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I think Scott Henderson is probably the ultimate Jazz/Rock fusion player, one of my favorites in the genre.
If you like more shredding (i.e., jazz shredding), you should listen to Alan Holdsworth and Frank Gambale. They're very "legato", lots of tapping, lots of sweeps and arpeggios, etc.
I also like John Scofield - he's more of a traditional player who likes to dabble in some funk/rock. I absolutely love his sound and style, in particular because it's less cheesy than the above guitarists.
Mike Stern likes to rock out sometimes. He's one of my favorites too (and plays most Wednesdays at a local bar in NYC.)
Joey Goldstein is not that well known, but used to be my Guitar teacher (nearly 10 years ago), and he's a mean fusion player. That soundclick page has some great tracks.
I prefer your method. It's basically what I get my students to do. The key is that you only need to do it for 5 minutes or so, but EVERY DAY.
Here's another suggestion: Hopefully, you have some kind of notebook that you track your practice with. Each day, using a new key via making your way across the circle of fifths, start on the lowest note of that key, and for each string (or maybe just one or two strings), start at the lowest note in that key, and make your way up to the 15th fret or so, and then go back down. Also, say the notes aloud.
I also like the idea of finding all of one particular note on the guitar, but I feel like it's a less efficient use of time in the beginning. That's better when you have a reasonable grasp on the most of the fretboard.
If you do the exercises I mentioned, you should be doing pretty well in 1-3 months, depending on how dedicated you are. then, get this book 😈 :
https://www.amazon.com/Mel-Sight-Reading-Contemporary-Guitarist/dp/0786664762
it's a bunch of random notes basically, and they are separated into the top three strings, and bottom three strings. Also, they are not in positions, but "regions," a term he coined. A region is just a chunk of the guitar, like 1st through 8th fret, or something like that. It was really the book that solidified my knowledge of the notes on the fretboard.
EDIT: there are a bunch of crazy rhythms in this book for some reason, I don't know why. You can ignore them and just play quarter notes if you want. I don't know what he did that because this book is not about improving rhythm.
Go hard on this stuff, it's worth it.
Good luck!
The coursera jazz improv class is starting up again on march 7. There are a lot of interesting concepts, and it can give you an idea of what kinds of things to learn next.
If you don't read music already, I'd recommend you get going on that! Then you can read theory books as well as lead sheets, plus lots of other music like bach or balkan folk music, etc. The more you get under your fingers the better I think, and reading opens up the types of gigs available to you.
I like this book, although I haven't used it a lot since my chord vocabulary came before I got this but I think it would help someone in your situation.
http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Guitar-Voicings-Vol-1-Drop/dp/1883217644
I have become aware of many voicings by learning all of the inversions for every string set and the drop voicings etc. then adding color tones and alterations and seeing how chords relate to each other, often times one shape can be used for 4 different chords. Practice progressions using voice leading up or down and pick which kind of shapes you will do that with. Practice ii-V-I progressions that you know then start tweaking them and seeing what you can do to add some upper-extension harmonies etc. this book, written by my teacher, is a little basic at first but really gets inside the resolutions and how these chords are made up and goes into rootless voicings and quartal etc. etc. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jazz-harmony-on-the-guitar-stan-smith/1017520191?ean=9780793599134
I don't think so. I have the Verve CD with the bonus tracks and they have emcee conversations at the end of Willow Weep for Me and Portrait of Jennie and Surrey with a Fringe on Top. It's the version they have here on Amazon.
The last three bonus tracks have the emcee starting to talk but they cut it off. Some of the conversation is just standard promotional stuff from the club owner. If I recall, there's not a lot of back and forth between him and Wes.
This is awesome, I was looking for an app just like this! The closest I could find to what I wanted was this complete ear trainer, but I'm going to switch over to yours since I like being able to play the sound rather than just name the interval and it's generally more flexible.
The app is working great so far on my pixel 4a. Here are some pieces of early feedback if at all helpful: 1) When starting a session, it would be great to have an option to play the root so that I have it in my ear. I assume most people using this app aren't going for perfect pitch at first, so starting with a reference pitch would be helpful. 2) It would be great to have a replay button or something along those lines so I can control when I hear the note. Right now it repeats at a cadence which is a little hard to predict while also trying to figure out the note 3) It might be good to have a session type that tracks the number of errors. I think it would give the user a better signal that they've mastered these settings and can move on to a harder setting. Personally, I'd also be more motivated to hit a goal of "get through 20 notes without an error" vs "get through 20 notes as fast as you can"
Nice work overall though, I'll definitely keep using this!
