Jonathan Stout chord melody playing and guitars !

**pcpicker47** · 02-15-2018, 04:04 PM

This is probably old hat for most of you, but I just ran across this on youtube in the last few days. I really like his chord melody style of playing, which he credits to Allan Ruess. He seems to have quite a nice collection of guitars as well ! Lots of youtubes...maybe he is a member here, I dunno ! Check him out if you havent already:

**Rob MacKillop** · 02-15-2018, 04:49 PM

Jonathan is a well-known and appreciated member here. He's doing some amazing work, and is happy to share his knowledge. We need more Jonathan Stouts in this world!

**MarkRhodes** · 02-15-2018, 06:39 PM

Here's a link to Jonathan's blog. Well worth reading.

Swing Guitar Blog — Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five featuring Hilary Alexander

**Steven Herron** · 02-15-2018, 07:06 PM

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for posting that Allan Reuss inspired chord melody solo - very nice!

Although I've heard some recordings of Allan before, I'm more familiar with Carl Kress, Dick McDonough, and George Barnes who also played in that "dixieland" style - at least that's what I call it for lack of a better word.

I'm glad you are keeping that style alive for everyone to hear.

**pcpicker47** · 02-15-2018, 07:57 PM

Mark thanks for posting that link to his blog...very very interesting ! Wow...I continue to be blown away with his playing...cant get enough !

**sgosnell** · 02-15-2018, 10:18 PM

You can see a few more videos with Jonathon playing here: Olde Town Pickin' Parlor
- YouTube

**MarkRhodes** · 02-15-2018, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by pcpicker47

Mark thanks for posting that link to his blog...very very interesting ! Wow...I continue to be blown away with his playing...cant get enough !

I know the feeling! I think this was the first video of Jonathan's that I saw. Still look at from time to time. Love the feel of this.

**dmorash** · 02-16-2018, 09:52 AM

Seems like a great style to have some good familiarity and fluency in. I could see using this playing solo guitar, duo, trio or anything larger.

**MarkRhodes** · 02-16-2018, 11:11 AM

Here's a lesson Jonathan did on Allen Reuss' chord melody style.

Jonathan is devoted to this style of music, which makes his blog essential reading. He knows his stuff and tells it straight.

**PaulW10** · 02-16-2018, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

You can see a few more videos with Jonathon playing here: Olde Town Pickin' Parlor
- YouTube

Wow these are very entertaining videos! Thanks for posting. I bought a guitar there many years ago when visiting some family in Denver.

**clebergf** · 03-08-2018, 07:37 AM

Jonathan Stout is my main inspiration to play swing music around here in Brazil. I learn a lot from his videos and songs and I really hope to see he playing live some day.

**campusfive** · 03-18-2018, 03:08 PM

Boy what a nice thread to run across - thanks everybody!

So, with Swing-era Chord Melody stuff, I tend to compose/orchestrate the heads which helps me find new voicings and approaches to chords, and then I like to compose a solo chorus so I can plan an approach to soloing over the chords. Once I've got both the melody and a solo chorus pretty well memorized and under my fingers, it makes attempting an ad lib solo a lot easier, because I've got some tricks up my sleeve. I think it's a good way of not only becoming a better chord melody player, but learning the melody of tune, and seeing it's relationship to the chord underneath is huge lesson to being a better musician.

That said, I tend write one of these arrangements, practice it a ton, do a video of it, practice it bunch more, but then it either becomes something I play a lot, or it sort of falls out of rotation and I start to forget/loose muscle memory, and then I have to relearn it if I want to play it. But my goal has been to be able to play a couple sets of solo chord melody guitar, and that's a lot to keep well practiced on.

But a bigger problem of practicing alone is that it's too easy to stop when I make a mistake, and there's nothing like the accountability of having a live audience. So, I've been starting to do Facebook live videos every so often where I go out on my front porch, set up my iphone and play for 15-20 minutes. This has usually correlated to when my 18 month is napping during the day, or while my wife is putting him down for bed in the evening. Anyway, the last one I did stretched out to about 45 minutes, and while I still made some mistakes, I think there was a lot of stuff worth keeping, so I extracted the video from Facebook and put it up on Youtube.

There's a bunch of noodling between tunes, and some single note stuff mixed in here and there, but I hope you all will dig it.

**clebergf** · 03-20-2018, 08:48 AM

I already have all your chord melodies videos in mp3 to listen and study and now I can have an entire set. Thanks.

I would love to have a book from you. I know it's a lot of work to do, but it would be a great thing for the swing guitar lovers.

**djelley** · 04-17-2018, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by clebergf

I already have all your chord melodies videos in mp3 to listen and study and now I can have an entire set. Thanks.

I would love to have a book from you. I know it's a lot of work to do, but it would be a great thing for the swing guitar lovers.

I’ll buy my copy right now.

**pcpicker47** · 04-28-2018, 03:25 PM

Jonathan is such an inspiration to me...I have been working daily on his tunes that he has posted to youtube...lots of great things to learn from watching his playing...I feel like I have learned a great deal since I discovered his playing.

**artdecade** · 05-04-2018, 09:50 AM

Jonathan is one of the best out there. Hoping he gets around to releasing his transcriptions some day!

**campusfive** · 10-02-2018, 01:06 PM

So, good news for anyone interested in this thread: I'm going to be recording an album of swing-style solo chord melody guitar in two weeks. I've only got one session scheduled, though I may do another if I don't get what I need on the first pass. But, considering mixing is going to get a lot faster for a one instrument session than my usual band CDs, I'm hoping to have it out in time for Christmas.

Anyway, here's another installment of my porch practice sessions that have been leading up this:

**clebergf** · 10-02-2018, 01:08 PM

This is amazing Jonathan. Have fun recording and I'm looking forward to hear it.

**mr. beaumont** · 10-02-2018, 01:09 PM

Man, that sounds great!

**acornet** · 10-02-2018, 01:43 PM

Should you plan releasing also a tabs book with your album ... count me in

**pcpicker47** · 10-02-2018, 03:26 PM

Jonathan, that is great news ! I will buy a cd for sure...I really enjoy your playing as well as any I have heard.
Thanks !

**joe2758** · 10-02-2018, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by campusfive

So, good news for anyone interested in this thread: I'm going to be recording an album of swing-style solo chord melody guitar in two weeks. I've only got one session scheduled, though I may do another if I don't get what I need on the first pass. But, considering mixing is going to get a lot faster for a one instrument session than my usual band CDs, I'm hoping to have it out in time for Christmas.

Anyway, here's another installment of my porch practice sessions that have been leading up this:

is that an ebbets field flannel hat?! i love those guys!

**sgosnell** · 10-02-2018, 03:37 PM

I hate those guys. I'm a third-generation StL fan (my grandson is fifth-gen) and the NY teams were killing them when I was young, back in the '50s. I've never been able to get over my dislike of the Dodgers and Giants. May they dwell in the cellar forever!

**campusfive** · 10-02-2018, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I hate those guys. I'm a third-generation StL fan (my grandson is fifth-gen) and the NY teams were killing them when I was young, back in the '50s. I've never been able to get over my dislike of the Dodgers and Giants. May they dwell in the cellar forever!

So, that's not a Brooklyn Dodgers hats. It's a reproduction of a pre-Castro Cuban team, "Los Barbudos". It's made by Ebbetts Field Flannels, a company that specializes in really nice flannel hats and jerseys, but specifically for extinct teams. I enjoy a good baseball game from time to time, but I really dread the rivalry thing. I have enough negativity coursing through my head all time without that drama.