The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Barry Harris said in a workshop that there was nothing you could do on a piano that you couldn't do on a guitar. I remember thinking, "does he realize that we are not all Pasquale Grasso's".

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    Barry Harris said in a workshop that there was nothing you could do on a piano that you couldn't do on a guitar. I remember thinking, "does he realize that we are not all Pasquale Grasso's".
    Tbf he also says that bass players should be able to play anything a sax can

  4. #28
    Well Jimi Hendrix thinks guitar makes good fire but Jerry lee Lewis thinks piano make better fire!!!

  5. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    Barry Harris said in a workshop that there was nothing you could do on a piano that you couldn't do on a guitar. I remember thinking, "does he realize that we are not all Pasquale Grasso's".
    Does Barry mean that literally though, or is it a bit of wise old sage "no excuses about your instrument" stuff?

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by rintincop
    I love listening to jazz guitar but I prefer working on piano more. I see lots of gigs for solo piano but not much for a solo guitar. It just can’t produce as many parts or notes all at once. Solo piano can almost be like having a whole orchestra at your command, it’s like a one-man band.
    And there you have it. A pianist IS a one-man band; comping self and soloing the comp.

    In my experience I've found that the pianist, having ' ten shots,'..will tak'em.

    I see Barry Harris references above so I'll add that he has said that it's the 'little things that are pretty.'

    I take that to mean that if he could get most pianists to cut back a bit they would focus more on voice leading.

  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Does Barry mean that literally though, or is it a bit of wise old sage "no excuses about your instrument" stuff?
    I guess so.
    He even added: "You can probably do more on the guitar." (paraphrasing).
    He was showing some stuff on the piano and wanted guitar players to do them. I think what he meant was, every concept he covered on piano was equally applicable to guitar.

  8. #32

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    It’s a guitar forum so most prefer guitar. I don’t know if the majority here actually have much piano experience. I know there are a few here that do. I prefer piano which I came to at age 35. It was easy to find a jazz instructor. Being single, I lived and breathed it for years, practicing for hours and hours until I became proficient with the instrument. Left hand bass lines while improvising was a challenge until it no longer was. I’ve owned grands, and later an upright. Later migrating to a Yamaha S90ES for its versatility of voices including jazz organ. As to portability, most pianos today are portable and come with soft carry bags. The Nord Stage 3 88 only weighs 41 pounds, and is easily carried on your back in a soft bag.The best imo is the Nord, which is built in Sweden. It’s pricy at $4500, but still very affordable when compared to many guitars.

    Here’s Joey playing a Nord at a gig.

    Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 05-03-2021 at 01:45 PM.

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    any guitarists you particularly like for their harmony, comping etc?
    George Van Eps is pretty nuts : o


  10. #34

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    The main advantage guitar has over the piano is the ability to make notes speak in different ways.

    You can squeeze, bend, shake, slide, pull-off, vary pick and picking technique (and thereby sound) in an infinite number of ways. The notes can sustain or not. It all allows for emotional expression in a way that piano isn't so suited for -- although with pitch bending and volume pedals etc, they can cover some of this.

    Of course, jazz guitarists traditionally didn't exploit much of this capability. That came more from blues and rock traditions and, eventually, crossed over.

    OTOH, pianists can play more notes at a time, with closer voicings. And, a pianist can comp for himself or play a bass line while soloing. Solo piano is a lot easier than solo guitar.

  11. #35

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    ^ Piano isn't devoid of expression. It varies vastly depending on the touch. Although there is no pitch changing like guitar or note growth/tone shaping like sax.

    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    Here’s Joey playing a Nord at a gig.
    A Nord on top of a Hammond :P

  12. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    It’s a guitar forum so most prefer guitar.
    That doesn’t necessarily follow for me.

  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    That doesn’t necessarily follow for me.
    Really? I had no idea you played piano!

  14. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    You can’t take a piano to the beach.
    Piano or Guitar, which has more advantages?-iu-jpeg

  15. #39

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    Ya, a 500lb piano would stand perfectly on the mud.

    Also, that looks like the geeziest movie ever.
    Last edited by Clint 55; 05-03-2021 at 06:31 PM.

  16. #40

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    That is black sand, on Karekare Beach.

  17. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    Really? I had no idea you played piano!
    Well I wouldn't call what I do to a piano 'playing', exactly; what I mean is I don't think I am particularly biased towards or against guitar in my jazz listening. I like guitar about as much to listen to as other instruments.

