" be the "Jonas Brothers", there are tons of stuff like that. ( although I don't know them all...)
Why nobody mentions Tarrega or Sor or Leo Brouwer?
Jazz is an experience, but a part of "music"
and truly a mysterious one regarding "musical language"
And if you don't listen to Johann Sebastian Bach's music, you miss a lot.
Study "classical guitar" and if you don't like it, leave it aside.
On the other hand, play James Joyce's "Ulysses" on the guitar.
Regarding "going down the toilet" - things like that happened all over
the thousands of years within "our history of mankind"

sorry, austrian two cents

[CC323]

You're right, and the current 'academization' of guitar and its being more accepted by the classical community could be viewed as 'going down the tube' by more traditionalist classical musicians, and would have been complete blasphemy to the mid-to-late 19th century classical community.

And actually, there was a brief discussion on Tarrega's non-use of nails somewhere on this forum, but that got kind of brushed over.

Take care,
Chris

[hubert54]

chris or something like that,
I honestly appreciate your posting within many useless ones

[CC323]

Originally Posted by hubert54

chris or something like that,
I honestly appreciate your posting within many useless ones

Sarcasm? If so, my apologies for offending you. If not, then thanks!

I assume you play classical as well then? What pieces have you studied?

[hubert54]

oh, of course no sarcasm intended!
I only try to focus an a "musical language"
(btw. I'm "autodidact") and have tons of papers around here
Bach, Sor, Aguado, Brouwer, Heitor Villa Lobos, Tarrega(would like to hear him playing "live")
and after all notes for the bassoon
struggling with mickey baker books etc. etc.
My main "instrument" and the most important one is the voice.
I think if you want to play "jazz", it makes no difference playing it on electric or "nylon", I think it's only the "inner voice" that matters.

Appreciated your answer
take care or stay tuned

Always have been a fan of Julian Bream

[DMatthewsBand07]

Personally I think Tarrega would put on a wonderful show... I hear he used to crazy stuff with lights and fog machines. Just kidding about that last bit. But seriously who wouldn't want to see those guys live. Its been said (by whom I don't know) that Tarrega had the most beautiful tone of any guitarist before or after and could bring audiences to tears with even his simple compositions like La Grima.

Anyway, if anyone contests the value of classical technique to a jazz guitarist they should take a look at Johnny Smith. Particularly his take on My Funny Valentine on the Moonlight in Vermont album. Both genres are useful to the other. Jazz teaches musicians to break the mould and add their own flair to everything and create something from nothing. Classical music teaches musicians how to play one measure three thousand different ways and convey a different emotion each time even though the line itself doesnt change. I'd equate jazz to painting on a blank canvas -creation, impression, etc. - and classical music to photography - how many different emotions can we bring through that one persons face just by changing the light, or angle, etc.

[Sordello]

weswood88:

sounds like a rough go with your classical teacher, but try not to let that influence your long-term choices. There is a marvellous world waiting halfway between classical and jazz to explore!

Have a listen to Gene Bertoncini play Cavatina (Body and Soul) and the Chopin Prelude/How Insensitive medley (Jobim: Someone To Light Up My Life) or listen to Larry Coryell's take on Ravel's Pavane (Private Concert) or also on that CD, Spanish Suite by Rodrigo. Nice mixes of classical AND jazz...

maybe jazz can give you the chops, but classical can offer some of the bases for doing your improvising? maybe it's not either/or but both??

[Sphereacidburn]

Why not Study Both you can get the right finger exercises and movements from classical and then have lots and lots of fun in Jazz, as classical is fun too

[polishcomedy]

Why are you asking us? What do you listen to? That's what you should play. You will only enjoy playing music you enjoy listening to. In time you will grow to appreciate other types of music, and in that case you can learn those, too.

[greishlee]

if I were you, i would choose where I'm comfortable with. for three years of taking
music education in college and teaching beginners, i've realised that music is more than playing those instruments
and learning new styles--it's all where your heart at.


Both jazz and classical provide rich expression and detail to their listeners.

[mattymel]

for me, i prefer to keep these tww worlds separate. even when its done by someone like gene bertoncini, i still wish i was hearing him play on his D'Angelico. it can work, but only for some things. def not bebop.

you will learn alot from studying both intensely, but at different periods. trying to do both at once is very difficult i think. if not impossible. they are completely different instruments in many ways.

when i was playing classical seriously, i was doing it 5 hours a day and still had a hard time playing some of those pieces. i think with jazz, listening is more important. i was listening to so much more music when i was into jazz. in classical, you can find some of the most beautiful music. but there is ALOT of stuff that is pretty ehh...

i think that why i couldnt stick with just classy. you get to a point where you have learned most of the pieces you love, and then there is all the carcassi and giuliani stuff...a lot of it. (for me) of which maybe 1% is good.

plus, to be honest, i found most of the classy players are kind of up tight and strange. not sure what it is. but i think they get so caught up with what their hands are doing, they arent even listening. some seem like they would be just as happy looking at their hands in a mirror and not even hearing what they were playing. still there is nothing like playing some bach by yourself late at night.

[Sailor]

"still there is nothing like playing some bach by yourself late at night."

Best thing in the world......

Sailor

[ronjazz]

Probably 95% of all music for the past 500 years was throwaway dance music. For every Beethoven or Mozart there were hundreds of "pop" composers writing minuets and gavottes for the local weekend get-togethers. Mass appeal generally involves simplicity and affordability. Chevies and Fords sell better than Maseratis and BMWs, but aren't really of the same quality.

Classical guitar will open your ears and hands to voice-leading and phrasing in useful ways, and may give you enough technique to be able to play solo gigs with tunes related to jazz. And it's never uncool to be able to play well.