Robert Conti Assembly Line from zero

**Dio666** · 03-09-2016, 03:43 PM

Can anyone list the songs found in his assembly line book. Thanks

There is actually only one complete tune, Danny Boy, which is like a test at the end of the book. The rest are short pieces of tunes, like Matt said, to apply each concept or chord group that you have just learned, and there are many. You'll want to have some music to apply these concepts to when you finish the book. I already had the standard Real Book and then, (I think it was on Matt's suggestion in another thread), I bought The Real Vocal Book which is great for this style as it contains the more lyrical pieces and not the fast be-bop tunes which don't lend themselves well to the chord melody style.

Don't worry about how long it takes you to get through it, just have fun with it. But at the same time, you don't need to play each example perfectly smooth at a fast tempo before moving on. If you can identify the correct chord forms for each melody note and play them cleanly and slowly, then you should be fine moving on to the next lesson. You'll get plenty of practice increasing your speed as you continue to play, hopefully for the rest of your guitar-playing life.

**matt.guitarteacher** · 03-09-2016, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Dio666

I already had the standard Real Book and then, (I think it was on Matt's suggestion in another thread), I bought The Real Vocal Book which is great for this style as it contains the more lyrical pieces and not the fast be-bop tunes which don't lend themselves well to the chord melody style.

yeah. A great book for CM tunes...

**eduardosanz** · 03-10-2016, 02:48 AM

Great idea The Real Vocal book. I already have the Real Book but as you said it contains many bebop tunes.
Thanks for the advice.
Today... 33BPM and up!

A question arises: which Real Vocal Book to buy? (I see there are low voice, high voice...) My intention is no to sing at all, just to play chord melody with those tunes while following the lyrics.

**matt.guitarteacher** · 03-10-2016, 07:12 AM

High voice for sure for starting out with CM....

**eduardosanz** · 03-10-2016, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by matt.guitarteacher

High voice for sure for starting out with CM....

Cool, thankyou Matt.

The doubt is: I see that there are several good books with lyrics out there:

- Sher The Standards Real Book. (http://www.amazon.com/Standards-Real...ards+Real+Book)
- Warner Bros Just Standards Real Book. (http://www.amazon.com/Just-Standards...+jus+standards)
- Real Vocal Book High Voice vol 1. (http://www.amazon.com/Real-Vocal-Boo...gh+voice+vol+1)
- The New Real Book in C (http://www.amazon.com/New-Real-Book-...ards+Real+Book)
....
etcetera

Any help???? (Remember, my goal is just to play chord melody, not to sing)

**MarkRhodes** · 03-10-2016, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by eduardosanz

Any help???? (Remember, my goal is just to play chord melody, not to sing)

The notation is probably the same for some of the tunes in those books. It may come down to which one has the most tunes you want to play.

**Dio666** · 03-10-2016, 11:43 AM

The doubt is: I see that there are several good books with lyrics out there

I bought the Real Vocal Book Vol. 1 (High Voice), but I wouldn't stress about which book to get. If you already have the regular Real Book, then you are fine with that. There are still a lot of tunes in there that are good for chord melody.

**eduardosanz** · 03-11-2016, 06:23 AM

A follow up: 36BPM with the C Major group of chords...

Playing Oh Susanah at that speed (a tad faster in some parts as in the change from the melody note G to A and back to G, and a bit slower when changing from the melody note G (using a C6 chord) to E note (Cmaj7 shape)... is a little bit discourageous to play that slow and with that huge lack of flow. I´ll keep on it.

**grahambop** · 03-11-2016, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by Dio666

I bought the Real Vocal Book Vol. 1 (High Voice), but I wouldn't stress about which book to get. If you already have the regular Real Book, then you are fine with that. There are still a lot of tunes in there that are good for chord melody.

Absolutely, you just need to remember that for working out a solo arrangement, it is often necessary to raise the melody an octave, as it's probably written at concert pitch, not in 'guitar' notation.

**eduardosanz** · 03-18-2016, 05:10 AM

Playing at 38BPM after several days without time on the guitar sadly. Oh Susanah still very slow but slightly more fluid.

As I said, I m not in a hurry, so I rather stay as much as I need in this first lessons. Planning to take a look of next Group of Chords (F maj) this weekend.

