Beginning Jazz Guitar: The Complete Jazz Guitar Method: Beginning-intermediate-mastering Chord/Melody-mastering Improvisation Review

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(More customer reviews)I've played guitar for more than thirty years and have focused on straight ahead jazz for the last 15 or so.All that time I've absorbed bits and pieces of musical knowledge from method books, lick guides and transcriptions as well as from the experience gained playing with others. No resource that I've encountered offers the degree of fundamental understanding that one can gain from this series of books.

Unlike most other method books, "Beginning Jazz Guitar" starts from chapter 1 with a dual track instruction mode of chord and scale studies mixed with a moderate dose of musical theory AND the author wisely limits the first volume to just the major scale.Too many other finepublications insist on bedeviling the student with a bewildering array of scales and modes in rapid fire succession.This volume shines when it comes to supplying answers to real world questions as the student might actually encounter them.Additionally, Jody Fisher presents scales in a format that encourages horizontal rather than vertical playing (one of the most important and most overlooked aspect of improvisation).As a matter of fact, more experienced players may have to relearn scale positions to work through the etudes and excercises in this book since they are fundamentally different than those normally found in most instructional texts.

Likewise, for a beginning book, the text does a credible job in presenting harmony and chord progressions with just enough theory to understand how progressions are structured and how to extend and alter chords. Most books present chordal theory in the first part of the book and then take up lead playing in the second half as if they bore no relationship with one another.Again, the author scores with the dual track approach.

Finally, the information contained in the "Coda" at the end of the book is worth the price alone.One could spend half a lifetime studying jazz guitar and not stumble over some these gems of info.

As a companion to this book I might also recommend "All Solos & Grooves for Jazz Guitar" by Jim Ferguson (Mel Bay) which serves up major scale studies along with more advanced solos utilizing similar techniques.As a matter of fact all of Ferguson's books would fit in nicely with this series.

All in all, an excellent resource for the determined student.

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Product Description:
Anyone with a knowledge of basic chords and guitar scale fingerings can dig right in and start learning to play jazz right away.Spanning from the major scale and basic triad theory all the way up to extended chords and the modes, this book features a full-length etude or song to go with every new concept introduced.Beginning Jazz Guitar breaks the age-old tradition of dry, intimidating and confusing jazz books, and provides an actual step-by-step and enjoyable method for learning to play in this style.

Clearly organized into easily mastered segments, each chapter is divided into separate lessons on harmony or improvisation.All music is shown in standard notation and TAB, and the CD demonstrates the examples in the book. 96 pages.

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Voice Leading for Guitar: Moving Through the Changes (Berklee Labs) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're the kind of guitarist who likes books full of scales and chords to study, this is definitely for you. It consists mostly of page after page of carefully voice-led chord sequences, following the important ii-V-I variations and explaining other types of changes as well. It's great for drills. However, as a theory book it's not particularly deep. If you're familiar with Mick Goodrick's "The Advancing Guitarist", this book is almost the exact opposite. Goodrick forces you to think to get anything at all from his lessons. This book invites you to turn off thinking and start memorizing. Both are valid, useful approaches.

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Product Description:
Just knowing how to play a chord is never enough to make good music. Voice leading - moving individual chord voices smoothly from one chord to the next - is an essential skill for jazz guitarists. This book/CD pack by Berklee associate professor of guitar John Thomas shows you how to voice lead both chord tones and tensions, and will help you add a new level of sophistication to your music. This book is designed for intermediate to advanced guitar players. The accompanying CD features jazz tunes, blues and rhythm changes that you can play along with.

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Hal Leonard Essential Elements Jazz Play Along Jazz Standards (Bb, Eb and C Instruments) Book and CD Review

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(More customer reviews)THis is the best play along book of the 6 or so I have bought.I'm trying to learn the structure of jazz and this is an excellent companion to the Essential Elements fro Jazz book.

