Is jazz this simple?

[gggomez]

Reg you refer to relationships and approach chords.

These are some of the other things have made so much more sense to me examining ii v i's the blues (and now any song I pick up) in one position (as opposed to using your favourite chords and jumping all around the neck). For my learning mind the chromatic movements and resolutions are amplified both visually and for my ears. Also the cross relationship of notes in a progression is more obvious.

Thus it makes learning the guitar more like sitting in front of 12 or 24 keys of a piano. Isn't that what Dizzie and Miles say is a must do?

Subject to comments by the professors around hear, I really recommend to my fellow beginners to study Summertime by Chet Baker. The beauty of its simplicity is wonderful. I think I am learning plenty from it and hope you would also.

[Pocket Player]

I think all most of us ! that play guitar, get to touch one first ! by a friend or family member putting one in are hands, and showing us how to make a simple stupid sound. and make it ring in sommmmme way pleasing enough,for us to want to say show me another..... lol The Guitar(music) is a puzzle. we get 1 little piece at a time...and if were hungry enough ,we get to put more of the pieces together... faster....most of us on that first contact, dont say im going to be the next Joe pass... and this is how we learn for years and years cause we lovvve to play guitar.

If were really lucky !!! we come in contact a really good teacher or teachers that put the right tool in our hands that allow any us us to actually say ... were looking from one(mountain). And a mountain is a great analogy... cause there is a big mountain of time, and desire and practice/jam time. in order for any of us to hit that level of understanding ! or ability. anyone privileged enough to have spent real time, with a true pro guitar player. Watching him play, and talking for hour on end... Is quick to realize..There on a whole different planet of playing& ability. and can hang with any player. any style.... and at that level it has nothing to do with who's better,or the genre ....there having a musical conversation.

about 15 years ago. a got to take a free semester of private guitar lessons as a option , in a collage i was attending at the time. Now id been playing guitar about 15 years or more at that point !! and could play the blues pretty good ! tongue in cheek! I could get my Jimi on !!! and wank away in scale 1 pentatonic. that it !!! i was HAPPPPY Happy !! allll i needed was the happy notes and i was there !!!!! rocking hard .... As i stood outside the classroom waiting for my lesson to start , i sat there and listen to him blow off endless Jazz solo's with no chords but you could hear them... I was blown away...he was awesome. As the door open and i sat down and he asked me what i wanted to learn. I said exactly what you just did ..... so he said thats play !! and we jammed for about 15 mins , I was ontoday ! and played my best !! i was very proud. He then we stopped and ask me if i knew my major scale. i did my best to remember the pattern. and show him. did it ! but no i didnt know it. So he said thats start there. !

Now i've taken guitar lessons most of my life !!! and still do to this day. and until then... no teacher ever showed me or even really brought it up ! Wow ! He proceeded to write out the Caged system ! and said some of the realist words i ever heard to date. This is going to sound simple !!! but has a ton of revelation !! he said !!! how can you be a guitar player if you dont know know your instrument? and he was right !! i couldn't name all the notes on my neck, and tell you how and why they work... He told me ! What he was playing earlyier was not jazz !! and he was just playing his major scales and having fun. To my untrained ears i thought it was jazz. sounded like jazz. He told me that music is a LANGUAGE and i didn't know it... not matter how cool i thought i was sounding... and then explained that to a player like him ! or REG. i was really speaking in gibberish !!! randomly putting together a alphabet i didnt even realize existed.. and was trying to talk to him, and have a conversation with him... and to him it was like listening to a baby talk !, one word hear and there, and alot of gooo goo gaa gaa... he didn't say this to hurt my feelings, but to show me the truth. and he was right... that day i started really learning my guitar!!!. and what the caged system is and how it works. Life changing !!!! and a real foundation!!! i can honestly say i never have come close to where im at today ! without learning that !!! and i still have a huge way to go !!! to be where he's was at that day ! i wouldn't even stand a chance at looking at the mountain one day... Im not saying the cage system is the be all.. there are many systems ...and methods to get there. cage is just a entry level system . but is complete. and just the starting point of moving on to deeper systems of learning are instrument. like the 7 positions ,12, 14, and scale tone form system(very new). each one of these systems are complete . and a life time of study. And if any of us are lucky enough to ever go a a great school of music, or have a great teacher. Its the first thing there going to hand you, to start and structure your learning..... Im mad no one show me this earlier... cause id be sitting with a few of you boyz now...Reg and company !!! looking from the top of the mountain...

Now i was happy with my playing and learning before i met this player... but for the first time in my life and many $$$$ later , he was the only only yet to hand me the keys to car and really show whats involved in really learning to practice!!!! and learn to be a musician !!! ,guitar player. and yes there are very structured ways and systems to learn to pick(scalpel,alt,sarod,hybrid....) and to learn the fretboard (5 positions 7,12 14) pick it !!! and dig in !!! there no short cuts... and put 10 real years into mastering it, or your life time to study them all,1 at a time.. But very few ever reach the true top...because were to busy picking up little pieces, and never really learn to practice effectively. and get into a system that allows us to proper organize the task and skills at hand... and too get there in our life time very sad.

what is jazz ! today i answered that question ! for myself.. its the ability to play what ever anyone is playing, and the ability to be free just play !!! and have a real conversation. cause all that proper learning has been internalized. and you can speak a real sentence ! whatever words(notes ) you want. the thinking is over.. unless you want to be thoughtful. not limited by knowledge and lack of tools. But Hey! not everyone care's if they reach the top ! and that's fine... cause playing guitar is fun... or we wouldnt be still playing... but there is a top !!! and it is reachable for all of us.... but not with out 1000's of hour of hard work. and we can make that alot longer, if there's no real system of learning the entire language and fret board. not just a few words and sentences. if we truly want to get are jazz on !!!!

I refuse to die with out at least a look before i go...

P.s sorry to be so long winded, ive never written so much in my life. ever... just feel passionate about what reg and a few other have !!! and i want for myself. and im no longer blind to whats really involved ! in being a great well round player. and have worked really hard to try and get there. in the last 10+ years and i have still a long way tooo go still.... but i do see them standing up there ! and will get there. head down ! one foot infront of the other. just a little futher... but with out a system of practice.. i know id never even seen that far... its that simple

again sorry for to many words...

[Reg]

Wow... your very inspiring, I think you could write what ever you choose to... you have a gift. I agree, it's that simple.