The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    So here we, or at least Here I go... I've been asked to start a somewhat general thread about jazz, really more to the point, Playing Jazz.

    I have as much expertise as most with traditional as well as jazz theory and harmony, at least well enough to discuss anything music related.

    Obviously I have personal opinions, but that tends to happen when your involved with something for way too many years. I'll really make an attempt to make posts interesting and helpful... and try and keep the BS to a minimum.

    What I really would like to do is get into playing Jazz, becoming aware of different concepts and their applications... This will involve posting lots of musical examples. I do have years of professional experience performing and can cover fairly well...

    Anyway should be nice ride... and you will get insight of how I play with examples and explanations of how and why I approach playing.

    Reg

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Bring it on brother. I look forward to it.

  4. #3

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    Hey Reg,that is very kind of you man,i will look forward to this.You seem to be a very giving person like me,i only wish i had more to give.Peace.

  5. #4

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    Looking forward to it, Reg. You know, you talk about forms, and how songs are made of parts---maybe you could do a segment on the most common forms that a budding jazzer must master. (Just a thought.)

  6. #5

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    Great Reg, thanks for your effort, I look forward to it too.

  7. #6

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    Alright, got this one as a sticky...looking forward to watching it develop.

    I'd like to hear you talk in detail about blue note harmony, as i think i have seen uou call it...

  8. #7

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    Thanks Reg.

  9. #8

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    What a selfless and generous act, especially considering the level you play at and your knowledge!

    I'd like to hear about how you analyze tunes for improvisation. Do you play from chord forms? Thinking scales? Fragments? If you have a visual or cerebral approach to navigating the fretboard etcetra.

    I'd also like to hear how you approach chord melody. Your process for arranging melodies and a bit about your personal "palette" of extensions and alterations that you find pleasing to color the chords with.

  10. #9

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    Awesome.

  11. #10

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    Cool, I am looking forward to it.

  12. #11

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    nice

  13. #12

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    This has obviouly gotten a lot of attention and is just a day old! I cant agree more with the comments above, and am looking forward to your iniative Reg. Thank you!

  14. #13

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    Very cool and very much appreciated.

  15. #14

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    Whow... thanks all... I'll get a few things together this afternoon and start posting...

  16. #15

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    Can't wait!

  17. #16

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    Reg;this is going to be great.I love the way you play and teach.Thank you man,cant wait.

  18. #17
    Reg- Got to make this unanimous. We can,t hardly wait . SEND US THE BILL ha ha

  19. #18
    Awesome, i'm going to learn alot. Wonder if you show examples of voicing leading for inprov or patterns we can practice to hear the changes othen just arpeggios.
    Thx
    Ken

  20. #19

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    I'm going to start these posts in sections... they will all tie together. You need to understand where I start from, my basic references.

    Even though I'm going to begin with technical BS, fingerings, chords, scales, arpeggios... You need to understand the concepts, both actual playing as well as approaches behind that playing.

    So there are levels of playing as well as levels of harmony/theory approaches... your level of physical skills and your level of understanding what your playing.

    1) I'll start with fingerings... methods of organizing your fingers with all aspects of playing... I have a base fingering system or my default starting point.

    2) Through that fingering system, I'll get into scales, arpeggios etc...

    3) Chords, how I comp...

    4) I use the same methods or systems of organization... "reference, relationships and development" for almost all aspects of my playing.

    5) I'll have to get into forms, rhythmic concepts and what reading and playing jazz charts is... not simply what's notated.

    There are more skills and we can get into them as they come up...

    My harmonic/theory approaches are simple, use of Modal interchange, use of Blue notes harmonically, Modal concept approaches and use of Melodic minor non-functionally. There's actually more... but it's very standard.

    An example... I'm soloing over Gmaj7 to Cmaj7...
    My starting point is diatonic... Ima7 to IVma7...

    Next relationship could be... Function relationships or function subs;
    Gmaj7... access to VI-7, then III-7
    Cmaj7... access to II-7, then VI-7

    Now I have choice of developing those subs, through modal interchange, blue notes, MM etc... lots of choices.

