book to start playing jazz

[pejagen]

hello guys, im looking for a self study jazz guitar book....what is the best in market???

[octatonic]

I'd argue there is no 'best'.
For instance, George Van Eps' 'Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar' is comprehensive but a bit of an everest to climb and probably best left until you're a fair way into play jazz already.

Phil Capone's 'Exploring Jazz Guitar' is a good way to start I reckon.

[pierre richard]

there is no "best" book...they all offer something from the author..

look at the mel bay catalog and check out jamie aebersolds site...

lots here have used the mickey baker book to get started..a good book..

all the great players have books relating to their own style..if you want to play like burrell get a book by him..or wes montgomery,do the same...

scales and rhythm exercises will also be learned early...and listening to the greats and how they play a certain tune...we all can play the notes but how does wes playing the same notes as us get a different sound?

its not the notes but the way they are played..articulation in the term..

time on the instrument..pierre

[TruthHertz]

Use the search button, there are many times this question was asked and each time there were tons of opinions and suggestions. What do you want to do? Who are you inspired by? History of jazz and guitar in particular is pretty young and lots of opinions as far as what is important and why.
I'd say start playing with people, with records, with students and then ask the question again that we might direct you to some books that address issues you are stumped by.
You want to learn the style of Bill Evans, try Harmony by Walter Piston and listen to Ravel and Debussey. You want Joe Pass, you might listen to Jimmy Bruno and get a blank manuscript book to write transcriptions in. You want a glimpse of the big picture and all the guitar has to offer, check out Mick Goodrick's Advancing Guitarist.
If there's a guitarist you love and they're alive, find out what they'd recommend. It will be different from a lot of people, even their fans, you may find.

"Jazz can be learned but it can't be taught" I think it was Steve Swallow that told me this.

David

[mr. beaumont]

Learning jazz from one book would have to be one of the toughest endeavors I could think of...

buy a few books, then spend your money on music...jazz has to be the music that plays in your head if you're going to play it, and the only way to make that happen is to listen ravenously, and steal everything you can...

[Helgo]

Hi!

I own a lot of music books, not just because I think they make me that much better (I should be a killer jazz guitarist by now, judging from all the books I´ve read, LOL), but because that, for me, is part of the hobby.
I like to read, like to think through the ideas, like to see how people present material etc.

I am telling you this to make clear that I know a little bit about music books.
And there are very, very few certain and universal truths out there...

Hal Galper said, and that is one of my favorite quotes at the moment:
"If you get one usable idea out of [a book], it was a good book. If you get two or more usable ideas out of it it´s a great book." (Hal Galper, Forward Motion)

So much for meta talk

My recommendation for beginners can be found in post #4 over here:

http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/getti...tml#post181752

(hey, I just saw that I even cited Hal Galper over there, too...)


Cheers,
H.

[jmstritt]

There are a few questions that you need to ask yourself in order to asses where you are at and what you need to do to go forward. Books are generally about a particular topic (IE: Coltrane Changes, Chord Substitutions, etc) For studying jazz guitar in a comprehensive manner, it is best to get with a teacher who can organize things for you in a logical way and work on tunes with you. If there isn't a great teacher in your area, many cats have online lessons sites (Jimmy Bruno, Mark Elf, Andreas Oberg, Martin Taylor, etc). That is definitely a good resource.

With my students I usually have them complete the 1st level of the Berklee Modern Method for Guitar before we even talk about jazz. That way I know the student has some fundamentals down. (Reading, basic chords, scales, arpeggios, etc). Usually we will pick a tune to work on (Easy tunes at first, Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves, Satin Doll, Recorda Me, etc.) I'll give them an overview of how to comp and solo over the tune. They should be able to read the melody no problem, but I'll have them memorize it in at least 2 positions. Then I will add some more advanced chord changes (I will usually borrow something from Modern Chord Progressions by Ted Greene), and show a couple bebop lines that can be memorized for the tune. (This comes from a ton of "Lick" books like the Essential Jazz Lines series from Mel Bay, as well as my own lick dictionary of licks I have written out.)

Also when I am teaching a student a tune, I will usually burn them a CD or load onto their iPod 3 or 4 different versions of the tune so they can hear some different approaches and hopefully get inspired.

