The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Louis Armstrong

    The Lester Young / Billie Holiday recordings with Teddy Wilson on piano.

    Charlie Christian, or any of the Benny Goodman small group recordings.

    Any Charlie Parker.

    Any Miles, but especially the groups with Coltrane, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock.

    Mingus small groups.

    Coltrane

    Listen to those guys, see what you like, and then find stuff in the same era that is close to what you like.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Alternatively start with the here and now.

    There are so many new generation jazz artists around the world doing beautiful things, immerse yourself in the vibrancy and immediacy of today's music. Some of my favourites:











    and who said big band music is a thing of the past? I saw Kurt do this with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Orchestra, it was Ace or fully sick, or do they say today dope. Boom!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiw8CTK2o_Q


    .. and of course go back and learn from the past masters.
    Last edited by gggomez; 07-27-2016 at 01:41 AM.

  4. #28

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    the replies here have been great, and is exactly what I wished for!

    I will try to reply some questions here:

    It´s for listening

    I listen to all kinds of music. That´s not true, I despise a lot of whats out there, the music that´s catchy, you can run along a bop your head to it, but´s it doesn´t stay with me or move me. And I´m trying to understand why I´m suddenly into Kanye West. I dont like his style music, but I appreciate that he´s trying to do something with hip hop that few people dare do: reinvent it!

    But I can name some names: Prince(everything he´s ever penned! And artists where he´s produced, like Judith Hill), Beck, Clapton, Hendrix, Warren Zevon(also a great, great guy. I miss him..) There, there are some musicians I like.

    huge digression: but I like to distinguish between artists and musicians, the latter is both, but more and more famous people are no musicians. They don´t know how to play an instrument, they might own a Martin custom guitar and sit with it on the mtv music awards, but their no musicians. Their "artists". They shock, live public lives, and sing(several not even that good). These things woves me for the future of music.

    Then again I might just be a cliché, who want´s to remember the good old days..

  5. #29

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    OK, so probably your best entry into jazz from the people you like is via Prince and Jeff Beck.

    Beck did a pretty famous version of "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". Check that out. Then listen to the Mingus original. Then a few other version. Beck played with Jan Hammer, who played with Mahavishnu Orchestra, so check some of that stuff out. That might lead you to John McLaughlin, and eventually Miles Davis' electric period.

    I'm not sure there's a ton you can learn about jazz from Prince directly, but he made me think of Quincy Jones, who is a little idiosyncratic as a jazz artist, but well worth checking out. From there, just investigate the people he's played with.

    Other people you might want to check out:

    George Benson - Best known by the general public for his pop stuff like "On Broadway" and "Breezin'" but is actually a MONSTER player.

    Mike Stern - Played with Miles during his electric period, and has some Hendrix influence. More of a fusion guy, but very accessible.

    John Scofield - Another fusion guy. Also played with Miles. (In fact he and Stern were both in the band at the same time at one point). Very unusual style for a guitarist. Probably my personal favorite.

    Russell Malone - Best known for being in Diana Krall's band, but he's been on the scene for a good long while. He's not especially unusual in any way, but he's very good with a classic sound and vocabulary. You can learn a lot about straight-ahead jazz from him.

    Wes Montgomery - Personally, I'm not a huge fan. But lots of guitarists are, and he's been hugely influential.

    I'm focusing on guitar players here, but obviously, you should listen to horn players and pianists, too.

  6. #30

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    not a huge fan of wes - that really is an unusual thing to say. (so don't be put off!) along with ray brown (double bass) i would say wes is one of the most intuitive and immediately appealing players in the music

    try d natural blues

  7. #31

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    I'd sit 'em down with some Joe Lovano, some Wes and Kenny, Miles of course, and Stan Getz, and "Naima" or "My Favorite Things" from 'Trane. Not difficult listening, the tunes which sucked me into the jazz whirlpool myself.

  8. #32

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    so many great contributions from you all, I´m very grateful. I´m listening to Wes Montgomery, but it doesn´t fit as background music for reading. Does anyone know any artists that fit well for: reading, study-music

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by Groyniad
    not a huge fan of wes - that really is an unusual thing to say. (so don't be put off!) along with ray brown (double bass) i would say wes is one of the most intuitive and immediately appealing players in the music

    try d natural blues
    I'm aware. It just doesn't grab me. I can't say why. Maybe it's a contrary streak or something. I'm not a big fan of the Beatles either, which makes some of my friends lose their friggin' minds.

  10. #34

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    Hi everyone,

    I am a classical guitarist who plays bits and bobs of flamenco. I have listened to jazz for a long time now. It makes up most of my playlist. Love "modern" stuff like Chick Corea, weather report, Jaco etc. But also adore pretty much all the classics with my favourite guitarists being Joe Pass, django, wes, pat metheny.

