The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Funny coincidence, I was going to ask about this, and then stumbled first upon a thread about playing classical guitar with a pick...

    So...

    On my way back from a rehearsal I heard a piece on my go-to radio station (TSF Jazz) that seemed to include 1 or 2 guitars playing a rather different role from what I'm used to in jazz, and almost certainly played in finger style. Sounded pretty much acoustic, too. French (or modern?) radio DJs have an annoying habit of not given title, composer, artist etc. info before and after each piece so I have no idea what this was.

    Either way, is there a style in which this is (somewhat) common, and what type of guitar is usually used there? There be YouTube videos, hopefully?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Do you mean in the style of Joe Pass? Or Ted Greene? Or Charlie Byrd? Or....

  4. #3

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    THE first name that comes to mind when we're talking about "jazz" guitar played fingerstyle is Joe Pass. He abandoned his pick around the time he recorded his first "Virtuoso" album in the mid 70's. Even before him it was Lenny Breau who played only fingerstyle. Ted Greene, Ralph Towner, Romero Lubambo, Gene Bertoncini, Earl Klugh, Paul Meyers, Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick, Steve Herberman, ... and I'm missing most for sure. Which guitar ??? ANY guitar !!!! Just go for it and don't give up. No rules .....
    Last edited by gitman; 12-15-2021 at 06:20 AM.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Neverisky
    Do you mean in the style of Joe Pass? Or Ted Greene? Or Charlie Byrd? Or....


    That's the thing, I have no idea!

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by gitman
    Which guitar ??? ANY guitar !!!!
    But rather not the typical archtop/jazz guitar? I've been on an "archtop fingerstyle" quest on YouTube and haven't had much luck with that (but I'll admit that I skipped all hits where the thumbnail clearly showed a plugged guitar, I was after acoustic/unplugged examples).

    I'll go have a listen, thanks. Any suggestions what to start with that doesn't only sound highly academic or if it was composed to illustrate an advanced course on music theory?

  7. #6

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    Martin Taylor plays fingerstyle. Not strictly acoustic, but I think he tends to blend the acoustic and electric sound to some extent.


  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by RJVB
    ...I was after acoustic/unplugged examples...

    Eric Skye plays fingerstyle jazz on a Santa Cruz acoustic guitar.

    Which, again, asserts that jazz is a language and it's not about the instrument or how you produce sound with an instrument.

  9. #8

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    Lots of blues of the kind I dig too, but I've yet to find an example of him playing an archtop.

    BTW, his Santa Cruz looks very similar to Peanut, Doug Macleod's Waterloo parlor guitar. Since he never fails to lift my spirits Ima gonna plug a Dubb here





    BTW, I asked Doug what he thought of playing his kind of blues on an acoustic archtop. His reaction: don't know anybody who does but should sound great (if well set up).

  10. #9

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    Randy Napoleon plays an archtop fingerstyle, more or less, depending on what you mean by 'fingerstyle". He plays mostly with two fingers, sometimes with thumb. Of course there was Wes, who played with just thumb, also on an archtop. Merle Travis was one of the original fingerstyle players, and used an archtop. Chet Atkins. Andy Brown often plays fingerstyle, on a Tal, but he also uses a pick, depending on the tune and his mood, I suppose. There are others, I just can't think of them right now.

  11. #10

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    I’ve had luck in the past with contacting the station, providing the approximate time when I was listening and getting the playlist. Hasn’t failed yet.

    AKA

    Quote Originally Posted by RJVB
    Funny coincidence, I was going to ask about this, and then stumbled first upon a thread about playing classical guitar with a pick...

    So...

    On my way back from a rehearsal I heard a piece on my go-to radio station (TSF Jazz) that seemed to include 1 or 2 guitars playing a rather different role from what I'm used to in jazz, and almost certainly played in finger style. Sounded pretty much acoustic, too. French (or modern?) radio DJs have an annoying habit of not given title, composer, artist etc. info before and after each piece so I have no idea what this was.

    Either way, is there a style in which this is (somewhat) common, and what type of guitar is usually used there? There be YouTube videos, hopefully?

  12. #11

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    Baden Powell



    Laurindo Almeida



  13. #12

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    Lots of great mentions.