I highly recommend https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Tone-Soloing-Jazz-Guitar/dp/1789330580
It goes through the arpeggios needed to solo in all the common jazz progressions and goes into how to add chromaticism.
There was a Guitar Player Magazine double LP back in the late 70s or early 80s that featured a track by Larry Coryell playing an LP [EDIT: Les Paul] in a jazz guitar duet that one would have thought required an archtop. I think he was making a point.
https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Contemporary-Styles-Masters/dp/B001T5GTA0/
A track with this name appears on youtube but it is an acoustic version.
Ernie Ball VP Jr. P06180 250K Potentiometer for Passive Electronics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002GZ052/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KtubzbH8EXH2S
I hope you don't mind me linking to Amazon, but this is the one I have. A great pedal for the price.
Check out this book of simple arrangements. I’m an idiot and I can play all of these. Like others have said, it’s about compromise. You can’t play big full chords and melodies simultaneously. That’s not how it works.
The Berklee Chord Dictionary. It’s a slim volume with most of the chords you will ever need for Jazz. A nice and inexpensive reference.
I recommend looking at used instruments and Erlewine's book about minor repair/setup whihc i think most public libraries have
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Electric-Guitar-Great/dp/0879309989
(He has another bigger book on repair which is kind of overwhelming...
In an odd way she was almost a better teacher than overall player. If only she had lived longer.
Emily Remler: Bebop and Swing Guitar
https://www.amazon.com/Emily-Remler-Instructional-Lessons-Classic/dp/1540069680/
Emily Remler: Advanced Jazz and Latin Improvisation
https://www.amazon.com/Emily-Remler-Advanced-Latin-Improvisation/dp/B0014BJ12M/
I agree, piano was my first instrument and I've been struggling with guitar for 15 years. I sort of don't care what guitar I play as long as frets/neck/pickup are decent but still very sensitive to keyboard touch.
Asian factory semihollows: these can be tricky if you're not versed in set neck angles and good at looking at necks/fret jobs. Can you have a guitarist friend look at it and also flip thru Guitar setup book that's probably in your libary: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Electric-Guitar-Great/dp/0879309989
Classical stuff is great. Jens Larson recommends the Kreutzer etudes. Bach pieces are great too. Joe Pass studies from his Guitar Style is great too.
I didn't fully understand the extent of his skill until I studied it in detail. Not overrated.
John McLaughlin - This Is The Way I Do It
https://www.amazon.com/John-McLaughlin-Ultimate-Workshop-Improvisation/dp/B0036K9C6O
I know a lot of people (myself included) who get a lot out of "Chord Chemistry" by Ted Green:
​
I also really liked the Berklee Method books for starting out. Good luck!
yeah, but save $7 if you want and get the OG version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0825652804/ref=sspa\_dk\_detail\_1?psc=1&pd\_rd\_i=0825652804&pd\_rd\_w=a53g9&content-id=amzn1.sym.c201ea52-e52a-4b28-967b-9c2cae823bd5&pf\_rd\_p=c201ea52-e52a-4b28-967b-9c2cae823bd5&pf\_rd\_r=7CZ4W35T...
This is slightly off topic, but if you guys are interested in hip-hop/R&B/neo-soul, definitely check out the new Dilla biography. Talks about Q-Tip, Common, D'Angelo, Questlove, Erykah Badu, Pino Palladino, Karriem Riggins, Robert Glasper, Hiatus Kaiyote... pretty amazing the circle of musicians he influenced.
I just bought Derek Bailey’s “Improvisation” for two friends of mine.
Derek was a proponent of free improv (his Sign of Four with Pat Metheny is pretty wild), but this shirt book goes into all sorts of improvisational traditions. An amazing way to look at the whole gestalt, to get outside the paint-by-numbers approach and into developing your own language.
Others have posted great practical advice in this thread, so I’ll add thus book as a way to think about improvisation, and the recommendation to listen, listen, listen to as much music as you can, from all genres. The more Melodie’s live in your head, the more you have to draw on.
Clarinet duets. Pick anything in C, Bb, F
The range is almost the same as guitar.
Work on note locations first without worrying about the rhythm… then work on adding rhythm. The etudes are easy.