    I don't struggle with anything technically that I have come across so far, but learning pieces seems really counter productive to the jazz process.

    I have started to transcribe django, the album kind of blue and wes songs. I should start analyzing the solos in relation to the harmony (which I am a bit stuck on how this should be done)

    I play a classical and flamenco guitar and would love to start arranging tunes as well as playing solos.

    I have a few books but I am a bit lost at what to do.


    Thanks Everyone!

  11. #35

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    You're at an advantage because you already have good guitar technique. As ragman says, you want to know about chord construction, with attention to seventh chords. Then you can analyze lines against the chords in the tune. Pay attention to which chord tones the soloist is targeting. Start with earlier stuff. Modern stuff tends to make much more use of extended and substitute chords, which might be a little confusing at first ("It doesn't look like he's targeting ANY chord tones there!")

    Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" is an easy read with written examples for many things, though may emphasize Chord-Scale Theory a bit too much. (CST is a bit controversial around here. Nothing wrong with it, but is more applicable to modern stuff, and may not give you the focus on chord tones that you need).

    Learn tunes. Find as many ways to voice the chords in the tunes as possible. Try to play it differently every time. Learning Joe Pass arrangements is good for getting used to some of the fingerings that people use, but you don't want to get locked in to only one way of playing a tune. Learn the chords and the melodies, and then try to come up with your own arrangements.

    Experiment. If it sounds good to you, it IS good.

  12. #36

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    I know a bit about music theory, but I don't FEEL it if that makes sense. Can't relate it to the fretboard as I haven't used those skills much.

    Yesterday and today, I transcribed django's minor swing and its chords. I then looked at the arpeggios used and played them in all positions. I also looked at django's lines and when he plays chord tones on what beat etc

    Is this a correct approach? I have a goodish ear, so I will start with a few wes records maybe impressions?

  13. #37

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    I'm not a jazz player first and foremost, but I am a guitar instructor and I'll tell you what I think your answer is based on your post. Learn theory. Learn absolutely everything about how music is constructed, because that will allow you to play anything over any chord progression in any key and to have an instant set of options at your fingertips. Internalize it to the point where you can stop thinking about it and just play.

  14. #38

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    Have you considered lessons? I've been playing for about 25 years but only recently started lessons with a local jazz instructor. Like the OP, technique isn't my problem, and we haven't really touched on technique in the lessons. We just work on theory and songs. And all the questions that I pile up during the week, I can get a good thorough answer for on lesson day. Plus , my teacher can see what I'm good at (sometimes I surprise him) and what I'm bad at (sometimes I surprise him) and he adjusts the material accordingly. It's really done wonders for my playing in a short amount of time.

  15. #39

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    I'm sure you already have this, but I find it useful to think about what "jazz" is and why its different than "classical". There are a thousand theories and opinions. You will undoubtably find your own. I can only share what I came to and how it guides me. Someone will likely take offense and insist that their understanding of jazz is truer or more pure. Still, here goes...

    For me and "aha" moment was formulating an understanding that "jazz" differed from "classical", or even the folk I was more accustomed to, in that it was about an agreed to form rather than a specific composition. Jazz means that you, the player, must take the agreed form and interpret it in your own way. That is very different than classical guitar, or even a pop tune. You learn "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles and play it the same every time. "Sevilla" isn't a form, its a precise memorized piece. A jazz standard has at its core a melody, often originating as a vocal part in a decidedly non-jazz musical or pop tune, and an agreed to chord changes. The rest is up to the group of musicians on the spot.

    A lot like blues, actually. Except in blues there are a very limited number of agreed to forms. 12 bars: 4 of I7, 2 of IV7, 2 of I7, 2 of V7, etc. Of course there are a bunch of variations, but they don't stray too far from the basic form. I think it is hard today for a guitar player not to have played over a 12 bar blues. For most, its comfortable. You do a mix of on-the-spot innovation with a bunch of canned elements you've played a thousand times. But you never play a 12 bar blues the same twice. It is very satisfying to play, but can get a bit limiting at times. Imagine having dozens and dozens of forms to play with, not just the same 12 bar blues?

    So where do you begin? Learn a bunch of "forms" and be loose with it? Learn as many jazz standards like "All the Things You Are", "Autumn Leaves", "Misty", etc., as you can. Learn the melody and the basic form like you would a blues tune. Play them loosely and imaginatively. Just let your ears and experience lead you. Or you could focus on understanding how musicians develop more sophisticated compositions on the spot with no more than the melody and a bare harmonization as a guide. There is a lot of theory out there on this. This is a music tradition that is 150 years old, so that well is deep. To be honest it is what draws me in. Or you could focus on learning the specific idioms that define "jazz" playing. The theory on how one might improvise jazz doesn't teach you how Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis, or Joe Pass actually improvised. For that you might want to transcribe a lot of recordings.