[Helgo]

Hi jmstritt.

With my students (...)

Thanks for sharing, interesting read!

Cheers,
H.

[Kojo27]

Ditto w/Mr. B. - Get as many as you can and read them, play around with them, don't get discouraged at the mountain you see in front of you. Buy a BIG bookshelf - you'll need it.

HOWEVER: in my limited experience, it's beginning to seem that there's a big lot to be said for methodically working through a comprehensive course of study, *while* you peruse countless other jazz/music/guitar books. Doing this should bring it all together, or bring some of it together (there's a lot of "it.")

My vote: Jody Fisher's "The Complete Jazz Guitar Method." 4 volumes, each with a great CD of Fisher playing the stuff:

1. Beginning Jazz Guitar
2. Intermediate Jazz Guitar
3. Chord Melody
4. Improvisation

At an Amazon near you : )

kj

[nado64]

For beginning jazz, I think comping is essential to know first.
The aebersold 54 special guitar voicings, it's well for that.

When you are alright with that, begin the single-note improvisation.

[JonR]

Originally Posted by pejagen

hello guys, im looking for a self study jazz guitar book....what is the best in market???

I wouldn't recommend a guitar book at all. If there's one essential book for studying jazz guitar, I'd say it was the old Real Book - now polished up and legalized.
The Real Book (Real Books (Hal Leonard)): Amazon.co.uk: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation: Books
The nearest thing to a "bible" in jazz. But really any collection of standards, with notated melodies and chords, would do. (Ideally not tab )

Of course, it goes without saying that you need a good technical grounding in your instrument, and some theory knowledge, to make the most of it. You need to be able to understand jazz chord symbols, and how to construct the chords (not just look them up in a chord dictionary). That's not "jazz" knowledge specifically, just basic theory.

It's like there no such thing as a "jazz guitar" - you can play jazz on any kind of guitar. Same with books. There are good books about guitar (techniques at various levels, for any style). And good books about jazz (as repertoire, improvisation, or attitudes to playing - suitable for any instrument). And good books about theory (which applies to all kinds of music). IMO, it's not a good idea to combine them, it tends to make you a little insular. You shouldn't ever think of yourself as a "jazz guitarist", but as (a) a "guitarist", and (b) a "musician" - who happens to play "jazz" sometimes. (To many jazz musicians, "jazz" is a word other people use, an artificial pigeon-hole, with a lot of unwelcome baggage. To the jazz musician, it's just "music".)

Just my $0.02

[Kojo27]

Originally Posted by JonR

I wouldn't recommend a guitar book at all. If there's one essential book for studying jazz guitar, I'd say it was the old Real Book - now polished up and legalized.

Forgive me for parsing your post, Jon -- I agree with much of what you say (above), but do note that Pejagen asked for a book to help with SELF-study. Maybe, as with me, Pejagen lives far from anyone who teaches or even plays jazz, so the big question is how to get a first grip on those complex, beautiful, often impossible-sounding guitar moves that come off Joe Pass' (or whoever's) records?

The Real Book (It's Software Now, Too!) is a must, although many lead sheets are available online, and might suffice for beginning. It seems to me, though, that unless Pejagen already has a load of technical expertise, theory acumen, and a well-developed ear, and is downright prodigious, a book, or books, that give him something "guitaristic" to start with would be essential -- and something that gets him playing those lines and chords he's apparently taken a liking to. Without a book or teacher, it seems to me he would spend a good chunk of his life reinventing wheels and such. At least work through the first Mickey Baker book. Better yet, get Jody Fisher's Complete Method, which really is pretty much "complete" as an intro to playing jazz on the guitar. It even comes with jam tracks.

Just saying.

[JonR]

Originally Posted by Kojo27

Forgive me for parsing your post, Jon -- I agree with much of what you say (above), but do note that Pejagen asked for a book to help with SELF-study. Maybe, as with me, Pejagen lives far from anyone who teaches or even plays jazz, so the big question is how to get a first grip on those complex, beautiful, often impossible-sounding guitar moves that come off Joe Pass' (or whoever's) records?

Well, that's a different question .
It's a long way from reading a Real Book to improvising at the level of Joe Pass.

