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Play What You Hear (Chris Standring)
I hear a lot of guitarists claim they 'play by ear'. I totally agree that this is the right approach, but the question is: do they really play by ear?
My experience is that a lot of guitarists who claim to play by ear actually play by following their finger's routine. By constantly playing the same things and using the same approach to improvisation they developed a routine that got stuck in their fingers.
Chris Standring's 'Play What You Hear' jazz guitar course helps you conquer this problem. The main object of this eBook is to learn hearing melodic phrases in relation to an harmonic background, rather then have to rely on rehearsed shapes and patterns.
Part one of the course concentrates on melody. Chris talks about his approach to guitar scales, about diatonic sounds and their relative chords, visualizing harmony, melodic patterns and much more.
Part two is about harmony: embellishing chords, voice leading, chordal accompaniment.
Part three talks about playing changes: the bebop approach, the diminished scale, various types of resolutions, turnarounds, the melodic minor scale, the blues scale, ...
Part four is about phrasing: how do you develop melodic phrases over moving harmonies. Chris elaborates about motifs, themes and variations,sequential resolutions, tritone substitution.
The guitar course ends with some real life examples where you can put to use the resources you have studied so far.
Everything in the book is explained with interactive diagrams, guitar tabs, standard notation and audio examples. All examples come with a play along audio track so you can practice what you just learned.
The course comes in 2 versions: a download version and a CD ROM version. Both have a lifetime money-back guarantee.
This book has the ability to take your guitar playing to the next level. Recommended!
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The Jazz Theory Book (Mark Levine)
The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine is the most comprehensive and complete jazz theory book I've ever seen. It contains everything there is to know about jazz theory and harmony and is very well organized, user-friendly and easy to understand, yet still covers in great depth all areas that are important to playing jazz.
Each new topic is introduced step by step, going from simple scales to more complex ones, from diatonic changes to Coltrane changes, the blues, modal playing, altered chords, playing 'outside', reharmonization, composition and much more. Mark Levine also talks about how to read a lead sheet and memorize tunes and all topics are accompanied by excellent musical examples. I find The Jazz Theory Book very inspiring, something you cannot say about most music theory books!
This is a book every musician should own, regardless of the level of their ability. Highly recommended!
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 The Advancing Guitarist (Mick Goodrick)
One of many significant guitarists to be featured at one time or another with vibraphonist Gary Burton's groups
(including John Scofield and Pat Metheny), Mick Goodrick has not achieved the fame of the others
due to his focusing on a career as a jazz educator (he's well known as Pat Metheny's teacher).
What to say about 'The Advancing Guitarist'?
Don't expect a 'method book' when buying this one. It doesn't have the typical
approach other jazz guitar books use : pointing out a few scales and arpeggio's and throwing some licks on top of them.
No, the way Mick Goodrick tries to learn us something in this book is by hinting us methods. He points us the things worth to
explore and leaves it up to the reader to deduce his own knowledge out of it.
As a consequence the 'The Advancing Guitarist' is certainly not a beginners book, but
if you can read basic notation, you understand the difference between a flat 3 and a sharp 4, and you want to increase your
fret board and musical knowledge, musical vocabulary, ability and confidence, get this book. It's that good.
The information presented should keep you going a lifetime!
Buy this book at Amazon.com
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Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is probably the easiest thinking technique to learn, yet it is amazingly powerful ... and fun!
A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which helps you to memorize, solve problems, gather skills and unlock the full potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills - word, image, number, logic, rhythm,
color and spatial awareness - in a single, uniquely powerful manner. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance.
Originated in the late 1960s by Tony Buzan Mind Maps are now used by millions of people around the world - from the very young to the very old - whenever they wish to use their minds more effectively.
Similarly to a road map, a Mind Map will:
- Give you an overview of a large subject/area.
- Enable you to plan routes/make choices and let you know where you are going and where you have been.
- Gather and hold large amounts of data for you.
- Encourage problem solving by showing you new creative pathways.
- Enable you to be extremely efficient.
- Be enjoyable to look at, read, muse over and remember.
- Attract and hold your eye/brain.
- Let you see the whole picture and the details at the same time.
- Assist YOU!
Mind Mapping helps me to be a better guitar
player. It provides an easy way to make an overview of things I know and use, aspects
of playing that need some attention, new things I have to discover and so on. It helps me to understand certain aspects of improvisation
better and makes it a lot easier to memorize.
I'm glad I discovered mind mapping a few years ago, it made my guitar
practice a lot more efficient. Recommended!!
I used to recommend a certain book about mind mapping, but there's so much information online now, that it is not necessary to buy a book, just do a Google search.
There's also a free mind map software program that's very easy and intuitive to use. Click here for more information...
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 Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (Stephen Laberge, Ph.D.)
What is lucid dreaming and what does it have to do with playing guitar you might wonder.
We spent almost
a third or our lives asleep and a lot of that time is spent dreaming,
so wouldn't
it be nice if we can learn to get the most out of that time and
use it more fruitfully by for example... practicing guitar.
Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
Lucid dreaming is knowing that you're dreaming while you're dreaming,
meaning you have a conscious awareness during the dream state.
Some people seem to have a natural talent for lucid dreaming. Most
of us don't, but
the good news is that everybody can learn how to dream lucid.
The first times you get conscious in your dreams is an exhilarating experience
and you soon realize that its possibilities go as far as your imagination
goes. I can assure you that playing guitar isn't the first thing that
pops into mind during your first lucid dreams (flying and sex seem
to be on
top of the priority list of a lot of beginning lucid dreamers), but once
you get over the initial thrills you'll find that lucid dream time is
an excellent
time to practice guitar. Lucid dreaming takes you as far as your imagination
does, so imagine playing with your favorite rhythm section, or a lesson
with your favorite guitar player.
Lucid dreaming is also a good tool to
overcome
fear of playing in front of an audience : you can practice having
concerts in front of thousands of people while knowing that it is
'only a dream'
and that no one will blame you for hitting the avoid notes a bit too
often.
I could fill pages and pages about lucid dreaming, but this is not a
web site about dreaming, is it? DO a Google search for more information about lucid dreaming.
If
your interested in lucid dreaming then this book is a must read.
It is based on
Dr. Stephen
Laberge's
extensive
laboratory
work at Stanford University.
Buy this book at Amazon.com
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