anyone know of a book on playing octaves?

**Reg** · 07-01-2014, 02:24 PM

Yea using the 3rd finger for the lower 4 strings and 4th finger for upper two strings works great... I used that method when I started, but changed because I believed I could control the distance between the frets with less movement and eliminate changing between 3rd and 4th finger easier with just 4th finger. Obviously any method would have worked for Wes. But being just a mortal I needed all the help I could get.

Looks like Morten has cleaned up his act, I always enjoy his approach

**daveg** · 07-01-2014, 03:20 PM

I started trying to plays melodies in Octaves back in the sixties long before Wes' Book came out. His recordings didn't make it obvious which left hand fingers he was using

.

But I started and continued to use one and four on the left hand just as Reg does. I still do. Reg does it very well. Sometimes the fourth finger adjusting to the change of string sets will produce an attractive slur.

Incidentally, playing octaves for Wes was something of an accident. He found that tuning in Octaves was pretty accurate and this developed into playing melodies.

DG

**PMB** · 07-03-2014, 06:42 PM

[QUOTE=But what is the deal with adding another note, say a fifth? I've read that Benson (and others) did this. Is that also a 'just start' thing or is there a foundation one needs to build on?[/QUOTE]

Benson certainly turned it into a signature guitar sound although my guess is that he picked up the octave plus fifth approach from the block chord technique of pianist Red Garland.

richb2, do you visually follow just one finger when playing octaves? I know some players get confused when trying to keep track of both.

**2bornot2bop** · 07-04-2014, 05:42 PM

Wes' book was released in the 60's. It's a hard find, but I have a copy. And yes, octave instruction is step 1 of the book.

Octaves are prominently discussed in the Artist Transcriptions book as well:

Wes Montgomery Montgomery Wes CRT 0793531403 | eBay

**MarkRhodes** · 07-04-2014, 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop

Wes' book was released in the 60's. It's a hard find, but I have a copy. And yes, octave instruction is step 1 of the book.

Neat. How good is the book? (I know Was was a monster player, but not all great guitarists pen great method books. I hadn't heard of this one.)

**docbop** · 07-04-2014, 11:05 PM

Steve Kahn wrote a book of Wes' transcriptions and analysis.

The Wes Montgomery Guitar Folio: Improvisations and Interpretations: Steve Kahn: 9781562240943: Amazon.com: Books

**Moonray** · 07-05-2014, 01:16 AM

Mark,

The Wes Montgomery Guitar Method mentioned above was kind of ghost written
by Jimmy Stewart [not that Jimmy Stewart]....the guitarist/teacher in LA.

I got my copy sometime in late '68 ...Just after Wes died.
I remember having mixed feelings everytime I got the book out I'd be
excited at the prospect of learning a few more nuggets of Wes' playing but
feeling devastated at the loss of my hero.

Anyway the book has a foreword "A Word From Wes" just three paragraphs
on Wes' thoughts about the importance of learning from the heritage, surroundings
and the accepted masters.
Then it has page of photos of Wes' RH from various angles with a short description
of a few finer points of the technique.

Then it's a few pages of exercises and drawings of the LH approach to playing 8ves.
[Incidentally, the fingerings for the 6-4 and 5-3 strings is 1 and 3]
Presumably Wes would have OK'd that.

Double 8ves are discussed too and then on to a short chapter on chord solo playing
and another on "Improvisation in the Style of Wes Montgomery" with four studies
based on Laura, Green Dolphin Street, Lara's Theme and the theme from Valley of the Dolls.
They explore single line, 8ve and chord melody styles and I remember finding that part of the
book to be a real help at the time......there being almost nothing for would be jazz guitarists
in the 60's.....Like ...OK I've been through Mickey Baker 1 & 2....I'm trying to lift stuff off the
few LP's I had........Help....

The studies would seem to have been written by Stewart.

Finally, the big pay off....30 odd pages of transcribed solos from Wes' recordings.

These days so much info is available that most of the above has been well covered on this
very site over the years.
Also, I'm pretty sure that Stewart's transcriptions were subsequently republished in a different
format....sort of the "unauthorized" version.

As was said earlier it'd be a difficult find and probably costly.
I somehow have lost my original copy but still have a weather beaten p/copy that occaisionally
gets hauled out.

Reminds me of good times......Ah to be young.

**henryrobinett** · 07-05-2014, 01:55 AM

I don't understand why anyone would need a book to teach octave playing. Sometimes I think folk are just too anal and will do anything besides playing the guitar. Just play octaves. There are only a few shapes. You don't need a book.

**MarkRhodes** · 07-05-2014, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by Moonray

Mark,

The Wes Montgomery Guitar Method mentioned above was kind of ghost written
by Jimmy Stewart [not that Jimmy Stewart]....the guitarist/teacher in LA.

Reminds me of good times......Ah to be young.

Thanks for the rundown. I appreciate that. I had heard of the musician Jimmy Stewart--author of Mel Bay's Complete Jazz Guitarist---but I don't think I've worked through any of his material.

As for the Mickey Baker book, Volume 1, I can't say that I'm done with it yet!

**monk** · 07-05-2014, 12:04 PM

This book was ghost-written by Jimmy Stewart with input from Wes. The instructional sections on octaves, double octaves, block chords and single string playing are brief. The transcriptions from Wes' recordings are accurate and more in depth.

**2bornot2bop** · 07-05-2014, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

Neat. How good is the book? (I know Was was a monster player, but not all great guitarists pen great method books. I hadn't heard of this one.)

It's as good as any I've seen produced since '68. This was penned shortly after his passing. The transcriptions are accurate to the recording.

**2bornot2bop** · 07-05-2014, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by docbop

Steve Kahn wrote a book of Wes' transcriptions and analysis.

The Wes Montgomery Guitar Folio: Improvisations and Interpretations: Steve Kahn: 9781562240943: Amazon.com: Books

I own Kahn's book in the 4th edition...that's the latest if I'm not mistaken. No octave material other than the solo of West Coast Blues. Great book though!

**monk** · 07-05-2014, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop

It's as good as any I've seen produced since '68. This was penned shortly after his passing. The transcriptions are accurate to the recording.

The book was written before Wes' death. Jimmy Stewart has spoken in interviews of discussing the material in the book with Wes and Wes' fascination with seeing his playing on paper.

**2bornot2bop** · 07-05-2014, 09:31 PM

Really? But not published until 1968?

**richb2** · 07-05-2014, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by PMB

Benson certainly turned it into a signature guitar sound although my guess is that he picked up the octave plus fifth approach from the block chord technique of pianist Red Garland.

richb2, do you visually follow just one finger when playing octaves? I know some players get confused when trying to keep track of both.

Yes, I follow the pointer finger (no, not THAT point finger!). The Mock book just came. Don is basically telling us to play arps but with octaves. He also shows the harmonic minor in octaves (seems to be one of Don's favorites) and then also the melodic minor. It helps to just know I am on the right track. It was definately worth $9.95.