The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    That's good to know. At 54, I have less time for blind alleys and other wrong turns. ) It's good to be on the right road.
    Exactly! I could not have said it better.

    Tony

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  3. #52

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    you guys have inspired me to take another run through the formula...as soon as the fishing slows down and the heat arrives I'll feel more like staying inside...not easy here in Florida!....I'm going to order the intros and endings package...

  4. #53

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    I focused mostly on learning Robert Conti's Signature Arrangements and The Formula! to understand the reharmonization concepts. I had a fairly good chord vocabulary so I honestly didn't spend too much time on The Assembly Line but that might be a good idea for others.

    The Formula! is mind blowing in the way it is explained. I've seen a lot of other materials but nothing came close to the way it was explained.

    I love people like Ted Greene but the chord grips he uses are often pretty brutal to play and it's hard for me to take a book like Chord Chemistry and actually make music. Seeing examples from Signature Chord Melodies is a great way to go. It follows Conti's general rule that 'you learn by playing'. And playing means playing songs.

    Here is a video I did of Happy Birthday chord melody


    It's using Conti's concepts. Many times if you have one note that rings you can play a series of descending chords that move chromatically. You can do it without thinking once you get the chord moves under your hands.

    I'd like to do more when I get a chance.
    Last edited by wkriski; 04-08-2013 at 06:02 AM.

  5. #54

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    Will -

    Very nice!

    I notice you are playing a solid body electric that is typically used for rock styles. How do you like playing this style on that instrument? The reason I ask is that I just got a solid body Ibanez Apex Custom 7 string, which looks similar to your guitar i that it is a solid body built for rock. In fact, it is the signature guitar for one of the guitarists in a group called "Korn". The guy is called "Munky". I watched someYoutube in which he was playing the same guitar I have (not physically the same, but the same model). I had to do some work on the guitar to be able to tune it up to standard tuning, but handles very nicely and sounds pretty good through my Henrikson. It certainly doesn't look like a chord melody instrument.

    Tony

  6. #55

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    Hi Tony,

    Yes I'm a former 'shredder' and metal guitarist. That is an Ibanez RG with EMG active pickups. For jazz I had used it with the neck single coil pickup and tone knob turned down. Also the neck is thin and the chords are relatively easy to play. In jazz college even my teacher said it had a good tone - through the college amp, and my fingers might be partially responsible

    I wasn't totally happy with the tone from my jazz guitar at the time an Ibanez Artcore with Blues Junior but now I have a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp and Godin Multiac Jazz guitar so I'm using that for newer videos/lessons.

    People often get hung up on the 'proper' guitar to use but if you can get a good tone there are people using a Fender Telecaster such as Ted Greene which is good enough for me

  7. #56

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    Yes, I have seen videos of Ted Greene playing his Telecaster, as well as reading in the forums about other jazz players using similar solid body guitars. For a 7 string, I need all the "advantage" I can get, ad this one seems easy enough to play. It will be some time yet before I am finding my way cleanly around the 7 string. That extra string does throw me off. I think it will be worthwhile in the end though. Your arrangement of "Happy Birthday" was interesting and I could readily hear the influence of "The Formula" in it. Nice demo!

    Tony

  8. #57

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    I've been working on the Assembly Line for a couple of weeks, and I had a question about the high frets. I play an acoustic without a cutout, and I'm having a hard time reaching anything above the 14th fret. How important are those forms high on the neck? Without them, it looks like I have about an octave and a half range for the melody notes when I'm playing in C.

    By coincidence, I'm about to start looking around for a new acoustic guitar. If those upper chord forms are important, I'll think hard about getting a cutout.

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by kgk
    I've been working on the Assembly Line for a couple of weeks, and I had a question about the high frets. I play an acoustic without a cutout, and I'm having a hard time reaching anything above the 14th fret. How important are those forms high on the neck? Without them, it looks like I have about an octave and a half range for the melody notes when I'm playing in C.
    I have that same problem. I think Conti says in the book not to worry about the higher frets if they're a problem to reach. However, I grab what I can of them (-sometimes just the top 2-3 strings) because it's good to internalize the sequences.

    Remember, in another key, the shapes that are above the 12th fret in C will be around the 3rd fret, or the 6th, and the shapes above the 12th fret will be ones played lower on the neck in, say, F.

  10. #59

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    Doesnt seem he uses many cords above the 12th with the formula....I don't have the assembly line, but his cords are really very standard drop cords for the most part, unlike some of the Ted Greene cords, no wonder they called him the cord chemist.

