Benson Picking technique on Gibson L5 Wesmo

[JazzOnSix]

I've heard that George had some problems early on with Jack McDuff---he had trouble with the tempos and some of the changes. How did he get his stuff together????

By doing precisely what you're doing right now in learning from Herb Ellis or anyone else you choose. When you read the SS article just ask yourself which steps you're doing and which steps you haven't done? What Benson and Ellis have in common is that they learned everything by ear and figured out the technique that worked best for them as part of that process. While Herb will never be considered to be a technical monster per se in terms of speed, consider that he was good enough to be on stage with Oscar Peterson.

On a related note, another fine guitarist whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for JJG was Ulf Wakenius, who I believe was the last guitar player to work with OP. He mentioned how Oscar would do these ridiculous uptempo versions of tunes that he'd call "The Chase" because of the required interplay. Guess what? That was going on during Herb's tenure with OP and Mr. Ellis certainly held his own, which is no easy feat. That's why Content, Phrasing, Feel and Message trump all else.

I don't mean to discourage anyone from experimenting with different technical approaches, but unless it's tied to meaningful language it can easily become an unnecessary abstraction. Keep up the good work!

[Patrick2]

By doing precisely what you're doing right now in learning from Herb Ellis or anyone else you choose. When you read the SS article just ask yourself which steps you're doing and which steps you haven't done? What Benson and Ellis have in common is that they learned everything by ear and figured out the technique that worked best for them as part of that process. While Herb will never be considered to be a technical monster per se in terms of speed, consider that he was good enough to be on stage with Oscar Peterson.

On a related note, another fine guitarist whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for JJG was Ulf Wakenius, who I believe was the last guitar player to work with OP. He mentioned how Oscar would do these ridiculous uptempo versions of tunes that he'd call "The Chase" because of the required interplay. Guess what? That was going on during Herb's tenure with OP and Mr. Ellis certainly held his own, which is no easy feat. That's why Content, Phrasing, Feel and Message trump all else.

I don't mean to discourage anyone from experimenting with different technical approaches, but unless it's tied to meaningful language it can easily become an unnecessary abstraction. Keep up the good work!

This post pretty much nails it down perfectly . . . (IMO). Especially the sentence I highlighted.

(Always enjoyed your work on JJG)

[ecj]

By doing precisely what you're doing right now in learning from Herb Ellis or anyone else you choose. When you read the SS article just ask yourself which steps you're doing and which steps you haven't done? What Benson and Ellis have in common is that they learned everything by ear and figured out the technique that worked best for them as part of that process.

All due respect, but I'm not so sure this is true. Henry Johnson, who learned the technique from Benson, said that Benson had a very systematic, step-wise approach to how he developed his playing style. I don't think Benson was just grabbing what everyone else was doing and putting it together, although he did obviously do a lot of that.

Benson even talks in interviews about not being able to do what Kessel, Martino, Johnny Smith, et al were doing. It looks to me based on his fingerings that he derived a ton of things from a combination of Wes, Django, Joe Pass, and Tal Farlow. He's definitely intentional about his fingering system and right-hand approach to articulating lines.

I'm not saying that Benson didn't spend a titanic amount of time learning from records, but I don't think it's particularly fair or good advice to players to suggest that they just try to learn everything by ear and let things "work themselves out". There aren't that many players on the guitar who have managed to hang at a high level in jazz. Benson is one of the few. It's definitely worth it to try to evaluate what he's doing, beyond just trying to learn everything by ear. Guitar is an extremely complicated instrument, and it's entirely possible to get yourself on a dead-end path easily without guidance on fingering and right-hand articulation approach.

[JazzOnSix]

I'm not saying that Benson didn't spend a titanic amount of time learning from records, but I don't think it's particularly fair or good advice to players to suggest that they just try to learn everything by ear and let things "work themselves out".

You make some good points, but one of my main concerns as an educator is working with players who spend little or no time learning by ear, which in my book is a huge mistake. Wes learned by ear, Pass learned by ear, and yes.. GB learned by ear.

This doesn't mean to insinuate that there wasn't some thought involved in the process, but in every case the theory was formed after the language was acquired, and the technique was developed as part of the process in being able to speak it. Where I might differ with you is that I don't consider the guitar to be a complicated instrument, but the way that jazz is frequently taught can certainly make it appear that way.

