The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
Reply to Thread Bookmark Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Posts 1 to 25 of 36
  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Here's the next tune, Four on Six by Wes Montgomery

    JGBE Virtual Jam (Round 93) - Four on Six-wes-jpeg

    Four on Six.pdf

    It might not be immediately obvious, but this is a contrafact of Summertime (with some extra back-cycling thrown in). So if you can play Summertime, you can play Four on Six. Next week, Nevershouldhavesoldit takes over for a while.

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

    User Info Menu

    And allow me to start things off as well. No video for me this week.


  4. #3

    User Info Menu

    This is my recording on the hollow body-high action set up- Thomastic 13s strings flatwound "swing ".
    If it's "Summertime" it's not difficult for me ... :-)



    Box

  5. #4

    User Info Menu

    I've been practicing a lot on my Stratocaster lately, and I think I have a lot more control over it than my arch-top guitar.
    This is my morning solo over "Four on Six" changes::






    Box

  6. #5

    User Info Menu

    What’s up guys? Anybody got one cooking or is everyone passing on this one? We can switch it up to a simpler tune if you prefer.

  7. #6

    User Info Menu

    John, you chose an excellent tune.There will be new takes for sure.

  8. #7

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    What’s up guys? Anybody got one cooking or is everyone passing on this one? We can switch it up to a simpler tune if you prefer.
    I am working on it. If I have something not too cringe inducing, (and my standards are quite low ) I'll post it Friday or Saturday. I find I'm getting paralyzed by the rapid tonality changes and need to find a strategy to sound coherent on bars 8-12 of the solo changes.

    Great versions posted so far, especially Kris' strat version. Great chops on that one!

    Looking forward to hearing other contributions, and will follow along and work on the tune whether I get something to post or not.

  9. #8

    User Info Menu

    I found rare version of Wes-fantastic!



  10. #9

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by alpop
    I am working on it. If I have something not too cringe inducing, (and my standards are quite low ) I'll post it Friday or Saturday. I find I'm getting paralyzed by the rapid tonality changes and need to find a strategy to sound coherent on bars 8-12 of the solo changes.

    Great versions posted so far, especially Kris' strat version. Great chops on that one!

    Looking forward to hearing other contributions, and will follow along and work on the tune whether I get something to post or not.
    You can think of bars 8-12 as all just G min. You want to do something in bar 12 to signal that Bb is coming in bar 9, but that could be as simple as landing in D or F in the last half of bar 8. Quoting Summertime works, too ["your daddy’s rich and your momma’s good looking" fills 8-11; play an F7 chord tone on "so" in the last half of bar 12]

    Seriously, the tune is Summertime. The rhythm section can take care of the backcycling and you can riff off the melody of that.

  11. #10

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    What’s up guys? Anybody got one cooking or is everyone passing on this one? We can switch it up to a simpler tune if you prefer.
    Will get to it tonight!

  12. #11

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    You can think of bars 8-12 as all just G min. You want to do something in bar 12 to signal that Bb is coming in bar 9, but that could be as simple as landing in D or F in the last half of bar 8. Quoting Summertime works, too ["your daddy’s rich and your momma’s good looking" fills 8-11; play an F7 chord tone on "so" in the last half of bar 12]

    Seriously, the tune is Summertime. The rhythm section can take care of the backcycling and you can riff off the melody of that.
    Oops, I meant bars 5-8. /Cm7-F7/ /Bbm7- Eb7/ /Am7-D7/ /Ebm7-Ab7/

    Maybe think 2 bars Cmi and 2 bars D7 for soloing purposes?

  13. #12

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by alpop
    Oops, I meant bars 5-8. /Cm7-F7/ /Bbm7- Eb7/ /Am7-D7/ /Ebm7-Ab7/

    Maybe think 2 bars Cmi and 2 bars D7 for soloing purposes?
    Yup, that's the way I'd simplify it. Also, Wes has two distinct ways of playing the melody in that part of the head. On the "Incredible Jazz Guitar" version, he does a side-slipping/enclosure thing with chord tones. On the "Smoking at the Half Note" version (and the live video version on youtube) he does chord stabs of |Cm9/Bb F7b9/Eb| |Bbm9/Ab E7b9/Db | Am9/G D7b9/C | Ebm9/Db Ab7b13|. So whichever way you play the head, do it the other way on the solo (or something similar),

  14. #13

    User Info Menu

    This is my first recording using my new Superblock US a a DI front end (cab sim on "normal"). The guitar is my Eastman 810CE7. When I realized how long the backing track was, I just stopped at about 3 minutes and faded it.


  15. #14

    User Info Menu

    Nice take John, with Summertime quote to prove the point. Kris and nevershould's were interesting, too. I need to calm down a bit

    Regarding John's comment about posting "simpler" stuff, well that's tempting for me because I've been jamming over fusion-y static chord grooves and vamps for years, and can knock out something on the spot, but these old tunes with their changes are a welcome challenge if I have a bit of time to work 'em out.

  16. #15

    User Info Menu

    Gotta admit I had to play through this a bunch of times before I could hear Summertime. My Aebersold lead sheet and my DAW both say this track is 104 bpm. Not sure how they're counting that because it feels 2x that tempo—even slowed down digitally it was way past my comfort zone for a one-and-done. With more time on the tune I think I could do better, but for now, here ya go:


  17. #16

    User Info Menu

    Nice work folks. Good to hear you tackling this.

    Kris: cool takes. The second one seemed a little more solid. But both were fun.

    Never: enjoyed that and an excellent tone from the Quilter.

