Audiences not into chords?

[AGreatApe]

Today I caught part of a YT livestream of fine professional Italian jazz guitarist Frankie Lanaro, playing live to backing tracks. He was explaining to someone in the chat along these lines, and I had to guess about the question. My paraphrase, "No, sorry, I no longer include that many chords in my lead playing. I spent some years learning chordal lead playing such as in Wes Montgomery style, but I sensed it gets poor reactions from audiences."

Can any of you performers confirm that, or believe similarly? Was disappointing to learn.

[AllanAllen]

I have not had that experience. But I’m also not a live streamer. I think he’s in an entirely different world than I am.

[bako]

If this was broadly true then it might follow that there wouldn’t be any popular piano players who harmonize melodies far more frequently than guitarists do.I am not here to dispute the observations and personal decisions of said YouTube guitarist but suggesting that you not be deterred from following up on any musical elements that capture your imagination.

[GuyBoden]

I've found that the guitar is very useful for comping. It's harmonically polyphonic, rhythmic and percussive. Simultaneously.

[Christian Miller]

Today I caught part of a YT livestream of fine professional Italian jazz guitarist Frankie Lanaro, playing live to backing tracks. He was explaining to someone in the chat along these lines, and I had to guess about the question. My paraphrase, "No, sorry, I no longer include that many chords in my lead playing. I spent some years learning chordal lead playing such as in Wes Montgomery style, but I sensed it gets poor reactions from audiences."

Can any of you performers confirm that, or believe similarly? Was disappointing to learn.

I dunno I kind of feel the exact opposite

The Wes thing to me is more about building rhythmic and textural intensity than anything else. He tends to play chordal riffs.


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[Hep To The Jive]

That's an interesting question indeed! I often include chordal solos in my solos, especially if playing trio with no accompaniment. Sometimes I do feel that it's anti climax on stage, but when I listen back (when it was recorded) I feel like it's the best part of the solo! It adds the rhythmic drive, where single note soloing might feel too noodly if done for many choruses. But I wish I knew what the audience thinking about that haha.

Need to say that my chordal style soloing more influenced by someone like Brian Setzer than Wes, so it's pretty basic, not very sophisticated harmonically. Mix of dim 7, min7, dom9 and 6/9 chords on top 4 strings. Wes is too hard to figure out.

Also what Wes did so great to build up intensity is sticking to the soloing formula: single notes->Octaves->chords. He never broke that sequence. I could never do that, I often come back to single notes in the end, it's like my mind is wondering. OTOH I saw Sco going to play octaves and getting back to single notes also.

I love Jonathan Stout style, he plays tons of chord solos in enesemble settings, if it's done right maybe audience love it.

[Jonah]

Today I caught part of a YT livestream of fine professional Italian jazz guitarist Frankie Lanaro, playing live to backing tracks. He was explaining to someone in the chat along these lines, and I had to guess about the question. My paraphrase, "No, sorry, I no longer include that many chords in my lead playing. I spent some years learning chordal lead playing such as in Wes Montgomery style, but I sensed it gets poor reactions from audiences."

Can any of you performers confirm that, or believe similarly? Was disappointing to learn.

For me it is hard to understand what he meant... chordal lead playing is just a texture tool, what finds response in the audience is music.

Audience is different, I can imagine some audience maybe cannot appreciate chordal solos as they are often more angular and riff-y. But should we really consider these small details...

Besides, smooth and well-played chordal solos show virtuosity and add drive... so if we speak about 'circus effects' for the audience it should be absolutely the opposite. It should attract attention.

But I do not know what he means.. less likes under chordal solos on YT? Or people begin to yawn and leave during live performances? And what kind of audience is it?

[Christian Miller]

I really found when playing for dancers one thing that always seemed to get a good response was playing as rhythmically as possible in the solos with chords. Not fancy chords - simple ones often. But just clear rhythms.