Fun part is looping one part while playing the other.
Good luck!!!
If you search youtube and the web you will find some people who have given the exercises in the book a crack.
And there is even this effort for sale by a classical guitarist:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PO69WY/
It's a popular book.
This book is amazing and covers triads in depth. UPPER STRUCTURES, SYNONYMS &... https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1916302491 as is this Three-Note Voicings and Beyond https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1883217660/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_4MV8YWTKVA52AG7FNNYW
The jazz guitar method from Hal Leonard might be helpful to you.
Sure! I went and added some more chords to that part. I think your suggestion is a better idea. Here the new version of it.
stream: https://clyp.it/ygmp4cgs
download: https://www.sendspace.com/file/ycy6w0
I'm mostly self taught, but I have read books and so forth. I don't consider myself a chord melody guy (or a jazz guy!) - although I think knowledge of chords and how they work together is pretty much the core of jazz and western music in general. Personally I feel like I'm just coming to grips with that world, moving away from my old scale based improvising and towards a chord based approach. Still playing single notes, but always relating to the current chord - establishing tension, resolving to the chord, outlining, etc.
You might be interested in Gary Burton's coursera class. He has a way of assigning scales to chords based on various criteria which is interesting. Might give you some good direction on what you should be working on. The class just started yesterday so there's still time to get on board!
If you want to learn to read try A Modern Method for Guitar - Volume 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0876390130/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_N5JAY9Q7C88GQKX67NT8
Comes in 3 volumes or you can buy 1 book with all 3 volumes in it. And it’s geared for people who already play, but want to learn to read.
For chords you may want to try Rhythm Guitar Chord System https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786696907/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_B93EXC3T69QFPE28D24P
My jazz teacher (New England Conservatory of Music) always said this was the best chord method.
Just like any other style of guitar or music in general, you do all your thinking in the practice room, because you can't do it on the bandstand.
In your practice, get intimately, automatically familiar with the guitar in all 12 keys. When you're practicing scales/modes/arpeggios/chord forms, do it in every key. If there isn't enough time in the day, rotate through 4 or 5 of them day. Sight read. Sight read hard stuff. Sight read in multiple positions. Sight read hard stuff in multiple positions.
Work out easy tunes like "Happy Birthday" and "Merrily We Roll Along" in keys like D♭ and G♭. Harmonize them and make little chord melodies. Get the Fake Book or the Colorado Cookbook and just roll through it. Record yourself playing the changes to every tune and then improvise over the recording. Record yourself playing Rhythm Changes in unfamiliar keys and improvise over that. Use flat.io or musescore or Sibelius to be your band in a box if you don't have the tech handy to record.
Spend like, 15 minutes a day transcribing solos you think are great. Not just guitar solos. Do Coltrane, Gillespie, Parker, whoever you like.
There's books like
- Guitar Theory by Serna
- Play by ear by Jack Hatfield
https://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Guitarists-Everything-Wanted/dp/063406651X
Mr. Edly's (this is kind of piano oriented)
+1, I will also add that The Christmas Fake Book is good for more traditional/classical chords instead of jazz reharms. I liked having both books for solo piano background music gigs.
Happy middle ground:
D'Addario EFT15 Flat Tops Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings, Extra Light, 10-47 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006IQLJ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_01CNR55ENBT8D1D3SPSV?psc=1
I learned to read and play jazz using A Modern Method for Guitar - Volume 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0876390130/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_5CBQZWVRWT9158Y88AVN
There are 3 volumes. I recommend that when you do chord melodies you analyze the note stacks to learn what chords your playing and and how the progression works.
I love the small package of the jazz iii but hated the material its made of... Then I found the Dunlop Jazztone JD 205
https://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-JazzTone-Guitar-Picks-6-Pack/dp/B010TKR2IS
Its so good that I have gifted the rest of my 24 jazz iii pack.
I see people here already mentioned Grant Green.
Wolf Marshall wrote a book of transcriptions/tutorials on playing some of his stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Grant-Green-Step-Step/dp/0634055070/
Also, think listening to Miles Davis is a good idea. He played a lot of slow melodic stuff.
You can plant your pinky or heel of hand to position picking hand but, ideally, have a teacher /experienced player look at what you're doing, a lot of things can go wrong.
