Jazz Guitar
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Keyword: Jazz Guitar
String Attack! The Rhythms of Jazz Guitar
The Irresistible Instrument
Do you feel a mysterious attraction to the guitar?
Do you intently listen to rock, pop or jazz solos for those great ‘strumming’ and ‘licks’, and you still want more?
Do those star guitarists who mesmerize their audience with the magic strings inspire you to be like them?
If your answer to all of these questions is ‘yes’, then you are surely ‘strung’ by melodies. It means that music could be your destiny.
You can turn your passion for guitar into a profession, hobby or even a mode of self-immersion. Regardless of what you want to be, you will be able to see this world from a different perspective. It will be a world full of creativity, harmony and endless music.
Learning to Play Jazz Guitar
No one can simply pick an ‘axe’ (instrument) and start playing a ‘gig’. Even the masters of this instrument like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and many others learned guitar from scratch.
Once the basics were learned, they toiled hard through intense practice sessions to take their skills to a different level.
Later they improvised by utilizing their individual strengths and also sorted out their weaker areas in the process to make compositions more innovative.
Before you set the stage on fire, or just want to impress your family or friends, learn from an expert teacher or enroll in a music school to assimilate all the basics first.
Once you master the scales and chords, you will be ready to decide which music genre is just right for you.
Glitzy Rock/Pop or Classy Jazz?
Now the question is which genre of music you want to get into?
The glamor of rock and pop is undeniably tempting, and young musicians often get attracted to those fascinating costumes and screaming fans.
Before jumping onto the bandwagon, however, ask yourself whether you want to choose the sleek rock/pop or want something classier, like jazz. Your instructors can help you a great deal with such key decision-making.
Jazz Education - the crowning glory
In January of 2014, a blog that was published on www.npr.org, says that the legendary jazz artist Kenny Burrell pledged to preserve the ‘America’s Gift to Music’. He was actually referring to jazz.
Kenny has turned a professor into the University of California (UCLA), and working towards the objective of spreading jazz through music education. Such passion of this 81-year old jazz guitarist has led to a musical legacy that has truly been a treasure of America.
When Kenny was in his early 20s, he got a bachelor’s degree in music theory and composition. It’s a rare example in an era where aspiring musicians hardly found a tutor, and learned their jazz skills by listening to audio tapes, and practiced in a secluded corner of their homes or dingy clubs.
The lucky ones who got mentored, learned music at the cost of running errands for their teacher. Soon, things started changing, and jazz thrived to become an integral part of American life.
Cities like New Orleans and New York became the epicenter of great compositions where a number of jazz clubs increased significantly. Such encouraging settings had also attracted thousands of musicians to these cities.
The love for jazz had also led to jazz education, and small music schools sprawled throughout NYC. It was the beginning of a silent revolution; a revolution of melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Rise of the Electric Guitar in Jazz
The little history of jazz that we mentioned above is just a glimpse of a long and rich musical saga that still continues.
This music genre has always got the ‘Classic’ status in America, and considered a difficult art to master. Moreover, various music instruments are involved for compositions and solo/ensemble performance.
Guitar was introduced in jazz a little later than the saxophone, trumpet, piano and other instruments. Initially, it was used as an accompanying instrument for maintaining rhythm during band performances.
After the invention of the amplifier, however, electric guitar became another major instrument during all kinds of jazz performances. It also led to the emergence of some highly acclaimed guitarists who went on to reach a cult status.
Things to Learn on the Guitar
Major Scales – Learning diatonic scales including their seven notes. Regular practicing of these scales will provide you a strong foundation to work on.
Some of the major scales that you will learn are C, D, E, F, G, and A. In addition to these, by learning the sharp (#) and flat (b) signs you will understand where to pause between the notes.
Jazz Guitar Chords – The major guitar chords are E, A, and D, which are significant for the playing of Major 7, minor 7, fully diminished 7, etc.
Get yourself familiar with the chord diagram before you begin. Initially, you need to practice on the major chords with the root on E, A and D strings. Follow the instructions of your teacher to brush up your chops.
Practicing Popular Jazz Tunes – Practicing famous jazz tunes will make you more familiar with all the basic jazz techniques.
This will accelerate your learning and enhance your improvisation skills. You can play major Blues for keys F, Bb and C Minor Blues for keys Cm, and many others.
Create your own juke box of melodies
There are hundreds of jazz tunes that you can pick for better learning through interesting practice sessions.
Your instructor can help you play these tunes on specific scales and chords. Keep practicing these tunes will make you fluent in moving your fingers from chords to scales and vice versa.
Following are a few famous jazz tracks that you can include in your list:
There Will Never Be Another You
I’ve Got Rhythm
Stella By Starlight
All the Things You Are
Summertime
After learning all of the basic and advanced guitar playing techniques with correct finger positioning, you can progress faster and immerse yourself to improvise.
Improvisation skills help jazz artists stand out due to their unique melodies. With structured curricular, expert guidance, and intense practice sessions, you can be on course of a life-long and successful musical journey.
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