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Product Description:
At last, a jazz play-along book for developing players! In addition to being a perfect introduction to some of the best-known jazz standards, this book includes hints for improvising on each tune, a guide to jazz articulations, plus a scale/chord correlation chart. Biographical sketches of key jazz figures are also included. And, if that wasn't enough, each tune comes with its own sample solo for reference or performance. The professionally recorded audio CD also includes tempo adjustment software for use in your computer (CD-ROM).Includes: Now's the Time, Killer Joe, Blue Bossa, C-Jam Blues, Footprints, Song for My Father, Autumn Leaves, Freddie Freeloader, St. Thomas and Blue Train. Professionally recorded Play-Along CDTempo adjustment software for computer (CD-ROM)Choice of full recording (with melody) or rhythm section onlySample written solos and improvising hintsRhythm book includes bass lines, piano voicings, and drum patterns

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Ultimate Play Along Just Classic Jazz Bass Vol3 w/CD (Ultimate Play-Along) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're looking for books on "how to" play bass or read music then skip this one.There's almost no instruction in this book, but what you do get is GREAT tab and notation for some standard jazz pieces.
This book is good for learning the traditional bass lines and for practicing your timing/tempo when there's no one else around.I wish the CD had two versions of each song (one with and one without bass), but it doesn't.For the price, though, this is a pretty good way to learn some songs and practice without having a full band in your garage.
Nine standard jazz pieces are covered.Each song comes with the actual tune on CD, the printed song with bass clef and tab, and if that weren't enough you also get the bass solo and lead sheet.
Be careful, though, the lead sheet is not in tablature, so you should already know (or be willing to learn) how to read traditional music notation.Fortunately, since the book includes both the full version (notation and tablature) you can easily go back and forth as you progress.The lead sheet is great for taking on stage since it has all the essentials for the song on one easy to read sheet.

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Product Description:
Jazz greats Jimmy Haslip and Barry Coates demonstrate how to play classic trio jazz using the most important great jazz standards. For Bass Guitar w/CD
Includes: My Funny Valentine, Night and Day, How High the Moon, Emily, Gentle Rain, Green Dolphin St., Secret Love, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise, Summertime

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Joe Pass Chord Solos: For Guitar, Vibes & All Keyboard Instruments Review

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(More customer reviews)These are not "Chord Melodies". Rather they are chord improvisations over the changes of six tunes: Misty, Billie Joe, a Blues in Bb, Watch What Happens, Sunny and The Days of Wine and Roses.
Very dense chord arrangements showing different harmonic possibilities with the basic changes. I recorded these as I learnedthem, so I could listen to them to really absorb the material.
Joe gives no harmonic analysis at all, so it is up to the reader to figure out the theory, and boy, there's lots of it.
I'm a professional jazz guitarist and teacher....playing nearly forty years, and I still review these and pick chord licks that I like, transpose them to other keys, positions and strings, analyze the voice leading, chord substitutions, etc. I've had this book for years, and lots of it has slowly seeped into my playing. I'll play a piece, pick a chord lick that I like (like any one of them), and then try to apply it to my improvisations in other tunes.
In my opinion, for advanced players, this is one of the best books out there to dig into some really lush and melodic chord playing. I found it tough reading....and I'm a pretty advanced player. But I have worked through most of the major guitar books out there and this one is one of my mainstays.
While I'm here, I'll also recommend:
Fusion - Joe Diorio
Joe Pass on Guitar
Howard Roberts Guitar Manual Chord Melody
For players new to jazz and not so advanced, a standard book is
Mickey Baker Jazz Guitar Volume 1.

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Product Description:
The art of improvising chord-style solos is an important part of any musician's resources. This book has been written to improve that art for guitar, vibes and all keyboard instruments. A careful study of these solos will give you a thorough understanding of chordal playing and substitutions. It is great for voicing as well as improvisation.

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Jazz Greats: Guitar Play-Along Volume 44 (Hal Leonard Guitar Play-Along) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book has a nice set of jazz guitar classics that will keep you busy for hours. Standard guitar notation and tab is included.

I specifically wanted to learn to play Barney Kessel's "On a Slow Boat to China" as it appears on the 1954 Barney Kessel album, Kessel Plays Standards. The transcription is dead on and I am happily soloing to my heart's content. The CD play-along backing band is fun to jam with. Well worth the money.