    Or I can introduce more subs through different methods... tri-tone, approach, sub of subs, Related IIs or Vs... implied or deceptive relationships for sources of subs. Other reharms etc... and then start developing through my basic jazz tools for developing relationships...

    Every note I play represents a complete harmonic structure... On that Gmaj7... if I play 8th note line... starting on 2nd string 7th fret... F#, G, 1st String, 7th fret... B. 2nd string... 8th fret...G, F#

    F# G B G F#. Harmony or what each note implies harmonically could be, F#ma9, Gmaj9, B-7, F9, E-9 all for that original Gmaj7 chord... with those notes as lead line...

    X 10 7 7 7 X
    X 11 8 8 8 X
    7 X 7 7 7 7
    X 8 7 8 8 X
    X 7 5 7 7 X

    Anyway this aspect of my playing, how I approach, will if nothing else help you understand how you play... everyone will get something out of it. But I do need to start at basics.. with out a solid mechanical method of fingering and understandings of what your playing...you'll hit walls when tempos get up.


    1) Fingerings... I'm a position player, I base all my fingerings or how I see and hear and get out what I hear from positions. (1st finger determines position).

    I use different fingerings to help imply different styles. Same notes played in one position have a jazz feel, while when played with a different fingering will sound like rock, blues etc...

    I base all my fingerings off 6th string roots and use 2nd finger for those roots...which creates all 1st finger stretches. This is my starting point of reference... My mechanical method of feeling and not having to look at the neck to hear or see where I am. It works well for me.

    My reasoning was... my 2nd finger is the strongest, and my 1st finger has the most mobility... which lead to 2nd finger as base and 1st finger for stretches.

    There are other fingering... 1st finger, and 4th finger based and some 3rd, 4th finger stretches or combinations of 1st and 4th, hybrids and special purpose etc... I do use many of those. But they are all used in reference to my 2nd finger base starting point.

    Everything I do and play in music has a beginning, a starting point, a reference. From there I have methods of using, creating and developing relationships. This doesn't mean I always go through the process of relating to the beginning... I've trained myself... and my instincts, I trust them. My reactions even when spontaneous are really somewhat organized.

    So I'll go through and make examples and charts of fingerings and make short video of hand positions etc... maybe wait on the vid for better material.

    I somewhat use the same mechanical system for comping...
    I use root 6 or 6th string root chords along with Root 5 and root 4. I also see and can use root 3 chords but not much. Those are my starting points... references for voicings and harmonic development.

    I usually just voice my lead line, the top note, or have line going on in bass notes. All with reference to my position and what approach I'm using, same with soloing... I don't simple hear a line and play it. I hear the line in context with a harmonic approach. Just as you hear a melodic line or chord progression. What harmonic approach(es) I'm also hearing have influence on the melodic line or chords I'm referencing and developing.

    This fingering and mechanical references may be a little boring at first, at least I hope so, but my approaches for actually comping and soloing won't be boring. They will help you understand different systems of playing the same collection notes with different implications.
    Best Reg
    Attached Images Attached Images Reg's Thread... live at the speed of Jazz-thread-fingerings-jpg 
    Last edited by Reg; 11-13-2012 at 10:44 AM.

  21. #20

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    Reg, thanks AGAIN for all the information you just give to us. Please know that there are a lot of ppl on here that greatly benefit from it and appreciate the information and wisdom bro. That's real talk brotha

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Reg
    I base all my fingerings off 6th string roots and use 2nd finger for those roots...which creates all 1st finger stretches. This is my starting point of reference... My mechanical method of feeling and not having to look at the neck to hear or see where I am. It works well for me.

    My reasoning was... my 2nd finger is the strongest, and my 1st finger has the most mobility... which lead to 2nd finger as base and 1st finger for stretches.
    Lots of great stuff above, but I just thought I'd highlight this excerpt, Reg.
    I like that logic. I realise you use other fingerings (as I do), but I don't often think of working this way.

