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Free Jazz Guitar Lessons online
How to play jazz guitar is a study of the techniques and methods used for improvisation and soloing with instruction and tuition in the form of free lessons covering scales, modes, chords, chord progressions and melody as we explore the world of "how to improvise and play a jazz solo with confidence". This jazz guitar page is aimed primarily at intermediate level players but I hope it will be of benefit to beginner guitarists learning to play but wanting to move on and up the ladder of knowledge. I will have a page of practical examples in tab or notation with transcriptions of jazz standards showing licks and riffs used by top session musicians. My name is Brian Gough and I have been a musician since I was 18 years old (starting in the 60's) playing the guitar. As you can imagine, having started my playing career in that particular era, I became involved in rock music and played mostly in rock bands for 35 years. I also played in cabaret for a few years supporting a comedian as well as in a few dance bands. I have however always been interested in jazz and now that I have stopped playing rock music, I have become totally into the jazz side of things. It is such a massively satisfying style of playing and allows for absolute creativity. Webmasters please click on the trafficzap banner and join for free!! You will be amazed at the flow of traffic that will be generated!! How to play jazz guitar is divided into 3 sections namely:-Simply jazz, chords and improvising and a page with a practical example and analysis.
Part 1:-Simply Jazz. Below I have put down my impressions and feelings about playing jazz guitar based purely on my own opinions and experiences. I am sure that not everybody will agree with what I have to say, but it pays to say what you think as indeed you should play what you feel in jazz music. Music is your own experience and your thoughts.
I have often heard young musicians who enjoy jazz music saying that they wish they could play jazz but there just seems to be too much to learn what with all the theory and millions of scales and complicated chords. Don't you believe it! There are many very good educators available for students but unfortunately there are also many theorists and teachers out there who possibly try to impress by blinding students with their incredible knowledge and often only succeed in confusing them and scaring them off. Now comes the big statement! The whole thing about jazz being highly complicated and some sort of mystery that can only be unravelled with deep knowledge of endless theory is just not true. Jazz is essentially, like all music, basically pretty simple and you should strive to keep it so. Of course you need to have some knowledge, learn to listen, play within your limits, and have confidence in yourself. OK so how does one learn to play jazz, to improvise a solo over a chord progression? To play the various "standard chord progressions" and to learn to recognize them so that one can play all the jazz standards or perhaps something modern, maybe even your own compositions? I have read many books on the subject and have gone along to a series of lessons with a couple of guitar teachers and I have developed a few opinions of my own on the whole subject of playing jazz guitar. First of all, I think all that stuff about modes and all the various fancy scales is overrated and a waste of time quite frankly. I have read many articles relating to or written by some of the guitar greats and they all kept things pretty simple and basically the technique they used was to just play over chords and follow the changes. Their choice of passing tones and the phrasing and timing they used is what made the difference. I watched an instructional video of Joe Pass playing a concert and then holding a clinic and he said on there "don't ask me anything about modes 'cos I know nothing about that stuff". And I think he did all right, don't you? Now having said that, there is nothing wrong with having knowledge about things like the modal system or whatever, on the contrary one can only develop from a foundation of knowledge. I would have preferred it though if the teachers had rather explained the importance of how the modes related to the major scale, which I think is far more relevant than just learning the scales in isolation. I mean if you are playing the major scale of any key, you are then playing all the modes related to that key anyway! In 'C' for example, 'D dorian' is the 2 of 'C'. So as I say if you are playing over the C major scale you will be playing D dorian! To me there is nothing more damaging than learning scales in isolation and then playing up and down the scales as it could then become difficult to break the habit of just playing up and down endlessly without any phrasing (very often at breakneck speed with some players too!). The only plus factor with that is it will improve your left and right hand technique and your fluency. So I think once you have learnt the modes and fancy scales, if you must, put them aside in your mind. Although, naturally one has to have total command of the major and minor scales as apart from anything else all chords are constructed on those scales as you will already know. Concentrate on learning songs rather, that's far more important and will benefit you in the long run. Build up a personal repertoire of the songs that you want to play, the ones you choose will reflect your musical character. Commit them to memory and make them your own. This will be of more value to you than spending time on the fancy scales as I will endeavour to show you....as you move on to chords and improvising!
For my visitors that want a guitar teacher that will guide you and teach you the way I believe jazz guitar should be taught. Smooth jazz guitarist Chris Standring was born and raised in Buckinghamshire, England; classically trained at the London College of Music, he further honed his skills during a decade spent working for the BBC as well as a number of theatrical orchestras on London's West End. From there Standring relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a top session player after recording with everyone from Bebe & Cece Winans to Jody Watley to Carole Bayer Sager; in 1996, he also teamed with keyboardist Rodney Lee to helm the acid jazz combo SolarSystem. After touring for a year and a half with trumpeter Rick Braun, Standring issued his solo debut Velvet in 1999, scoring the smooth jazz radio hit "Cool Shades"; Hip Sway appeared a year later. Please have a look at what Chris has to offer you, simply click on the link below and Chris will show you exactly what he can do for you. I promise you, you will never regret it!!  Important News!! I am pleased to be able to offer to you Chris Standring's latest ebook in which ten of the world's finest jazz guitarists openly talk about what it takes to truly rise to the top of the jazz guitar tree. It's excellent!!  They discuss jazz education, practice routines and offer personal philosophies that enabled them to master their instrument. Steve Khan, Jack Wilkins, Richard Smith, Sid Jacobs, Mike Clinco, Pat Kelley, Jeff Richman, Henry Johnson, Mark Stefani and Larry Koonse all reveal what it took for them to become some of the best jazz guitarists of our time. If you would like to download this free ebook, and I recommend that you do, then please just send me a quick email and I will send it to your mailbox. Please use this email address:-jazz-guitar@goughinfo.co.uk Having been down the road of having picked up the guitar for the first time, many years ago, and starting to learn to play I have to say, if i'm honest, it is no easy task - at any level. There is always more to know, and achieving results takes patience, commitment and a great deal of focus. |
A lot, if not most, of the teachers and people who write articles about the guitar, direct it at the intermediate to advanced level guitarists. I recently came across a guitarist/teacher, musically very well educated, who offers great instructional material and lessons.
His name is Chris Standring and his website is called "playjazz guitar". Now Chris has added a new website that aims at the lessor experienced or beginner guitarists. For those of my visitors that fall into that category, I could not recommend Chris more highly!! Click below and have a look at what he can do for you.
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Brians jazz guitar is a member of 3 guitar rings for jazz music, blues and general guitar sites which will introduce you to other interesting and educational websites. Whenever you want to visit one of these rings you can log on to gough info and click on one of the banners below and then return to gough info when you are done looking around.
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