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Product Description:
The Guitar Play-Along Series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily! Just follow the tab, listen to the CD to hear how the guitar should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. The melody and lyrics are also included in the book in case you want to sing, or to simply help you follow along. The audio CD is playable on any CD player, and also enhanced so PC and Mac users can adjust the recordings to any tempo without changing pitch! Songs: I Remember You (Tal Farlow) * I'll Remember April (Grant Green) * Impressions (Pat Martino) * In a Mellow Tone (Joe Pass) * Moonlight in Vermont (Johnny Smith) * On a Slow Boat to China (Barney Kessel) * Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Jim Hall) * Yesterdays (Wes Montgomery).

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Mel Bay Jazz Guitar Standards Chord Melody Solos (Book & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a spiral bound book with 44 arrangements and 2 CD's. Two outstanding arrangements are 'Misty' and 'Summertime', each by a different arranger. I like 'Misty' for the innovationand 'Summertime' for the feeling. These are not the only good arrangements in the book, just my personal favorites. The recordings are bare bones for the most part utilizing just a miked up jazz guitar but there are a few exceptions with bossa nova rhythm sections.The only slight negative I've found is there are a few tunes that were arranged, performed and/or recorded poorly. One arranger for example tries to put chords to every beat of the melody he tackles which is redundant sounding and too difficult for even him to pull off. Dogmatically sticking to one discipline when combining other techniques might help is ridiculous. Another example is the arrangement of 'It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing' which sounds more like a funeral dirge than the uptempo, fun tune it was meant to be. The chord/melody format is probably wrong for this tune. The majority of the arrangements are however professionally competent to exceptional. 'Misty'(Rick Stone-arranger) to repeat uses interesting,(not run of the mill), chord voicings that change as the song progresses, quick change chords, counterpoint, ascending diads, some linear lines and more. Very nicely done I think ! You wouldn't need to add much to this one.

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Product Description:
This collection of jazz standard chord solos for guitar is compiled from Mel Bay and Warner Bros. collaborations Jazz Guitar Standards Vol. 1 and 2. What makes this work so special is that each artist has personally recorded their solo guitar arrangement. The book comes with the CDs which have all 44 tunes. This book is a wonderful anthology of solo guitar that can be used for performances as well as educational purposes.

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Jazz Guitar for the Absolute Beginner (Book & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is easy excellent introduction into Jazz guitar, I mean rock bottom simple including some very basic chords, some very basic comping, improvisation and little taste of blues thrown in. You can get enough here to get you started whether you have been playing another style or just starting on the guitar. This book is like a good golf shot enough to make you come back for more, You can get a nice Jazzy sound with some very rudimentaryknowledge. I also like that she plays Jazz on a solid body rock guitar.....not a Jazz Boat.

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Learn everything from chord strumming and melody playing to basic jazz improvisation.Amanda Monaco's warm and encouraging style motivates even the most casual hobbyist to learn.

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Bebop Guitar Bk/Cd (Book & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)I pre-ordered this book some months back with an expectation that a book calling itself "Bebop Guitar: Basic Theory and Practice for Jazz Guitar in the Style of Charlie Parker" would, of all things, discuss the practice of guitar playing. I am an intermediate level player with a few chords scales and riffs under his belt--no beginner by any means, but not a pro either.

I am not exaggerating when I say there is not one mention of the guitar as the instrument in question in any of the main chapters. The author does explain early on that the examples have been written in the key of G to make things easier for guitarists, but that's it! No tab, no fingerings in the notation. No position suggestions. Nothing. It's all theoretical explication of the melodic devices used by Parker in his solos. Not a bad thing in itself, but I don't see any reason for it to be a book targeted for guitarists. It could very easilty have been packaged as a book for oboists or kazooists without changing one word of the text.

Weirder still is the 64 track CD. Instead of the examples being played on a guitar, the least you would expect from a book shouting "Guitar" in very large, Art-Deco lettering on its front cover, you get examples recorded from a midi. But it's not even a midi using a guitar voice. It's a saxophone voice (and not a particularly good one at that!) If you just want to hear how the phrases sound, it works okay for that, but I should think that the target audience for this book would really haved liked to be convinced that these phrases can be made to sound good on a guitar. That would seem to be the point of a book entitled "Bebop Guitar."

