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Hey guys, big fan of Jazz but never had the courage to play, I feel like I wouldn't be good enough. So the other day listening to Autumn Leaves, I decided to take a leap of faith and just try to play it. To my surprise, not bad. I am a good player for a person who hasn't ever played Jazz.
I'm an acoustic enthusiast but now started to be fond of Jazz too. At this point in life I can not afford a Jazz guitar, but I do own several acoustics which I absolutely love! One 12 String, and 9 6String models.
So do you guys have any recommendations where to find some free lessons for Jazz on acoustic guitars?
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08-01-2024 10:40 AM
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Jazz is music, not gear-- you can absolutely do it on an acoustic. In fact, I spend at least 75% of my practice time on acoustic.
No need for any special "acoustic " lessons, just jump right in!
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That's a sign of relief! I was so scared if I can go down the path. I love how the algorithm works nowadays. You search something on google once and you're flooded with ads and tutorials on your phone. Thanks man. So what acoustics do you own?
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Sounds great on an acoustic guitar. My knockaround guitar is an ancient (1974 I think?) Yamaha O-size acoustic guitar. Jazz sounds awesome on something with a nice percussive vibe. Play some shell chords on that sucker and you're off to the races.
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Jazz guitar started unamplified with guys like Eddie Lang and Django Reinhardt.When i am home i play my archtops acoustically probably 75 percent of the time.
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There are many, many Jazz guitarists that have used a flat top guitar for their music. You might want to check out Gabor Szabo, a Hungarian guitarist that sounds wonderful on his Martin. Looks like he used a soundhole pickup for amplification.
As others have stated, you don't need a "Jazz Guitar" to play the music. I would only add that you might be more comfortable playing the instrument you already own that has low action on the higher frets, as a lot of flat tops I've encountered are higher action around the 12th fret. Just makes things a little easier for me, but it may make no difference to you.
Find your own voice with what you have available, or as we used to say in the motorcycle racing world...run what ya brung! With that approach, you will be better able to determine what direction to go with a new guitar.
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Might help a bit if you have an acoustic with a cut away for those high notes! :-)
Doug
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If you manage to get a good sound on an acoustic guitar you will never have problems to get a good sound on an electric.
Flattops with cutaway are ugly IMHO.
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If I can hammer out jazz on a resonator, you can do same with any guitar. There's all sorts of advice here but IMO, there's no substitute for a good teacher to kickstart you.
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IMHO you don't need specific lessons to learn to play jazz on an acoustic (with teachers, at most you'll need one who accepts that you play what you play). The size of your collection suggests you've been playing for a while and thus know what kind of sounds you like, and how to achieve them. The lessons you're looking for are to hearn to play the music, not the instrument.
Originally Posted by Chris Brown
(But I agree with the implicit message: a purely electric plank guitar is really a different instrument
)
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You can play jazz on anything. The key word is jazz, not the instrument.
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I’ve used my Taylor 712-CE for jazz at home and playing out. String choice made a difference. It feels and sounds a lot better for jazz after putting on a set of Thomastik-Infeld Plectrum 11s which have flat wound 3-5 and a heavier round wound 6.
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Check out, for example, Ralph Towner, he plays jazz, superbly, on piano and acoustic guitars (including 12 string and classical nylon string).
From min. 4:30
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I have played an O-size a couple of years back. Good guitar I'd say! Originally Posted by pamosmusic
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Yea, I spent the whole night searching for lessons, and listening to artists. Gabor Szabo crossed my search too. Yea, I can't buy a new Jazz but I did spend time learning it all night. I like to strum so I do have low action set on my flat tops. Thank you so much Originally Posted by SierraTango
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I can proudly say I play very well on the acoustics but yeah, everyone likes what they like. No questions asked Originally Posted by Bop Head
So what are your favorite models?
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Yes, exactly. I just need lessons, found some super cool ones on YouTube. I'll be practicing on those today. Let's see how it goes. Originally Posted by RJVB
IMHO you don't need specific lessons to learn to play jazz on an acoustic (with teachers, at most you'll need one who accepts that you play what you play). The size of your collection suggests you've been playing for a while and thus know what kind of sounds you like, and how to achieve them. The lessons you're looking for are to hearn to play the music, not the instrument.
(But I agree with the implicit message: a purely electric plank guitar is really a different instrument)
I have a strong grip on acoustics, I was just maybe scared to move to a new path in music
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Oh my! That is so good! Originally Posted by frabarmus
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I have the model I could afford ten years ago -- a Walden dreadnaught. "Designed in USA, built in China". 400 EUR. At my girlfriend's place I play her Hohner parlor size guitar. Favorites? I try to make any instrument good that gets into my hands. Originally Posted by Chris Brown
I can proudly say I play very well on the acoustics but yeah, everyone likes what they like. No questions asked So what are your favorite models?
EDIT: The newer Walden models (not mine) have as an interesting feature not only a trussrod but the necks are double reinforced with glass fibres.
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You can certainly learn jazz on a flatop, but it has it's limitations. To learn the jazz vocabulary you have to learn the scale and chord positions up & down the neck. That tends to be physically more difficult with a typical flatop's neck and action. The tone profile is another drawback, oriented towards open chord voicings, bright (twangy) treble, "scooped" mids, and sustain, which is kind of the opposite of an archtop.
I used to play Martin dreads, great instruments, but they tended to distract me towards what they were designed for, "roots' music, fingerpicking, etc. Now I have a Gibson J50 that I use for acoustic music, and mostly archtop for jazz, chord melody, etc.
An inexpensive solidbody might be a better compromise, for playability and jazz tone, like a Tele or Les Paul copy.
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I don’t know about this. My Santa Cruz OM sounds its best not in open positions but well up the neck. No “scooped mids.” Originally Posted by JGinNJ
I’d say it depends on the flat top. They’re not all the same. My dread is a totally different machine.
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