**eduardosanz** · 03-31-2016, 06:01 AM

Quick review of my slow progress: Now playing C Major Chords Group 1 at 44 BPM. I have begun with next lesson, playing F Major Chords Group 2. That corny Oh Susanah is sounding a little more fluent an better to my eyes.

Im willing to arrive to lesson 3 and play standards...

**goldenwave77** · 03-31-2016, 06:35 AM

Stick with it---our bodies (really our central nervous system) require time to learn new physicalities.

Don't obsess about speed, per se....move on to next chord group...LEARN which note the melody note is ...related to the chord form....is it the 5th...the 3rd, etc. ?! I labeled each note under each of the chord diagrams. Hint----the chord diagrams in the book are mildly annoying in that he gives 2 octaves, more or less, of each melody note for each chord group...and these are set out in 2 rows...but the row on top does not correspond, exactly, in each case to its octave "brother" appearing below it. I got out a straight edge and drew in vertical lines to keep the octave "brothers" together so as not to confuse myself (some of the lines will depart from a true vertical...as I say, it would have been better, visually, if the octave groups lined up perfectly under each other...but this is a minor quibble in otherwise really great instructional material).

Also, in the back of the book...I drew in "blank" chord grids for 5th string, 6th string, and 4th string roots...label these (maybe every other note...otherwise it gets cluttered, visually)...now you're really learning the fingerbd. (Maybe you knew it...but with me, this started to really cement it into my mind....you'll also notice scale forms....and now that you're learning musical concepts in CONTEXT...it all starts to tie together...the CAGED forms...the scale forms,...it's all a "seamless web"---to an accomplished player.)

Once you go on to the rest of the lessons....there are little 4-8 bar snatches from approx. 15-20 standards...plenty of meat here...but it IS definitely useful to get a decent songbook and start to reinforce the lessons...eventually try to "play them on the fly"---it might not be perfect or fluent for playing a chord/note...but the the idea is to learn the chord forms and have some fun...you'll also begin to notice voice leading concepts and chord substitution.

**atracksler** · 03-31-2016, 06:57 AM

I'm also just starting on the chord melody system, I've been playing guitar for 20 years (jeesh, that sounds like forever), and swing/jazz for 4. I have a few of the chord shapes down from my comping/gypsy lessons, but most are new. It took me 2 days just to figure out that the chord melody was oh Susannah....I was playing so slowly....

i started the F chords, and it feels like the shapes are repeating themselves. Is this right? That the shapes are cyclical?

//ad

**lawson-stone** · 03-31-2016, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by atracksler

I'm also just starting on the chord melody system, I've been playing guitar for 20 years (jeesh, that sounds like forever), and swing/jazz for 4. I have a few of the chord shapes down from my comping/gypsy lessons, but most are new. It took me 2 days just to figure out that the chord melody was oh Susannah....I was playing so slowly....

i started the F chords, and it feels like the shapes are repeating themselves. Is this right? That the shapes are cyclical?

//ad

Yes they are cyclical, which is one of the most important learnings you will get from this. The book explains this somewhere. But yes, they repeat in a fixed order, and that order is the same for major, minor, or dominants. It's based on the mathematical layout of the guitar fingerboard.

**matt.guitarteacher** · 03-31-2016, 10:38 AM

For those starting with a more limited knowledge of the voicings used, I've always wondered if it wouldn't be easier (or more stimulating/motivating) to start with one of his chord melody arrangements. By the time you do one of those arrangements, I'd think that you'd know nearly all of the chord forms he uses, (and in the context of playing a tune). I think he's got that free Amazing Grace arrangement available online.

I moved pretty quickly through the beginning lessons in the assembly line because I knew the chord voicings for the most part. Just had to fill a few gaps. Knowing Conti's philosophy, I'd imagine that he regards the Assembly Line as kind of a "You've played a few of my arrangements, now learn to do some your own." Also, his arrangements will give you some context for understanding the next how-to book, The Formula.

You might just do a measure at a time on amazing grace for "extra credit", while working on the other book. All of that said, I never did any of his arrangements really, but I was probably in a slightly different place as well.

Either way, it's all good work to be done anyway.