I think my biggest complaint is the lack of any references to actual solos. It might say "He plays this line over a dominant." But there are no references to the names of the solos or recorded performances from which the lines were taken. At the very least a couple of representative solo transcriptions (with guitar tab or fingerings!) would have been nice too. By contrast, Stan Ayeroff's "Swing To Bop" collection of Charlie Christian transcriptions has all of those things--theoretical analysis of the melodic lines AND performance charts. Even if Parker's saxophone fingerings cannot be reproduced on the guitar, some recommendations on which positions to use under which conditions would have been helpful.

Also, the author has very odd credentials for someone taking on the task of explaining an alto saxopone player's style to guitarists. Most of his writing has either been for renaissance and baroque plucked instruments, or for banjo and flatpicked guitar. He has written one other jazz book, Charlie Christian Chord Shapes, and while his classical and early music background certainly qualify him to speak to the melodic theory involved, that's not necessarily what one expects to be the thrust of a book entitled Bebop Guitar. That doesn't mean his analyis isn't valid. It has just been mispresented and packaged badly by the publisher. This may not have been the author's fault, but someone clearly dropped the ball on this one.

Obtain a library or advance copy first before buying. It might be something worth keeping on the shelf for future reference, but you won't be playing KoKo anytime soon on the strength of this book alone.

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Product Description:
This book/CD pack shows guitarists how to transform basic jazz improv techniques into bebop figures in Bird's famous "with strings" style by making chromatic and rhythmic alterations. Includes many musical examples, most in the user-friendly key of G major, to accommodate players not well versed in jazz flat keys.

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Jazz Guitar Harmony (Book & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)Hi All.I highly recommend this book.It starts out with the basics and works you up to a pretty decent level for a single volume book.Well laid out and if you follow step by step, by the time you finish the book, you'll have a strong understandig of harmony, and a great mastery of the fretboard itself.So far, I have found all of Jody Fisher's book to be great.

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Product Description:
This comprehensive study of harmony is a must for any guitarist interested in jazz. This book explains the essentials of jazz harmony in a friendly, easy-to-understand manner. Learn about chord scales, abbreviated voicings, extended harmonies, altered chords, substitutions and analyzing chord progressions. Other topics include ii-V-I progressions, the dominant cycle, ""rhythm changes,"" clusters, quartal harmonies, working with upper structures and much more. Finally, jazz harmony is demystified in one reliable and easy-to-read book.

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Playing the Changes: Guitar: A Linear Approach to Improvising (Berklee Labs) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is definitely a unique book in my opinion, because it presents a new way seeing the modes of the major scale in terms of their applications. And it definitely provides knowledge that you can start applying right away (which a very important criterion for me).
The basic idea behind the book is to develop a system for using the structures within the modes of the major scale to solo over all chord types. The authors present a logical way to do that, but this may come as a surprise for players who were previously taught of major scales modes in the old fashioned way, ie: Phyrigian mode works over a minor 7th chord, Locrian works over a m7b5.. Well, NO, this is not entirely true. Actually, in real music, we are hearing such modes being used in different functions all the time..And the authors explain why..
The approach in the book focuses on chord progressions instead of individual chords. This is, in a sense, similar to soloing in key centers. However, while soloing in key centers does not allow you concentrate in essential tones that you should emphasize, the so called "pitch axis" system of the authors does allow you to do that exactly. If you have been wondering how proficient players are able to outline chord changes with a few notes, this book may be what you need. I believe open-minded players, even if they have been taught of the modes in the old fashioned way, can also benefit a lot from this book. The authors use the progressions to well-known jazz standards (in order of increasing difficulty) to apply the ideas presented in the lessons, but I believe musicians dealing with other kinds of music can also benefit from the material if theye are interested in improvisation.

The examples have been notated and tabbed, but the "tetrachords", which are four-note structures used by the authors as the simplest source of linear lines, are notated in standard notation, so some basic sight reading would be helpful.

