Questions from a disenchanted beginner jazz guitarist

[mja]

it's important to realise that jazz playing at a basic level isn't easy and getting good is even harder.

dont moan about practicing scales and arpeggios- treat them as your friends and master them inside out

one thing people haven't mentioned is having a "hero" figure to listen to-most people start out with one or two. listen to the greats and copy them. start with Wes or django

good luck

[dogwart]

I recommend Bruce Arnold for the absolute beginner. These are just teaser courses, but you can order the full course from True Fire if you're interested. This guy is really good for the beginner. He doesn't talk over you with tons of theory and keeps things very simple.

There are eight videos in this series. He gets you soloing musically using 4 notes in a scale. If I had the money I'd order it.

[dogwart]

He's not moaning about practicing them. Didn't you read what he wrote? He said he's memorized a whole bunch, but can't put it together musically. Memorization is not his problem. It's putting it all together.

[Papadoc]

I can tell you as a beginner that the discouragement comes from practicing and practicing and despite the practice and the study of theory not seeming to being any closer to actually playing a jazz tune. With all the emphasis on esoteric theory and improvisation, which cannot be accomplished until there is considerable musical proficiency, it can seem impossible that it can be learned. Listening to jazz, lots of it, then becomes even more discouraging because it seems to be so easy when the guitar is not in your hands. I'm listening to Getz and Bonfa right now, beautiful and easy. I'll go home and get a book out with "Insensatez" and in 90 seconds feel completely lost trying to figure out which chords and scales to use. With rock and blues sometimes all you need are a few "cowboy" chords and a few barre chords, and start strumming and you can make something sound like music. With jazz it's not that way at all. It's very difficult to find the Zen in practice when your practice sounds nothing like the tune you want to play.

[dogwart]

Papadoc - I've come to the realization that I can only play what I'm physically capable of playing, which isn't much right now. I'm not worrying about learning jazz guitar all at once, because it's pretty much impossible. Rome wasn't built in a day, and it takes a long time to play like any of the greats. Maybe I won't play like any of the greats ever? Maybe I will. Who knows? I'm 40 so time is against me.

What I am doing is enjoying the hell out of the music. Sure, I can't play it right now but that's ok. Give it time and be patient. We need to set realistic goals for ourselves. Right now my goals are learning chords and scales. I also try to make them musically viable by trying to create music with them. This injects fun into the equation, which leads to motivation.

Experiment, discover, play. Invent and make your own music, even if that 4 notes on a scale. Take a couple jazz chords and swing like a monkey. There are vamps you can use on youtube also.

[fumblefingers]

if you're not having fun playing with scales and arpeggios, maybe music is not for you

lol. the sarcasm was right on point. one is technique, one is music.

BTW ya'll - Jamarac wrote this in April of last year and never came back.

someone once said that a jazz guitarist should learn a lot of tunes and play his part in a band for years before taking a solo (with the band on stage that is). i don't necessarily agree with that, but it makes a point.

that is, soloing is a form of composing, or at least creating, new music. traditionally, people would learn who to play fairly well before doing that. in my opinion this is a huge part of the problem. instrumental jazz music represents a significant pedagogical challenge, especially for someone who hasn't reached a high level of playing through another style, and who hasn't also developed technique.