  11. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    I have that same problem. I think Conti says in the book not to worry about the higher frets if they're a problem to reach. However, I grab what I can of them (-sometimes just the top 2-3 strings) because it's good to internalize the sequences.

    Remember, in another key, the shapes that are above the 12th fret in C will be around the 3rd fret, or the 6th, and the shapes above the 12th fret will be ones played lower on the neck in, say, F.
    What I do is "wrap around" to the first fret, which plays the notes an octave lower. The reason is that those higher forms are different and certainly do come in useful at times. The important thing is getting the forms into your hands. When harmonizing a tune, I can avoid frets beyond the reach of my guitar by transposing the tune so it fits better a few frets lower. Generally with an acoustic guitar, I tend to treat it as a 12 fret with somewhat better reach. If you get too high up the fretboard, it tends to sound "plinky" anyway. The fulness of the guitar seems to be largely at or below the 12th fret. Of course, when playing single note leads, the story is different, but for chord melody, that is how I try to do it.

    Tony

  12. #61

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    Thanks for the advice, folks. I'll make sure I learn the forms, but I won't sweat it if I can't play them very well high up for now.

  13. #62

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    Chiming in with an update on my progress with "Chord Melody Assembly Line." My main work last month and this one is Conti's "Precision Technique." (I highly recommend that material!) With "Assembly Line" I want to go slow and to that end, I usually don't open the book; rather, I play the C, F, G7, D-, and A- sequences of chords over and over, getting a little smoother and faster as things go on. I expect to continue this way for the rest of this month (-today is 20 April) and then get back into the book next month. My thought is "I can't know these sequences too well. None of this effort is wasted. Things will speed up later. And the more deeply engrained these basic sequences are, the readier I will be for things to speed up!"

  14. #63

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    Mark:I would suggest that you also apply each chord section (i.e. the Cmaj, F maj, G dom, etc.) to the tune Conti uses as the "working" example throughout thse chord sections. That gives you a sense for applying the forms to a melody. It isn't a matter of memorizing that tune, but rather, just getting a feel for the process. Then, at the end of the book, you go through another tune in its entirety. It is a good approach to take your time and really get these forms well in hand.

    Tony

  15. #64

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    Here's a chord melody video I just did from Conti's Signature Chord melody series. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Slightly modified as he encourages us to do.


    I recommend learning how to play a variety of his chord melody arrangements before or while you are studying The Formula!. This is because we can tend to get stuck in the weeds with the ideas but never actually use them to play a full song. Also a lot of the chord moves become second nature and reusable in many arrangements. It's the practical application of The Formula!. As as Conti says, it's about being able to actually play.

    Here's an earlier video where I applied some of the concepts from The Formula! to Happy Birthday melody. I actually reused some of the ideas from the chord melody arrangements more so than from the theory, as these ideas become embedded in your subconscious if you start to learn some of the arrangements.

    Last edited by wkriski; 05-02-2013 at 09:46 AM. Reason: formatting

  16. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by tbeltrans
    Mark:I would suggest that you also apply each chord section (i.e. the Cmaj, F maj, G dom, etc.) to the tune Conti uses as the "working" example throughout thse chord sections. That gives you a sense for applying the forms to a melody. It isn't a matter of memorizing that tune, but rather, just getting a feel for the process.
    Thanks, Tony. Sound advice and I'm a-gonna take it.

  17. #66

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    that works!..nice arrangement...simply inserting some cycle 4 movements gives you a logical base movement..that alone helps with the base line question we all have in cord melody arrangements....

  18. #67

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    Quote Originally Posted by wkriski
    Here's a chord melody video I just did from Conti's Signature Chord melody series. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Slightly modified as he encourages us to do.


    I recommend learning how to play a variety of his chord melody arrangements before or while you are studying The Formula!. This is because we can tend to get stuck in the weeds with the ideas but never actually use them to play a full song. Also a lot of the chord moves become second nature and reusable in many arrangements. It's the practical application of The Formula!. As as Conti says, it's about being able to actually play.

    Here's an earlier video where I applied some of the concepts from The Formula! to Happy Birthday melody. I actually reused some of the ideas from the chord melody arrangements more so than from the theory, as these ideas become embedded in your subconscious if you start to learn some of the arrangements.

    Nice playing on these videos! I completely agree with what you said about learning several of Conti's chord melody arrangements. I have been doing that. In fact, your video got me interested in Conti's "Over the Rainbow", so that is next on my list. By playing his arrangements, we get Conti's phrasing sense. I am really amazed at his sense of "flow" and musicality. There is a lot we can learn from Conti's arrangements. By memorizing some of these arrangements, we can really get some of his phrasing well in hand, so when we get to The Formula, we already have a sense of what it is we are trying to get to. Anyway, nice work, Will!

