The "Must know chord grips" for jazz guitar players (that are NOT drop 2/3)

[Christian Miller]

Chord choice for solo, duo, trio, organ trio, big band, dixieland, bebop, latin jazz, modal, modern, free form, chord solo, comping for a singer, a pianist, pick something that sounds good with who & what you're playing.

Yeah just plain major/minor for trad (I like to walk 10th and 6th in that style), 6th chords for Manouche swing. Shells and so on for bop… Save your rootless voicings for the modern jazz club gigs…..

knowing what to play what is a matter of experience and listening. It’s part of becoming a seasoned musican. In the same way I know trumpeters who can go from playing West End Blues and gutbucket plunger mute stuff to uptempo bebop, post bop through to commercial pop section work. They know how to play the gig….


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[Reg]

Yea... eventually you need to play and hear Chord Patterns.

Personally triads suck... they are an effect.

And playing basic chord tones is more of a learning process, generally you might as well not even play. Again the 3rd and 7th style of comping is more of an effect, a lick ... it is not really comping.

Comping needs to understand where you are going with respect to the tune or where you are starting. And then create harmonic relationships with what is going on... the melody or improv. (the audience and context)
And you need to be aware of the big picture, the form, how are you working within that Form. Again where are you going and how are you choosing to get their... with adjustments for the moment.

For most setting... the lead line, which should be melody or stylistic lick like... is most important, then the lower line and then the middle notes.

You need all the basic Rt 6,5,4 and 3rd string standard voicings of all Chords. Which develops and becomes being able to play anywhere on the 12 fret repeating layout of the guitar.

Most of the time you may finger larger voicings... but play and imply only what's need to imply the style and FEEL of what’s going on in the moment which reflects... the Form, the bigger picture...

Easy approach is to use Targets. Tonal targets, functional Targets, melodic targets, rhythmic targets and generally these are musically organized. What you are playing...the grips etc... should be played for a musical reason. The Tune, the style, the feel, instrumentation... the audience if you are performing.

With the use of targets, you can create relationships.... melodic, harmonic, rhythmic whatever works in the moment and develop them withing the organization of the Form. Which naturally creates music that feels right, balanced, and implies a feeling of repeat.

Obviously not all the time ... but you at least will have control of your madness.

There are differences between using voicings or grips as comping or as effects.

[GuyBoden]

For comping, I'm still playing three note, Root-Seventh-Third(10th) chords, as Trefor Owen taught them over 25 years ago.

They work.

[Christian Miller]

For comping, I'm still playing three note, Root-Seventh-Third(10th) chords, as Trefor Owen taught them over 25 years ago.

They work.

Yep. Dave Cliff taught me those. Still usually a good option (provided you want chords with sevenths or sixths in)


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[ragman1]

For comping, I'm still playing three note, Root-Seventh-Third(10th) chords, as Trefor Owen taught them over 25 years ago.

They work.

They're just ordinary shell voicings - i.e. C7 is x323xx or 8x89xx. R,3,7 and R,7,3 (10). Is that what you meant? Or do Dave Cliff and Trefor Owen teach some special kind of voicing?

[Reg]

For comping, I'm still playing three note, Root-Seventh-Third(10th) chords, as Trefor Owen taught them over 25 years ago.

They work.

Maybe it's time to start comping... it's never too late. I'm just having fun... but really, that style of playing chords is really dated... and personally a good bass player implies more harmony and creates a better feel and style.

Just a thought... has your improv improved in 25 years. Have you learned more tunes and ways of playing tunes.

[ragman1]

Guy -

My post wasn't meant to be sarcastic. It occurred to me later it could be taken that way. Even Christian said he found out about shells from a fairly well-known guitarist and likewise with yourself and the other guitarist. Whereas, seeing as they appear in almost every book I ever bought, I assumed they were pretty standard fare for learning players.

So I was wondering if those two guitarists were teaching something beyond what I was thinking of as run of the mill stuff. Maybe at that time they weren't commonplace, I don't know.

[GuyBoden]

Guy -

My post wasn't meant to be sarcastic. It occurred to me later it could be taken that way. Even Christian said he found out about shells from a fairly well-known guitarist and likewise with yourself and the other guitarist. Whereas, seeing as they appear in almost every book I ever bought, I assumed they were pretty standard fare for learning players.

So I was wondering if those two guitarists were teaching something beyond what I was thinking of as run of the mill stuff. Maybe at that time they weren't commonplace, I don't know.

Personally, I wasn't aware of commonplace three note 1st-7th-3rd(10th) comping chords in the UK, until Trefor Owen taught them in a Jazz workshop in the 1990's.

I obviously didn't know about the books you'd bought.

I'm talking about these three note chords shown below:

[pamosmusic]

Personally, I wasn't aware of commonplace three note 1st-7th-3rd(10th) comping chords in the UK, until Trefor Owen taught them in a Jazz workshop in the 1990's.

I obviously didn't know about the books you'd bought.

I'm talking about these three note chords shown below:

Yeah when folks refer to “shells” or “Freddie green chords” this is what they’re talking about. Or root third seventh w the root on the A string.

[orri]

Yep. Dave Cliff taught me those.

You studied with Dave Cliff?
I stumbled upon an album he did. I absolutely adore his playing.

Also found and interview with him where he talked about that he would trade fours with himself, singing 4 and comp, play guitar 4.
I've been doing that every now and then since and really like it.

[Christian Miller]

You studied with Dave Cliff?
I stumbled upon an album he did. I absolutely adore his playing.

Also found and interview with him where he talked about that he would trade fours with himself, singing 4 and comp, play guitar 4.
I've been doing that every now and then since and really like it.

I’ve had two lessons with him, one right at the start of my interest in jazz. He’s one of the greats IMO. Lives not far from me but not performing these days.

He comes very much out of the Tristano school teaching wise.

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[TheGrandWazoo]

Has anyone brought up Slash Chords yet?

When I see the written chord, GMaj7, I think B minor triad with a G in the bass (Bm/G) and I active play/see them as two separate things, a root with a triad on top (Most of the time this ends up being the common chord fingerings, but I am "thinking" about them as two separate things). Its not dogma but it helps me identify the upper triad of the chord, and with the root out of the way, I feel like I have more room to flex irt harmony and movement between chords.

[Reg]

So as a kid... like 50 60 years ago... I guess more than 60 LOL... anyway I took Guitar lessons from a B-3 player... (piano etc..but organ)...

He had me learn how to play any note on top of any chord moving up the neck. With the lead note on top two strings. Learned about avoid notes or difficult note to voice etc... (the C on Gmaj) and intervals and voicing possibilities. Which led me to develop any chord anywhere with any note on top. Also about diatonic subs. Didn't know the label.... but could hear them.

Basic ex. Play Gmaj7 in 2nd and move up the fretboard with different lead notes and voicings. You'll obviously learn Diatonic subs and their possible voicings. and how to use diatonic motion etc..

Anyway do this with the basic chords first... then expand etc.

This will also teach you about Slash chords which are just voicings of the implied Harmonic target or reference... in the direction of grand w.... above.

... eventually you will develop voicings you like and then be able to add the next level... adding lead lines on top of the voicings you like that imply the Chord Reference. Lead lines are like Melodic Licks that You now can voice with... basic chord patterns.

The next level of playing changes or comping gets a little more complicated. You go through the same process but with more than one chord.

Long story about... instead of "Must Know chord Grips". Learn "Must Know Chord Patterns" and different ways of playing them.