  18. #42

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    Let's not forget, both piano and guitar are stringed instruments. I know this is a guitar forum . . . I am a guitarist . . . but to compare piano to guitar . . . the piano must always win for its superior sonorities, its dynamic range, the depth of its potential harmonic capabilities, and being a true orchestra of one. Then, once we begin to talk about the vast piano literature, and the centuries old pedagogy, the piano is the true winner. However, the guitar speaks to me more than a piano and that is why I play guitar. We are drawn to instruments by our personality. And, I don't know that this can really be explained. Do we choose the instrument or does the instrument choose us?
    Play live . . . Marinero

  19. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Let's not forget, both piano and guitar are stringed instruments. I know this is a guitar forum . . . I am a guitarist . . . but to compare piano to guitar . . . the piano must always win for its superior sonorities, its dynamic range, the depth of its potential harmonic capabilities, and being a true orchestra of one. Then, once we begin to talk about the vast piano literature, and the centuries old pedagogy, the piano is the true winner. However, the guitar speaks to me more than a piano and that is why I play guitar. We are drawn to instruments by our personality. And, I don't know that this can really be explained. Do we choose the instrument or does the instrument choose us?
    Play live . . . Marinero
    My maternal grandparents had an old acoustic guitar in the house - it had some kind of cowboy scene painted on the top. I can remember, as a young child, staring at this object and marveling at how anyone could learn to play this thing. The strings and frets (as I would much later learn to call them) seemed to be just too complicated to deal with. It took me a while to appreciate the guitar's magnificent simplicity. It is the most elegant of engineering solutions to the problem of the greatest range of notes (not to mention tones)* in the smallest space with the least materials producing the most pleasure for the most people in the most places. Stunning, really.

    *Bonus points: "Notes" and "tones" use the same letters! Coincidence?

    Probably.

  20. #44

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    In jazz the biggest difference for me is the minimalistic nature of the guitar. It lends itself to a more sparse, lighter kind of color and rhythm support, compared to the piano. So I feel it's important for guitar players to work into that, cause that's why someone would prefer guitar in their bands rather than piano.

    Another thing is the sound, the blues tradition and all the idioms that are guitar heavy. Certain styles of music, and styles of jazz, translate beautifully to the guitar.

    A third reason is the endless variations a guitar's sound can have. Most jazz piano players share more or less a piano sound. Guitar sounds can be anything from Jim Hall to Metheny, Scofield, Mike Stern, Holdsworth, you get the idea..

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alter
    In jazz the biggest difference for me is the minimalistic nature of the guitar. It lends itself to a more sparse, lighter kind of color and rhythm support, compared to the piano. So I feel it's important for guitar players to work into that, cause that's why someone would prefer guitar in their bands rather than piano.

    Another thing is the sound, the blues tradition and all the idioms that are guitar heavy. Certain styles of music, and styles of jazz, translate beautifully to the guitar.

    A third reason is the endless variations a guitar's sound can have. Most jazz piano players share more or less a piano sound. Guitar sounds can be anything from Jim Hall to Metheny, Scofield, Mike Stern, Holdsworth, you get the idea..
    But if a piano sounds the way it does how does that explain its tonal differences in the hands of pro players like Keith Jarrettt, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, on and on and on? Each of these players are easily identified by their individual sound as well. So there’s that.

  22. #46

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    Erroll Garner, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Vince Guaraldi. All have unique sounds. People say what they say cuz they don't play :P

  23. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by Clint 55
    Erroll Garner, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Vince Guaraldi. All have unique sounds. People say what they say cuz they don't play :P
    I could have gone on. The list is endless. My personal favorite was Jarrett and Gene Harris.

  24. #48
    A pianist has less control over the sound than you might expect, all they can do is press the key at different velocities (dynamics).
    Once the hammer is then thrown and strikes the strings it is beyond their control, all they can do is keep the sustain damper off until they decide to let it down again thus releasing the sustain. If Jarrett throws a hammer at velocity 80 and a monkey throws the same hammer at 80, and for the same duration of course, it will sound the same. What makes them sound different is their phrasing (dynamics, rhythm, accents), their note choices, their concept and influences, how they vary their velocities ("touch", really a part of their dynamics phrasing again) and how they blend their note velocities and harmonize.
    Last edited by rintincop; 05-04-2021 at 10:57 PM.

  25. #49

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    Pianists don't play 1 note at a time. They play several, and so the different timbres created by the different key speeds create a unique overall tone.

  26. #50
    I think that even guitarists should be at least familiar with the piano if only because it's a lot easier to analyse things theoretically on a piano than it is on a guitar.