Originally Posted by
Tal_175
Quoting from Julian Lage's article above:
"As jazz guitarists, there are certain prerequisites we have to master in order to begin developing our personal relationship to the music. We need to understand the physical mechanics of how to play the guitar, gain an intimate knowledge of the fretboard, and acquire a firm understanding of scales, harmony, rhythm, and improvisation. "
It's easy to overlook this statement. When it comes to jazz, "Gaining an intimate knowledge of the fretboard" I think amounts to instantly knowing what a given note on the fretboard is in relation to the chord in the moment. George Benson likened that to fretboard being lit up with each chord. Joe Pass said something similar also I believe.
I've made big strides towards this goal in the last couple of years with consistent work. The closer I get to that goal, the easier everything becomes. I think you're also more likely to learn things the right way, without the (subconscious) shortcuts if you can reduce the mental overhead of seeing everything in the context of the chord in the moment.
Elias Prinz -- young talent from Munich
Yesterday, 10:24 PM in The Players