Introduction to Jazz Guitar Soloing Pages 2 through 5

[Dio666]

I made an attempt to quantify the task at hand. It's a checklist of things to learn for what I'm calling "Phase I" of this book. That is my goal to get through chapter 15 in situations 1 thru 4 using patterns I Maj., II Min., III Maj., and IV Minor.

And the goal isn't to check off each item before moving on to the next, but to categorize the different things that need to be covered and to check them off as they are added to my daily practice routine. Please check it out and let me know what you think. I think this will help keep me focused on what I need to practice and where it is leading next and hopefully others who are starting out will find it useful too.

If I continue to find this useful then perhaps I will create a "Phase II" version which will include the remaining scale patterns, situations, and Mi(ma7) and Ma7(#5) arpeggios to complete the book. But Phase I should take me well over a year to get through as it is, so I'm in no hurry.

Chris

[Badge]

There is a lifetime's work in this book... I'm enjoying it though and I think it provides one of the best frameworks around

[ChrisDowning]

Having been a full time guitar teacher for the last ten years I can tell you for certain that very few payers nail economy picking or sweep picking to the level that they stay on the rhythm. Alternate picking is like an automatic rhythm template - picking at 8th or 16th speed keeps you on the beat. However at the start, picking across a chord with up and down strokes, when you used to just sweep across, feels very counter intuitive - but stick with it. I did some lessons with Steve Kaufman (3 times 'World Champ' flatpicker) and he can get incredible accuracy and clarity with alternate picking right up to beyond where my metronome will go - 250bpm+. He will assure you that trying to economy pick will crash you at higher speeds and you need to stick with practicing alternate picking until you have it nailed.

And all those who commented on scale patterns - I'm with you on using what works - Jimmy Bruno's patterns are pretty near to the CAGED ones, but with a couple of slides to make six patterns. I always taught these as they divide into three patterns starting on the 6th or 5th strings so they look like three pairs of patterns.

[cooltouch]

As I mentioned in my intro note to the group, I'm pretty much a strict alternating picker, always having felt that my right hand needed the discipline. I did some sweep picking when I played blues in an earlier life, but the sweeps were often quite limited in scope, never more than three strings at at time. And most blues passages I played also had very limited amounts of alternate picking to them, hence my reasoning for the discipline.

More recently however I've become curious about some of the more involved sweep techniques and wouldn't mind learning a few. Something I practice now is smooth, controlled sweep arpeggios across four or five strings. I've even invented a little practice study, exploiting this technique, in which the arpeggio must immediately merge into a scale passage, all the notes having the same time value. This is a closed position study, so it can be played anywhere on the fingerboard. I start with a major 7th chord beginning on the D string, based on the open position Fmaj7 (which obviously becomes closed as soon as the pattern is moved away from the 1st fret). I sweep the four notes and after I hit the final note of the chord on the high E string, I fold it seemlessly into an initially ascending, then descending major scale, keeping my left hand in the same position. When my pinky lands on the root on the fourth string, the cycle repeats.

This isn't nearly as easy as you might think it is. At least for me it isn't.

Let's see if I can do the fingering on a keyboard:

First the M7 chord, arpeggiated, 4 to 1,
----|1 |--|--|--|
----|--|2 |--|--|
----|--|--|3 |--|
----|--|--|--|4 |
----|--|--|--|--|
----|--|--|--|--|

Then the scale: up to the 4th finger on the 1st string, then reverse it, down to the 4th finger on the 4th string, where the pattern repeats in a seamless manner.
---|1 |2 |--|4 |
---|--|2 |--|4 |
---|1 |--|3 |4 |
---|--|--|--|4 |

I've shown the index and pinky fingers in both charts, but that's just for the sake of clarity. Each note is played only once for each cycle in the repeating pattern. No, that's not correct, the index finger frets its note again on the 1st string as the pattern descends.

I start off slowly, staying as metronomic as I possibly can, and I slowly speed things up. Doing it this way, I can get that little study clipping along at a pretty good rate.

Another thing I like to toss into the mix is to lift my fingers off the chord's fingerings (except 1) shortly after the note has been struck so the chord doesn't ring. It changes the character of the arpeggio, such that it winds up sounding more like a scale passage, but it is not easy coordinating the finger lifts with everything else and still having it all sound smooth.

It's a pretty simple little ditty, but it helps.

[ChrisDowning]

I guess we all do non-alternate picking almost unconciously at times - like rakes and stuff. Since you can get up to very high speeds with alternate picking I wouldn't try to lead a student into other options. But Jimmy Bruno (or is it Larry Coryell) talks about changing strict alternate picking on his video, so it seems like everyone eventually adds their own twists to it eventually.

