The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hello,

    I'm new to the guitar and to playing music in general.
    I listen to jazz a lot and always wanted to learn an instrument

    Does it make sense for a complete guitar beginner to start with jazz?
    Or do I need to learn pop or classical first to get a grasp of the basics?

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Get a teacher and you’ll be fine.

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by GregMil
    Hello,

    I'm new to the guitar and to playing music in general.
    I listen to jazz a lot and always wanted to learn an instrument

    Does it make sense for a complete guitar beginner to start with jazz?
    Or do I need to learn pop or classical first to get a grasp of the basics?

  5. #4

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    Everyone was once a beginner. Different learning curve and priority parameters. Pop and classical may be useful for proficiency skills but as Al Al says, a good teacher can help you realistically assess the skillset needed and it's just a matter of deciding whether you want to put in the work.
    Jazz assumes you have a myriad of skills before you can comfortably interpret and create the improvisational meat and potatoes of the genre.
    In jazz, your ear guides you through the territory that written and rote familiarization and memorization can take you through in other genres.

    You can do it if you want. It's very satisfying and the return on your effort is immeasurable.
    Welcome! (As citizen74 says so well!)

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    Everyone was once a beginner. Different learning curve and priority parameters. Pop and classical may be useful for proficiency skills but as Al Al says, a good teacher can help you realistically assess the skillset needed and it's just a matter of deciding whether you want to put in the work.
    Jazz assumes you have a myriad of skills before you can comfortably interpret and create the improvisational meat and potatoes of the genre.
    In jazz, your ear guides you through the territory that written and rote familiarization and memorization can take you through in other genres.

    You can do it if you want. It's very satisfying and the return on your effort is immeasurable.
    Welcome! (As citizen74 says so well!)

    ALL OF THIS.
    Can't stress enough that :
    - focused listening to the music you love and want to understand
    - experiencing, absorbing the music LIVE
    - find others who you can exchange ideas with, try out things, learn interplay etc.
    - no need to cover all the styles - eventually you'll know what you like best and what comes easiest for you
    - every journey begins with the first step and this one will never end ....

    A good (experienced+prepared) teacher will guide you, supply you with technical skills and routines and hopefully will kick you in the shins when you
    don't practice enough ;-)
    Welcome and enjoy the ride !

  7. #6

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    yes

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by pingu
    yes
    Welcome, Greg!

    I grew up with rock and/or roll, and when I told my (non-musician) parents I wanted to learn guitar as a kid, they "forced" me to learn classical, so I'd "learn all the notes." I ended up getting a degree in classical guitar, and didn't really start studying jazz until later. I believe, however, I learned more about the guitar, theory, and of course, improvisation, studying jazz, and this was after playing the instrument for over 10 years!

    So, as Pingu eloquently stated, "Yes," you can start off an on instrument focusing on the jazz idiom -- and have fun!!!

    Marc

  9. #8

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    If you want to play jazz, being a beginner is perfect, because you 'll learn everything the right way for jazz on the guitar, and you won't have to unlearn things that come from other music idioms. Cheers!

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by GregMil
    Hello,

    I'm new to the guitar and to playing music in general.
    I listen to jazz a lot and always wanted to learn an instrument

    Does it make sense for a complete guitar beginner to start with jazz?
    Or do I need to learn pop or classical first to get a grasp of the basics?
    It makes total sense. Now I would start with a jazz blues since one only has to learn one chord grip (voicing) and one scale.

    Then build on that. You don't even need a teacher; you can get all you need at this forum! (and I don't recommend a teacher until one has the basics down).

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by GregMil
    I'm new to the guitar and to playing music in general.
    Alright !!

    Here's some good news: Some of this stuff is easy.
    Here's some interesting news: The stuff that's easy varies from person to person.

    So there's nothing to be afraid of. It's not like your fingers will fall off if you make a mistake or something.

