The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    It would be fun to hear from forum members about what you are presently working on that is about the concrete issue of playing the instrument. It might be technique, it might be repertoire, or language, sight-reading, whatever.

    As many of you know, I've been drilling into "Donna Lee" for some weeks now. I"ve learned the head and can play it at 200 bpm or so (on a really good day!). I"ve also learned the first chorus of Charlie Parker's solo, though only at about 2/3 the recorded tempo. This comes after several years working through the solos by Jimmy Raney in the Aebersold Vol. 20 set. I'm trying to play a lot of bebop, hoping to get the feel, phrasing, and language to be a more natural part of my playing.

    So... what's your current playing project or challenge? What piece sits on your music stand and gets worked on every day? I think it would be cool also if anyone wanted to post a clip of their project in process.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Since getting a Tele for Christmas, I've been working on hybrid picking. Recently went back to a thumbpick and am getting comfortable with that. Playing songs that seem fitting, not much jazz yet.

  4. #3

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    Fingerpicking.
    There is something in my DNA that is quite resistant to this technique.
    This time, however, I ain't givin' up!

  5. #4

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    I'm new to playing jazz, but not playing the guitar. I'm trying get jazz chords figured out. I'll play whats in the Realbook but it doesn't come out quite right, so I'll listen to a song, figure it out by ear to where it sounds decent to me and then look at a lesson on YouTube and they're usually completely different from what I've been playing.
    I'm also working on singing melodies and solos and knowing where they're played on the fretboard and refreshing my music reading skills.

  6. #5

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    My challenge lately is moving away from the chord grip view of the fretboard for comping and being able to use horizontal voice leading with voicings "assembled" on the fly. This also comes with using small, 2 or 3 note chords. These are guide tones, upper triads or even chords build with fourths and seconds.
    It involves a bit of unlearning chord grip habits but it leads to a more unified view of the freboard for solo, comping and bass line material. It also helps you be more aware of what note or interval each fretted note is. You can also "re-build" the more traditional drop voicings with this view.
    Let me give an example as this may have sounded a bit cryptic.
    Take a chord, Bb7. Take a string group 2-3-4. Take a scale for Bb7, let's say Bb mixolydian. Now find the lowest note on string 2 that's in the scale. C (1st fret). Now go up the Bb Mixo along the second string while using the strings 3 and 4 to harmonize the 2nd string note. Harmonization should stay within the Bb dominant sound. It could be any substitution, sus-chord or extension. (D half diminished, Bb sus 4, G minor, F minor, Bb 13 etc). Of course also inversions.
    Last edited by Tal_175; 01-29-2020 at 12:58 PM.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    Let me give an example as this may have sounded a bit cryptic.
    Take a chord, Bb7. Take a string group 2-3-4. Take a scale for Bb7, let's say Bb mixolydian. Now find the lowest note on string 2 that's in the scale. C (1st fret). Now go up the Bb Mixo along the second string while using the strings 3 and 4 to harmonize the 2nd string note. Harmonization should stay within the Bb dominant sound. It could be any substitution, sus-chord or extension. (D half diminished, Bb sus 4, G minor, F minor, Bb 13 etc). Of course also inversions.
    That’s a wonderful exercise and I’m going to start doing this. Did you get this idea out of a book? Would love to read more.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by telejw
    That’s a wonderful exercise and I’m going to start doing this. Did you get this idea out of a book? Would love to read more.
    This came up many times in private lessons, books, instructional videos. Andrew Green's jazz guitar comping has a chapter in it too.
    Here is a video of Mimi Fox demonstrating this (however she is using 4 notes, like I said I would also do 2 or 3 note versions):
    Last edited by Tal_175; 01-29-2020 at 01:02 PM.

  9. #8

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    I am working, still, on free improvisation. I play out at a coffeehouse on Sundays, have done so for the past five years. I improvise songs for two hours. This works because it’s essentially musical wallpaper, but people tell me they like my playing.

    I have come back to the guitar over the last couple of months; I have been on a tenor banjo kick the last couple of years, trying to work Ornette Coleman and Art Pepper phraseology onto that instrument. Back on guitar, it’s a treat to get really lush chords that tenor banjo can’t quite play. I must add that playing banjo has helped my guitar playing.

  10. #9

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    Since I'm a jazz guitar noob (though not new to guitar) I have a TON of work to do. I have a teacher and we meet weekly. This feels like a luxury - I have played for over 40 years but am almost entirely self-taught. My teacher is giving me a new song almost every week. I'm currently working on West Coast Blues and Manha Da Carnaval. Every new tune brings up a new topic or another angle on a topic we've already discussed. I'm working on getting the right feel when comping, getting more accustomed to the chord forms that are unfamiliar to me, nailing the melodies on all the tunes I've learned, playing through all the arpeggios of the harmonized major scale, getting the harmonic minor and melodic minor scales more deeply into my fingers, UN-learning alternate picking and trying to use economy picking (a big challenge since I've been playing bluegrass for the last decade) and overall better understanding of the fretboard. My biggest challenge is engaging a part of my brain when playing that is usually off line - *thinking* about what is happening in the chord progression instead of just noodling pentatonic licks in the song's key center. I made myself a loop of Manha Da Carnaval that I've been soloing over and it's been somewhat of a breakthrough exercise for me. After a few months into this adventure I am finally seeing a glimmer of progress. I am still a rank beginner in jazz guitar, but I'm learning a LOT and having as much fun with the instrument as I've ever had in all the years I've played.