[ecj]

You make some good points, but one of my main concerns as an educator is working with players who spend little or no time learning by ear, which in my book is a huge mistake. Wes learned by ear, Pass learned by ear, and yes.. GB learned by ear.

Absolutely. No argument at all there.

This doesn't mean to insinuate that there wasn't some thought involved in the process, but in every case the theory was formed after the language was acquired, and the technique was developed as part of the process in being able to speak it. Where I might differ with you is that I don't consider the guitar to be a complicated instrument, but the way that jazz is frequently taught can certainly make it appear that way.

Again, I'm not so sure. Look at the way that other instrumentalists learn. Pianists are taught a pretty basic set of principles from day 1 that have been codified for at least a century or more at this point. Sax players all learn to use the same principles for embouchure, so do trumpets. String instruments have had consistent teaching approaches for like 300 years at this point. They start kids off at 3 years old with standardized body position approaches.

Guitar, someone hands you the thing and a pick and says, "Hey, do whatever's natural, man." That did not work for me.

Classical guitar is coming out of the woods a bit with the Shearer books and other methods, but as far as I know there's still no definitive guide to learning plectrum style guitar. We all do different things with body positioning, instrument positioning, picking grip, picking motion, string switching motion, left hand fingering, etc., etc.

The reason I say that it's complicated is because it really just isn't clear what works or doesn't. Look at all the debate in this thread about standard vs. Benson grip. Look at the countless instructional books and how completely different their paths are. Leavitt vs. CAGED vs. 3-fingers vs. Django.

One of the things that is just great about the guitar is that it is by far the instrument with the most creativity in terms of playing approaches. Nothing else even comes close. Think about the difference between Segovia and Steve Vai.

But, one of the things that is just bad about the guitar is that it is by far the instrument with the least clear instructional path. At some point I realized that if I wanted to be able to play like player X, I needed to start paying attention to what they were doing with their hands, as well as what the sounds they made were like.

I don't want to come off as being combative. I just think all players should be encouraged to spend 30-45 minutes a day looking at basic technical issues. That being said, I could not agree with you more that ear is 1000000000x as important, and you are absolutely right that most guitar players do not spend nearly enough time working on that.

I'm also with you on the idea that you should practice things you are actually going to play, not endless scale patterns.

[3625]

Hey ECJ, that was a great post man. Nailed it.

[MarkRhodes]

By doing precisely what you're doing right now in learning from Herb Ellis or anyone else you choose. When you read the SS article just ask yourself which steps you're doing and which steps you haven't done? What Benson and Ellis have in common is that they learned everything by ear and figured out the technique that worked best for them as part of that process. While Herb will never be considered to be a technical monster per se in terms of speed, consider that he was good enough to be on stage with Oscar Peterson.

Mark, I would not say this is wrong but it reminds me of the Monty Python sketch where a guy up against a castle wall is facing a firing squad. Then a card flashes on screen that reads, "Scene Missing". Then you see the guy outside the castle walls, free as a bird and much relieved at the thrilling escape. We, of course, wanted to SEE that escape.

Let's consider the two greats you mention: Herb Ellis, the biggest influence on my playing, and George Benson. If they both learned the same way, then the way that learned cannot explain the DIFFERENCE between them: that George is more technically dazzling than Herb.

Let me be clear about something. If I could play as well as Herb, I'd be happy. Actually, if I could push a 'play like Herb' button or a 'play like George' button, but only one of them, I would push the 'play like Herb' button. But I can't play Herb's lines up to Herb's speed with a good flow playing the way Herb does. I tried--for years. But playing like George (-or my best imitation of it), I get much closer to playing Herb's lines at tempo with a good feel and flow. (I'm not interested in sounding like George. He's a great player and I admire him but I am not trying to sound like him.)

For some, the technical issues seem to take care of themselves. Maybe their first teacher set them on the right path and they never strayed. Perhaps they didn't have a teacher, fiddled around on their own, discovered the most suitable grip and posture for themselves without developing any bad habits. God bless those people. But I am not one of those people---God bless me too! ;o)

I developed some bad habits and never even thought about some things as a youngster that are important. (At 55, I am aware of my back in ways that never entered my mind as little kid with a guitar. I am also interested in a style of music that didn't appeal to me then. My idea of what it means to be a good guitar player is not the same, either.)