    Grab a guitar, sit down with another beginner and start listening.
    Find what comes easily and develop it.
    Find what needs work and work on it.
    Start playing with people. Keep playing with people. There is no substitute for time spent playing with people.

    Quote Originally Posted by GregMil
    Does it make sense for a complete guitar beginner to start with jazz?
    Or do I need to learn pop or classical first to get a grasp of the basics?
    With luck you will be on this path for a long time (both in hours and in years).
    That means "what makes sense" is to spend that time with what lights you up!

    If jazz fascinates you, have at it.
    If pop draws you in, don't feel like you "have to play jazz so you can go play pop."

    Spend the time with what you enjoy and don't ever lose sight of the joy!
    That feeling is the answer. It will steer you right all the time.

  12. #11

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    Of course. I am doing it at the moment, starting from the same spot as you descirbe. Get a good teacher as there is a bit to learn on the way, getting guidance smooths the ride. An in person teacher can be good for some things, and on line teacher with a well organized web site which may be used for reference is very good for volume and back reference. Matt Warnoch has a good one, my only association is I learn there myself, no other affiliation. Good luck.

  13. #12

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    There is no question that a good teacher will give you the CORRECT basics that will prevent you from future injuries or bad habits that will limit your progress. The guitar is very easy to play simple things on, but very difficult to master, especially in jazz. Monthly lesson with an experienced player for your first 6 months or so will get you on the right path, whether it's in person or on line where the teacher can see your playing on the screen.

  14. #13

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    When I started 3 and half years ago, I took weekly lessons. But that’s me - I tend to get excited easily

    I am now on biweekly mode… The more I learn, the more difficult it seems to get. Basics are relatively easy.

  15. #14

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    You can definately do it. When you struggle, and we all struggle learning Jazz. Take a break and play for yourself. I'm 63 and I still Love to play along with my favorite Punk/Garage Band/Blues CD's etc. I posted in another thread about Mark Levine. In his theory book he writes, Jazz is 1% magic and 99% learnable. That's the short version of what he wrote.

    You'll find that Jazz becomes a life long pursute. Most forms of jazz are not as complicated as you may think. Don't become overwhelmed by trying to learn too much at first, ie. stay off of YT for a while!

    There's a lot of information on the main page of this website that would find helpful.

    HAVE FUN

  16. #15

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    No, I think you can learn jazz straight away. As always the caveat, I don’t know what your idea of “jazz” is and what you want to play. Let’s assume for a moment that what you want is to be playing music where you know “yeah, that sounds like jazz” and your listeners feel, without you having to tell them, “hmm, sounds like jazz!” You don’t need to learn pop or classical first. I feel one of the reasons people start with “pop” is that it’s “easy” in the sense that there aren’t many chords in a pop tune (for the most part) and the chords that are there are simple (for the most part); this is a fine place to stop your learning if that’s all you want to accomplish and have a lot of fun doing it. I will say that being a jazz player, I can pick up most “pop” tunes by ear within minutes because my music and fretboard knowledge is strong; so, you can “back your way” into easier stuff later without problems. There’s a reason that the tv and movie studios called in jazz musicians in the 50s and 60s to do all their studio work; they were the best musicians and they could pick up almost anything on the fly (look up the Wikipedia page for “the wrecking crew”). I will say this though, I think you’d get a lot of mileage out of first doing the following:
    - learn the CAGED chords in open position and then learn how to move them up and down the neck; practice slowly, work on your tone by being a harsh critic of your own sound. If you can’t play these chords cleanly, you won’t sound good trying to play more demanding chords. Plenty of YouTube vids on the CAGED Method
    - spend a good amount of time learning a basic 12 bar blues progression in the keys of C, Bb, Eb, Db, F, and G. Learn to play 6th chords when you are on the “1” and dom7th and 9th chords when you are on the “4” and “5” chords. This will do 3 things for you:
    1) you’ll learn a bit about song form; jazz standards all have a particular “form” to their chord progressions, and you’ll want to be familiar with this concept
    2) you’ll learn some basic “jazz chord” language with those 6th, dom7, and 9th chords. You don’t want to be learning 13flat9 chords, for example, from the beginning both from a cognitive and finger dexterity standpoint. You need some reference points!
    3) you’ll be able to go out and play live at some blues jams, which is a great way to start playing “out there” with other decent musicians