    Tony

  19. #68

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    Thanks, Tony. Sound advice and I'm a-gonna take it.
    When you are finished with "Assembly Line", just continue voicing chord melody arrangements from fakebooks. Shoot for a couple a day, if possible. It takes to time to get comfortable with doing this in a bunch of different keys and in a bnch of different melodic situations. Then, as Will was talking about, learn a bunch of Conti's chrd meldy arrangements, and then you will be ready for "The Formula". This is a long, but fun process.

    Tony

  20. #69

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    Quote Originally Posted by tbeltrans
    When you are finished with "Assembly Line", just continue voicing chord melody arrangements from fakebooks. Shoot for a couple a day, if possible. It takes to time to get comfortable with doing this in a bunch of different keys and in a bnch of different melodic situations. Then, as Will was talking about, learn a bunch of Conti's chrd meldy arrangements, and then you will be ready for "The Formula". This is a long, but fun process.

    Tony
    I was thinking of getting one of Conti's volumes of CM arrangements (-my eye is on Volume 5. which includes "Body and Soul," "I Got Rhythm" and "Summertime"). That could happen later this month. Because I took about a month with the C, F, G7, Dm and Am forms, I'm moving right along through the subsequent exercises.

  21. #70

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    I was thinking of getting one of Conti's volumes of CM arrangements (-my eye is on Volume 5. which includes "Body and Soul," "I Got Rhythm" and "Summertime"). That could happen later this month. Because I took about a month with the C, F, G7, Dm and Am forms, I'm moving right along through the subsequent exercises.
    Mark:

    I would strongly suggest that, if you can afford it, you also get "The Formula" at the same time. The reason is that if you take even just the first lesson of "The Formula", you will begin to see the same patterns of chords again and again in "musical phrases" in Conti's chord melody arrangements. Then, when you are ready to really dig into "The Formula", it will be there, ready to go. To be clear, I am not suggesting that you need to study "The Formula" before or during learning some of Conti's chord melody arrangements, but instead that if you read the first part of it, you will have a much better sense of what to look for as you begin to see Conti's chordal phrasing. That will make learning the arrangements that much easier and faster, and will also help prepare you when it is time to really dig into "The Formula". Ultimately, you will be coming up with your own arrangements of tunes that are every bit as good as what Conti does in his arrangement books. It doesn't come overnight by any means, but he doesn't hide anything about what he does from you, so all the information you need is there. "The Formula" lays it all out very clearly. You will get a lot more out of learning the Conti arrangements just by reading the introductory part of the "The Formula" and going through just the first lesson - all that is really only a handful of pages.

    Tony

  22. #71

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    Quote Originally Posted by tbeltrans
    Mark:

    I would strongly suggest that, if you can afford it, you also get "The Formula" at the same time. The reason is that if you take even just the first lesson of "The Formula", you will begin to see the same patterns of chords again and again in "musical phrases" in Conti's chord melody arrangements. Then, when you are ready to really dig into "The Formula", it will be there, ready to go. To be clear, I am not suggesting that you need to study "The Formula" before or during learning some of Conti's chord melody arrangements, but instead that if you read the first part of it, you will have a much better sense of what to look for as you begin to see Conti's chordal phrasing. That will make learning the arrangements that much easier and faster, and will also help prepare you when it is time to really dig into "The Formula". Ultimately, you will be coming up with your own arrangements of tunes that are every bit as good as what Conti does in his arrangement books. It doesn't come overnight by any means, but he doesn't hide anything about what he does from you, so all the information you need is there. "The Formula" lays it all out very clearly. You will get a lot more out of learning the Conti arrangements just by reading the introductory part of the "The Formula" and going through just the first lesson - all that is really only a handful of pages.

    Tony
    Thanks, Tony. I had no idea! Sounds like a plan. I'll do it that way, then.

  23. #72

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    Thanks, Tony. I had no idea! Sounds like a plan. I'll do it that way, then.
    You will really enjoy working with these materials if you enjoy working with harmony under the melody. If you listen to a really good cocktail style piano player - one who can play subtley and still make it interesting, you will get a real sense for what we can do with this stuff. There is a guy, Jim Haskins, who has a site: Cocktail Piano -- The Music You've Been Waiting For that has a whole collection of CDs of this subtle style, covering standards, show tunes, even a CD of tunes from the 70s. It is really interesting to read what he considers true cocktail style piano and why. Conti pretty much says the same sorts of things on his chord melody DVDs. One thing it seems you don't really hear guitar players do is play "real" tunes all the way through so that most people actually know what is being played. This is a wonderful way to do it. Conti talks on his chord melody DVDs about "really leaning on the melody" and "doing the improv with the underlying harmony" when playing for a non-jazz audience. That is really, in a sense, what a good cocktail piano player will do.