    But There is one huge name missing, a monster of a guitarist - Yamandu Costa - who pretty much can pick up and play and improvise in any musical language spontaneously including jazz and classical. He plays classical, brazilian choro, jazz etc and lives in all the worlds at the top. Astonishing player with mind boggling technique





    Here is improvising on Barrios' La Catedral which isn't an easy classical piece to play when worked out meticulously


    And with some top gypsy jazz guitarists ( like Stochelo Rosenberg )


    He has a great series on YT tracing the history of the guitar and it's fascinating as well and a lot of his own classical compositions ( latin style )

    Also,

    Nelson Veras ( also Brazlian with a much more modern style )

  14. #13

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    I'd say this is essential what the player does in fingerstyle rather than his guitar or general absence of pick...

    Wes played without a pick and Joe Pass played without a pick..
    Sco occasionally can play a whole tune without a pick... (he just grabs it in his fist)
    Russel Malone often plays solo guitar arrangements without a pick... using usually only a thumb ans index and middlle fingers
    Pat Metheny often plays acoustics without a pick...
    Gene Bertoncini plays fingerstyle on acoustic in a classical manner...
    John Pizzarelli... Ted Greene did that...
    Sylvain Luc plays a lot with fingerstyle in a very versatile and modern manner using different guitars

    And they all sound very differently and right hand techniques and applications of it are very different

    On the other hand many players who play very fluent hybrid technique that often you cannot quickly even identify that they use a pick... like for example John Stowel

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah
    ... like for example John Stowel
    I've never seen anyone else manage what John does so effortlessly. Without glue, magnets or magic... the pick adheres to his index finger.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah
    I'd say this is essential what the player does in fingerstyle rather than his guitar or general absence of pick...
    In a sense you're right of course. But in this case I did ask my question out of curiosity what kind of musci people play fingerstyle on archtop guitars, in particular acoustically (unplugged). I think the idea behind that was also to find more examples of recordings to get an idea of what that can sound like.

    In that light a collection of videos showing (once more ^^) what can be done with largely classical technique on a classical guitar doesn't really satisfy my curiosity anymore than, say, this video that was one of those that incited me to start to learn to play guitar a few years back...
    (Music starts at 00:55 or so, and yes, this is not fingerstyle)


    (from
    with more of the great, late Kenny Malone)

  17. #16

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    One name I always think of is Sylvan Luc


  18. #17

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    Slightly surprised no one has mentioned Ralph Towner either

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    One name I always think of is Sylvan Luc

    For me he is very interesting musician.. one of those who have modern vibe but still have solid integrity of personality... something many younger players do not have

  20. #19

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    George Van Eps. Early recordings with a pick, most of his career fingerstyle with the 7 string guitar or- as he called it- lap piano.

    Tuck Andress. We often neglect him in the forum, but mindboggling technique.

    The past two days I have been fascinated by classical guitarist Gunter Herbig's recording of Gurdjieff's/de Hartmann's music on a Gretsch electric archtop. Fingerstyle by default, I suspect.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Slightly surprised no one has mentioned Ralph Towner either
    Jazz guitar without a pick-61z7yzkmd9l-jpg
    One of my favs, but he was mentioned earlier by someone ( 3rd post without a video )

    The live version of Nardis on the CD is one of my favorite recordings ever....

  22. #21

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    more..

    Jeff Beck
    Stanley Jordan

    and this guy


  23. #22

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    John Abercrombie




  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara

    The past two days I have been fascinated by classical guitarist Gunter Herbig's recording of Gurdjieff's/de Hartmann's music on a Gretsch electric archtop. Fingerstyle by default, I suspect.
    Thank you for the reference. We need more of these adventurers. I listened to his Villa-Lobos Preludes last night and they sound like they were written for electric guitar. Amazing sound and tone culture. (To M and all the others: Classical playing is as much about attitude as Rock’n’Roll, it‘s just a different attitude.)

    Will check out the Gurdieff later today. From what I‘ve heard so far, he may be using a pick at times, or he has a predilection for arpeggiated chords.


    Gesendet von iPad mit Tapatalk

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by docsteve
    (To M and all the others: Classical playing is as much about attitude as Rock’n’Roll, it‘s just a different attitude.)
    And don't they know about attitudes O:-)

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by wolflen
    more..
    and this guy

    Wow! He’s amazing. Makes me feel like giving up LOL