The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kojo27
    But all a "stretch" means is that you'll now and then need to reach for a note that is one fret outside the "four-fingers/four frets" concept of "position." It seems to me this way of getting to the notes you need, without oftentimes CRAZY shifting back and forth of the whole hand, is very efficient when sight reading.
    Both ways of moving should be in your bag of tricks. Shearer calls them "extensions" and "squeeze shifts."

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kojo27
    When students go to Berklee School of Music, they HAVE to learn to read - or they're out. And I think the main way they learn, and the main way I learned, is by working with Bill Leavitt's A Modern Method for Guitar, Volume 1. This stuff is dry and boring maybe, but you must remember: it's teaching you to read music for guitar. Leavitt wrote this music as a means of teaching students to read in the first five positions, in one semester. Put in the work and the results are guaranteed.

    Greensleeves is a beautiful song, but it wasn't written for teaching people to read guitar music! The exercises in Leavitt's books WERE. Each builds on the previous one, and the first one is ridiculously easy. Half notes, I think.

    Volume 1 now comes (optionally) with a DVD - 14 hours of a Berklee instructor, playing the duets with you, so you always have someone to urge you on. A great investment, and you WILL learn to read. The DVD version is about $23 at Amazon. Here's the link, hope this helps you finally nail it! Amazon.com: A Modern Method for Guitar - Volume 1: Book/DVD-ROM Pack (Method (Berklee Press)) (9780876390696): William Leavitt, Larry Baione: Books


    KJ

    I agree. Leavitt's MM4G is not only is good for teaching reading but also for progressively developing left hand dexterity in ways that I haven't found in other methods I've seen. I don't find it dry and boring. On the contrary because each lesson adds some new challenging move, I stay interested and motivated. You've got to stay with it daily and if you do you will improve with mastering each lesson. Improvement is steady and measureable. The books are great for developing the skills to play jazz chord melody. Playing along with the instructor on the dvd is helpful.

  4. #53
    Quote Originally Posted by Stu Foley
    In which order would you recommend studying the Leavitt books ie. 'modern method', 'melodic rhythms' and 'reading studies'? and secondly, I've been drilling the Jimmy Bruno five finger patterns, in which case should these override any fingerings suggested in the aforementioned publications?
    I've got the first Leavitt book now and it goes good with the Mel Bay 1. Love the chord-reading in both.

    So I'm working through those two and Hal Leonard 2, just to take the pressure off sometime, though at least it has me in the 2nd position now. The reading is getting better - I do practice every day and as a drummer I already understand the time part since I have been woodshedding with John Riley's Art of Bop Drumming.

    So now I need two more books?

  5. #54

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flatwound12
    Boy, thats helped me a bunch too. When you get bored maybe start transcribing songs you already know Carol.
    That's probably the best way to get good at sight reading (second only to actually sight reading lol).

  6. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flatwound12
    Boy, thats helped me a bunch too. When you get bored maybe start transcribing songs you already know Carol.
    Absolutely. Start with "Happy Birthday" and keep going...

  7. #56

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    I've been working on Berklee 1 for a few weeks now, playing the duets with a looper. I read really well -- years of piano. It's the playing bit where I stumble Anyway, just wanted to thank this thread for pointing me toward the Berklee books.