    Or all of the above. But knowing what it is about jazz that is attracting you and how it is different than the classical music you have been doing will help guide you and keep you moving forward.

  16. #40
    Decide what you want to do first. Is your goal to be able to play jazz with other musicians? Are there local jams in your area? Are private lessons an option?

    JAZZ guitar is a pretty diverse study. Means different things to different people. There's comping, soloing , playing "solo guitar" in a jazz style. You're not alone in being overwhelmed at how to approach. You're also not alone if you don't really know the answer to a lot of these questions for yourself. Most of them are going to be better answered if you're studying with a teacher or playing with other musicians.

    Good luck.

  17. #41

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    Some very VERY good points here. Still don't know quite what I am looking for.

    I guess that listening to a lot of jazz in my life has always interested me. And interestingly, a lot of the time I find the jazz guitar doesn't quite fit in or sometimes I find it unnecessary but other times it is perfect. I adore Joe Pass, he is my favorite guitarist. It can be a bit like the classical guitar in that sense, that it's either the main focus or not there at all. I don't know I'm just talking rubbish lol

    Interesting...

    I think the thing I will do is transcribe and learn theory. I have done Minor Swing and I'll see you in my dreams by django. My next step will be just playing the arpeggios up and down in different patterns and analysing what django played harmonically? I think transcribing is a safe bet, because I can't go wrong right?

    One area I have trouble with is deciding voicings but I guess that is another thing

  18. #42

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    Get a teacher

  19. #43

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    Learn some jazz blues, easy enough to get into and the basis of so much.

  20. #44

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    The essential difference between Jazz and Classical is that in jazz you improvise. So improvise.

  21. #45
    The essential difference between Jazz and Classical is that in jazz you improvise. So improvise.
    You can improvise for the rest of your life and still not be playing in a jazz style though. You don't learn the STYLE by simply improvising more on your own. If you don't have the style down, this isn't particularly helpful.

    In my mind, the most distinctive difference between jazz and classical style is in the phrasing and "style". Improvisation is an element as well , but it's not the primary distinction. On one hand, you can play classical music "in a jazz style". At the sane time, you can improvise over jazz changes all day in a soulless non-jazz way.

    Jazz doesn't simply equal improvisation. Jazz is a style.
    Last edited by matt.guitarteacher; 12-08-2016 at 01:42 PM.

  22. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonzo
    The essential difference between Jazz and Classical is that in jazz you improvise. So improvise.
    Incorrect.

    For example, this isn't jazz. But it is improvisation, and it is classical.


    (Imagine being able to do THAT! Wow!)

    Not a widespread skill I'll admit in classical, but it is done nonetheless. You might also want to check out Robert Levin, or Jonah's friend who can improvise baroque suites at the harpischord.

    Jazz is a musical language, and a tradition that involves improvisation much like pretty much all of the world musical traditions aside from Western classical (and even that is coming back, the violinist one of the bands I play in teachers improvisation to classical musicians at music college.)
    Last edited by christianm77; 12-08-2016 at 09:25 PM.

  23. #47

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    You get good at a thing by deliberately practicing it. It doesn't matter what most classical musicians do, what some guy in a video does, or what some friend of yours does. The OP needs to decide what the skill he needs to improve is, and practice it deliberately.

  24. #48

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    Last edited by paulcw16; 12-21-2016 at 09:05 PM.

  25. #49

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    don't always go for the greats, whatever artists inspire you to practice is what I would practice although it's good to get into the greats sometimes, also Jody Fisher's book is quite interesting from what i've heard. Check it out.

    Seems like your on the right track.

    Good luck.

  26. #50

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    Hello all. Newbie here with quite a few years' rock and acoustic background but little or no formal training. I've got quite a few jazz guitar tutor books (Baker, Fisher, Fewell, Hal Leonard etc). Wondering where you'd suggest starting? The Mickey Baker one has a manageable number of chords and little or no theory (yippee) but while I like the fact that the chord sequences sound nice they don't really show me what I'm doing. The Jody Fisher one - I find the examples clunky and not very inspiring. Hal Leonard - some nice stuff there that does sound like jazz. Fewell - great but wonder if the theory is beyond me.
    Basically, I'm kind of impatient to get started. Some theory, ok I get it, but I do want to feel like I'm playing something jazzy. For that reason I like the Hal Leonard book best at the moment. Any suggestions???