So I had to do some learning as well as some unlearning. I had to unlearn some bad picking habits and I am trying to learn good ones. It's a tough road. And although they used to say "all roads lead to Rome" (-because the Romans built the roads outward from there), not "all picking techniques lead to success" (as defined by the player.) Would that they did!

[JazzOnSix]

I don't want to come off as being combative. I just think all players should be encouraged to spend 30-45 minutes a day looking at basic technical issues. That being said, I could not agree with you more that ear is 1000000000x as important, and you are absolutely right that most guitar players do not spend nearly enough time working on that.

I'm also with you on the idea that you should practice things you are actually going to play, not endless scale patterns.

Excellent post and thoughts, my friend. Look, you don't come across as "combative" to me in the least. I've enjoyed reading what you've shared now and in the past, and obviously we are on the same page in many ways. If anything, you strike me as totally sincere and knowledgeable.

A lot of this comes down to personal priorities and available time, the latter of which can vary enormously from one player to another. Therefore, when someone (our fearless moderator) says just how much he enjoys a given player's work, my first inclination is always to suggest that he spend time listening to and learning directly from the source (e.g. Herb Ellis) to acquire the language, which is what Wes, GB, Pass, and others have done. It's part of the Imitation process that Clark Terry talked about in a conversation with Henry (Johnson). It's in the Assimilation stage that technical issues need to be addressed if you're having problems executing what you hear.

Speaking of HJ, as I might have mentioned he's a close personal friend of mine and we've had countless talks about the most optimum way to learn jazz. No one knows more about GB's path than Henry, and the first two words out of his mouth are always "transcribing" and "language" when it comes to doing what is required to reach higher ground as an improviser. While you are absolutely correct that there are a myriad of ways to effectively get the job done when it comes to left and right hand approaches, plus a plethora of books out there on the subject, it's all a moot point if you have little or nothing to say. That's where I might differ with you when it comes to where that 30-45 minutes a day should be invested. What if you only have an hour a day to practice, like many guys with day gigs and families to support?

I'm glad that you mentioned classical music, because I actually do possess a lot of background in that arena and spent years working with Tarrega's Complete Technical Studies, the Sor Studies, Carcassi's Studies (Op. 60), the Segovia scales, Giuliani's 120 right-hand studies, etc, etc, all in addition to the standard repertoire. As with contemporary guitar, there's always been a lot of vigorous debate in the classical guitar community with regards to different schools and approaches, but I do have to say in retrospect that the repertoire itself does provide what you ultimately need on the technical front.

On a related note with what you said about non-guitarists, years ago I decided to try to improve my marginal piano skill by working through the Hanon book. I was inspired and intrigued by the preface statement that if all ten fingers were equally trained you would be able to execute anything ever written for piano. Imagine my disappointment after several months of daily practice, realizing that all I could play well were the Hanon exercises. I would have been far better off learning some simple compositions instead of being able to play something that no one wants to hear.

In closing, there's plenty of middle ground between obsessive devotion to sheer technique and the idea that someone just hands you a guitar and says, "Hey, do whatever's natural, man." Like I said, it's really more a matter of personal priorities, goals and discovering what works best for each of us. That's what these great players have done in allowing their acquired language to dictate technical solutions.

[destinytot]

Last night, after a break during summer, I went back to my weekly solo restaurant gig (which I've had for the last five years). I usually play from 10.30pm to 1am, and it's perfect for testing out ideas.

As usual, I brought two guitars and a portable PA + mics (for vocals and acoustic), but - having become somewhat blasé about gear - also as usual, I didn't bother bringing a guitar amp.

While setting up (very early), I realised that I was going to have trouble getting enough volume playing single lines with a Fender Thin. By paying attention to technique, I was just about able to use one.

I was delighted with the results of using a Fender Medium on the acoustic archtop - just the right amount of flex for coaxing overtones from extremely heavy round-wound strings - and I learned a lesson about the importance of using the right gear to get the right live sound. I realised that heavier picks may allow me to get away with plugging the archtop straight into the PA, but it's essential to use a guitar amp in order to use Fender Thins.

