The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    This just blew my mind... Check out 30 seconds into this video, where the guy is strumming and playing the melody at the same time:



    This, along with the Roy Smeck, The Wizard of the Strings video, made me realize that when it comes to strumming I'm a complete ignoramus. Need to get some schooling in the subject, and not just flail my right hand about in the general vicinity of the bridge.

    So, does this technique (strum+melody) have a name? How do you even begin to practice this?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    It's just finger style Latin. Gaining a little background in classical guitar will help you get there. Go for it!

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt
    It's just finger style Latin. Gaining a little background in classical guitar will help you get there. Go for it!
    Yeah, or flamenco! Rumbas and boleros on nylon string guitar you'd use very similar technique.

  5. #4

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    7 string guitar btw. Is it Russian/Gypsy guitar? Who else would make or use one?

  6. #5

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    Search Jake Reichbart, who post on this forum. I think he gives hand on lessons, too.

  7. #6

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    You mean like melody and strumming at the same time? I did take some classical guitar lessons back in the day (mostly learning some simple fingerstyle pieces and Giuliani-style arpeggios). But never saw this technique he is using, where he strums in the 2 and 4 while keeping the melody going. It looks like he is picking the melody with an inward curl of the i-m-a fingers, and strumming with an outward flick of same.

    First time I see this technique. Like turning Chet Atkins inside-out. Most cool -- with this and the Allan Reuss chord melody soloing lesson they posted in the Chord Melody section, you can get rid of all your bandmates oops did I just say that?

  8. #7

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    Egberto Gismonti?

  9. #8

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    Brazilian 7-string, 7th is a low B here, rest of guitar standard tuning. Flamenco rubato is closest to this style, although his is home-made with some country-western things included.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by ronjazz
    Brazilian 7-string, 7th is a low B here, rest of guitar standard tuning. Flamenco rubato is closest to this style, although his is home-made with some country-western things included.
    Cool, thanks for the info. That's very different from Russian 7 str one, where I found out it's usually open G tuning. I should've known, I'm Russian and I saw people play it, but never thought of what tuning they use.

  11. #10

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    He's really doing a combination of plucking and strumming mixed together.

    I hear some of the rumba - flamenco guitarists doing that.

    Regards,
    Steven Herron

  12. #11

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    Howard Alden Strums Four to the Floor and picks the melody on the upstrokes, I think it's a cool idea:



    watch from 2:30

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by ronjazz
    Flamenco rubato is closest to this style, although his is home-made with some country-western things included.
    Yes, I had never seen this type of technique (I'm not a super-expert in classical guitar, of course). It's kind of the complement to the 1 and 5 on the bass that Chet Atkins plays.

  14. #13

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    Have seen Alden at many house concerts; he would play at this house when he also had major gigs in Los Angeles. Only about 40 people. He would always play two songs solo using the techniques shown in the above. For old-school type playing Alden has a very advanced technique. Of course he picked things up from Van Epps (only saw them once, a year or so before Van Epps passed).
    Last edited by jameslovestal; 05-27-2019 at 12:19 PM.