Your Best Must Have Jazz Guitar Books?

[Tal_175]

I like books but there is an opportunity cost of working through a book. It puts you in a passive mindset. It is useful to learn how jazz musicians generally organize the harmony of standards when you first start out but, I feel, the rest can be achieved by listening and exploring the instrument. I am guilty of having spent more time on the "structured" practice than necessary despite my most productive and fun times with the instrument always being when I do the latter.

[Hugo Gainly]

I like books but there is an opportunity cost of working through a book. It puts you in a passive mindset. It is useful to learn how jazz musicians generally organize the harmony of standards when you first start out but, I feel, the rest can be achieved by listening and exploring the instrument. I am guilty of having spent more time on the "structured" practice than necessary despite my most productive and fun times with the instrument always being when I do the latter.

Spot on.

Nonetheless, The Jazz Sound by Dan Haerle. If nothing else for the chord scale compendium at the back.

[pamosmusic]

I like books but there is an opportunity cost of working through a book. It puts you in a passive mindset. It is useful to learn how jazz musicians generally organize the harmony of standards when you first start out but, I feel, the rest can be achieved by listening and exploring the instrument. I am guilty of having spent more time on the "structured" practice than necessary despite my most productive and fun times with the instrument always being when I do the latter.

Though I do feel like if someone is the sort to have a book put them in a passive mindset, they might also have a little trouble with unstructured exploration.

[Tal_175]

Though I do feel like if someone is the sort to have a book put them in a passive mindset, they might also have a little trouble with unstructured exploration.

It's hard to speak for everyone. Some may lack the imagination to find ways to develop musically without the external guidance of a book, online course, or a teacher.

[pamosmusic]

It's hard to speak for everyone.

well … sure, but to be fair, I’d probably say the same about books putting people into a passive mindset.

[Tal_175]

well … sure, but to be fair, I’d probably say the same about books putting people into a passive mindset.

I think you are reading something into the word that is a bit less nuanced that I intended. There is a difference between following a structure that some else thought through vs being in a completely self exploratory zone. Sometimes in order to get the most out of somebodies teaching, you need to suspend your inclinations and trust the process that's laid out for the student. Hope that clears things up a bit.

[Kirk Garrett]

At some point, we have to a bit of the work too.

Oh, touché. But we are asking what our favorite book would be. Mine would attach each lesson of Micky Baker to examples used in songs.

[GBRow]

Nonetheless, The Jazz Sound by Dan Haerle. If nothing else for the chord scale compendium at the back.

Why do you find this book the best in more detail?

[AllanAllen]

I think you are reading something into the word that is a bit less nuanced that I intended. There is a difference between following a structure that some else thought through vs being in a completely self exploratory zone. Sometimes in order to get the most out of somebodies teaching, you need to suspend your inclinations and trust the process that's laid out for the student. Hope that clears things up a bit.

I safe the self exploratory stuff for the gig. I’ve only been at this 3 years, but to me that’s the whole point. Focused practice with Technical skills, and bebop heads at home. Self expression on stage.

That’s just how I do it, and just what’s been happening in the last 3 months.

[GBRow]

Some interesting recommendations here.

[AllanAllen]

Some interesting recommendations here.

I see Mickey Baker on the list.

[AllanAllen]

Oh, touché. But we are asking what our favorite book would be. Mine would attach each lesson of Micky Baker to examples used in songs.

You might check out Easy Jazz Guitar by Mike DiLiddo. It’s got written comping for the Maiden Voyage Aebersold tunes. I learned a lot from that too. Could be what you’re looking for.

[Kirk Garrett]

You might check out Easy Jazz Guitar by Mike DiLiddo. It’s got written comping for the Maiden Voyage Aebersold tunes. I learned a lot from that too. Could be what you’re looking for.

Thanks, we’ll check it out. I have a badly injured right arm that I’m recovering from, and I’m getting to the point I can strum again. So I’ve been starting up with Micky Baker, which I think is perfect for me. I got through about 17 lessons previously, but never knew how to apply them. Since my last go around, I’ve learned a lot more context that should help.

Still, my ideal book would be Micky Baker with immediate application to specific songs in the standards idiom.

[GBRow]

Dennis Chang has a book on Fretboard Visualization. I don't have the book but based on the description it seems like a book about what I was talking about, organizing the fretboard in a way that unifies harmony and melody. I always thought that the lack of a dedicated methodology on this was a big gap in the jazz guitar book ecosystem (or guitar pedagogy at large). Hopefully this book fills that gap. Note this won't teach you how to play jazz, it's a foundational skill. The good thing is you don't have to master this before learning your first tune, it's more a mindset.

Jazz Guitar Fretboard Visualisation: An Improviser's Guide to Connecting Your Ears to Your Instrument - Chang, Mr Denis; Lewis, Mr Luke: 9781739625290 - AbeBooks

That looks like a good book. Is it for beginner / newbie guitar students?