Originally Posted by goldenwave77

Also, in the back of the book...I drew in "blank" chord grids for 5th string, 6th string, and 4th string roots...label these (maybe every other note...otherwise it gets cluttered, visually)...now you're really learning the fingerbd. (Maybe you knew it...but with me, this started to really cement it into my mind....you'll also notice scale forms....and now that you're learning musical concepts in CONTEXT...it all starts to tie together...the CAGED forms...the scale forms,...it's all a "seamless web"---to an accomplished player.)

I like the way you think, goldenwave.

**Swinginspock** · 04-03-2016, 12:15 PM

Alright boys, this is my first post.
I am a relatively new member, and let me say first that having this community has been huge in beginning to develop my jazz guitar.
I recently finished Assembly Line and have been applying his method to Real Book standards. It's been splendid, Conti did a great job explaining his content, but now I am wondering about book II? Is it worth it? What does it all talk about? Should I become more fluent with this method before I look into book II? I'd love to hear some thoughts from others that have walked this path.
Thank you all for you're advice and community. I don't know if I would've even found this book if it weren't for this thread.

**goldenwave77** · 04-03-2016, 02:03 PM

"The Formula" by Conti kind of picks up from "The Assembly Line". It assumes, pretty much, that you know his grips that he taught you in the Assembly Line.

The point of "The Formula" is to introduce you to reharmonization...and it is very much...here's a concept...now here are examples. So typically, he'll give you snatches of phrases from standards, and then four, five or six alternatives to the "plain vanilla" chord melody...with chord grids shown. As you work through them, if you can ask "What is really going on here?" you'll be able to generalize the examples into a technique that you can apply often.

Again, he harmonizes pretty much every note to pack as much "substance" into each phrase....obviously, one can play more sparsely...ending a melody phrase with a chord or emphasizing the cadences of successive chords.

"The Formula" goes into tri-tone subs, movements in minor thirds, and some other techniques. It is very meaty...so again the point is to learn a concept...work it through with him, and then you'll be able to take a song choice of your own, and apply it. There are other threads here that discuss The Formula.

One thing he doesn't touch on is that for fluent chord melody it helps a lot to have decent facility with fingerstyle and/or hybrid picking.

I have no affiliation with Conti. I think The Formula is a really good follow-on to the Chord Melody Assembly Line. He also has a book of "Intros, Endings and Turnarounds" that offer a lot of illustrations of standards progressions...e.g. over 100 ways to play a 1 3 6 2 5.

I am a combination of an analytical thinker and a "bottoms up" learner....I liken Conti's teaching techniques to maybe learning about detective stories...you could listen to somebody lecture about them, and then try to write one...or you could read through snatches of a bunch of them, and if you're decently attentive, you'll pick up the various "tricks of the trade" and then be able to write one of your own. I find exercise books and the like really, really dry and not too interesting....pithy examples make learning more fun, and more effective: Lecture me about minor major 7 chords and I may fall asleep...play me "Nica's Dream" or "Harlem Nocturne" and NOW you have my attention, and something auditory to grab onto.

**Liarspoker** · 06-27-2016, 04:23 AM

Hey guys,

I like playing chord melody and am thinking about buying Assembly or the Formula though I don't know which one would be best for me. Maybe I shouldn't buy either and just work with what I know as I can put my own chords on top of melody notes anyway. It's just that the chords I place on top are vanilla chords, ie no altered chords, and I see above that Conti does use altered chords.

What do you guys think; should I get a Conti method (and if so which one? ) or should I just plough through chord melody myself?

Here are some clips of me playing chord melody.

The Misty clip is terrible but I hadn't played the song in about 2 years. I read it from the Real Book.

The other two tunes were inspired by Tommy Emmanuel and use alternate bass picking.

Thanks for your advice.

Edit: Just to add that perhaps the Conti method will give me a more systematic approach to chord melody to my current hap hazard use of chords.

**matt.guitarteacher** · 06-27-2016, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Liarspoker

Hey guys,

I like playing chord melody and am thinking about buying Assembly or the Formula though I don't know which one would be best for me. Maybe I shouldn't buy either and just work with what I know as I can put my own chords on top of melody notes anyway. It's just that the chords I place on top are vanilla chords, ie no altered chords, and I see above that Conti does use altered chords.

What do you guys think; should I get a Conti method (and if so which one? ) or should I just plough through chord melody myself?

Here are some clips of me playing chord melody.

