idiomatic guitar

[Sailor]

Playing classical guitar has the usual advantage of the pieces being composed by guitarists...the fingerings are so "guitaristic"...for lack of a better word.

Now that I'm teaching myself jazz, I realize that most Jazz heads are not idiomatic to the guitar at all....I really stumble over fingerings. Maybe because they were written for horn, sax, etc....?

I just taught myself Blues for Alice...easy after a few hundred times but then my solos revert back to more guitar friendly feel...and they don't sound as good

Are there any TAB versions of Blues for Alice...I couldn't find any....would love to compare fingerings.

Thanks, Sailor

[brwnhornet59]

Charlie Parker - Blues For Alice Tab | Songsterr Guitar Tabs and Chords

Try this link out and see if it helps.



Blues For Alice tab by Charlie Parker @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

This one to.

[brwnhornet59]

Originally Posted by Srinjay

I think it's worth taking the time to experiment with fingerings in that process, the added bonus being you're ingraining the lick/idea/concept in your ear and brain.

I agree 100%. For me knowing as many fingerings as possible, natural or not, always opens up new doors and ways of looking at things!

[fep]

I take a different approach to fingerings...

I try to finger them over chord shapes that I'm familiar with, so I'm really aware of the underlying chords when I'm playing a melody. Just like I do when I solo. I think fingering this way is a better learning and ear training experience and makes the fingerings easier to remember.

Sometimes the passage is hard, and in that case I just finger it the way it's easiest for me to play. But when I can, they're over chord shapes.

If I get a chance I'll tab out some of Blues for Alice to show you what I mean.

[Sailor]

Thanks for the advice, and links guys!! ( can't wait to compare tabs with my fingerings)

"On a side note, I sometimes wonder if learning multiple fingerings can confuse the neural pathways which trigger the finger muscles"....exactly. There is a lot to be said for muscle memory....classical musicians usually learn the one "correct" fingering for a piece of music and it does become ingrained in memory/muscle memory.

Thanks FEP for mentioning chord shapes...I think this is very useful for jazz. On all my classical pieces I just learned the music and play it the same every time without thinking of shape but in jazz...come on...it's all about following the changes, right??

on a side note...I guess there aren't many traditional jazz heads written by guitarists, eh??

tx, Sailor

[jtizzle]

I can't say I've ever had problems with strange fingerings. I definitely have had to relearn things to find a better fingering, but eventually I'll find something that requires minimum to no sliding out of position. It's about knowing your fretboard and knowing where you can get the notes you need.

[bako]

If you know the fingerboard well and are aware of different concepts of organizing fingerings then memorization is not as big of an issue.
You can simply see the multitude of choices available and over time develop the discretion to pick the one(s) that best serve the music.
It is time well spent problem solving fingerings for music written without regard for guitaristic challenges.

[fep]

Here's tab of how I finger the melody.

I think of the underlying chord shapes. Note that the chords that I listed are not necessarily the same chords as the lead sheet. In some cases I see the melody as outlining a chord substitution, I am showing the chords that I see the melody outlining. For instance, in m.4 the lead sheet shows the first two beats as being a Cm7 chord but I see the melody as outlining an Ebmaj7 to an Eb7; so that's the way I'm showing it and that's what I'm thinking of when playing the melody.

(Also note, Those are not necessarily the chord voicings I'd use when comping).

Blues for Alice Fingerings.pdf - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage

[Sailor]

thanks Fep! glad to see your TABS...also chord subs...I usually use Em7b5, A7, going to Dm7, etc....


tx, Sailor