The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    I once booked a gig for 3 hours at a trade show for a obscene amount of money. And I was low bidder.

    I knew I couldn't do a full 3 hours so I teamed up with another solo guitar player singer.

    We were to do 1/2 hour sets tag team sort of, that meant 3 hours non stop music but breaks for us.

    Then the trade show got canceled. Oh well I tried.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Nothing wrong with spare use of a looper, but, like everything else, you have to practice it a bit. In fact, on something like Moondance, just a looped 4-bar vamp from the 1 to V7 chord will fill a couple of minutes easily. Pop music is the basis of jazz, although the pop music of the 40's was quite different from the pop music of the 60s and 70s. Even so, Beatles and Santana tunes are a lot easier than Gershwin and Porter, and a lot more familiar to an audience from 30-60 than the old jazz standards will be. The Spanish stuff is great, but really needs to be done well, probably not worth the time and effort. In any event, play hits from the various eras and you'll be fine, and don't be afraid to have a book of sketches to work from. Realistically, you can fill 2 hours with 30 or so tunes with intros, outros and improvisation; that's not a lot to learn at all. If you have a looper with a memory, you can pre-record organic backing tracks as well, my JamMan Solo holds 99 tracks, and I can record a rhythm track tapping on the guitar and hitting the muted strings, then lay down a basic accompaniment over the rhythm track, giving me a decent but unobtrusive little band with my own changes and tempo. I agree that downloading internet tracks can be really cheesy, but making your own tracks becomes part of the creative process, and for background music, makes a 4-hour gig fly by.

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by ragman1
    Looper... is that where you press a pedal, play the chords, then it repeats so you can solo over it? The only place I've seen those in use is by buskers :-)
    I'd say the same thing about the backing tracks- buskers only. But on a jazz gig, what, are you gonna play to Abersold CDs? Gross!

  5. #29

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    Whatever you decide, please, PLEASE, keep the rubato to minimum. Maybe a bit on intros, but that's it. If I ever walk in a restaurant where someone plays too much rubato, I'll leave before my meal is ready lol

    And +100 on endings. Endings do need to be solid. One wise man told me, the endings sell the song!

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
    I'd say the same thing about the backing tracks- buskers only. But on a jazz gig, what, are you gonna play to Abersold CDs? Gross!
    I agree, NO backing tracks. Yuk. As for loopers, in advance is good.

  7. #31

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    I do regular solo gigs. For me I have to work on pacing myself. Early on doing these I might play 5 songs only to realize that only ate up 18 minutes. Now I try to keep it relaxed from the start. The thing I don’t like about the wallpaper gigs is the “audience” is not really there for you, you are part of the ambiance. I always want to talk about the songs but usually that’s not an option. Some of my gigs are 3 hours and I sing. What saves me there are the rotating listeners. There are songs that are very comfortable for me so I can spice those in to a new group and it’s a bit of a break for me and my voice. So my advice, stay comfortable, remember people like what they know so you can use material that might seem simple and overdone but done well will be well received.

  8. #32

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    Not a looper but a Freeze pedal used sparingly may amuse yourself and provide a little harmony for single line excursions. For those that don't know you play a chord, note, double stop, and the Freeze pedal records and plays back a sustained snaphot of that moment.

    Here is a vid I just googled:


  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by joe2758
    speaking of tracks, i would get some solo guitr albums and pantomime them
    You are my spirit animal.

  10. #34

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    my solo gigs are more in the jazz/jam/funk realm, but i do 'wallpaper' gigs somewhat frequently; i would just like to put a +1 to the looper suggestion. my entire night is done with a looper. also, if the crowd is cycling through, definitely feel free to repeat some stuff as suggested. ...if you get that one drunk guy who is loving it and stays all night, he'll forgive you for the repeat.

  11. #35

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    Hi Longways.
    I'm a little late to the conversation, so maybe the gig has come and gone. I've been doing a regular 2 hour solo gig (no vocals) at a restaurant for about a year and a half now. I play a lot of mid tempo swing standards (Gershwin, Cole Porter, Ellington), but I've always found that mixing in (the right) pop tunes really works well. For Beatles, try 'Something' in C, 'Strawberry Fields' and 'Norwegian Wood' in G. 'New York State of Mind' in C, and Norah Jones' 'Don't Know Why' in A are good too.
    General thoughts - don't stress about virtuosity. I've never had it, and I get gigs! Just play in tune, in time, and with confidence and good humour. Have a comfortable chair. Keep some water handy. Try your best to have enough material to not repeat any tunes.
    Specific ideas - if you're working out your own arrangements, always keep in mind the option of moving the melody up and down an octave in different parts of the song, to make it "fit" better on guitar. And if a tune runs short, consider a segue straight into another one with the same key. Maybe the same tempo, maybe not. You may get some ideas from this...
    jazzguitarmichael
    - YouTube

    Cheers