Could also try different pick grips e.g. https://www.samash.com/mojo-grips-mg3c-3m-reusable-rubber-pick-grips--3-pack-mmg3c3mxx-p
https://www.amazon.com/Dropping-Playing-Non-sticky-Epic-Accessories/dp/B07T4X83T3/
There's a book of Charlie Parker solos tabbed out for guitar:
https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Parker-Guitar-Note-Note/dp/0793587476/
I'd listen to George Benson's version of Billie's Bounce for some inspiration.
There's vids on youtube and advice in books like Guthrie Govan's creative guitar about harder chord fingerings, if you can use your thumb to fret, that helps, also where you put thumb on back of neck and turning LH palm towards nut or away from it, doing mini-barres with index thru ring fingers (maybe somebody can do it w/pinky, I can't).
Check if Mimi Fox' Jazz Arpeggio book is in your library, good charts of 7th arpeggios in 5 root positions as well as how to connect them w/flow. Also https://www.amazon.com/Arpeggios-Modern-Guitarist-Techniques-Applications/dp/063408609X/
There's pretty good jazz guitar chord melody arrangements in this book.
This book could help. Also look on youtube for swing lessons.
there's a few books you could look at by Barry Finnerty, Jerry Coker, Dave Berkman etc https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Musicians-Guide-Creative-Practicing/dp/1883217482
The Real Book. Though he also mentions that players should rather rely on their ears, because the Real Book contains words that have been propagated since its first version.
I'd like to suggest the chord melody arrangements by Jeff Arnold from Hal Leonard:
https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=jeff+arnold+chord+melody
https://smile.amazon.com/First-Jazz-Standards-Should-Guitar/dp/1495076687/
If you want chord melody you should learn some actual chord melodies by other guitarists before trying to do it yourself. I reccommend Barry Galbraith's works
​
No. Compared to the other ways it is inferior. If for some reason that's the only way you will do it, you are severely limiting yourself. Musicians communicate with notation. If you get to a certain point and want to learn more, all you will have is your ear and you won't be able to go through books on jazz improvisation and what not.
You should learn with your ear and study notation simultaneously. Tabs don't show rhythm(sometimes they do but poorly) so you miss out on that understanding, they don't show the interval so you lose out on harmony understanding, and it makes it much more difficult to reharmonize, or play the melody in different places using tabs only. You can say that tabs are easier but only initially. Eventually you get used to notation and tabs seem like such a hassle that provide zero information.
You should be transcribing solos and such if you are serious. If you are not proficient in sight reading get these books mark leavitt modern guitar method. Promise me if you're still playing jazz in 5 years you will be frustrated you didn't learn to read.
The English edition [ in 3 languages ]
If you click the link below and on that page click READ MORE on the right side of the book pic, more paragraphs will open up and just scroll down to the english paragraph.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOTAL-II-JAZZ-PUZZLE-Improvisation-ebook/dp/B07ZJSHLWV
This book is in 3 languages: French, English, Portuguese
In this book you will discover and use a large number of tools that the magician-improviser will take out of his hat to improvise on a musical theme.
We will not speak here of rabbits, doves or wands. But :
T*riads, chords, arpeggios, scales, modes, and all the material that makes up the panoply of the perfect improviser.*
When you see all the pieces of the PUZZLE interlocking, you will have a clear vision of the TOTAL image of harmony.
The magic of improvising guitar will no longer hold any secrets for you.
I just ordered Jens Larsen's "Modern Jazz Guitar Concepts" book on Amazon and it looks really good so far for learning jazz guitar from a place with little foundation. Based on all of his videos, Jens clearly knows what he is doing.
Repository of Scales and Melodic Patterns: Yasef Lateef along with Fareed Haque and Sean McGowen lessons on Truefire.com. Also Ted Greene's Baroque Lessons.
I think the way you're going so far is great. A lot of the advice you might hear, like using a specific set of scales over this progression, is worse IMO than just starting with the melody. There's a lot of theory, it's very worth learning, but none of it is telling you what to play.
BTW I think you're super lucky to be just starting out and hitting songs like this already. I love Wayne Shorter so much. I'm not any good at transcribing by ear, I haven't put the time into it, but I did put about $20 into this book of transcribed Wayne Shorter solos and I really like it, Night Dreamer is in there. If you're looking for good material to play over a Wayne Shorter song, in addition to the melody you could also start from his personal solos in those songs.
