The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hey everyone,

    I have recently started the book A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt.

    Just thought that it would be great to create a new study group for year 2022.

    I am going to officially select exercises and pages weekly and practice, from 18th of July.

    Please don't forget to buy the book with DVD. Videos are really helpful, and writing your notes from vidoes on your book would be really useful.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ehsankhfr
    Hey everyone,

    I have recently started the book A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt.

    Just thought that it would be great to create a new study group for year 2022.

    I am going to officially select exercises and pages weekly and practice, from 18th of July.

    Please don't forget to buy the book with DVD. Videos are really helpful, and writing your notes from vidoes on your book would be really useful.
    I am interested I have the book, (without DVD) already. how are you thinking the study group would work?

  4. #3

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    Interested.

  5. #4
    Hi, thanks everyone for your interest!

    No worries at all if you're missing the DVD.

    My plan is to select few exercises per week, and during the week we can support each other here, with :
    • Discussing our challenges
    • Sharing recorded videos or audio (if you're interested!)
    • Sharing any interesting content
    • or, anything helpful


    I'm also thinking to put some long-term goals, which we can all decide on!

    Before anything, if you like, we can introduce ourselves briefly to each other:
    I'm Ehsan, living in the UK. I've got an Ibanez es93fm. It's been my dream to play Jazz phrases in my mind with guitar, and I'm sure I can do it someday soon


    My suggested plan for the first week:



    Please try to play them all with less possible amount of mistakes. It's ok to have some mistakes, as it takes time to have enough precision and strength in our fingers.
    We'll try to review all exercises later.

    I'm also thinking about playing the Autumn Leaves as our first long-term goal: https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/autum...lody-and-solo/

    Please let me know about your thoughts

    Let's start the next Exercises on July 26th

    Enjoy Jazz!

  6. #5
    Some of my notes and learnings from video and my practice:


    • Try to practice with tempo 60 BPM, as you feel more comfortable switch into 80 BPM.
    • Try to play the notes you see on the pages, rather than memorising them
    • Allow your eyes to drive your fingers on the fretboard, which means simply allow your brain to decide automatically which note should be played. It's kind of like feeling each note on the fretboard.
    • Try to play with in different positions. I've started doing a mixture of standing & sitting positions, just to feel more comfortable with what I practice and play.
    • The way to hold the guitar is important! Try to hold it with strap, exactly like the way video says, you'll get used to it in a few days!
    • I changed my string gauge from 11s into 9s(Ernie-Ball Super Slinky 9-42), just to help my fingers a bit to relax.
    • With more practice, I feel more comfortable! Ive started changing my metronome(Fender-Tune mobile app) sound from Beats into Funk/Rock rhythm, which makes practice more fun.


    Please feel free to share yours!

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ehsankhfr
    Hey everyone,

    I have recently started the book A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt.

    Just thought that it would be great to create a new study group for year 2022.

    I am going to officially select exercises and pages weekly and practice, from 18th of July.

    Please don't forget to buy the book with DVD. Videos are really helpful, and writing your notes from vidoes on your book would be really useful.
    Great idea! I started studying Volume 1 about 4 years ago and been through it at least three times - and I still come back to various exercises with regularity for sight reading practice or to see if I've learned something new that changes my perspective on an exercise.

    I have a recently acquired left-handed Eastman AR372CEL - love it! I'm enamored with the Wegen jazz picks and played the Twin (2.5mm) for a couple years, and now I'm all in on the thicker Gypsy Jazz (3.5mm).

    Things I notice playing exercises 1-4 now - I can just look at the music. I can count, think the note name, and the triad name. I can discern the meaning of the exercise - when I first started it was just trying to get my fingers to work, what was actually happening was pretty opaque to me before. I still make mistakes - but my interest now is primarily making an exercise sound as musical as I can and keeping it going.

  8. #7

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    I have been playing a year and a bit and have in that time plugged through vols 1-2. Very much a ‘first pass’ and I need to go through again - so might be able to follow along with what you are doing and offer moral support if nothing else!