This morning, keen to check again, I tried using a Fender Thin through the amp at home. This confirmed that I absolutely love the sound, so I'll be bringing the amp next Saturday.

I've been paying attention to my left hand recently, using three fingers and playing with my thumb, and I tried it live for the first time at the end of the evening on some numbers I'm learning for a duo with a James Jamerson-style bass player (a new project, and lots of fun).

One observation about technique from last night's (noisy) restaurant gig. In order to get a satisfactory sound for single lines using the Fender Thin, I paid attention to pick angle and to The Shape. What seemed to help was not only curling the other right-hand fingers but actually closing them while extending The Clamp.

I tried it at home today but, not having a noisy roomful of diners to contend with, the experience today wasn't the same as last night. As it seemed to help with precision, so I'm going to try it again next week. But most importantly, I'm going to bring the amp so I can get in a live situation the same sound I enjoy at home.

[MarkRhodes]

I have nothing negative to say about the ear, or the importance of having a good ear or of improving a not-so-good-yet ear. But I think we sometimes give the ear more credit than it alone is due.

My mother is an ear player. She can't read music. She took a few lessons as a kid but the teacher told her she was wasting her mom's money because she was just playing by ear whatever the teacher played and not learning to read music. Mom played for high school functions when she was in junior high. (She actually never made it to high school as a student.) She played in churches too. She could play anything she had heard and liked.

That is great. I wish I had her ear. But as I get older I wouldn't trade my knowledge and inferior ear for her superior ear without knowledge. She has a hard time keeping song forms in her head. If her memory of a tune is sharp, she is fine, but if it isn't, she is lost because she has no concept of song structure. She will drop bars of tunes, sometimes several, because she can only play what she hears in her head and sometimes she just doesn't hear, say, the rhyme before the bridge and she skips ahead to the next thing she remembers. It's maddening to sing while she plays when her memory of a tune is shaky and she skips around. My ear is nowhere near as good as hers but I don't get lost in songs like that.

And of course, she can't play anything she doesn't like. (And certainly nothing she hasn't heard.) She has trouble with tunes that are not very, well, tuneful. (Groove tunes, for instance, where the rhythm is not the melody.)

The ear alone is lonely.

(Not that anyone here is advocating that. But I think it useful to keep in mind that a person can have a great ear and not be a great musician.)

(In case it isn't clear, I love and admire my mom! I wish I had her ear.)

[Jabberwocky]

This guy plays by ear, for good reason

[MarkRhodes]

This guy plays by ear, for good reason

I bet that guy knows more than a little theory!

[ecj]

A lot of this comes down to personal priorities and available time, the latter of which can vary enormously from one player to another. Therefore, when someone (our fearless moderator) says just how much he enjoys a given player's work, my first inclination is always to suggest that he spend time listening to and learning directly from the source (e.g. Herb Ellis) to acquire the language, which is what Wes, GB, Pass, and others have done. It's part of the Imitation process that Clark Terry talked about in a conversation with Henry (Johnson). It's in the Assimilation stage that technical issues need to be addressed if you're having problems executing what you hear.

I think that you're totally right that the clarifying statement is necessary, "...if you have the time." I spent a lot of time as a young player trying to transcribe and not getting really far. I know so many Sonny Rollins and Bird solos that I cannot play. I'm sure just the learning process was helpful, but I finally got fed up with being unable to execute licks that I can sing and hear.

I actually had the exact same experience with Hanon, and realized that since I only use piano for songwriting it was a colossal waste of time. Just for perspective, I try to practice 3-4 hours a night, and only 30 minutes or so is spent on guitar technique.

You are giving me a good reminder to get back into doing more transcription, though. So essential.

It's awesome that you are friends with Henry Johnson. He is one of my favorite guys on the scene (have had the pleasure to see him live a few times), and always seems like a really genuine, awesome guy from his interviews.