Really, it all depends on where the OP is starting from, which we don't know (maybe we should ask him... ). I'm assuming from the question that he's a relative beginner at jazz, but we have no idea what level of technical skill he has, or what other kinds of music he's experienced in, if any.

The point about the Real Book (or any similar book containing standards) is that it contains the basic raw material that all jazz musicians need to know, and which most of them work with every day (in some way, directly or indirectly).
Of course, it won't teach you how to actually treat that material. It contains nothing on guitar technique, and nothing on improvisation strategies or concepts. IOW, it's the "what", but not the "how".

If the OP needs guidance on those things (the how, when and why), then a teacher is the best advice. If a teacher is not available, then I'm sure a book (or maybe 2 or 3) can help. But I'd also advise listening to as much jazz as possible, absorbing the vibe, and just trying to copy what you hear - not just notes, but rhythms.

Jamey Aebersold's playalongs (books and CDs) are a fairly traditional source for self-tuition, or at least practice aids.
Jamey Aebersold Jazz: Aebersold Play-A-Longs
A selection of the early volumes would be very useful.

Originally Posted by Kojo27

The Real Book (It's Software Now, Too!) is a must, although many lead sheets are available online, and might suffice for beginning.

The software version looks great, if it's not too expensive.

Originally Posted by Kojo27

It seems to me, though, that unless Pejagen already has a load of technical expertise, theory acumen, and a well-developed ear, and is downright prodigious, a book, or books, that give him something "guitaristic" to start with would be essential -- and something that gets him playing those lines and chords he's apparently taken a liking to. Without a book or teacher, it seems to me he would spend a good chunk of his life reinventing wheels and such. At least work through the first Mickey Baker book. Better yet, get Jody Fisher's Complete Method, which really is pretty much "complete" as an intro to playing jazz on the guitar. It even comes with jam tracks.

Just saying.

Yes, good advice. I don't quite agree with the "guitaristic" thing, but it can be good for a relative beginner to have one's hand held by a book aimed at guitarists: IOW, building on what one already knows.
I think my only concern is not to narrow it down to guitar issues alone. Jazz guitarists should not just be listening to jazz guitar, or wanting to emulate other guitarists. That's why I picked up on the OP's request for a "jazz guitar" book - nothing wrong with that, as long as it's combined with more general "jazz" material.
As a (sometime) jazz guitarist myself, my heroes naturally include Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery (and yes Joe Pass) , but equally Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, etc. I don't draw a distinction. I don't prefer to listen to guitar.

[ronjazz]

Berklee Method by Leavitt. Very good self-study book, lots of good verbiage along with exercises, etudes and examples.

[Kojo27]

Originally Posted by JonR

Well, that's a different question .
It's a long way from reading a Real Book to improvising at the level of Joe Pass.

Well, I didn't mean his initial aspiration is to become as good as Pass. Just that Joe Pass is "iconic" -- he represents (to me anyway) jazz guitar as well as anyone I could think of when I wrote that.

As a (sometime) jazz guitarist myself, my heroes naturally include Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery (and yes Joe Pass) , but equally Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, etc. I don't draw a distinction. I don't prefer to listen to guitar.

I agree. I like your posts, Jon; you have good ideas and you express them well. I'd much rather hear Miles than most guitarists I know. I listen to Wes; I love Julian Lage's playing, his "energy" - there's even a sort of magic there for me. Not mumbo-jumbo magic, just inexplicable tingles and warm fuzzies, you know? But Miles is the man. I've listened to his "simple" version of "On Green Dolphin Street" hundreds of times, and will do so hundreds more. : )

Originally Posted by ronjazz

Berklee Method by Leavitt. Very good self-study book, lots of good verbiage along with exercises, etudes and examples.

Ah yes! These books taught me most of what I know. Probably the best books on the planet for serious students of this instrument. I bought and worked through Volume 2 (it's the one the music store had), and only later ordered by mail Volume 1. I'm still not through Vol. 3 - which is tough but wonderful.

Get the single volumes - that all-in-one thing is too unwieldy and it's overwhelming. By themselves, the volumes are short and you can plow through one is a semester (or two).

kj

[marcwhy]

For jazz (not guitar), I like Hal Crook's "Ready, Aim, Improvise!"