    For me the Leavitt materials are just so so cleverly put together.

    I am currently working on the ‘classical studies for pick style guitar’ and one of his chord melodies. The studies taught me in 5 mins I couldn’t string cross whilst picking - but plugging away at them has shown real improvement (within the context of my very limited ability)!

    So in short happy to contribute where I can - I am also in the UK - London hinterlands!
    Last edited by mcrmfc; 07-24-2022 at 11:51 AM.

  9. #8
    Hey everyone,

    Thanks again for your interest in this study group

    Hopefully everyone feels ready for another week of exercise! This week is more focused on how we can reuse and enjoy the chords and notes we learned in week-1 exercises.

    Our plan for this week will be to play Sea to Sea duet, which is after exercise 4 in the book. For videos of this duet, please refer back to week-1 post about how to find them.

    Playing three or two strings together might be a challenge... but it will take time to learn how to find the strings and how stop the movement of pick. Please remember many Jazz players have tackled the same challenges when they started... so, please try to focus and practice slowly till you feel confident.

    Enjoy playing the duet! Will start another set of exercises August 2nd.

  10. #9

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    Had a play through last night, here's my initial observations on revisiting this:


    • Leavitt is always teaching you multiple things at once e.g. how the chords change with minimal voice movement
    • Playing all the way through with no mistakes is hard (even if the piece 'seems' straightforward) - I certainly can't do it
    • Consistent note length in the melody and clean chords in the accompaniment (i.e. hitting only the 2 or 3 necessary strings with the pick) - make all the difference to how it sounds
    • Using a looper to duet with yourself is handy (i found laying down the melody line on the looper the easiest) - why don't more loopers have metronomes built in....


    I think maybe there's a Tomo Fujita video where he talks about these early exercises in the Modern Method and how not to be fooled - that actually playing them well isn't easy at all.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by mcrmfc
    Had a play through last night, here's my initial observations on revisiting this:

    • Consistent note length in the melody and clean chords in the accompaniment (i.e. hitting only the 2 or 3 necessary strings with the pick) - make all the difference to how it sounds


    Starting on the right note is definitely hard. But stopping the pick should be done via rest stroke, even for chords. It simplifies the problem and also leads to a stronger sound.

    David

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by mcrmfc
    I am currently working on the ‘classical studies for pick style guitar’ and one of his chord melodies. The studies taught me in 5 mins I couldn’t string cross whilst picking - but plugging away at them has shown real improvement (within the context of my very limited ability)!
    Definitely agree that the classical studies demonstrated that getting decent on the picking studies in the Method wasn't enough. Personally I found that I had to get a lot more picking material to improve - this is a good supplement https://www.melbay.com/Products/9378...technique.aspx

    Which chord melody are you working on? I found them online started on the first one and found it to be extremely good practice.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by swannod
    Which chord melody are you working on? I found them online started on the first one and found it to be extremely good practice.
    I chose Here’s that Rainy Day - beautiful arrangement - just getting the notes down at the moment which is all doable but getting it clean and flowing will be hard, great fun though

  14. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by mcrmfc
    Had a play through last night, here's my initial observations on revisiting this:


    • Leavitt is always teaching you multiple things at once e.g. how the chords change with minimal voice movement
    • Playing all the way through with no mistakes is hard (even if the piece 'seems' straightforward) - I certainly can't do it
    • Consistent note length in the melody and clean chords in the accompaniment (i.e. hitting only the 2 or 3 necessary strings with the pick) - make all the difference to how it sounds
    • Using a looper to duet with yourself is handy (i found laying down the melody line on the looper the easiest) - why don't more loopers have metronomes built in....


    I think maybe there's a Tomo Fujita video where he talks about these early exercises in the Modern Method and how not to be fooled - that actually playing them well isn't easy at all.
    Coming from a classical music background, I've also found Leavitt's method effective as can see it's about creating a good foundation, and gradually moving everything into the right place.
    Making mistake is great, seeing/noticing the mistakes is even greater. The book videos are really helpful, and I simply try to replicate what I see there, including how to hold guitar and ... it's just about how to create a foundation which later can become more flexible...