[Groyniad]

ecj - bird and sonny rollins solos - they are the two guys i've spent endless time copying.

what a wonderful bit of chat! thank you - in particular ecj and jazzonsix.

with the guitar, much more than with the other instruments, there's a really basic connection between what you play and how you play it.

its easy to assume that, because you could play (execute) exactly the same phrase in lots of different ways, it doesn't matter much how you play what you play. but this is interestingly wrong. the fingering assumptions you make shape the phrases you play - the right hand technique you adopt shapes the sound you make etc etc etc.

django couldn't have played like django if he played with wes' fingerings and right hand technique - joe pass could not use benson's technique and still sound like joe pass (i.e. even if he played (nearly) all the same notes at the same times). this is true even though wes could play just about anything that joe pass plays and vice versa etc. etc.

this can't be the same if you play the sax, trumpet, violin, piano - at least to nothing like the same extent.

i've been saddled with a very bad right and left hand technique ever since i started playing (thank goodness my left and right leg technique is solid). i learned very consciously - through scales, chords, inversions, arpeggios etc. - in my early twenties and now, in my later forties after god knows how many gigs struggling with fundamentally mistaken assumptions about left and right hand technique - i'm trying to put the basics right at last.

its easy to assume that you have to have a technical framework (harmony, fret-board geography etc.) in place before you play the music - because without one you won't know how to play the music. you can look at the guitar and just think - what the fruck do i do to that to play a tune with it?? - but when you pick up a flute, once you've learned to blow a note, the fingering is very intuitive and leaves you with no choices whatsoever.

but if you establish a bad technical framework through the wrong kind of scale and arpeggio practice, it will hamper you doggedly as you try to use it to play music with.

so, somehow, and to some very considerable extent, you have to let the demands of the music shape the technical solutions you adopt for right and left hand. it almost never occurred to me as i was bent over the record player learning another bird blues chorus that i should let the shape of the line show me which way to go on the neck. i automatically just used the scale and arpeggios fingerings i'd learned when playing bird's ideas. or i tried to. the most obvious problems generated were to do with smoothness in execution - the pattern of string changes forced on me by my learned patterns were consistently unfriendly to the tunes i was using them to play.

i am not at all surprised to hear that GB knows so many bird solos and be-bop heads (the be-bop i've heard him playing has been utterly masterful). i heard him say in an interview on Chinese television - that when he finally met his dad in his mid or late teens one of the things he said to him was that the greatest musician of all time was charlie parker.

i can't help thinking that the best way to learn the gb technique would be to learn as many parker tunes as you can and try to find ways to pick and finger them that seem right to you. there's a real danger - the one jazzonsix rightly identifies - of playing musically empty patterns endlessly while focusing on right hand technique. (this would be a particularly good way to arrive at solutions to left and right hand problems if you wanted to play be-bop in the bird tradition).

another really important thing i think is that if you are going to play scales/arpeggios/patterns a lot, you should make sure that they always make rhythmical sense. so, for example, if you descend from the 9th degree of a scale (starting on the beat), you'll get to the first degree at the right time, but if (starting on the beat) you descend from the tonic down to another an octave below, you won't. (the great Barry Harris is an authority on this stuff). you should never play repeated patterns that don't feel rhythmically good.

segovia and that vaughn chap you mention (does he play rock and roll?) both have good technique because they have both developed a technique well suited to the musical requirements of what they want to play. i bet its a common feature of the great players that while they (may) do some technical and theoretical work that is largely abstracted from the music, the vast majority of their practice time is spent trying to find technical solutions to problems presented to them by the music itself.

[3625]

I don't see any disconnect between focusing on the minutae of a particular right hand technique - as is the express purpose of this thread - and simultaneously working on all the other facets of being a complete musician.

JazzOnSix: I've read your posts in this thread, and to me, they contain good general common sense advice, but this thread is a little tiny place on the internet to discuss in depth the details which surround Benson picking. Oh, and talking about picking is heaps fun too - I know some other members are a bit exasperated by the nitpicking displayed in these posts, but for me and others here it's all good. Man, I love talking about picking, which picks to use etc. Love it.

You can have both - check out JC Stylles playing, he's proof of that. The guy's onto something. Maybe you or other players you know have a different opinion on how to approach this - I can understand that. But like you said 'whatever works'. And this works great.

[MarkRhodes]

JazzOnSix: I've read your posts in this thread, and to me, they contain good general common sense advice, but this thread is a little tiny place on the internet to discuss in depth the details which surround Benson picking.