[Tal_175]

That looks like a good book. It it for beginner / newbie guitar students?

In an ideal world yes but given the lack of emphasis to "fretboard harmony" in how most guitar players learn their instruments, many of the "advanced" guitarists would also benefit from it, I think.

[GBRow]

In an ideal world yes but given the lack of emphasis to "fretboard harmony" in how most guitar players learn their instruments, many of the "advanced" guitarists would also benefit from it, I think.

That seems to be a good book to keep and refer to for whatever level one is. I know most notes on the fretboard now, but I do need to know how chords connect, and what riffs and chords combinations during turn arounds would make tunes more interesting. That is the most difficult challenge for me now.

Another problem is it feels impossible to memorise so many all the different chords in the books like Ted Greens' books. So knowing which simpler and easier chords could substitute large chords and the moveable chord forms and shell voicing chords could help newbie guitar students? Just wondering.

Then there are scorebooks for Joe Pass guitar songs with the real fast melodies which needs lot of practice on the fingerings if one wants to play tunes like that. In Joe Pass music, the first challenge seem to be the fast finger movements for playing all the notes in the melodies, which also requires fretboard visualisaton.

[Tal_175]

That seems to be a good book to keep and refer to for whatever level one is. I know most notes on the fretboard now, but I do need to know how chords connect, and what riffs and chords combinations during turn arounds would make tunes more interesting. That is the most difficult challenge for me now.

Another problem is it feels impossible to memorise so many all the different chords in the books like Ted Greens' books. So knowing which simpler and easier chords could substitute large chords and the moveable chord forms and shell voicing chords could help newbie guitar students? Just wondering.

Then there are scorebooks for Joe Pass guitar songs with the real fast melodies which needs lot of practice on the fingerings if one wants to play tunes like that. In Joe Pass music, the first challenge seem to be the fast finger movements for playing all the notes in the melodies, which also requires fretboard visualisaton.

Joe Pass Guitar Chords (the book) is a much more pragmatic source in terms of developing a voicing vocabulary than Ted Green's books. I am gonna go out on a limb and say that most of the chords Joe Pass played (not just for comping but also chord melodies and chord solos) can be found in the humble selection provided in that book. Along with that book Dennis Chang's book shows you how to build chord voicings in a holistic way. That approach is also in line with the guide tones + 1 and guide tones+ 2 type of chord construction.

[dasein]

Books I got the most out of:

Praxis System (volumes 1, 2, 3) by Howard Roberts - They really need to bring these back into print, they were Roberts' best books by far. So much knowledge and wisdom in them.

Eunmi Shim's book on Lennie Tristano - reading about his teaching methods, particularly the emphasis on singing + transcribing solos was huge.

"Jazz Guitar Technique" by Andrew Green. Really thoughtful book on the vocabulary needed for modern jazz guitar, and how to get the technique to play it.

"Jazz Guitar Single Note Soloing" by Ted Greene. This is actually the Greene book I got the most out of. Very much a "postional playing" manual, tons of lines, really fills in any gaps you might have. For Greene's chordal stuff, I got way more out of the student lessons on his tribute site -- astounding amount of information there for free.

"Charlie Parker for Guitar" by Mark Voelpel. The fingerings in this are very thoughtful. Any guitarist who worked through these would get better at playing bebop by leaps and bounds.

"Advancing Guitarist" and "Voice Leading Alamanacs" by Mick Goodrick. I have all his books except the "Falling Grace" variations; I got the most out of those two. Amazing books, but you have to already be able to play get the most out of them.

"Art of Two-Line Improvisation" by Jimmy Wyble. Best left hand workout you can ask for. If you can find recordings/performances of the etudes, I think a lot of people would be surprised by how good they are. Best used in conjunction with David Oakes' tribute site.

"Modern Reading in 4/4 Time" by Louis Bellson. There are a lot of sight reading rhythm books out there, this is a classic and the one I worked out of the most.

I know there are other ones I'm forgetting, but those are the ones that come to mind.

I also got a lot out of various teachers over the years, including (but certainly not limited to) Charlie Banacos, Barry Harris, Kenny Werner, Rodney Jones, etc. I also learned a ton just by transcribing solos, especially by working out specific fingerings from various guitar players (Charlie Christian, Wes, Benson, Metheny, etc). And I am not a classical guitarist by any stretch, but playing through the Bach Sonata and Partitas, the Leo Brouwer simple etudes, and Villa Lobos also helped a lot.

It's very rare that one book or even one teachers gives you everything. You have to actively piece it together from as many sources as you can, with an emphasis on "actively." You have the be the driver, you can't sit there and expect someone to give all to you.

