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Never mind ?
Last edited by Etcher; 01-10-2020 at 04:36 PM.
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01-09-2020 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Etcher
* perhaps more solo guitar.
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Hi Darren
Welcome aboard.
I'm in a similar-ish position. I play (non-jazz) electric guitar in a band, or two, and have done so for 40+ years. But in parallel to that, I also play fingerstyle guitar - I love ragtime, country-thumb-picking, ragtime blues, and so on. Over the last few years this has been a real passion. And though I've done a dozen or so solo gigs, most of my finger-picking time is spent playing for my own amusement - there's little better than sitting outside of a summer's evening playing some mellow acoustic.
And in parallel to all of that, over the years I've often tried to learn to play jazz guitar - gypsy jazz / early swing, mainly- but have always spectacularly failed to get anywhere. I'd love to add chord melody - with the ability to improvise - to what I'm doing.
So I'm giving it another bash, with a different methodology this time. I think in these early stages there isn't a great deal of difference in what I'm learning (or trying to learn) regarding whether the ultimate aim is to play solo or in a band. I've come to realise that what's lacking is my chord knowledge, my song knowledge (melodies and changes), and my feel - give me a single chord to play over and I don't sound jazzy in the least. So these are my areas of focus and, in my view, it'll only be later on when the solo v band tracks diverge.
Regards
Derek
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If playing for ones self means playing by ones self, maybe consider taking up finger style technique. Then you can get some bassliness and a more cohesive music from one guitar.
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Originally Posted by wengr
thanks
Darren
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Originally Posted by Etcher
It can be a vocation, or for fun, or seen as a form of making a living with others...and you might be able to turn it on and off, you know, like a weekend off.
But as a compulsion...that's different.
When you get to the point where chord progressions are just interrupting your practice...you'll know.
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Originally Posted by Etcher
If it's all about extrinsic motives and value, at some point it'll feel like torture. I don't practice and study just because I want to reach some goal. I practice and study because it's interesting and fun in and of itself. It's also great to be able to just play a tune on your own creating your own harmony behind your melody, and not need a rhythm section in order to execute a complete song.
That said, my experience and observation is that people who don't participate in some sort of ensemble hit walls in their progress and get frustrated. So I don't think it's a good idea to learn mainly by yourself, even if your ultimate goal is to be an entirely solo player. In that sense, I think whether your goal is to be an ensemble or a solo player, I think the method is basically the same.
I don't think that means you have to literally be in a band or perform on stage. It's valuable to get together with one or two other players on a regular basis for some stretch of time, or take some lessons with a teacher who jams with you a bit and can show you the tricks of the trade as far as solo/chord-melody playing goes. or even participate in online study groups (such as the ones here) where people post recordings/videos and give feedback to each other. But if you just sit in a room by yourself with books and youtube, you're gonna get stuck.
John
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I think most jazz guitar conversations center around playing with others because jazz is a communal music, mostly. It's about interaction.
But with a busy life, it's not always possible to play with others all the time, so yeah, I've definitely spent a lot of time playing solo guitar, and yes, it's for my own enjoyment a lot of the time. If it's not fun for me, why do it at all?
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Originally Posted by Etcher
Jazz Walking Bass Guitar Lessons - Sean McGowan - TrueFire
I like it because its an appropriate level for me - challenging, but doable. There are many recources out there like this, butI think only you can know what's appropriate for you.
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Originally Posted by Etcher
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Originally Posted by Etcher
I suggest, FWIW, that you work on songs you like. One at a time. Rinse, repeat.
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Originally Posted by Etcher
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I do learn for my own amusement. Its very much like fishing. Whenever I catch one, I wanna show it to someone
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I've been playing in bands for $$$ for 50 years. Now that I'm older, that's drying up and I'm about ready to quit altogether because I find it impossible to play for myself. If I don't have an audience, I don't care about playing and have no reason to learn new material. At this point, I've played almost every song that I might ever be interested in playing. I play in a once a month duo thing and our song list is comprised of well over 400 tunes and we can do them all without charts of any kind - and that doesn't include my personal solo songlist of finger style things.
I envy those of you who can sit in your room and play for your own amazement/amusement but I've just been doing it too long to enjoy it. Added to the problem is the lack of musicians in this area, especially those who want to play the old stuff that I like (20's thru mid 60s).
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Originally Posted by Etcher
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I assume the answers weren't what he was looking for.
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Originally Posted by Etcher
And you needn't play in a group. Classical guitarists play most of their music solo. Not all, but most of what they play is solo.
The challenge with solo jazz guitar is getting off that pick. Sounds like you are already there.
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Originally Posted by emanresu
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