I think that is a good point. Mark (JazzOnSix) is right in the big picture sense that 'you gotta have something to play'---that is, if you pick like a demon but don't know any of the language or play in a way that emotionally connects with people---what good is it? But there is the other side: it is possible to have some good musical ideas, a real sense of what makes the music work, a love for it, and a desire to make good music, but have trouble executing those ideas. Think of the great orators who had speech impediments. (Moses and Demosthenes are two of many.) They had a problem most speakers over three never struggle with at all: pronouncing words so that others can understand them. Yet is was a real problem for them and they had to tackle it as THAT problem. Knowing more words won't cure you of being tongue-tied. That's its own problem.

[3625]

D'Andrea .71mm shell celluloids just arrived in the post. First impression is that they seem identical to Fender mediums in terms of pick flex, but in terms of tone I'd say the D'Andrea's are slightly better straight out of the packet. I've commented before that the new Fender shell mediums appear to be made out of a different grade of celluloid as compared to older ones - the new ones are lighter in colour. These D'Andrea's have the same dark brown colour as the older Fenders. Most likely the D'Andrea's use the celluloid made in Italy, as opposed to China (apparently the only two countries that now manufacture it).

What strikes me immediately is that the tip is well finished - no scratchiness like other brands. Tone is clear.

[Philco]

D'Andrea .71mm shell celluloids just arrived in the post. First impression is that they seem identical to Fender mediums in terms of pick flex, but in terms of tone I'd say the D'Andrea's are slightly better straight out of the packet. I've commented before that the new Fender shell mediums appear to be made out of a different grade of celluloid as compared to older ones - the new ones are lighter in colour. These D'Andrea's have the same dark brown colour as the older Fenders. Most likely the D'Andrea's use the celluloid made in Italy, as opposed to China (apparently the only two countries that now manufacture it).

What strikes me immediately is that the tip is well finished - no scratchiness like other brands. Tone is clear.

Hey 3625 can you give us a link to where you got those?
You're getting one of the fattest sounds I've heard with this technique so if these picks work for you then I want a piece of the action!

[3625]

You remember Ellis Guitar's online shop in WA? He's not doing picks anymore, so I bought his remaining stock (only 4 mediums + assorted gauges) from his Ebay account. The Aussie distributor for D'Andrea is National Music and they do 72pce packs of these for $40.50 AUD, but you have to order them through an affiliated retailer. I'll send you one of mine, and if you like it we could go halves in a 72 pack.

Seems like I've turned into a celluloid plectrum otaku.

[Philco]

You remember Ellis Guitar's online shop in WA? He's not doing picks anymore, so I bought his remaining stock (only 4 mediums + assorted gauges) from his Ebay account. The Aussie distributor for D'Andrea is National Music and they do 72pce packs of these for $40.50 AUD, but you have to order them through an affiliated retailer. I'll send you one of mine, and if you like it we could go halves in a 72 pack.

Seems like I've turned into a celluloid plectrum otaku.

Ok it's a deal….and I'll send you some of my Walrus thins. I also have many…..and when I say many……Fender Thins on the way. Every colour available…..including Clown Vomit! That's right I have thin Clown Vomits on the way!
Exciting times!

In regard to your Celluloid Plectrum Otaku problem, I believe you can rub ointment on that.

[JazzOnSix]

It's awesome that you are friends with Henry Johnson. He is one of my favorite guys on the scene (have had the pleasure to see him live a few times), and always seems like a really genuine, awesome guy from his interviews.

Evan, have you had a chance to meet him? I noticed that you are based in Chicago when I was checking out your music and FB page (btw, nice vocals and accompaniment), so it doesn't surprise me that you've caught him live locally on more than one occasion.

Henry's one of the nicest, most humble guys I've ever met, and he's also the one who introduced me to Wolf Marshall. They are fellow transcribers and have been friends for a long time. I mentioned to Mark that I'd like to eventually post the "Cruising with the Legends" JJG interview I did with Henry back in 2007. HJ played annually on the prestigious jazz cruise ship affairs for something like 22 consecutive years, and I was so inspired by his recollections of hanging out and performing with a list that reads like a Who's Who in jazz.

