Wes Octave Style

[mrman93]

Hi there!

I've got a question regarding Wes and his wonderful octave style. Which is the best way to practice the octaves.

Anybody who has experience of this also?

Thanks!

[fep]

There are a lot of good melodies to Jazz Standards that aren't too fast. I think that's a great way to start, play your jazz standard melodies using octaves.

[Reg]

YouTube Video

Here's a few samples of thumb playing of octaves... I picked a few Wes tunes and read through them... a little rough, sorry, but check them out and if I can help any more .... let me know...Reg

[Reg]

YouTube Video

Here's the other one... Best Reg

[FatJeff]

Rich Severson has some lessons on these. They're fun and effective.

Wes Montgomery Style Octave Jazz Licks

[mrman93]

Thanks!

I really love the sound of octaves picked with the thumb!

[billkath]

I Love watching you play, Reg-effortless mastery!! Thanks a million for the lesson.

[markerhodes]

Originally Posted by fep

There are a lot of good melodies to Jazz Standards that aren't too fast. I think that's a great way to start, play your jazz standard melodies using octaves.

Yeah, that's what I've been doing. Started with "Satin Doll" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." It's a great change of pace to voice melodies, so if you take it no further than that, it's worth doing, but I hope to take it further than that, eventually....

[Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D]

I like thumb octaves very much as well... I practice extended arpeggios a lot. Wes did these all the time it seems...

I'll play root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th if it is min or +11...

The pattern looks like this to me... I look at the root and 3rd as one part, then I see the 5th and and continue. The pattern from the 5th always looks like another arpeggio. For example Am11 looks like it has a full Em7 starting a 5th away...

[JonnyPac]

Hey guys, I played a little wine bar gig the other night, and right away on this tune my pick few off and made a big (((ClAnK!))) on the floor... lol. I had to pull of the Wes thumb on the single notes as well as the octaves. I love the warm sound of the thumb, but my economy picking suffers. Check this out if you are bored. Thanks!

YouTube Video

[paynow]

Originally Posted by JonnyPac

Hey guys, I played a little wine bar gig the other night, and right away on this tune my pick few off and made a big (((ClAnK!))) on the floor... lol. I had to pull of the Wes thumb on the single notes as well as the octaves. I love the warm sound of the thumb, but my economy picking suffers. Check this out if you are bored. Thanks!

I really dug it. Hey, next time make sure you aim the pick so it hits that person in the head who couldn't seem to stop yammering throughout the whole tune. So f-cking annoying. You can do what Mingus used to do when people would blab during his sets; he'd take out a chess set and play a game with Dannie Richmond until they caught on and clammed up. I think that was at the famed Half-Note in NYC. Man, how I love that! Once he stopped playing and said to the audience "Itzhak Perlman doesn't have to put up with this type of shit!"

To the OP; Jonny's use of octaves is being done in his own style. I listened to the whole tune and never once thought "Oh, this is yet another guy doing a Wes imitation."

And that's what you want to watch. You're getting a lot of good advice here, especially from Reg, on how to play the octaves, but that hasn't been mentioned. Don't become so enamored of that style that you start to become like "Beatlemania" where all you're doing is a copy. I can go listen to the original recordings by the masters, so I'd like to hear you be you. Make it part of your style and incorporate it so it has it's own flavor.

There was a guitarist who's name is escaping me who was hired once by Count Basie. When it came time for him to solo he did a whole string of octaves. Basie was glaring at him when he came off stage and told him "If I had wanted Wes Montgomery I could have hired him."

Good luck! You'll get it down.

[JonnyPac]

Originally Posted by paynow

I really dug it. Hey, next time make sure you aim the pick so it hits that person in the head who couldn't seem to stop yammering throughout the whole tune. So f-cking annoying. You can do what Mingus used to do when people would blab during his sets; he'd take out a chess set and play a game with Dannie Richmond until they caught on and clammed up. I think that was at the famed Half-Note in NYC. Man, how I love that! Once he stopped playing and said to the audience "Itzhak Perlman doesn't have to put up with this type of shit!"

To the OP; Jonny's use of octaves is being done in his own style. I listened to the whole tune and never once thought "Oh, this is yet another guy doing a Wes imitation."

Thanks man. They were there to drink and chat; we were just the background. At least I get to play my original stuff. Jazz gigs are not a sit and listen thing in my little town... Oh Well. Thanks for checking it out. The other video "Evil, Don't Leave Me" in 7/4 time was recorded between loudmouths. It's up on youtube now.

Thanks for the non-wes sounding compliment; I love his playing, but I try to just play simple melodic lines that are my own. The only guitarists I have studied are Charlie Christian, Grant Green, and Wes... Luckily I don't sound like them; though they are my guitar heroes.

I always encourage others to play with creative ideas (no matter how simple they may be); as opposed to imitating another. Thanks again! Sorry to get a little OT.

[islandfunhouse]

REG - nice examples! I think it best -and in the Wes tradition - to use the first finger and pinky for the octaves (as Reg showed) no matter which string group you are on.

I do this technique alot on gigs but always execute it using the pick...that is the sound I like.

[jseaberry]

Jim, I will be in Providence for Easter to visit my kids; are you playing anywhere then?

[Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D]

I'll be nowhere... for nobody...

[jseaberry]

Boo hoo, whiny weepy; HEY!!!!! That's MY job!!!!! You can't take it!!!! You gotta be SOMEWHERE!!! So there!!