    Ah, you mentioned Tomo Fujita , I'm a fan of his slap technique on Strat

  15. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by swannod
    Definitely agree that the classical studies demonstrated that getting decent on the picking studies in the Method wasn't enough. Personally I found that I had to get a lot more picking material to improve - this is a good supplement https://www.melbay.com/Products/9378...technique.aspx

    Which chord melody are you working on? I found them online started on the first one and found it to be extremely good practice.
    Another book I found really helpful for picking is Guitar Exercises for Beginners: 10x Your Guitar Skills in 10 Minutes a
    – Guitar Head

  16. #15
    Hey everyone

    Hope everyone enjoyed playing Sea to Sea duet! I enjoyed how Leavitt has nicely shown us how to play is C Major scale, things like Triads and Intervals that we can at some point use in solos.

    This week we're about to extend the range of notes and chords we've learned. The exercises we're about to play this week are Exercises 5 to 8. For videos of these exercises, please refer back to week-1 post about how to find them.

    While moving into new exercises, please do not forget reviewing the previous exercises...

    Enjoy playing the new exercises! Will start another set of exciting exercises on August 9th, including Rhythm!
    Last edited by Ehsankhfr; 08-01-2022 at 06:06 PM.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ehsankhfr
    Our plan for this week will be to play Sea to Sea duet, which is after exercise 4 in the book. For videos of this duet, please refer back to week-1 post about how to find them.
    I was traveling so was a little late getting to this one. I fired up Logic and played this one at 120bpm. It took about 4-5 takes to get each part passable. It's good practice trying to find a decent guitar tone - one of my weaknesses. I don't think this was a success and happy to hear feedback about that part as well as anything else.
    Attached Files Attached Files

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ehsankhfr
    This week we're about to extend the range of notes and chords we've learned. The exercises we're about to play this week are Exercises 5 to 8. For videos of these exercises, please refer back to week-1 post about how to find them.
    Exercise 7 - just a quick one with iPhone memo app. No metronome, just trying to give a good 4-4 feel to the melody part.
    Attached Files Attached Files

  19. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by swannod
    I was traveling so was a little late getting to this one. I fired up Logic and played this one at 120bpm. It took about 4-5 takes to get each part passable. It's good practice trying to find a decent guitar tone - one of my weaknesses. I don't think this was a success and happy to hear feedback about that part as well as anything else.
    Honestly, it is great!
    I still have locked down my max tempo to 80bps, and 120bps is still my next aim.
    I really like sharing your performance, which is really encouraging for everyone.

  20. #19
    Hey everyone,

    We're about to start another week with new exercises! This week we will practice:
    • One, Two, Three, Four duet (Pages 10 & 11)
    • Rhythm Accompaniment (end of page 11)


    The free online videos are not provided for these exercises. Please buy a book with DVD, or buy the online/digital book provided in: A Modern Method for Guitar – Volume 1 - Book with More Than 14 Hours of Berklee Video Guitar Instruction - Guitar Method | Hal Leonard Online

    I also have access to videos, and will put any extra point here during the week.

    Enjoy Jazz

  21. #20
    Hey everyone,

    Few notes on how to practice, from what I've learned in practice and from the book videos:

    1. Analyse the every exercise and Duet part by part, and name each part and find the patterns and repetitions. It helps a lot when you play as you'll be aware of how and where you're moving with Pick movement.
    2. Never forget playing Legato, and practice slowly. Playing fast and Staccato won't help much!
    3. In the last exercise of page 11, which is about Chords, you can mute by making your fingers on fretboard loose, or putting your playing-hand on strings.


    I quite enjoyed how Leavitt has presented possibilities in C major scale.

    Considering the amount of progress we've made through the last few weeks, I would like suggest us having a week to focus and review all the exercises Pages 4 - 11.

    Please let me know if you'd like to have the next week as the review week.