    - I would argue that your next steps would be to then
    1) listen to great early jazz solos; nowhere better to start than with Charlie Christian; he invented it all. Wes Montgomery started by learning all of his solos note for note and according to at least one Wes interview I’ve read, he initially got gigs where he was simply playing CC solos note for note while performing!
    2) jazz guitar started somewhere. It started in the late 20s and through the 30s with ex-banjo players picking up this newfangled guitar thing and finding ways to make themselves useful in big bands, small group settings, and as accompanists. There’s a guy named Matt Munisteri - a real living legend - who has a course called “roots of jazz guitar” on a site called PegHead Nation. It’s $20/month for unlimited access to a ton of lessons. He teaches everything from big band and small group ensemble rhythm playing to theory, to selected pieces where he’ll teach you a chord melody version of a popular standard…but he tells you WHY and HOW these early chord harmonies work and how to reproduce them on your own on the fly. Maybe you want yo play like Pat Martino or Jim Hall or Pat Metheny eventually, but ALL of those guys did the work of learning this early stuff and it’s a lot of fun!

    best,
    -J

  17. #16

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    Get a good teacher for jazz. An important concept to keep in mind is that there are musical concepts and there are guitar specific concepts. Most of the real jazz player can play piano, as most all of the 'pop' music before the 80's was arranged in piano , and still is for the most part.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by shubej01
    No, I think you can learn jazz straight away. As always the caveat, I don’t know what your idea of “jazz” is and what you want to play. Let’s assume for a moment that what you want is to be playing music where you know “yeah, that sounds like jazz” and your listeners feel, without you having to tell them, “hmm, sounds like jazz!” You don’t need to learn pop or classical first. I feel one of the reasons people start with “pop” is that it’s “easy” in the sense that there aren’t many chords in a pop tune (for the most part) and the chords that are there are simple (for the most part); this is a fine place to stop your learning if that’s all you want to accomplish and have a lot of fun doing it. I will say that being a jazz player, I can pick up most “pop” tunes by ear within minutes because my music and fretboard knowledge is strong; so, you can “back your way” into easier stuff later without problems. There’s a reason that the tv and movie studios called in jazz musicians in the 50s and 60s to do all their studio work; they were the best musicians and they could pick up almost anything on the fly (look up the Wikipedia page for “the wrecking crew”). I will say this though, I think you’d get a lot of mileage out of first doing the following:
    - learn the CAGED chords in open position and then learn how to move them up and down the neck; practice slowly, work on your tone by being a harsh critic of your own sound. If you can’t play these chords cleanly, you won’t sound good trying to play more demanding chords. Plenty of YouTube vids on the CAGED Method
    - spend a good amount of time learning a basic 12 bar blues progression in the keys of C, Bb, Eb, Db, F, and G. Learn to play 6th chords when you are on the “1” and dom7th and 9th chords when you are on the “4” and “5” chords. This will do 3 things for you:
    1) you’ll learn a bit about song form; jazz standards all have a particular “form” to their chord progressions, and you’ll want to be familiar with this concept
    2) you’ll learn some basic “jazz chord” language with those 6th, dom7, and 9th chords. You don’t want to be learning 13flat9 chords, for example, from the beginning both from a cognitive and finger dexterity standpoint. You need some reference points!
    3) you’ll be able to go out and play live at some blues jams, which is a great way to start playing “out there” with other decent musicians