The New Best of Wayne Shorter: Artist Transcriptions - Saxophone https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634033956/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SzCJCbJX5F07B
https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Guitar-Straight-Ahead-Contemporary-Progressions/dp/B015X4COQK
i got a lot of practice out of that one. they're not exercises, but they're technical solos that also sound good.
as an example, here's a solo from that book that i recorded. it's not the best recording or playing of it, but you'll get the idea:
https://soundcloud.com/alejandro-aldana/joe-diorio-blue-bossa-solo-2-61615-405-am
Yes. Pick up a booklet called On Practicing by Ricardo Iznaola. This was the specific information/method I'd been missing for years about reading and learning to play pieces. After years of haphazard reading, even though I "read well for a guitarist," I've been practicing using Iznaola's advice almost daily, and my reading has gotten much better in a couple of months.
Iirc this Scott Henderson book might fit the bill
https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Guitar-Chord-System-Magazines/dp/0793591651
Goes into detail about using common structures as different voicings in multiple contexts
Judging from the previews it looks pretty good, not a bad price either.
Also do you have any experience with Mickey Baker’s Jazz Guitar book? It’s on my required texts but my professor said the guitar faculty (including himself) have many criticisms for it. Makes you wonder why they don’t just pick another book then haha
The Mickey Baker books are terrible without rooting around on the internet for supplemental material in the way of explanation. Shelve it and getting something that’s actually useful. Like this: Jazz Guitar, Complete Edition (Book & CD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0739066374/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_jpuWAbXE3WE7X
There's also a $20 edition that has all the same music and words minus the gold leaf and panda-skin leather binding.
Can't go wrong with the Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine
We actually used it in my jazz theory class.
Really I'd just suggest studying basic chord progressions like Bebop blues, minor blues, rhythm changes, etc. Once you can analyze those and understand why they work I feel like it wont be a stretch for you to understand most other things.
Jazz has a lot of typical chord progressions that reoccur in many different tunes and learning those 3 in all 12 keys would give you a lot of material to work with.
Basically whenever you see a dominant quality chord pay attention to how it resolves. Also pay attention to fully diminished chords and how they resolve.
A lot of the times diminished chords are also subs for dominant chords.
Well, which wrist and how much pain? Tingling in fingertips? Have you recently increased practice hours hugely? Always use strap and guitar is in same position?
There are so many things that could go wrong, but always warm up, don't play in a cold room, keep the wrists straight to the extent you can etc. Take at least one easy day/week. Lighter gauge strings, lower action, tune down half step if you have to, etc etc.
Videos/pix of your playing position would help. this book also https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Less-Hurt-Prevention-Musicians/dp/1423488466
i think the DynaFlex spinning ball and the power web exercisers help some: http://www.pwrwebintl.com/
Cool! And just in case you didn't know about this book I thought I'd mention it...
Hey, thanks for your comment. I think I've found the Disney for Jazz Guitar. Here it is:
https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Songs-Guitar-Chord-Melody/dp/161780374X
I'm going to buy it soon.
Thanks
You could get
- Tom Kolb's Theory for guitar book
- Edly's theory for practical People
- books by Wyatt/Schroeder or Arnie Berle: https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-Theory-Comprehensive-Musicians-Essential/dp/0793579910/
- These and the Dummies and Idiots Theory books are commonly found in public libraries and community colleges
other recommendations (books from Berklee and Musicians Insittute Presses are usually good) https://www.reddit.com/r/musictheory/comments/pse4l/beginners_resources_for_the_sidebar/c3rv291/
You could get a book on swing/gypsy jazz and start working basic chord /comping sequences which will be mostly the different 7ths but not too many altered/extended chords. Which doesn't mean those are easy to play (especially proper gypsy jazz). This one's pretty good: https://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Swing-Club-Rhythm-Guitar/dp/0786677724
I've been in a similar boat for years, just now breaking free from it. Stuff that's helped me the most:
- Memorize all the notes on the guitar. I just went fret by fret for a few weeks (maybe there's a better way to memorize) but that helped me identify notes and chords infinitely better.
- I got this book and it has been a great help understanding basic music theory https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Pocket-Music-Theory-Comprehensive/dp/063404771X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499725981&sr=8-2&keywords=hal+leonard+music+theory
- mattwarnockguitar.com -- This site has a ton of great stuff and it's where i'm primarily learning from now. There's great sections on drop-2 chords, drop-3 chords, major scale, arpeggios, etc
You could post a pic/vid of you playing, sitting and standing. otherwise:
Mostly keep your wrists pretty straight, don't force big stretches between frets, good posture and breathing, don't hold tension in your shoulders, and don't take enormous doses of advil and tylenol. This is a pretty comprehensive book https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Less-Hurt-Prevention-Musicians/dp/1423488466
If you overdo anything, you'll probably feel discomfort/soreness then pain.