The Misty clip is terrible but I hadn't played the song in about 2 years. I read it from the Real Book.

The other two tunes were inspired by Tommy Emmanuel and use alternate bass picking.

Thanks for your advice.

Edit: Just to add that perhaps the Conti method will give me a more systematic approach to chord melody to my current hap hazard use of chords.

Start with the assembly line. It'll help you "fill out" some additional jazz chord voicings to get started with chord melody. The formula kind of builds on that one and uses mostly the same voicings he introduces in the assembly line. The formula is more on reharmonization and is a little more advanced.

If I might butt in for a second, I'd say you look like you have some left-hand tension. I'd be a little concerned about these larger chords Conti uses, honestly, with the way it looks like you're currently playing. The way a lot of these flattop acoustics are set up is kind of murder on the hands for these jazz chords and really technical things, in my opinion.

Honestly, I might consider consultation with a teacher for this, even if it's only occasionally . Beyond that, I'd recommend getting a guitar which is really excellently set up for playing this kind of thing. If you don't have a guitar which is really suitable for it , something like an inexpensive telecaster (with some flatwound strings maybe? ) is an good workaround while you're learning this stuff. I've got a Squire tele and it plays MUCH, MUCH better than my $1000 flattop acoustic.

Like you, I felt like I hadreally found something when I started playing cord melody. Wish I'd been playing more like that all along . You just want to make sure that you can do it the rest your life and not risk hurting yourself. Just my two cents. Thanks for posting.

**Bluedawg** · 06-27-2016, 12:25 PM

I bought both books a few years ago after reading about them here, Assembly Line and Formula .....

I had been dabbling in chord melody for almost 30 years. I probably could have skipped the Assembly Line, but it was still a good experience to work through it. There is good stuff in there even for players with some experience.

I really enjoyed The Formula. It's one of the few guitar method few books that I've actually finished ... LOL.

Lots of good stuff in The Formula. I've worked up a nice version of "Days of Wine and Roses" using his approach, at least the first verse. I'm still struggling with creating a full blown arrangement with multiple verses and noodley bits.

I keep meaning to put The Formula back in my active stack and just work through the exercises in there at least once every week or two in the hopes that it will bury itself deep in my little grey cells.

**Liarspoker** · 06-27-2016, 12:30 PM

Thanks for your reply Matt.

Ha ha, you are right, that acoustic is murder to play especially anything above the 5th fret or so.

Luckily I have a jazz box which is far easier to play.

Anyhow do you mean left or right hand tension as I am playing lefty?

Incidently I started with a teacher this month for monthly lessons. I'll let you know how I get on.

Also I just purchased Chord Melody Cafe by Mark Stefani over on Truefire since its available through a 25% off fire sale at the moment. Looks interesting and I can't wait to get stuck in tonight. I'll get Conti's assembly once I have gone through most of Chord MElody Cafe.

**matt.guitarteacher** · 06-27-2016, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by Liarspoker

Thanks for your reply Matt.

Ha ha, you are right, that acoustic is murder to play especially anything above the 5th fret or so.

Luckily I have a jazz box which is far easier to play.

Anyhow do you mean left or right hand tension as I am playing lefty?

Incidently I started with a teacher this month for monthly lessons. I'll let you know how I get on.

Also I just purchased Chord Melody Cafe by Mark Stefani over on Truefire since its available through a 25% off fire sale at the moment. Looks interesting and I can't wait to get stuck in tonight. I'll get Conti's assembly once I have gone through most of Chord MElody Cafe.

Ha. Yeah. Sorry. Guess I'm talking right hand then...

**rlrhett** · 07-04-2016, 02:19 PM

WOW, I have a bad ear. I have the Conti book and always thought Lesson 1/Reference 1 was "Danny Boy". It's "Oh Susannah"? I just played it through again at tempo (75bpm) and it STILL sounded like "Danny Boy" to me

.

**matt.guitarteacher** · 07-04-2016, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by rlrhett

WOW, I have a bad ear. I have the Conti book and always thought Lesson 1/Reference 1 was "Danny Boy". It's "Oh Susannah"? I just played it through again at tempo (75bpm) and it STILL sounded like "Danny Boy" to me

.

If you remove rhythm considerations, they're melodically similar. :-)

Kind of like the famous Rudolf/rock of ages example...