  11. #10

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    I'm just working on better, cleaner picking techniques between hands on scalar passages and arps.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

  12. #11

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    Playing longer solos with my own voice, and keeping it interesting sounding. I'd like to be able to just keep going, say 5 minutes and make it work.

    Not only on changes like All the Things You Are, but also more static chord movement like So What. I have a harder time on something like So What, a harder time keeping it going with out sounding repetitive.

    Like Mike Stern or Pat Matheny, those long developed solos. Jeff Beck also, or even John Mayer with Dead and Company

  13. #12

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    I broke the scaphoid bone in my right wrist two months ago. Two months basically without the use of my thumb. Could not use a pick, or pick Wes style with my thumb, which were my two main techniques. I had the use of my fingers and could pick with those. The first week was hell, but after two months I've gotten pretty proficient. The injury sucked, but on the bright side, some new tools in the box.

  14. #13

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    Joe Pass, Mimi Fox, Sheryl Bailey and others talk about the importance of being able to outline the harmony while playing continuous 8th notes. That’s what I’m working most on at the moment.

  15. #14

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    Mainly working on developing solo fingerstyle approach. I have to remember to use the pick again occasionally, otherwise my picking chops get rusty, the pick feels very clumsy if I haven’t used it for a few days!

  16. #15

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    56 years into playing guitar and I work on comping time feel every day. What's changed is that I can hear the faults more clearly, which gives me a chance to improve.

    I also drill arps of multiple chord types in 12 keys -- with a little extra focus on m7b5.

    And, I drill playing tunes by ear in random keys. I see this as working on the connection between hearing harmony in my mind and getting my fingers on the notes.

    And, not quite this thread, but I also have been writing more, which gives some insight into improvisation of melody.

  17. #16

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    Currently working on old school rhythm guitar. Being as solid as possible time wise, hoping to eventually get to where I can play moving lines or little tenor voiced counterpoint lines like Freddie Green did when he played his "one note chords."

  18. #17

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    I'm in a long orbit around Barry Harris and after a long break my interest is rekindled. Right now working on learning Bill Graham's How to Comp on the (Jazz) Blues Ep2 in all 12 keys. Trying to keep it as similar to his piano version as I can. F, Bb, and Eb so far. 3 chorus's per key. Kicking my butt (this stuff gives me headaches...), but I think it is a good way to really learn the major and minor 6th diminished in all keys and string sets. Doesn't lay on guitar as nicely as piano though. Lots of editing and voicing decisions. The goal is to internalize these relatively simple movements and then make up my own on the fly. If I get something out of this exercise I may try his version of "All of Me" next.
    Larry


  19. #18

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    I went back to playing with standard and slanted pick posture after a few years of playing with Benson picking, and decided to give alternate picking a serious try (i was always an economy or mixed picker). So it's a challenge to take picking up to speed, but getting there.. Still deciding on picks, playing with 1mm heavy ones now, have to go buy some 1,5 ones..

  20. #19

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    Here's a taste of what I'm up to.
    I use the term "Tele Tales" to refer to (mainly) old songs of mine that I'm playing on my new Tele, revising them along the way, while learning to use a thumbpick.
    I'm using a Kodiak crossover pick from Strum'N'Comfort (no affiliation.) I like it but it's not yet second-nature to me.
    This take is of a song called "You're Over, Man." The song has words but this is a GPO take (GPO stands for Guitar Part Only). This is spotty as hell but so much better than a take from two weeks ago that I feel I'm making progress. ;o)

    A note about the amp sound. I'm not wild about it. I have a Mustang II amp, which has lots of models built in. This is '57 Twin Reverb with some reverb rolled off. Later this year I will put more time into trying to found sounds I want; right now, I'm just trying to work the thumbpick and get the other fingers (mainly the index) involved in picking. It's a long-term project.


  21. #20

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    i've been working on arranging Grateful Dead tunes for solo guitar, and also on a guitar/bass duo. And I should continue to work on ear training but it's hard and I am lazy.

  22. #21

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    Tres Cubano.

  23. #22

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    I've been brushing up on my sight reading using old Scots fiddle collections and practicing reading in all positions. Strathspeys make you think!

  24. #23

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    The list is quite long - trying to improve my sight-reading, build up a better knowledge of chords, learn more standards, figure out how to play over changes... But maybe most importantly of all I'm working on improving my right-hand picking technique. For many years I've been a finger-picker and have often used the heel of my hand to dampen the bass strings. This has resulted in not using the whole arm very often which has led to a tightness of tone. Doesn't affect an electric too much, but on acoustics I need to address the situation.

    Derek

  25. #24

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    Upbeats again.

    and playing the tunes to things

  26. #25

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    I've picked up a monthly guitar duet gig, so most of my practice has centered around developing repertoire for that and finding ways to keep it interesting. I try to add at least some new material to the pool that the setlist draws from each time. In connection with that, I've been focusing on listening to the other guy and keeping my time solid. No exercises or specific things for that, but keeping it in focus. I've got a gig coming up in March with my blues band, so I'm also trying to remember how to do that. I know the first step is to wake up in the morning and look round for my shoes, but am a little hazy on the rest.

    John