    Tony

  24. #73

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    I've heard cocktail piano and enjoy it, though it was not something I ever sat as a goal for myself (-as in, "Gee, I want to do that on guitar!")
    My mom plays piano and has a great ear. She knows no theory but can play any tune that catches her ear and fill it out with chords. As a kid, I couldn't do this at all. In fact, the main reason I started writing songs is that I had trouble learning 'em off records! (I'm glad I did that but I'm also glad my ear has improved since then.)
    Now, I want to be able to make a nice intro, play the melody with chords, maybe sing a chorus, take a solo, and then do the melody again but with some flourishes and tack on a great ending.

    I worked through the tune at the end of "Assembly Line." (I don't want to name it and spoil the surprise for someone working through that book.) Then I checked Conti's version and it was 90-95% the same. I take that as a good mark on my final exam. I don't consider myself done with the book---I need more work with the diminished and augmented shapes--but I learned a lot and can put it to use and consider this a watershed in my development. Next, "The Formula" and some of Conti's arrangements.

    O, I printed copies of six standards (w/lyrics) to keep on my music stand and work on: "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Blue Room," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Autumn Leaves," "All of Me" and "Body and Soul." This should keep me off the streets for awhile....

  25. #74

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    I've heard cocktail piano and enjoy it, though it was not something I ever sat as a goal for myself (-as in, "Gee, I want to do that on guitar!")
    My mom plays piano and has a great ear. She knows no theory but can play any tune that catches her ear and fill it out with chords. As a kid, I couldn't do this at all. In fact, the main reason I started writing songs is that I had trouble learning 'em off records! (I'm glad I did that but I'm also glad my ear has improved since then.)
    Now, I want to be able to make a nice intro, play the melody with chords, maybe sing a chorus, take a solo, and then do the melody again but with some flourishes and tack on a great ending.

    I worked through the tune at the end of "Assembly Line." (I don't want to name it and spoil the surprise for someone working through that book.) Then I checked Conti's version and it was 90-95% the same. I take that as a good mark on my final exam. I don't consider myself done with the book---I need more work with the diminished and augmented shapes--but I learned a lot and can put it to use and consider this a watershed in my development. Next, "The Formula" and some of Conti's arrangements.

    O, I printed copies of six standards (w/lyrics) to keep on my music stand and work on: "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Blue Room," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Autumn Leaves," "All of Me" and "Body and Soul." This should keep me off the streets for awhile....
    Yes, cocktail style isn't for everybody, but what Conti teaches can be taken in many different directons as yours and my posts clearly indicate. I would say you have a really good handle on the material if your arrangement was that close. 5% or so is really personal interpretation anyway. There are some things toward the end of Assembly Line that I go back and review such as the 7th subs and stuff like that. What I like to do with any tune I am working on is to play it "straight" like in Assembly Line to get a sense of itbefore I start applying an of the ideas from "The Formula". Definitely get used to voicing lots of tunes as is done in Assembly Line because that is always a good starting point even quite some time down the road. It is a good skill to master.

    By the way, check out the Conti guitar site (Conti Jazz Guitar Patrons) because he has a review I wrote up on my new Conti guitar and a video I did of me playing one of his arrangements on it. I got the sunburst model with two pickups to match my Gibson Johnny Smith. These are very nice instruments. I got it so I don't have to take my Johnny Smith with me when I play out. The fretboard on the Conti has 24 fret access, so the Assembly Line chords can be played all the way up the neck as in the book! I am spoiled. It also has a short scale like the Johnny Smith, so it is really comfortable. The string spacing is great for fingering those chord melody chords and it is really easy to play them clean. Sounds great through my Henriksen too. This is definitely NOT some cheap guitar, but a quality instrument despite its low price.

    Tony

  26. #75

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    Hey, Tony, great playing! That Conti guitar sounds super. "When I Fall In Love" is such a great tune.

    Question: does the spot for the guitar cable ever rub against your leg when you play? (I noticed Jimmy Bruno's guitar seems to have the cable coming out of the strap pin---that seems like a great place for a cable to me!)

    You really walk the walk. It's a pleasure to hear you play.

    Just placed an order for "The Formula" and Vol. 5 of Conti's chord melody arrangements. Man, am I psyched!

    Thanks for all your sound advice.