The Art of the Jazz Guitar
Since the age of 16, I’ve been fascinated by the Jazz Guitar. I can’t tell you why … why I didn’t want to be a Rock star or the Lead guitar player in a famous Rock, Blues or Country band.
The fame held no appeal to me nor did the promise of money. My interest seemed to be in something less tangible but more important. I eventually began to understand what aesthetics were and why creating art was central to my own identity.
Read MoreWes Montgomery and Pat Martino
I recently wrote this in Pat Martino’s guest book after hearing an interview that he did about his experience with Wes Montgomery.
Read MoreJazz Guitar Solos
Today’s blog will be very brief but important.
Jazz guitarists are, like many other guitar players, obsessed with speed. Although speed is a good measurement of how much you’ve practiced, it’s not a good measurement of how musical you are.
Today’s advice is simple. Remember that whole notes , half notes, dotted half notes and quarter notes are not only permitted in guitar solos but are actually desirable.
Rhythmic variety is an important tool in making a guitar solo interesting.
To organize the topic of rhythm, visit www.modularphoneticrhythm.com or check out my site at
Read MoreJazz and Promotion
This is a copy of an E mail that I sent to Ben Ratliff, jazz critic for The New York Times It’s in response to a question concerning the market for jazz.
Ben,
I am a veteran jazz guitarist, born in Chicago but based in suburban Philadelphia.
I appreciate how you handle sensitive topics related to the Art of Jazz.
Being in this business for a long time as a musician, educator, author and lecturer, I have a somewhat different take on the subject of jazz musicians and audiences. Though it’s easy to blame the media and they deserve some of the blame, I think the biggest problem lies squarely on the shoulders of jazz musicians and the jazz community.
Read MorePicking
The issue of picking has been debated for years with opinions on all sides. Picking gets down to pairs: 2 downs, 2 ups, 1 down and 1 up and 1 up and 1 down.
Alternate picking is typically used for 2 notes on 1 string. Consecutive picking is used to transition from string to string when the direction of the phrase permits it.
The term “sweep” implies an effect as much as it implies a technique. Regardless of how the picking motion occurs (which is a different subject), you can’t avoid the concept of the picking pairs.
Read MoreDoes Jazz Blues Exist?
This question was posed on The Jazz Network. This was my response.
Blues can be typically described as a 12 bar song structure based on the I, IV and V chords. These fundamental chords appear at specific locations within the 12 bar format. The function of the I chord occupies bars 1 through 4. Bars 5 and 6 introduce the IV chord. The I chord is again brought back to cover bars 7 and 8. The V chord makes its first appearance in bars 9 and 10. Bars 11 and 12 reintroduce the I chord and function as a turnback or turnaround.
Read MoreDevelop Your Own Uniqueness
The guitar world has always been obsessed with who is faster or better. The reality is that all good players are fast and knowledgeable about chords, improvisation and harmony.
What makes one different than another is not the external factors of technique but the unique projection of personality that comes through the music. Just as you meet one person that you like and another person that you don’t like, the audience is only affected by their own individual response to a player.
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