Fingersthyle jazz methods

[louisguitar]

Hi all,

I would like to be able to play the standards myself on the guitar, without other musicians.
Walking bass, chords, melody ecc. ecc.

I have seen some methods, those of Martin Taylor, those of Sean McGowan and others.

I’m Italian, I’m 62 years old and about 35 years ago I graduated in classical guitar, so the right hand shouldn’t be a big problem.

What do you think is the best method or what are the best methods to start getting into the fingerstyle jazz player’s mind?

Thanks

[equenda]

Hi all,

I would like to be able to play the standards myself on the guitar, without other musicians.
Walking bass, chords, melody ecc. ecc.

I have seen some methods, those of Martin Taylor, those of Sean McGowan and others.

I’m Italian, I’m 62 years old and about 35 years ago I graduated in classical guitar, so the right hand shouldn’t be a big problem.

What do you think is the best method or what are the best methods to start getting into the fingerstyle jazz player’s mind?

Thanks

Ciao Louis!
There are many books and records very useful for Fingerstyle Jazz.
As an example you can look at the "JOE PASS - VIRUOSO #3" book transcribed by Alan De Mause and published by Mel Bay. Many years ago I have studied the "Pasta Blues" solo and I have learned A LOT about harmony and rhythm.

For something maybe less demanding you can look at three old volumes (I don't know if these are still available) by Howard Morgen:
1. CONCEPTS - Arranging For Fingerstyle Guitar
2. PREPARATIONS - An introduction to Fingerstyle Guitar
3. FINGERSTYLE FOVORITES - Many Standards and Duets palyed in Fingerstyle.

There are many other books and my opinion is very simple: Play what you like .....play by yourself.....or with other people......play jazz, blues or folk.......and you are on the right track. There is only one big mistake: leave the guitar in the case.

Ciao!

Ettore

My YouTube Channel

[gitman]

If you want to acquire a solid basic fingerstyle technique then start with learning some simple classical pieces, best under the guidance of an experienced tutor. One key to this style is the independence of your right hand fingers and thumb together with the ability to pluck any string with more or less force to bring out the desired melody. Working through the Joe Pass book will be very tedious, since there are no tabs and his fast runs in between the plucked chords are another obstacle and it does NOT teach you right hand technique. Better suited are books with transcribed solo pieces by Tommy Emmanuel (or similar players), complete with fingerings and tabs. Whether this music is considered Jazz or whatever is of no importance here, it's the WAY the guitar is played, not which notes are chosen. Ralph Towner also had a book out with many thought out excercises as does Martin Taylor .

[garybaldy]

If you want to acquire a solid basic fingerstyle technique then start with learning some simple classical pieces, best under the guidance of an experienced tutor. One key to this style is the independence of your right hand fingers and thumb together with the ability to pluck any string with more or less force to bring out the desired melody. Working through the Joe Pass book will be very tedious, since there are no tabs and his fast runs in between the plucked chords are another obstacle and it does NOT teach you right hand technique. Better suited are books with transcribed solo pieces by Tommy Emmanuel (or similar players), complete with fingerings and tabs. Whether this music is considered Jazz or whatever is of no importance here, it's the WAY the guitar is played, not which notes are chosen. Ralph Towner also had a book out with many thought out excercises as does Martin Taylor .

OP is a classical guitar graduate.

[louisguitar]

If you want to acquire a solid basic fingerstyle technique then start with learning some simple classical pieces, best under the guidance of an experienced tutor. One key to this style is the independence of your right hand fingers and thumb together with the ability to pluck any string with more or less force to bring out the desired melody. Working through the Joe Pass book will be very tedious, since there are no tabs and his fast runs in between the plucked chords are another obstacle and it does NOT teach you right hand technique. Better suited are books with transcribed solo pieces by Tommy Emmanuel (or similar players), complete with fingerings and tabs. Whether this music is considered Jazz or whatever is of no importance here, it's the WAY the guitar is played, not which notes are chosen. Ralph Towner also had a book out with many thought out excercises as does Martin Taylor .

Well, I have still many problems on the guitar, but having studied classical guitar at the conservatory, the right hand learned something during the ten years of lessons.
I consider Tommy Emmanuel one of the best guitar player in the world, but I would like to play fingersthyle jazz and not fingerpicking.

studied classical guitar at the conservatory, his right hand learned something during the ten years of guitar lessons

[tbeltrans]

The OP, with his classical background, might be interested in a series of 3 books called "Jazz For Classical Cats" published by Alfred Publishing. Here is a link to the one on chord melody:

Amazon.com

There is one on improvising and (I think) the other is on chords/harmony.

Tony

[Donnd]

I also am a classical guitarist and play a lot of jazz chord melody arrangements. I did end up getting an archtop to make this transition but that is not necessary.

As already mentioned, the book by Andrew York is excellent but I would also suggest watching some of the musicians on Youtube such as Chris Whiteman, Richie Zellon and Sandra Sherman. You can hear their arrangements and also order the scores of those arrangements. If you like walking bass, try Zellon’s arrangement of “Summertime”. Also checkout the walking bass on Michel Dalle Ave’s “Jazz Notes” (score available from Productions D’Oz and he performs this on YouTube).

I found that what I learned as a classical guitar student translated into a very strong technique to do these types of jazz chord melodies. There are a lot of modern Classical Guitar composers like Andrew York, Dalle Ave, Thierry Tisserand and Yvon Demillac that compose in the jazz style and harmonic language. As much as I like the old standards, it’s nice to have new music that is well written specifically for the solo guitar and is attractive to listeners. Have fun!

[Fal Tarlow]

Welcome to the club louisguitar!

Martin and Sean are also my great inspiration. I assume You are familiar with a work of big Ted Greene, if you not this page will be useful. TedGreene.com - The Legacy Of Ted Greene Lives On
Alexander Vinitsky with his books is also worth to research.
There are many wonderful finger style guitar players, and I will single out only a sentence of one of them.
”Playing with a pick is like playing piano with one finger. True polyphony begins with the utilisation of fingers. -Jack Checcini.”

Regards from Croatia.

[Tal_175]

Some chord melody players focus on improvisation, others play arrangements that were worked out before hand. Obviously these styles require different approaches to practice.

People who work out arrangements can utilize more varied devices that maybe difficult to come up with during improvisation or impossible to execute technically without repeated practice. These are things like intricate multipart voice movements, big stretchy chords, fast fills, uncommon sounds that fit a tune beautifully that can only be discovered by trial and error etc.

Those who have a more improvised approach tend to utilize variations and creative applications of ideas that are already in their fingers and in their ears.


Here is a video of classical guitarist explaining their thought process for coming up with fingerstyle jazz arrangements:

[Bobby Timmons]

Work bass, chord, and melody individually then combine them. You should understand each component and be able to build them suitably. Listen to playing / transcribe or read arrangements / transcriptions to help learn each component and how to assemble everything and how the overall music should sound.

Participate in the chord melody arrangement thread.

[Guitlifer]

If you haven't done already, check out Truefire for video courses.

Sean McGowan: Fingerstyle Jazz Survival Guide
Fareed Haque: Solo Guitar Handbook
Tim Lerch: Solo Jazz Pathways
Diego Figuerido: Brazilian Jazz Guitarra
Martin Taylor: Dimensions of Solo Jazz Guitar

These contain a wealth of information and are worth the price.