I didn't want it to be a "When did you start playing guitar?" type of piece, which Joe Barth had done earlier. It was his stories that are just priceless to any fan of jazz music that prompted me to approach Ed Benson (publisher) for the green light.

Anyway, Wolf and I affectionately call HJ "Mr. Curious" and there's a reason for it. One is that Henry started to seriously transcribe when he was just 12-13 years old and has never stopped to this day. His MBA (short for Music Bank Account) is loaded because he's been making powerful deposits for decades based on what he's learned, so when it comes to making withdrawals he's one scary player.

The other reason for the nickname is that he loves to talk with veteran players to discover how they learned to play and what they were thinking when composing a tune or improvising over changes. I feel blessed that he's shared a great deal of that with me, and since he's a pull-no-punches straight-shooter it's been beyond gratifying that he's such a fan of my work as a player, composer and educator. I owe him for a lot of my success and evolution over the past 9-10 years.

[MarkRhodes]

Henry's one of the nicest, most humble guys I've ever met, and he's also the one who introduced me to Wolf Marshall. They are fellow transcribers and have been friends for a long time. I mentioned to Mark that I'd like to eventually post the "Cruising with the Legends" JJG interview I did with Henry back in 2007. HJ played annually on the prestigious jazz cruise ship affairs for something like 22 consecutive years, and I was so inspired by his recollections of hanging out and performing with a list that reads like a Who's Who in jazz.

I didn't want it to be a "When did you start playing guitar?" type of piece, which Joe Barth had done earlier. It was his stories that are just priceless to any fan of jazz music that prompted me to approach Ed Benson (publisher) for the green light.

I can't wait to read that!

[ecj]

Evan, have you had a chance to meet him? I noticed that you are based in Chicago when I was checking out your music and FB page (btw, nice vocals and accompaniment), so it doesn't surprise me that you've caught him live locally on more than one occasion.

Really appreciate the compliments, Mark. Thanks!

I haven't had the chance to meet Henry, yet. I try to catch him whenever I can. It seems like he tours a lot more than some of the other Chicago local greats (Broom, Andy Brown, Ponticelli) so I don't get to see him that much. I really want to come to him at some point for a lesson, but I feel like I have some homework to do before that. Specifically, I want to get through transcribing a bunch more Wes and Benson so that I have more intelligent questions to ask about his approach.

Henry's one of the nicest, most humble guys I've ever met, and he's also the one who introduced me to Wolf Marshall. They are fellow transcribers and have been friends for a long time. I mentioned to Mark that I'd like to eventually post the "Cruising with the Legends" JJG interview I did with Henry back in 2007. HJ played annually on the prestigious jazz cruise ship affairs for something like 22 consecutive years, and I was so inspired by his recollections of hanging out and performing with a list that reads like a Who's Who in jazz.

I didn't want it to be a "When did you start playing guitar?" type of piece, which Joe Barth had done earlier. It was his stories that are just priceless to any fan of jazz music that prompted me to approach Ed Benson (publisher) for the green light.

I would LOVE to read that. Let us know when you finally get the green light. I think I've seen some clips of the cruise shows and even a couple jam sessions with Wolf Marshall up on YouTube. Henry needs to hire a promoter He's a killer player, but there's not a whole lot out there of his work.

Anyway, Wolf and I affectionately call HJ "Mr. Curious" and there's a reason for it. One is that Henry started to seriously transcribe when he was just 12-13 years old and has never stopped to this day. His MBA (short for Music Bank Account) is loaded because he's been making powerful deposits for decades based on what he's learned, so when it comes to making withdrawals he's one scary player.

The other reason for the nickname is that he loves to talk with veteran players to discover how they learned to play and what they were thinking when composing a tune or improvising over changes. I feel blessed that he's shared a great deal of that with me, and since he's a pull-no-punches straight-shooter it's been beyond gratifying that he's such a fan of my work as a player, composer and educator. I owe him for a lot of my success and evolution over the past 9-10 years.

Thanks for the insider view! I definitely have slacked on transcription for the last year, and am emboldened by your advice to follow through and start doing a lot more of it.

[Groyniad]

Last night, after a break during summer, I went back to my weekly solo restaurant gig (which I've had for the last five years). I usually play from 10.30pm to 1am, and it's perfect for testing out ideas.