  22. #21

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    Hoping this new thread doesn't lose momentum so giving it a push

    One thing I have learned is that as great as Volume 1 is - it can be a bit mysterious especially around triads which don't get explained until Volume 2, and there the exercises are good but perhaps a bit dry. William's Bay's Achieving Guitar Artistry - Triads is a great gap filler in this regard. Practicing that book has made these early pieces in Volume 1 seem more interesting than on my first few encounters.

    Using this knowledge I found it interesting to analyze One, Two, Three, Four on page 10/11.

    The 1st guitar verse progression (first 8 bars):

    C major 1st inversion, G7, C major 2nd inversion, F major 2nd inversion, G major, G7, F major, G7, F, G7, C major. The inversion choices are there to support the voice leading - giving the 1st guitar part a strong melodic element making it suitable to be played alone w/ interest.

    The 2nd guitar on the 1st bar just plays the notes of the triad with a 1-2-4 beat giving the piece a sort of lilting feel. In the fourth bar we have a D minor 7 arpeggio over the F major triad to give some some tension leading into the G/G7 measure.

    In the bridge section we have a voice exchange - very counter-point-y it seems?

    Technique wise I didn't find this one too challenging now - but I recall having trouble originally with the melody rhythm, the two note chords, and also G/G7 variants where all the notes are open except the top one, keeping the chord transition sound smooth & consistent was tough.

    Perhaps we can continue on this week with pages 12-13. I remember having a hard time with both the pages when I started out. I did especially like page 13, I think was a getting a bit bored - but page 13 is kind of the first proper solo chord melody thing in the book and that more or less got me hooked.

  23. #22

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    I just got the book to really dig in and practice my sight reading. I know it's not good, but when I turn on the metronome my sight reading gets really bad (just like my playing when I hit the record button).

    The biggest problem a lot of us have is, even us poor players, play so much better than these exercises. It's hard to stay motivated every day to sit down and work on dry stuff that feels very introductory. But it's what has to happen to get better. So I'm committing here to spend time 5 nights a week on this.

    Anyone else still working through the book...I know it's been a couple months.

  24. #23

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    Hey all,

    Coming from a rock background my reading was very poor. Then I took classical exams which includes sight reading!

    When I first started playing I bought volume 1 but it was the wrong book for me at the time since I was paying by ear and swapping riffs etc with friends ( how we did it in the olden days )

    So for the classical thing I bought the combined volume 1, 2 and 3 book and read every page of it marking which sections I liked the sound of then after reading through the book I went back and read those sections again.

    I'm currently working through volume 1 with 2 students. The duets are so much fun to play with another person.

    Incidentally I actually start my students with the Phase 1 & 2 books as they make more sense to someone that has never read before.

    Glad that you all are enjoying the book too.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by AaronMColeman
    Anyone else still working through the book...I know it's been a couple months.
    FWIW, I allocate about 15 minutes a day to work on MM Vol. 1. Some days I work on a new page, other days I just review a few pages. My only goal is to read a little every day. Currently, I'm stuck on page 72 (a tricky chord etude). I hope I live long enough to make it to page 124. Good luck to you!

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by AaronMColeman
    I just got the book to really dig in and practice my sight reading. I know it's not good, but when I turn on the metronome my sight reading gets really bad (just like my playing when I hit the record button).

    The biggest problem a lot of us have is, even us poor players, play so much better than these exercises. It's hard to stay motivated every day to sit down and work on dry stuff that feels very introductory. But it's what has to happen to get better. So I'm committing here to spend time 5 nights a week on this.

    Anyone else still working through the book...I know it's been a couple months.
    I still use it all the time. I stopped posting only because nobody was responding If folks want to try to pick this up again, I'm happy to join in.

    re: the chord etudes - as noted elsewhere these are really, really hard. I found it's useful to step away from them after some time and come back. They're a good indicator of how much progress has been made when you return. The chords etudes, arpeggios (with non-alternating picking) no longer seem impossible to me but they aren't that easy still.