[AllanAllen]

"Art of Two-Line Improvisation" by Jimmy Wyble. Best left hand workout you can ask for. If you can find recordings/performances of the etudes, I think a lot of people would be surprised by how good they are. Best used in conjunction with David Oakes' tribute site..

This might interest you

Jimmy Wyble Lessons - YouTube

[Hugo Gainly]

Why do you find this book the best in more detail?

Well, I use it for diatonic harmony from scales other than the Major scale. I tend not to need them that often, so am permanently refreshing. I like the layout too.

Other than that, he offers example compositions and analyses each one from different points of view. I don't think it's like a workout, more a considered analysis. There's 68 pages of tunes and suggestions, and 20 pages of scales and chords. I admit I haven't looked at the analysis stuff for years.

I didn't mean to say it's the 'best' - just good and unusual. I have also enjoyed Steve Khan's Chord and Pentatonic Khancepts. They provide smooth sounds but edgy too sometimes. The Advancing Guitarist I didn't enjoy, nor How to Improvise. I tend to want to play and such a demanding method was too much for me.

I don't particularly like jazz guitar (sorry) so have no use for lick books. Though I've bought a few. Like Patterns for Jazz. Enjoyed Jazz Guitar Structures but only a bit of it stayed with me. Mickey Baker? Really disappointing. Who thinks of Am7 | Am6/A |? Learned some useful grips though I suppose.

[Kirk Garrett]

…Mickey Baker? Really disappointing. Who thinks of Am7 | Am6/A |? Learned some useful grips though I suppose.

What does this mean? I’m not challenging the statement, I just don’t understand.

[charlieparker]

Books I got the most out of:

Praxis System (volumes 1, 2, 3) by Howard Roberts - They really need to bring these back into print, they were Roberts' best books by far. So much knowledge and wisdom in them.

Eunmi Shim's book on Lennie Tristano - reading about his teaching methods, particularly the emphasis on singing + transcribing solos was huge.

"Jazz Guitar Technique" by Andrew Green. Really thoughtful book on the vocabulary needed for modern jazz guitar, and how to get the technique to play it.

"Jazz Guitar Single Note Soloing" by Ted Greene. This is actually the Greene book I got the most out of. Very much a "postional playing" manual, tons of lines, really fills in any gaps you might have. For Greene's chordal stuff, I got way more out of the student lessons on his tribute site -- astounding amount of information there for free.

"Charlie Parker for Guitar" by Mark Voelpel. The fingerings in this are very thoughtful. Any guitarist who worked through these would get better at playing bebop by leaps and bounds.

"Advancing Guitarist" and "Voice Leading Alamanacs" by Mick Goodrick. I have all his books except the "Falling Grace" variations; I got the most out of those two. Amazing books, but you have to already be able to play get the most out of them.

"Art of Two-Line Improvisation" by Jimmy Wyble. Best left hand workout you can ask for. If you can find recordings/performances of the etudes, I think a lot of people would be surprised by how good they are. Best used in conjunction with David Oakes' tribute site.

"Modern Reading in 4/4 Time" by Louis Bellson. There are a lot of sight reading rhythm books out there, this is a classic and the one I worked out of the most.

I know there are other ones I'm forgetting, but those are the ones that come to mind.

I also got a lot out of various teachers over the years, including (but certainly not limited to) Charlie Banacos, Barry Harris, Kenny Werner, Rodney Jones, etc. I also learned a ton just by transcribing solos, especially by working out specific fingerings from various guitar players (Charlie Christian, Wes, Benson, Metheny, etc). And I am not a classical guitarist by any stretch, but playing through the Bach Sonata and Partitas, the Leo Brouwer simple etudes, and Villa Lobos also helped a lot.

It's very rare that one book or even one teachers gives you everything. You have to actively piece it together from as many sources as you can, with an emphasis on "actively." You have the be the driver, you can't sit there and expect someone to give all to you.

Been meaning to get the Bellson book.

[GBRow]

Eunmi Shim's book on Lennie Tristano - reading about his teaching methods, particularly the emphasis on singing + transcribing solos was huge.

Eunmi Shim looks like a female teacher from Korea teaching in Berklee.

[Hugo Gainly]

What does this mean? I’m not challenging the statement, I just don’t understand.

Without looking it up (I've still got the book!) I seem to remember that it doesn't point to a fundamental 'truth' about jazz harmony. That is, ii/V.

He offers ii7/ii6 as a substitute which isn't informative. Sounds fine but there's a time and a place to sound like Carlos Santana.

I bought this book when I was 19 and went to University. I was also simultaneously going to become a jazz guitarist. I quickly got the impression that the book was not a jazz tutor. I learned some life saving chord shapes but not much else. I think he was a jump jive/rock and roll guitarist mainly - or maybe professionally. Nothing wrong with that but not what I wanted.

[charlieparker]

I enjoy Bret Wilmot's book on drop 2 chords. In depth study of substitutions.