As usual, I brought two guitars and a portable PA + mics (for vocals and acoustic), but - having become somewhat blasé about gear - also as usual, I didn't bother bringing a guitar amp.

While setting up (very early), I realised that I was going to have trouble getting enough volume playing single lines with a Fender Thin. By paying attention to technique, I was just about able to use one.

I was delighted with the results of using a Fender Medium on the acoustic archtop - just the right amount of flex for coaxing overtones from extremely heavy round-wound strings - and I learned a lesson about the importance of using the right gear to get the right live sound. I realised that heavier picks may allow me to get away with plugging the archtop straight into the PA, but it's essential to use a guitar amp in order to use Fender Thins.

This morning, keen to check again, I tried using a Fender Thin through the amp at home. This confirmed that I absolutely love the sound, so I'll be bringing the amp next Saturday.

I've been paying attention to my left hand recently, using three fingers and playing with my thumb, and I tried it live for the first time at the end of the evening on some numbers I'm learning for a duo with a James Jamerson-style bass player (a new project, and lots of fun).

One observation about technique from last night's (noisy) restaurant gig. In order to get a satisfactory sound for single lines using the Fender Thin, I paid attention to pick angle and to The Shape. What seemed to help was not only curling the other right-hand fingers but actually closing them while extending The Clamp.

I tried it at home today but, not having a noisy roomful of diners to contend with, the experience today wasn't the same as last night. As it seemed to help with precision, so I'm going to try it again next week. But most importantly, I'm going to bring the amp so I can get in a live situation the same sound I enjoy at home.

great stuff man! my latest thing with the technique is making sure i play from the wrist. (i'm mentioning this because it connects with the main point about technique you're making above) i do this by making sure there is quite a big 'break' in the wrist (a bit like with classical technique) and by trying to feel the pick movement as coming from the relaxed broken wrist joint. this ensures that the line down the middle of your thumb is not parallel with the strings but at about 35 degrees to them - and it also has the effect of curling your other fingers up under the hand more (which is - i think - the point you were making). if i let this angle between thumb and strings get lost i lose both articulation and volume with it. i feel a constant temptation to play with the whole arm or forearm rather than letting the motion come from the wrist.

[JazzOnSix]

I haven't had the chance to meet Henry, yet. I try to catch him whenever I can. It seems like he tours a lot more than some of the other Chicago local greats (Broom, Andy Brown, Ponticelli) so I don't get to see him that much. I really want to come to him at some point for a lesson, but I feel like I have some homework to do before that. Specifically, I want to get through transcribing a bunch more Wes and Benson so that I have more intelligent questions to ask about his approach.

For the past couple of years Henry's been on the road (domestic and abroad) with Ramsey Lewis, whom he played with earlier in his career. You must be aware of his vocal ability and background, which among things is one reason why I'm sure that he'd enjoy working with you. HJ played with Joe Williams for about ten years and considered him a mentor. His Organic release, which I reviewed in JJG, featured his longtime friend Nancy Wilson on three cuts. I believe that Henry also studied with Seth Riggs.

I wouldn't worry about getting your transcribing chops up to speed before setting up a lesson with him, but if you get back in the trenches for 10-15 minutes a day you'll have plenty to discuss. For an artist of his caliber, Henry has the unique ability to make you feel that you are on equal ground. I LOVE that about him, plus like our mutual friend Wolf he has a genuine passion for sharing knowledge. These guys will often phone me up after a lesson, just because they're so excited about their student's progress. How many teachers out there have that kind of enthusiasm, plus the playing ability to back up the talk?

Btw, it won't hurt if you happen to be a fan of his beloved Chicago Bulls. Like me, he is a genuine hoops junkie. :-)

Regarding the JJG interview, perhaps the best place for it would be under the Player's area in the forum. I'd like it to be in a place where lots of folks here can enjoy it. Here's a shot of the three consecutive February covers that I did with Marshall, Johnson and Andreas Oberg (2006-2008):



I do feel a bit guilty in getting off the pick and picking topic, but I do have some things to share along those lines despite my focus being more on the content side of things. I mean.. it's not like I haven't spent decades thinking about various picks and technical approaches, too. I'll try to get some picktures and even a couple of related studio tracks uploaded before too long.