If you would start over learning jazz guitar, what would you do differently?

[Doctor Jeff]

I wouldn't have let that dark-haired woman walk out of my life back in 1982...

Wait, you mean musically?

Well for starters, I wouldn't have quit guitar lessons in the 4th grade so I could do Scouts--made it through about 3 of Mr. Bay's books before I gave up formal instruction for awhile. Second, I would have kept playing in high school and gotten a teacher who could teach jazz basics.

Third, in college I would have played my a$$ off every chance I got with whomever and whenever in any genre of music.

Other than that I wouldn't change a thing. Except I probably wouldn't have sold my 1981 ES-175 in the latter 80's.

[Cunamara]

If you could go back and learn jazz/jazz guitar again what would you do differently? What would you spend more time on. Listening, Jamming, Practicing a certain thing, Lessons etc,

Learn to read. Sheet music to me is a bunch of dots on sticks most of the time. As a result I can't take advantage of most of the instructional resources out there. The tab is frequently flat wrong in those books.

You'd think I could still learn to read- millions of 10 year olds can do it, after all- and it seems you'd be wrong. After 30+ years of jazz guitar I've surrendered to the likelihood that I will never be a reader.

[Paully]

"The best in the business didn't read music."
This is the go to excuse for not learning to read.
How much better those talented players who
didn't read would have been if they did we
can only speculate.

[dingusmingus]

Learn to read. Sheet music to me is a bunch of dots on sticks most of the time. As a result I can't take advantage of most of the instructional resources out there. The tab is frequently flat wrong in those books.

You'd think I could still learn to read- millions of 10 year olds can do it, after all- and it seems you'd be wrong. After 30+ years of jazz guitar I've surrendered to the likelihood that I will never be a reader.

I'm just one data point, but I've started to practice my reading at age 40. It has improved fairly quickly (it couldn't get worse!) in a relatively short time. I've only been at it a few months, but I can already make much better use of instructional material. I hope that 20 minutes a day for a year or so should get me to a fairly workable level. Being able to sightread a lead sheet would be useful.

[henryrobinett]

I wouldn't so quickly and resolutely given up on pima picking technique.
I would've worked harder and more seriously at sight reading.
I would have spent more time transcribing early on.
And would have spent more time copying styles and tones.

But I was never interested in copying styles OR tones, so there you go. I am what I am and I'm proud of it.

[larry graves]

Henry's right!..this is jazz we're talking about, not classical. I think truth is the the opposite to what Paully says, I think people use "the not learning to read music (sight reading) earlier" as an excuse for the inability to play and improvise what they hear. To say Wes would have been a better jazz guitarist if he'd had learned to read the dots seems ludicrous..Why didn't he learn to read music if it is so important? he was surrounded by the worlds best. The reason being he was probably dyslexic, a malady turned gift...Just an opinion!....L..

[matt.guitarteacher]

Henry's right!..this is jazz we're talking about, not classical. I think truth is the the opposite to what Paully says, I think people use "the not learning to read music (sight reading) earlier" as an excuse for the inability to play and improvise what they hear. To say Wes would have been a better jazz guitarist if he'd had learned to read the dots seems ludicrous..Why didn't he learn to read music if it is so important? he was surrounded by the worlds best. The reason being he was probably dyslexic, a malady turned gift...Just an opinion!....L..

You sound like you're taking up abd agreeing Henry's statement, but he actually said, among other things, that he'd have worked harder at sight reading in that very post.

[CliveR]

I would have got a teacher earlier than I did. A bunch of lessons from a good teacher is worth more than all the "how to play jazz guitar" books you can buy.

[larry graves]

You sound like you're taking up abd agreeing Henry's statement, but he actually said, among other things, that he'd have worked harder at sight reading in that very post.

Your right Matt, I didn't interpret Henry very well, dyslexia can do that sometimes. I'm not knocking people like yourself who have mastered reading skills, what I'm saying is, it's not the end of the world, as it's been proven throughout history, if you can't....L..

[henryrobinett]

I read music and always have. I think it's very necessary for the modern jazz guitarist. I just wish I would have been a kick ass sight reader, which I'm not. I can read pretty well but generally not as well as the horn players or pianists. If we have to go back over a tricky section 9 times out of 10 it's due to me.

Almost all of my gigs involve reading. I might not gig at all if I couldn't read.