[Hep To The Jive]

I really found when playing for dancers one thing that always seemed to get a good response was playing as rhythmically as possible in the solos with chords. Not fancy chords - simple ones often. But just clear rhythms.

no kidding, playing for dancers is a different game though. I think what's being discussed is just a regular sitting audience. Is it less entertaining for them to listen to chordal solos? I tend to think no. In any case, I'll do it anyway. But how many straight ahead jazz guitarists these days do it? I can't think of many if at all. It's kinda a passe I guess. Which makes me wanna do it more. So maybe regular audience not expecting anything like that from a soloist and gets confused, hard to know. Somewhere along the way guitarists started ignoring the guitar main strength, which is playing rhythm basically.

[Hep To The Jive]

1936 perspective

[Christian Miller]

no kidding, playing for dancers is a different game though. I think what's being discussed is just a regular sitting audience. Is it less entertaining for them to listen to chordal solos? I tend to think no. In any case, I'll do it anyway. But how many straight ahead jazz guitarists these days do it? I can't think of many if at all. It's kinda a passe I guess. Which makes me wanna do it more. So maybe regular audience not expecting anything like that from a soloist and gets confused, hard to know. Somewhere along the way guitarists started ignoring the guitar main strength, which is playing rhythm basically.

My basic concept is that good solos are better than bad solos, and people like the good ones more.

[Christian Miller]

I'm not sure if that's 100% the case tho tbh.

[Hep To The Jive]

My basic concept is that good solos are better than bad solos, and people like the good ones more.

Right, it's eye-opening concept.

[AGreatApe]

I have not had that experience. But I’m also not a live streamer. I think he’s in an entirely different world than I am.

I assume he was referring to his in-person audiences at gigs. Seems that would be hard thing to measure "what part of my solo you dislike the most?" Or maybe he has online metrics too, who knows. He did use audience poll feature in the livestream.

[AllanAllen]

I assume he was referring to his in-person audiences at gigs. Seems that would be hard thing to measure "what part of my solo you dislike the most?" Or maybe he has online metrics too, who knows. He did use audience poll feature in the livestream.

You know, he's a member here. Maybe you can get him to join this thread and clear it up. He's a really cool guy.

[AGreatApe]

I dunno I kind of feel the exact opposite

The Wes thing to me is more about building rhythmic and textural intensity than anything else. He tends to play chordal riffs.

And Wes' late stage formula/style (they say) was the result of dumbing down for a mass(er) audience. I take Frankie Lanaro's comment to indicate "well, things are WAY dumber today." And that tracks, unfortunately. OTOH, rhythm is king with almost everyone, still.

[AGreatApe]

You know, he's a member here. Maybe you can get him to join this thread and clear it up. He's a really cool guy.

Yes, and fun personality that livestreams do facilitate exposing.

[AGreatApe]

You know, he's a member here. Maybe you can get him to join this thread and clear it up. He's a really cool guy.

Yikes, so now I'm fearing he comes here and says, "Dude, you heard me ALL WRONG."
But if anyone knows him well enough to judge, "probably not a chore to read all this and answer," then please do invite?

[pamosmusic]

I dunno I kind of feel the exact opposite

The Wes thing to me is more about building rhythmic and textural intensity than anything else. He tends to play chordal riffs.


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Me too.

80% of the "yeah man's" I get from the audience are when I do chord stabs or chord riffing stuff in a solo.

[AGreatApe]

Prediction: Mr. Lanaro was probably talking about a full length chord melody solo, not short chordal parts within a solo.

[AGreatApe]

Prediction: Mr. Lanaro was probably talking about a full length chord melody solo, not short chordal parts within a solo.

....Considering Wes did both chord melody and rhythm stabs, its easy to conflate without my hearing the original question in the livestream. Thanks all.

[Jonah]

My basic concept is that good solos are better than bad solos, and people like the good ones more.

I think good people like good solos, and bad people like bad solos

[AGreatApe]

I think good people like good solos, and bad people like bad solos

[Aiq]

1936 perspective

Down by law, man.

[Hep To The Jive]

I think good people like good solos, and bad people like bad solos

that makes sense, I always knew people who didn't like my solos are assholes, now I know why!