    - I would argue that your next steps would be to then
    1) listen to great early jazz solos; nowhere better to start than with Charlie Christian; he invented it all. Wes Montgomery started by learning all of his solos note for note and according to at least one Wes interview I’ve read, he initially got gigs where he was simply playing CC solos note for note while performing!
    2) jazz guitar started somewhere. It started in the late 20s and through the 30s with ex-banjo players picking up this newfangled guitar thing and finding ways to make themselves useful in big bands, small group settings, and as accompanists. There’s a guy named Matt Munisteri - a real living legend - who has a course called “roots of jazz guitar” on a site called PegHead Nation. It’s $20/month for unlimited access to a ton of lessons. He teaches everything from big band and small group ensemble rhythm playing to theory, to selected pieces where he’ll teach you a chord melody version of a popular standard…but he tells you WHY and HOW these early chord harmonies work and how to reproduce them on your own on the fly. Maybe you want yo play like Pat Martino or Jim Hall or Pat Metheny eventually, but ALL of those guys did the work of learning this early stuff and it’s a lot of fun!

    best,
    -J

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by longuy90
    Get a good teacher for jazz. An important concept to keep in mind is that there are musical concepts and there are guitar specific concepts. Most of the real jazz player can play piano, as most all of the 'pop' music before the 80's was arranged in piano , and still is for the most part.

  20. #19

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    12 Chromatic notes for any Octave in Western Music.
    Irrespective of the Genre or style.

    The sequence or combination they are played, timing and timbre is the only thing that differentiates the styles or Genre. Jazz is one of them.

    Pick a sound in your head as a destination and aim for it!
    But get good advise on how to build up to that destination. A Good Teacher is one way to do that and probably the most efficient way.


    Cheers
    EMike.

  21. #20

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    Hmmm, I'm not sure about this one.
    The thing that will motivate you to stick with it will be when you actually learn to play something that sounds reasonable and like the record. You will certainly do this quicker and with less sweat and tears if you try learning Sweet Home Alabama instead of some jazz stuff.

    But on the flipside as people say, music is music and whilst I think a lot of players ( like myself ) move to jazz after getting the rock and blues nailed I don't see any reason u could not succeed going straight to jazz.

    BUT! What if you're sat round a campfire and someone says 'play sweet home alabama and u say 'i can't but check out giant steps.....', ur gonna look like a bit of a weirdo!

  22. #21

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    Stay away from camp fires. I wasted a lot of time and money learning songs I did not enjoy, because teachers and publishers had decided budding guitarists should learn by faithfully copying the guitar parts of classic rock songs. If you don't want to play Hotel California, learning it by rote is of no value. Learning the fretboard, the scales and the chords, on the other hand, is useful for whatever style you choose.

    I can see no harm in learning the basics of technique and theory, then learning jazz. I think you might find the free resources on this site very useful. You could then buy the more advanced lessons.

  23. #22

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    Camp or beach fires are nice, many of my best times in life have occurred round them.

    Nah, I'm not saying the dude needs to be a reasonable rock player b4 getting onto jazz, but my personal opinion is that b4 going down the route of any particular style of music, a guitarist is best off nailing open chord strumming on a good honest acoustic. Spend 6 months messing about with the usual G,C,D Aminor, etc, and get the hang of bar chords, THEN go down what ever more advanced route u fancy.

    "A guitar is for life, not just for jazz"..... ( me 2022)
    Last edited by KingKong; 03-20-2022 at 07:25 PM.

  24. #23

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    Re camp fires:

    The music I play is not mainstream and my non-musician friends find it a bit odd.

    I’ve found it very useful to have 4 or 5 campfire songs in your rep that you can strum and sing from memory. This can bring a lot of joy to a group setting and somehow makes my oddball music more tolerable for others.

  25. #24

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    Can a beginner learn jazz guitar?


    Of course, providing it's started simply. In fact it's not a bad idea.

  26. #25

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    I have wanted to do a group jazz guitar lesson for kids with no musical background and see if they can learn one song (and one new chord) per week.

    The first song would be Well You Needn't with chords from the Real Book. Actually, chord singular; the entire song is the 7th chord. Guitars would be tuned so "all open" is the chord in question.