    Peter: frenetic is kind of your thing, so embrace it (but watch the clams)

    Wz: I think you've got it. The tune is defiant not 104 bpm. I tap temo-ed the Aebersold track in my DAW and it’s around 210.

  18. #17

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by wzpgsr
    Gotta admit I had to play through this a bunch of times before I could hear Summertime.
    Wes did a version of Summertime with these changes, also it sounds like Monk Montgomery is playing the ‘4 on 6’ bass riff at times (on electric bass!). Wes’ solo starts about 2:45.


  19. #18

    User Info Menu

    I was going to do this tune (know and love it well!), but I cut my finger on the wife’s new super-sharp kitchen knives (didn’t even feel it going in, just saw the blood oozing out!), then I had a flu jab, then I was unexpectedly offered a covid jab yesterday, so took it, which made my arm kind of sore.

    So not a good week for playing!

  20. #19

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    I was going to do this tune (know and love it well!), but I cut my finger on the wife’s new super-sharp kitchen knives (didn’t even feel it going in, just saw the blood oozing out!), then I had a flu jab, then I was unexpectedly offered a covid jab yesterday, so took it, which made my arm kind of sore.

    So not a good week for playing!
    Oy. Watch out for locusts.

  21. #20

    User Info Menu

    It's now basketball season...my life is consumed yet again. Practice time has become very precious, trying not to even waste time by plugging in...

    Good tune, though. One of the few "guitar tunes" that might actually get called at a jam.

  22. #21

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    I was going to do this tune (know and love it well!), but I cut my finger on the wife’s new super-sharp kitchen knives (didn’t even feel it going in, just saw the blood oozing out!), then I had a flu jab, then I was unexpectedly offered a covid jab yesterday, so took it, which made my arm kind of sore.

    So not a good week for playing!
    I've been there. Big washing up glove for washing, shaving, dishes, etc. Indispensable. Not so good for guitar

    JGBE Virtual Jam (Round 93) - Four on Six-index-jpg

  23. #22

    User Info Menu

    I decided to compare the sound of my carved 17" Eastman (25" scale) with my laminated 16" Ibanez (24.75" scale) using the SBUS as a front end. So I just ran off a take with the same strings (JS113s, 13 and 17 plain steel, and a 75 Chrome 7th), settings, pick, and backing track. The Eastman has a KA floater and the Ibby has a Benedetto B7. I was going to play the exact same beginning again. But as I started the first melody line, I decided to try adding a Wes-like descent from the Cm9. I should have stopped the recording and begun again, but I plunged into it with unrivaled crudeness and stuck with the take for the entire length of the backing track. Here it is, warts and all.



    For a sonic comparison between the carved 17" and the laminated 16", here's the earlier track on the Eastman:



    To me, the carved solid Eastman has a cleaner, woodier, airier sound with a bit more elegance. The laminated Ibanez is a bit thunkier and deeper, for a classic old school laminated electric archtop sound. The Superblock US shows itself here to be a fantastic box for jazz, whether used as a front end for recording or as an amp for live performance.

    PS: Hope you heal fast and fully, Graham. I've had a few scares like that, starting with a broken mirrored wall around the outlet into which I was trying to plug my amp by feel behind a couch.

  24. #23

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    I decided to compare the sound of my carved 17" Eastman (25" scale) with my laminated 16" Ibanez (24.75" scale) using the SBUS as a front end. So I just ran off a take with the same strings (JS113s, 13 and 17 plain steel, and a 75 Chrome 7th), settings, pick, and backing track. The Eastman has a KA floater and the Ibby has a Benedetto B7. I was going to play the exact same beginning again. But as I started the first melody line, I decided to try adding a Wes-like descent from the Cm9. I should have stopped the recording and begun again, but I plunged into it with unrivaled crudeness and stuck with the take for the entire length of the backing track. Here it is, warts and all.



    For a sonic comparison between the carved 17" and the laminated 16", here's the earlier track on the Eastman:



    To me, the carved solid Eastman has a cleaner, woodier, airier sound with a bit more elegance. The laminated Ibanez is a bit thunkier and deeper, for a classic old school laminated electric archtop sound. The Superblock US shows itself here to be a fantastic box for jazz, whether used as a front end for recording or as an amp for live performance.

    PS: Hope you heal fast and fully, Graham. I've had a few scares like that, starting with a broken mirrored wall around the outlet into which I was trying to plug my amp by feel behind a couch.
    I have to kind of shrug at the tone question. They both fall well within the range of "jazz tones". For myself, I tend to go for something a little darker and more sustaining (i.e., set pickup in a laminated top); in others the carved top/floater sound is good. But they are both (and everything in between) valid.

    The worst hand scare I ever had was when I got my left hand caught in a metal-bladed fan. It was one of the old fashioned kind with widely spaced bars that a roommate at the time brought home from a dumpster dive. I wasn't paying close attention, and I reached (I thought) over the bars to switch it off. My hand actually went through the bars rather than over. I wound up needing 32 stitches on my middle, ring, and pinky fingers, and fractured the middle finger. I was lucky not lose fingers or do nerve damage.

  25. #24

    User Info Menu

    Oh man, I'm about to embarrass myself and I'll post my attempts at this tonight. I am not good at Jazz yet but I love this song and it's one I sorta have a grasp on changes. Isn't jazz about living on the edge of falling apart at any second? That's how I play everything I guess.

  26. #25

    User Info Menu

    I'm not concerned about clams for this kind of posting. If I occasionally come up with something listenable/surprising, that's fine by me, as it's not my comfort zone.

    AaronMColeman, just do it. This forum has way too much blah-blah and zero actual playing. I for one, promise not to laugh, ok? By the way, thanks for liking my post; I've done better