The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    First time for me yesterday. Was a little nervous playing a fingerstyle piece in the church with all eyes on me. It had been too long since I did it last. But thoroughly enjoyed myself playing a wallpaper gig afterwards.


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  3. #2

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    You did well, can’t hear the nerves, sounds great!

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay
    You did well, can’t hear the nerves, sounds great!
    Thank you. The nerves were in church only when everyone is quiet and watching & listening to you.

    The above clip is from afterwards where I had a great time playing. In fact these wallpaper gigs are my favourite types of gigs.

    As a bonus I'm playing again later today

  5. #4

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    I did a few gigs last week, first ones after March 2020.... Was great to feel a musician again.. Hopefully things will pick up in the summer, some live music is starting to be allowed here again.

  6. #5

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    The club in which I’m the house band leader reopened about 6 weeks ago after 15 months. The band and staff are all vaccinated. The owner had installed full tilt boogie HEPA HVAC plus a spray disinfection system that runs overnight. We use mic condoms and wear masks when near guests we either know are not vaccinated or don’t know at all.

    My bands play Thursday nights (jazz trio) and Sunday brunch shows (The Philly Blues Kings). We haven’t had any Friday or Saturday shows with touring acts who needed me as a sideman yet. And to be honest, the place hasn’t been more than half full for us since reopening - we used to be at capacity for most shows. The last 2 weeks were busier, and Thursday night was the best crowd yet. I hope this afternoon shows continued growth.

    It is truly great to be playing out again!

  7. #6

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    My 1st since March 20 was yesterday. A new venture - 7 piece old style jazz ensemble (been studying Mr Stout!) at a home for the elderly. Used my Fenix EER - a - like and Polytone III.
    Friday, playing for a funeral. This one has to be acoustic so using my Favino 'gypsy' gtr.

  8. #7

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    I did a solo guitar gig in May. I've spent the entire pandemic working on single-string technique, and writing big band charts, so I was very flaky on solo guitar things I've been doing for almost 50 years.

    I couldn't get the melody of "You Make Me Feel So Young" right, so I kept repeating the first four bars until I finally got it right.

    I have six gigs coming up in July, playing a musical.

  9. #8

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    our 2 weeklies started back up again in March....thankfully

  10. #9

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    My duo had a regular weekly open mic and had just started back to ‘proper’ gigs. Then it hit Sydney again. Ah well.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  11. #10

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    No, but the Rockers here are back in outdoor venues with the beer crowd. I won't play again until there is real certainty concerning the facts/protocols of Covid which change weekly. I just can't do the masks for any long period of time and can't imagine performing with one. So, I've been doing some great woodshedding: working on new pieces, reviving some old ones, and doing some arrangements. I'm very busy . . . just not being paid.
    Play live . . . Marinero

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    I just can't do the masks for any long period of time and can't imagine performing with one.
    Ya gotta do what ya gotta do Everyone in both my jazz group and my blues band has been vaccinated for months, and the club where we play regularly has taken serious precautions. When clubs were first allowed to reopen here, I tried playing in a mask under a wireless boom mic under a face shield while standing in the far back corner of the stage. The condensation was running down the inside of my shield within minutes, and it was a pretty terrible experience overall - so we closed the club again for several weeks. We're in a 70+% vaccinated area. So when all local restrictions were lifted and case rates were both low and stable, we went back to it with masks. And we now leave them in our pockets to be worn when strangers are too close to us. If case and test positivity rates rise again, we'll be back in the woodshed.

    Here's what I fear may be a picture of the future, if we can't get enough people vaccinated to eradicate the viral reservoir before it mutates further. I'm the one on the left below with the 7 string LP:

    Have you played live since Covid?-masked-jpg

  13. #12
    joelf Guest
    Since and during. More livestreams during. They had audiences there, too.

    It's still 'during'---let's be real. Delta is the new normal...

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by joelf
    Delta is the new normal...
    Then again, there’s still the rest of the Greek alphabet

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    Ya gotta do what ya gotta do Everyone in both my jazz group and my blues band has been vaccinated for months, and the club where we play regularly has taken serious precautions. When clubs were first allowed to reopen here, I tried playing in a mask under a wireless boom mic under a face shield while standing in the far back corner of the stage. The condensation was running down the inside of my shield within minutes, and it was a pretty terrible experience overall - so we closed the club again for several weeks. We're in a 70+% vaccinated area. So when all local restrictions were lifted and case rates were both low and stable, we went back to it with masks. And we now leave them in our pockets to be worn when strangers are too close to us. If case and test positivity rates rise again, we'll be back in the woodshed.