    But it ties in with what I'm always encouraging students to do (at a way lower level than we're talking here!): to think about balancing their fret hands at the centre, as it were (around the middle finger). It's far easier to stretch an index back than it is to stretch a pinky up.
    For beginners especially, the pinky needs all the help it can get, and I've found it helps (with chord shapes or scales) to think from the pinky back, rather than the index up (which is the instinctive way). Ultimately it ends up with a balance around that middle finger, which makes the biggest stretches more comfortable.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Reg

    I base all my fingerings off 6th string roots and use 2nd finger for those roots...which creates all 1st finger stretches. This is my starting point of reference... My mechanical method of feeling and not having to look at the neck to hear or see where I am. It works well for me.


    Best Reg
    Please excuse this if it is a stupid question. I am a pretty decent blues (not jazz blues - blues blues) player and have been trying to get a handle on jazz for about a year so am approaching this from a little left of left field.

    Are you saying that, when approaching a Gmaj scale I'm going to mostly see your hand in second position and when playing an A Dorian, you'll be in 4th position? Or are you saying something else? I have spent considerable time learning a lot of scales in a lot of positions, and would hate to think I have been exerting effort that could have been used doing something else.

    I'm half kidding of course and understand that knowledge of he fretboard is important but I find simplifying things attractive.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by ColinO
    Please excuse this if it is a stupid question. I am a pretty decent blues (not jazz blues - blues blues) player and have been trying to get a handle on jazz for about a year so am approaching this from a little left of left field.

    Are you saying that, when approaching a Gmaj scale I'm going to mostly see your hand in second position and when playing an A Dorian, you'll be in 4th position? Or are you saying something else? I have spent considerable time learning a lot of scales in a lot of positions, and would hate to think I have been exerting effort that could have been used doing something else.

    I'm half kidding of course and understand that knowledge of he fretboard is important but I find simplifying things attractive.
    Yes, I start with Gmaj from 2nd position, and A min, Dorian starts from 4th position... with 1st finger stretches.

    Generally most Blues and Rock players play Amin Dorian from 5th position with 4th finger stretches or with change of position. That same 5th position fingering with change to 6th or 13th, flatted, is also used for nat. min. and also Cmaj. They tend to stem from use of pentatonic's and open position playing fingerings.
    Reg

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Reg
    Yes, I start with Gmaj from 2nd position, and A min, Dorian starts from 4th position... with 1st finger stretches.

    Generally most Blues and Rock players play Amin Dorian from 5th position with 4th finger stretches or with change of position. That same 5th position fingering with change to 6th or 13th, flatted, is also used for nat. min. and also Cmaj. They tend to stem from use of pentatonic's and open position playing fingerings.
    Reg
    Thank you. That's interesting. When I started trying to get my head around playing jazz, the first thing I did was figure out the Dorian mode and how it might relate to the minor pentatonic scale. I wound up in 4th position on the Am Dorian because it was pretty easy to add the B and F# to the Am pent. However, because it is pretty easy to find the Am pent all over the neck, it is also easy to find A Dorian all over the neck too, so I end up all over the place when using that scale, and ultimately all scales when playing jazz too.

    I take from what you are saying that it may be better to anchor oneself rather than taking the approach that I have been taking which is to look at the scales all over the neck on an equal footing.

    That's a different approach than playing blues in a sense since part of what creates variation in what is played in blues is the different way that the notes fall in different areas of the neck.

    Thank you again for this thread. You are being very generous with your time and knowledge.

  26. #25

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    ColinO, I've seen a lot of Reg's videos and I can assure you he can play any key and any scale anywhere and everywhere on the neck.

    Reg, correct me if I'm wrong. Reg is talking about his fingerings which seem to be similar to the Leavitt fingerings. When he talks of A min dorian that is a fingering which is also the same pitch collection as G major and C lydian and D mixolydian etc. So this is one of the fingerings he'd use for A min dorian and is also one of the fingerings he'd use for G major.