Yeah, that's 'Blue Bossa' and you're having difficulty with the fingering of some of those chords? Ted Greene (rip) did an excellent book on jazz chords and all kinds of fingerings. It's like an encyclopedia of jazz chords. I'm currently using 'The Guitarist's Picture Chord Encyclopedia' by John Pearse. It's on Amazon for $16.36 here - https://www.amazon.com/Guitarists-Picture-Chord-Encyclopedia-photographs/dp/0825621992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491885004&sr=8-1&keywords=%27The+Guitarist%27s+Picture+Chord+Encyclopedia%27+by+John+Pearse
Yeah, that's rough. I've had that with guitar, bass guitar and especially viola. Do you have a teacher? Somebody that watches with a trained eye and knows how you practice and can tell you to hold back, that's the most important is not to be on some multi year timeline to some exalted goal, but focus on what you can do in the next 20 minutes.
This book can help, the reviews are pretty credible: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Less-Hurt-Prevention-Musicians/dp/1423488466. One thing i think she talks about is looking at other lifestyle factors, how you hold steering wheel or bike handlebars, power and especially manual tools, computer keyboard/mouse, sleeping on your arm etc, and don't overdo the NSAIDs (doctors frequently encourage using both tylenol and advil by saying they're eliminated by different organs, I think you can play into more damage doing this).
Can you play piano painlessly? I would keep that as a backup if you can, you can try really light action MIDI controller keys w/velocity sensitive instead of piano action weighted keys to ease teh strain. And .008 strings on a solidbody, low action, tune down half step, the tone will leave a lot to be desired but you'll be playing.
You might like this album: https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Johnny-Smith-George-Van/dp/B0000006NE
The Johnny Smith ones are all on unplugged archtop. Here's one of them in full: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN4P5qTjHLw
And George van Eps isn't bad either.
Listening to music, be it jazz, classical or whatever you are interested in, is important. You'll pick up a lot just by being immersed in the music.
What I'm doing these days is playing and learning tunes. You can pick up a lot by seeing how the great songwriters put together melodies and harmonies, and you get practice playing single lines, chord progressions -- and learn songs you can play for people at the same time.
This is the fake book I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Little-Ultimate-Jazz-Fake/dp/0793520053/
I don't think it's any better or worse than the others, but I like that it has lyrics. I recommend listening to the tunes you are learning -- both by singers and instrumentalists.
As far as instruction books go, right now I'm using Joe Pass Chords https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Pass-Guitar-Chords-Progressions/dp/0739019333/
That and the fake book are pretty much it. I have tons of other jazz guitar method books, but I'm just not using them right now. It's all about playing tunes.
Good enough reason for me. I'm reading a great book and Eddie Lang's name has been mentioned a lot as being an influence on many many players. If anyone's interested the book is here: http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Great-Jazz-Studio-Guitarists/dp/0786651237
his biography is terrific. It recounts how he spent his early years on trombone with the likes of the Montgomery brothers, his car accident and the aftermath (tldr his jaw was broken but he kept playing for a while and even made a recording with the injury. After that he took up cello and piano).
http://www.amazon.com/David-Baker-A-Legacy-Music/dp/0253356571
that book will take you from being a beginner to being an advanced reader.
there are various tips when it comes to reading sheet music, but you generally want to play what you can anticipate is coming. if you recognize that the next four notes are going up a scale, then you'd do it without much thought. then there are other times when you will have to look at each note individually.
I recommend William Leavitt's Reading Studies for Guitar. I've been reading two pages a day and it's been really helping me to improve. The key is to read through them with a metronome and don't stop at all to correct your mistakes- that's how you really get better at sight reading.
Now when it comes to reading in big band, you've got the right idea. I always check, in order: key, time signature, road map (repeats/coda), highest/lowest note you'll be playing in the part, then determine best caged position(s). If you still have time left after doing those, try to learn the trickiest parts (difficult rhythms, lines with accidentals). If you can do all that while the band director is still talking to the horn section or whatever, you'll be set when he counts you in! Hope this helps!