    Here's what I fear may be a picture of the future, if we can't get enough people vaccinated to eradicate the viral reservoir before it mutates further. I'm the one on the left below with the 7 string LP:

    Have you played live since Covid?-masked-jpg
    Hi, N,
    That's an amazing photo! I remember the days when we played in smoke-filled clubs and at the end of the night you were dizzy and couldn't wait to get out of the place. Now, masks forever? I hope not, but this virus doesn't look like it's going to end soon. Good luck to you! If this becomes the status quo, it will certainly end "live music" for many of us who just can't tolerate the masks for lengthy periods . . . especially in live performances.
    Play live . . . Marinero

    P.S. You also play the Hammond?

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    You also play the Hammond?
    I do. My first instrument was piano - I’ve been playing keys for 70 years and guitar for 65. I used a Roland guitar synth in lieu of a B3 for about 25 years. But the club bought me a new XK5 Pro and a big single Leslie cab 2 years ago, and I love it! Most pianos and organs in clubs are either not good instruments or they’re good instruments in poor repair. The synth sounds great - but a new Hammond sounds better

  17. #16

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    I'm getting fairly busy, generally avoiding indoor gigs in crowded clubs, doing a fair amount of private party work by the pool or in the backyard. Even the Senior facilities are taking their residents outdoors for concerts, so it's pretty good for the next 2-3 months before the chill hits the northeast (although it got down to the mid-50s last night). Fortunately the mask doesn't bother me when I need to wear it, I can even sing just fine. Well, as fine as I can sing, which may not actually be all that fine.

  18. #17

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    Had a solo gig cancelled March 2020, week of lockdown in Florida. What I've noticed is I was more focused in my practice if I knew a gig was coming up. Not so much now.

  19. #18

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    Yes. Masks, distance, luck.

  20. #19

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    Man, I don't know how you guys perform with masks: my day job is in manual labor, so I'm used to working with the masks, and never found it that difficult, but at least in the "before times" when I was performing more regularly, so much is communicated by visual cues to other musicians on the stage.

    Yes, I know a lot is in the eyes or even just a quick nod of the head, but for me the pandemic caused me to re-evaluate how much performing live is really worth it, with the crummy pay, or even no pay and "comped" drinks and food, and the massive amounts of gear I have to carry and all that.

    I'm not even sure I want to go back on stage, playing pickup jobs with unknown (to me) players. For audiences whose sanity I question, concerning their opinions about vaccinations &c.

    But, it is exciting, and there's no substitute for being live on the stage and, in some way, directing the evening's events.

  21. #20

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    I have had COVID twice already (confirmed cases; I tested positive for the virus). The first time was in spring 2020 and was pretty heavy, 5 days with fever and feeling pretty shitty, but fortunately it never felt worse than a heavy flu. 2nd time was just a cold and lasted 3 days, I was slightly feverish for two days. The quarantine was more inconvenient than the infection itself. Tomorrow I am getting my vaccination (I am allowed only 1 shot now). To be honest, I am not afraid anymore for the virus. I am 48 so maybe not yet in the risk category but I think a healthy lifestyle and a strong immune system help? But I realise I might have been lucky and of course I want to be careful not to infect others who might have much more severe symptoms, so I try to comply to regulations as much as possible.

    I have been gigging during COVID when the regulations allowed it, which meant playing for small seated audiences of max 30 people and 1.5m distance. Facemasks were never mandatory in the theatres and music venues in the Netherlands but they were closed during the lockdowns of course.

    Because I didn’t really fear infection I never felt the need to wear a facemask on stage.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by jack-e
    so much is communicated by visual cues to other musicians on the stage. Yes, I know a lot is in the eyes or even just a quick nod of the head
    I’m very lucky to have been playing with the same people for between 15 and 50 years. I’ve been working regularly with the drummer in both my blues band and jazz group for 15 years, the bass player in the blues band for 16 or 17, the bass player in the jazz group for 35, the keyboard player in the jazz group for 20, etc. We’re all so well attuned to each others’ thoughts and moves that we were back in the groove within an hour on our first gigs (in May 2021) since February 2020. And we probably slowed the internet with all of our emails thanking and praising each other and every deity in the universe when we got home!

  23. #22

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    I have taken to busking, in some resonant spaces. I wasn't playing professionally prior to or during the pandemic, but I did play some gigs with friends on occasion - so the changes did not have much impact on me. But I did miss jamming with some simpatico friends. So some of us started meeting in local parks and other spaces well suited for acoustic musical dialogue. This has been a real blessing, and since I have never relied on any $, it is a win-win. We do put a hat out in case any who pass by and listen want to show appreciation, but the real goal is to get an "audience" with minimal restrictions to have a chance to enjoy our projection of positive energy into this troubled world. Guitars, mandolins, fiddles, various percussion, and when fortune smiles larger ensembles...

    I am grateful for these great friends, and for any and all who enjoy the sounds we offer. And for any who care - I usually play my old Harmony Broadway tuned to DADGAD or my Yamaha NTX1200, acoustically. I'll be posting my electrics for sale here soon.