[cooltouch]

Yep, some of the sweeps or rakes, or whatever, that I do, I hesitate even calling them that, since they only incorporate two strings. I picked up the technique from Pepe Romero when I attended a master class of his many years ago. He does this a lot with descending scale passages, using the typical classical practice of alternating the 1st and 2nd fingers (aka i and m in classical parlance) of the right hand to pluck the notes. What he does is just drag, or sweep, the finger that plucks the last note of the scale on a given string to pluck the first note of the continued scale on the next lower one.

I find that it doesn't make any appreciable difference in speed for me, and that ironically I tend to use the technique on slow scale passages more so than fast ones.

This same practice can be done with a pick, sweeping on the downstroke when playing an ascending scale and on the upstroke when playing a descending scale. Unlike the classical technique, I find that with a bit of practice this sweep style improves my speed. But I find I have to work a little harder at keeping my time intervals metronomic.

[cooltouch]

I finally got "The Book" a few days ago. I like Elliott's approach. I have several other books on jazz guitar and it seems like all of them want to launch into a major discussion of music theory before showing the reader the first thing to work on. Elliott takes a different approach. He has the reader working on scales and arpeggios almost immediately and discusses theory alongside of the played passages. At least so far. I'm only on about page 12. But so far it's quick going for me. Because of my classical background, I'm familiar with all the patterns he's shown as being scale segments of Andre Segovia's Diatonic Scales, which every worthwhile classical guitarist learns by heart. Same goes for the arpeggios -- they're just segments of the Segovia Scales with selective gaps is all.

About the earlier discussion on altermate picking, on page 7 Elliott adamantly states his position: alternate picking is an absolute requirement. He claims that other than alternate picking leads to big problems later on. I'll only state that I practice alternate picking as a way to discipline my right hand, which always seems to try and find an easy way out.

[angelpa]

Is this book suitable for a jazz solo beginner (someone who can play rock and roll and chords but who is basically new to the idea of scales, arpeggios, modes, etc.)? Thank you

[MarkRhodes]

Well, it's been awhile but I am back. Not to the forum---it's my homepage!---but to this thread and this book. I spent about a year working mainly on picking / technique stuff. Now I want to get back to the "connection" game and see where it takes me. And give another round of applause to fep for starting this thread-----I think this is the most successful study group around.

[Liarspoker]

I've actually been looking for my copy these last few days and it's not in its usual place.

If we are starting on pages 2-5 count me in again.

I haven't followed this book in over a year I'd say, or at least that what it feels like, so starting at the start sounds logical in order to iron out any kinks and to hopefully get a fresh paradigm.

I'll look for my copy book now.......

Edit: Upon looking over the book again I have decided to keep going from where I left the book previously. The introductory arpeggios etc are fine but the melodic minor especially over the minor ii-V-i is THE jazz sound. So essentially I want to work on the harmonized MM scale arpeggios instead of starting again at the beginning of the book.

[jazzbow]

This is cool, I'm about to change jobs and home mid May which will give me 2 hours study time mid day without interruption.

Count me in, when do we start?

[Liarspoker]

Is this book suitable for a jazz solo beginner (someone who can play rock and roll and chords but who is basically new to the idea of scales, arpeggios, modes, etc.)? Thank you

Yes, this book is definitely suitable for a jazz solo beginner. All the concepts to solo effectively are clearly explained in this book but more than that - this book is very practical.

[Ian_S]

I have been using the Joe Elliott book for a few months now. Going back and _really_ learning my arpeggios. Doing the connecting game for the first few situations and so forth. I did a little of the substitution lessons but thought I should go back and apply what I had learnt to all five positions in all keys, before moving forward.
After a while I found myself, eyes shut just playing, the arpeggio shapes came into my head and I played them without having to think... This is a big step forward for me as I am always grappling with thinking about what comes next and the whole thing goes to pot and unravels. But today I felt it flow. Its taken a long time and its only in a few of the positions but I can see where this is going. I just thought I would put this down in case people are struggling with it - its all good stuff.

[ChrisDowning]

I don't think anywhere near enough emphasis is placed on focusing on the journey not the destination. Learning an instrument well takes time. Lots of players give up because it takes too much time to get to where they want to be - in their opinion. Learning arpeggios around the associated scale patterns takes a lot of playing to get them sublimated so they are just there when you need them, and strong enough to be able to build the next stages of improvisation onto them. So you need to accept this is going to be a long job and commit yourself to enjoying being in the moment and practicing scales and arpeggios. I've sat with a teacher who has had me going up and down one ten note arppegio for five minutes straight before doing the next one for five minutes.

Five minutes on one exercise may seem nuts, and plenty of players will find excuses to avoid doing the work, some excuses that even sound very sophisicated - but do the work. Take the time. Get yourself an egg timer, a cell phone app, whatever, do the work. Read "effortless Masterfy" and "the Practicing Mind" and any of those 10,000 hour books if you want convincing.