Here's the book I mentioned:
http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Studies-Guitar-Positions-Multi-Position/dp/0634013351
There's a book called Jimmy Wyble's Solo Collection that has several pieces that are like Mi Cosa and what you're describing that you're looking for. The arrangements are very play-able and very musical.
Alright. Well, whenever you're ready, just PM me, and I'll get you my cell number and Skype info. This theory text has made the most sense to me — http://www.amazon.com/Tonal-Harmony-Introduction-Twentieth-Century/dp/0073401358/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450929787&sr=8-2&keywords=tonal+harmony. It'll get you through all of the basics and some of the advanced stuff as well!
As far as jumping into playing stuff like CHON, depending on your technical ability, it's not that big of a leap. But understanding what's happening theoretically is the tricky part. Most people don't understand what's happening in the music that they play. What many of those people don't realize is that having a sound understanding of the theory can help articulate the music that they make more efficiently.
Do you understand how to construct chords and determine the quality of chords? If not, I would recommend checking out /r/musictheory for now. The sidebar has some great resources for a basic understanding of chords / harmony. I would check that out; play through the major scale w/ triad chords and identify the chord qualities (Major, minor, diminished etc); then, do the same thing and identify all of the seventh chords and their qualities. That'll get you off to a good start!
Reading is tough! I went through Leavitt's Modern Guitar Method and it got my reading way better all the way up the neck.
It's not necessarily the most fun stuff to play, but it'll definitely help your reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Method-Guitar-Volumes-Complete/dp/0876390114
Reading will certainly be a help in playing jazz with other people. I say that because it's customary now to pass out charts at sessions and gigs and expect the players to be able to deal with it. It is unlikely you'll ever be as competent a reader as most any saxophonist, pianist, or even many drummers, but you should be able to read chord symbols and simple melodies. One of the most overlooked aspects of reading is counting, as in you need to be able to play a written (or heard) rhythm and count at the same time. A great booking for teaching written rhythms is <em>Melodic Rhythms for Guitar</em> by Wm. Leavitt. If you are a complete reading beginner, though, you'll probably want to start with something like Mel Bay Book 1 or the Berklee Method Book 1. Also, this is a subject where a good teacher can save you much, much time going down wrong alleys. Good luck.
Hal Leonard put out a book/CD set of his arrangements: Gene Bertoncini Plays Jazz Standards
My Funny Valentine, Cavatina, and Edelweiss are all reasonably playable, the rest look pretty intimidating (to me).
a book which could be helpful is Mickey Baker's jazz guitar vol.1 . I had a similar situation as yours and I found the first part of the book on comping very useful. I didn't really follow through though so I don't know how much it delves into voicings specifically, but anyways it's a highly regarded classic book with lots to learn from
AFAIK Ted wrote two books dealing with harmony on guitar, Chord Chemistry, and Modern Chord Progressions: Jazz & Classical Voicings for Guitar. I found CC incredibly useful as a novice; it opened many doors. That said, it was written in a similar style to some other books of the era, basically a core dump of information, in his case page after page of chord diagrams interspersed with concepts here and there.
I wish I had other resources to suggest, but the best book I know of, <em>Howard Roberts Guitar Manual Chord Melody</em>, has been long out of print, a damned shame in this day and age where everything is supposed to be available.
Oh OK, I'm afraid I don't know anything about their program. At UNT, sight-reading made or broke students. The most incredible soloists and comp-ers went nowhere (in terms of the University program) if they couldn't sight-read. My first audition was pathetic. But stay hungry and don't give up if you really want it. Check out Advanced Rhythms by Joe Allard or start reading through the Charlie Parker Omnibook with a metronome. I hope you do great!!!!!!!
I know a lot of folks that use iReal for private practice (soloing over changes in different keys), but switches to Fakebook Pro at gigs. Fakebook Pro uses the same files as iReal for chord charts, but also imports PDF music and many other popular file formats (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skrivarna.fakebook.android).
Ive been using this android ap
Its pretty good. I'm on level 32 right now, which is triplets. Some of the lessons have two lines (right hand, left hand). So, I've been skipping those.
I think the first 20 or so levels are free. I gave them my $10.
I know a lot of folks that use iReal for private practice (soloing over changes in different keys), but switches to Fakebook Pro at gigs. Fakebook Pro uses the same files as iReal for chord charts, but also imports PDF music and many other popular file formats (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skrivarna.fakebook.android).