    This is an excellent resource, and I thank all for participation and especially for those who created it and manage it, stay well & safe!

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    I’m very lucky to have been playing with the same people for between 15 and 50 years.
    I know just what you mean: even people I've never played with, we always have some common ground and...hey, if it's some Real Book "job" or something, well, there's always some common ground so it's never too difficult.

    Granted, most of my work has been from enemy territory, as a keyboardist (pianist and organist on the Hammond), but I'm starting to remember how guitar works, and do it the right way this time, instead of just copying Jimmy Page and so on as a teenager.

    Quote Originally Posted by JimBobWay
    I have taken to busking, in some resonant spaces.
    Well, that's admirable. At least you still enjoy playing, and, IMHO, for one of the best reasons. Namely, well, we're all in it for the music, but also one likes to be heard.

  25. #24

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    I averaged 180-200 gigs a year up till 2020. In 2020, I did a total of 29 gigs (all by March 15, nothing after). The first 6 months of this year, I did 4 gigs (and 2 of those were in June). Last month I did 8 gigs and I have 7 on August's calendar and 5 on Septembers.

    We just got a new mask mandate in San Francisco and I feel certain that Santa Cruz will follow. I can play a gig with a mask on if I have to (I do not like it at all, having done one 3 hour gig fully masked at a senior facility). My fear is that if we go back to full or partial lockdowns, the gigs will again go away. I doubt that I will ever again reach my pre-pandemic normal and that saddens me, but adaptation is part of the human existence. I am looking forward to my third jab when they become available. I intend to survive for many years to come in this new age of Covid-19.

    For awhile, my gigs were becoming "routine", now I cherish each and every one of them, knowing that it could be my last.

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    I averaged 180-200 gigs a year up till 2020. In 2020, I did a total of 29 gigs (all by March 15, nothing after). The first 6 months of this year, I did 4 gigs (and 2 of those were in June). Last month I did 8 gigs and I have 7 on August's calendar and 5 on Septembers.

    We just got a new mask mandate in San Francisco and I feel certain that Santa Cruz will follow. I can play a gig with a mask on if I have to (I do not like it at all, having done one 3 hour gig fully masked at a senior facility). My fear is that if we go back to full or partial lockdowns, the gigs will again go away. I doubt that I will ever again reach my pre-pandemic normal and that saddens me, but adaptation is part of the human existence. I am looking forward to my third jab when they become available. I intend to survive for many years to come in this new age of Covid-19.

    For awhile, my gigs were becoming "routine", now I cherish each and every one of them, knowing that it could be my last.
    Beautifully said! I'm 6 months out from my Pfizer fix this month and trying to get useful information on #3. I have to live long enough to find out if TIs really outlast Chromes

    What's not being said is that the nature of the business is permanently changed now. When I was in my prime, I played 100-150 weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, etc a year. Almost every sideman in our office (which consisted of 5 "name" and 9 second tier leaders plus about 200 sidemen) was a top regional or national musician who happened to live in the Philadelphia area. These gigs (which were called "playing the outside" around here, for some unknown reason) were the main income for many of us because they paid very well and were regular and consistent. A fair number of the players were on the road with major names for several weeks a year - but they were back on the bandstand with guys like me whenever they were home. And the rest of us played shows, restaurants, clubs, concerts, etc during the week and on any night we didn't have an affair booked. Weddings etc were booked months in advance, so we had no problem managing our bookings.

    First, the clubs started booking anything that would fill their seats. Then they began closing, one by one. We used to have 10+ great jazz clubs and twice that many "night clubs" in and aroud Philly. We even had a few serious blues clubs until about 10 years ago. Then DJs cut into the business with far lower prices. But there were still a fair number of very good and very successful outfits playing the remaining outside gigs. Then Covid comes along and kills the party business altogether. Everyone from caterers to photographers to musicians to venue owners to limo companies to formalwear shops has very little work. The nature of weddings etc changed over the last 18 months to the point that we'll probably never see the volume and expanse of fancy affairs again. Now we have online performances, which are fine and enjoyable to play as well as to hear - but they'll never generate the kind of income we used to get from these live affairs.

    And the recording industry is so far from what it was when I was young that it's unrecognizable. Studios did a big and steady business in jingles, commercials, etc. Most of them had a list of players they'd call in to back singers and instrumentalists making demos. The only pitch correction, mistake eraser, etc we had was the next take. And each take was an added expense for the producer, so the better you were the more calls you got and the higher your income was for shorter sessions. Enter digital recording and the mail-in part. Then came the home computer, so everybody could record in his or her basement. Bye bye business.

    Most of us will find new niches. But the nature of being a musician is being changed by the events of the world, and I don't think we'll ever return to what we had. We'll just have to be as creative and innovative as possible in reinventing our roles.