Is this the single most useful video of all time?

[Kirk Garrett]

The way he provides a broader context for learning chords seems unequalled in a single video.

[Reg]

Yea, it's great... Jens is great. And the organization is straight ahead, very good.

But... generally most of the voicings are not what one would play. They are a basic fretboard awareness tools.
If they work and help one get their fretboard awareness together... sure maybe one of the many most useful guitar vids of all time.

Personally I've always admired Jens and his vids.

Did the vid help?

[Kirk Garrett]

Yea, it's great... Jens is great. And the organization is straight ahead, very good.

But... generally most of the voicings are not what one would play. They are a basic fretboard awareness tools.
If they work and help one get their fretboard awareness together... sure maybe one of the many most useful guitar vids of all time.

Personally I've always admired Jens and his vids.

Dig the vid help?

The video seems clear that not all the voicings are equally playable. What helps me is getting the big picture from 40,000 feet, about how and why there are so many different voicings and how to prioritize among them.

While I’m happy for an experienced player to recommend a specific route to a destination, what’s better is seeing a map of the wider area beforehand.

It’s also helpful that he provides all the various labels for these different classifications of chords and grips.

In short, comprehensive is good.

[Reg]

Hey Kirk..

Again ...I like all Jens vids.

But it's not really comprehensive , just a starting point. It opens the door to becoming aware of how to create voicings with basic musical organization. One of many starting points... to develop understandings of how to mechanically develop voicings with reference to a harmonic Reference.

There are more Harmonic References and then at some point one needs to begin to understand how to use the voicings in contexts.

Again... the vid is great. The labels are what they are... it's a business and Jens is one of the better at it.

[Kirk Garrett]

Hey Kirk..

Again ...I like all Jens vids.

But it's not really comprehensive , just a starting point. It opens the door to becoming aware of how to create voicings with basic musical organization. One of many starting points... to develop understandings of how to mechanically develop voicings with reference to a harmonic Reference.

There are more Harmonic References and then at some point one needs to begin to understand how to use the voicings in contexts.

Again... the vid is great. The labels are what they are... it's a business and Jens is one of the better at it.

Let’s call it “lay of the land”, then. I haven’t seen another single video that quite achieves it the way this one does. If you know of another, please post it because I love having an overview in one place that addresses the terms posters in this forum fling around, like “drop 2”, “drop 3”, “shell”, and so forth. This video not only covers those topics quickly, but (most importantly) relates them to one another and to the other categories / ways of thinking about chords.

[Reg]

That's kind of the point. The terminology is from arranging techniques and slang guitar language. And builds off limited starting references.

The voicings are not the Ultimate Guide to Jazz chords. It's a starting point for learning mechanical voicing techniques. A starting point for learning the Fretboard with a reference.

But OK call it the lay of the land on this forum. At least for many.

I don't watch many vids.... so I'm probable missing a lot.

[Schwoop]

Just my two cents: I think the video is a helpful resource if you start out trying to learn jazz chords, but as every educational material, it doesn't do the actual work for you. But together with some paper, a pen and some time, I'm sure its very helpful. Is it the single most useful video of all time? Maybe to someone, but not to me

With regards to jazz chords on the guitar, I don't think anymore that there is one right way to teach it. The best any teacher can do is to give a student some initial ground to stand on. The more introductions to jazz chords on the guitar I see, the more I say to myself: "Yeah, that's one way to get started - it wouldn't be my way to go about it, but it sure will work for someone."

In general, Jens' content continues to be hit my sweet spot between practicing and procrastinating.

[princeplanet]

...
In general, Jens' content continues to be hit my sweet spot between practicing and procrastinating.

There's a sweet spot?

[Schwoop]

There's a sweet spot?

Oh yeah, its called edutainment and its pretty sticky stuff...

Unless of course Guitar is not your day job. Then practice might just beprocrastination. It sure is for me sometimes.

[ruger9]

While I’m happy for an experienced player to recommend a specific route to a destination, what’s better is seeing a map of the wider area beforehand.

.

I'm with you on this. Concentrating on one thing, like "learn all your 9th chords", is difficult for me... or even more myopic "learn how to build chords"... unless I can see the "big picture", I don't "get it". As soon as I see the "big picture", everything comes much easier to me.

For example, I know what a 7th or 9th chord IS, and how to build it, but using it in context is a different story (I'm not talking about reading a chord chart, if the chart says play C9, I play C9). It's like the data is almost useless unless I immediately use it in context. I guess I just learn better that way.

When I see the "right" video/lesson (like the video in the OP is a good example), it's "Darmok, his eyes open!"

[pamosmusic]

My candidate for most useful video of all time is any one where Christian has occasion to use the proper French pronunciation of “Rameau.”

[Reg]

Yea some great comments, thanks.... I'm still smiling.

So... personally I know many amateur guitarist are lazy... or I should say, want to enjoy playing etc. So not lazy just want to have a more recreational approach to learning how to play jazz or just playing guitar in general.

But why not actually learn context when learning technical skills on the guitar?

Is it most amateurs don't care, don't know.... teachers don't know.

I mean...playing jazz is more fun the better you get.

ruger9...said he knows how to play a 7th and 9th chord. Is it really that much more to understand what that Chord can imply. Which will tell you how to use that chord in different contexts.

[ruger9]

ruger9...said he knows how to play a 7th and 9th chord. Is it really that much more to understand what that Chord can imply. Which will tell you how to use that chord in different contexts.

It's not, which is the point: teachers (or books, or videos) should do exactly that. It's like having a "jazz chord bible" with a thousand chords in it, but you don't know how to use them.

[jameslovestal]

Yea, it's great... Jens is great. And the organization is straight ahead, very good.

But... generally most of the voicings are not what one would play. They are a basic fretboard awareness tools.
If they work and help one get their fretboard awareness together... sure maybe one of the many most useful guitar vids of all time.

Personally I've always admired Jens and his vids.

Did the vid help?

I saw all the common 6 and 5 string root voicings as well as shell voicings. Bruce Forman and I talked about this in the workshop I went to in Cambia last week. He dismissed the overall notion of "voicing are not what one would play". Learn songs and if those 6 and 5 string root voicings are what you know play them (instead of focusing on learning many more "voicings one should play" instead of songs).

Bruce also added "don't forget those 4 string root voicings" (i.e. don't get too limited). The overall point being do not let learning technique distract from learning songs. Instead improve and advance one's technique via songs.

I think this is great advice for the mid-level amateur musician. (Verses something along the lines of "well the pros don't use those voicings".

[Reg]

I saw all the common 6 and 5 string root voicings as well as shell voicings. Bruce Forman and I talked about this in the workshop I went to in Cambia last week. He dismissed the overall notion of "voicing are not what one would play". Learn songs and if those 6 and 5 string root voicings are what you know play them (instead of focusing on learning many more "voicings one should play" instead of songs).

Bruce also added "don't forget those 4 string root voicings" (i.e. don't get too limited). The overall point being do not let learning technique distract from learning songs. Instead improve and advance one's technique via songs.

I think this is great advice for the mid-level amateur musician. (Verses something along the lines of "well the pros don't use those voicings".

yea... I agree, I remember Bruce back in the early 80's or late 70's with Richie and gigs in north bay... those were great years...

My point was that the vid is about learning how to create voicings from harmonic references and developing them diatonically on the guitar Fretboard...

Learning songs is like obvious, at least I've always thought it was.

Technical skill are the BS work and applying those skill or integrating those technical skills into your Performance skills practice and into songs is the goal.

It seems to happen quicker when they are separated for practice at least when scheduling etc..