The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I like the natural way he approaches simple soloing ideas. I used to do this for hours on end back in the day.


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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Thank You. Very nice approach. I would say the most natural, back to the beginnings - play what you sing ...

  4. #3

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    It is true.
    I have been collecting jazz training materials for over 40 years and everyone writes about singing - this is very important.
    Jazz masters write : listen to CDs, copy solos, ear training etc, and recommend singing their favorite solos to know what to sing.

  5. #4

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    Creating melodies with one chord and a major scale is not exactly playing over complex jazz changes.

  6. #5

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    That's true. This is just the beginning of the adventure with jazz. An excellent basis for further work on jazz improvisation.

  7. #6

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    Yes. But I perceive this lesson more as "the ability to listen and hear yourself and what you play". For example, with a metronome I can play melodies and themes that I like and sound good. But when I play with backintracks my skills drop by 50%. The problem probably lies in "hearing" myself and being able to hear what I play in real time.

  8. #7

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    The best solution is to make recordings with backing tracks.Then you can really make progress.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    The best solution is to make recordings with backing tracks.Then you can really make progress.
    I haven't done this much yet, but my current thinking is that the following method might prove effective. I refer to Irealpro ($10 or so) and Reaper (free to evaluatae $60 to buy), but other apps will work. These just happen to be the ones I use.

    Export an Irealpro backing track to Reaper. Easily done by exporting in MIDI format.

    Get the Reaper metronome going, synced to the backing track, and get the click nice and loud. You can program the click -- get the pitch and volume you want for each beat. So, for example, you could have a nice deep click on 2 and 4. Or whatever.

    I'm not sure if it's necessary with midi, but if you import an mp3 into Reaper, you should tell Reaper the bpm setting of the mp3 (lower right corner of the screen). That way, Reaper will line up the click.

    You can record the click to a separate track.

    Then solo along with the backing track and click.

    Now, here's the thing. On playback, you can see your notes and you can see the click.

    My theory is that the visual aid may help the player improve his ability to lock in with the beat. You'll be able to see exactly how far off you are, which parts of the tune are better or worse, etc.

    You'll also be able to play around with playing ahead of the beat, on it, or behind it.

    You can even slide your solo foward in time to see what it sounds like to play consistently ahead (or behind, or right on it).

    Not that you couldn't do it without all this visual stuff, but I'm thinking it may help at least some players.

  10. #9

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    But when I play with backintracks my skills drop by 50%.
    Absolutely, which is why I do my own backing tracks. There's a mind there I can connect with.

    Backing tracks, largely, are mechanical and have all sorts of extraneous piano noises and whatnot. I'm sure this is why a lot of people reduce them to a bass line.

    But playing with a band is different, you know each other and everybody can connect with what's happening. If they're any good, that is.

    I think there's an old saying 'You're only as good as the people you play with'. That's essentially what's lacking in a backing track, there's no one there.

    I have used backing tracks, obviously, but I tend to listen to them again and again till I'm very familiar with what they're doing. Probably the next best thing in the absence of real players. But I still like my own stuff best.

  11. #10

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    Jesús knows what he's doing.

    I personally don't sing lines b/c I don't like my very restricted baritone voice.

    There are various stages involved here, and first you need to be able to make something up, your own thing, over a simple repetitive figure. This is essential before venturing into more complex harmony unless of course you're ok just learning someone else's licks and throwing them in at appropriate times. But that isn't improvising.

    The next stage is composition.

  12. #11

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    If we mean jazz improvisation - it's not that simple. The licks are an element of the jazz language. Learning them results in better internal hearing. Our imagination can create similar or new licks on the basis of licks. Most outstanding musicians copied licks. The key is the jazz language. .

  13. #12

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    Yes, probably everyone has their own strategy for dealing with these challenges. What helped me and pushed me forward in playing backingtracks, but also with a simple metronome, was phrase building in 4 bars. Then, by playing the first bar, I feel as if I can hear how much time is left to the end of these 4 bars and this way I can better control my ideas. Improvisation becomes more logical, one idea, then development, some alteration and safe return. I found that then you can be more independent of backingtrack and focus on listening to yourself and developing ideas. Anyone have the same? Someone develops such a way of thinking?

  14. #13

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    Backing tracks made e.g. in Band in the Box are also like a metronome.
    Playing live with good musicians is the best way to grow.
    Then you learn the most.