Last but not least, the authors state that modal improvisation is just one of the ways they teach.. The system taught here is definitely a very good one, but there are other approaches as well. If you are willing to get more into the typical jazz (especially bebop) language where chromaticism plays an important part, you should be aware that this not the focus of this book. For more information on the use of chromaticism and typical bebop lines, I suggest you check out Don Mock's "Target Tones" book. I bought these two books together and they turned out to complement each other in an unexpected way. Sid Jacob's book on "Playing the changes-Guide Tones" and "Jazz Guitar Phrases" book are also highly recommended for that purpose. And finally, if you are interested in the different applications of tetrachords and similar small musical units for jazz guitar, you may also want to check out Andrew Green's "Jazz Guitar Structures"..

To summarize, I believe the information here would be beneficial for all types of guitar players interested in improvisation, and especially in jazz improvisation. I am giving it four stars, because I think the authors' approach could have been expanded for other structures besides the major scale.. But I guess I am a little picky..:)

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Product Description:
Effective improvisation can add fun and individuality to guitar performances. This book presents a unique improvisation strategy based on ear training and a linear interpretation of note/chord relationships. You'll learn how to: develop an expectation of sound * master the relationships between notes, modes and harmonies * improvise over jazz standards * identify pitch tendencies within chord progressions * and more.

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Great Jazz Standards Anthology for Guitar (Popular Jazz) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a couple books and the "Fretboard Roadmap" DVD from this author, (Fred Sokolow), and I love them but I found the arrangements and chord voicings in this book a bit off of what is common in Jazz Guitar.The arrangements are such that the chord voicings use quite a few open strings which in turn leads to some difficult to get to fingerings.It just didn't work for me.Sorry Fred!

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Fred Sokolow is a prolific performer, educator, author, transcriber and arranger, whose books and videos have covered a wide range of styles including jazz, blues, rock, country, bluegrass and even 5-string banjo. This anthology provides you with solid, clear and accessible solo arrangements for 14 of the of the most memorable jazz standards. Every song is presented with the guitar part, written in standard notation and tablature, combined with the lead sheet for analysis. All arrangements are demonstrated on the included CD.

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Jazz Improvisation for Guitar (REH Pro Lessons) Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all sorry for my english.
I just wantwrite two notes about this Les Wise's book.
I'm a jazz guitar teacher (and still a student....) and after 20 years of experience I want to say that this LES WISE book is probably one of the most useful and interesting of my huge collection. If you study the techniques illustrated in this method, after some weeks your playing will move ON AN HIGHER LEVEL.....and after years of modal scales you'll learn THE REAL THING!
Second note: this is a "repackaging" of the original 1980 edition (with cassette...) intitled "INNER JAZZ". Why the publisher don't write this on the cover????
An way the book is FANTASTIC.......and if you have any information about Les Wise, write me at quenda@libero.it.
Ciao a tutti!
ettore - Italy

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Product Description:
This terrific book/CD by Les Wise will allow you to make the transition from playing disjointed scales and arpeggios to playing melodic jazz solos that maintain continuity and interest for the listener. Topics covered include: tension and resolution * major scale, melodic minor scale, and harmonic minor scale patterns * common licks and substitution techniques * creating altered tension * and more! Features standard notation and tab, and a CD with 35 demo tracks.

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Jazz Classics for Solo Guitar: Chord Melody Arrangements with Tab (Guitar Solo) Review

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(More customer reviews)Full disclosure: I am a player of moderate ability, who is just getting into jazz. The book is as advertised: "...contains 35 professional chord/melody arrangements for solo guitar." Yes, these arrangements are written for a professional player; in other words, if you can easily articulate four or more different, difficult jazz chord changes per bar of music, this work is for you. The tablature appears accurate, and the chord harmonization is very tasty. Just be prepared for a very difficult slog if you are not prepared for this level of work. If you are, the music is quite beautiful and will inspire you to create your own reharmonizations of famous standards. Song choice here is excellent. This would have received five stars if the publisher had included a CD recording of the pieces, both slow and at tempo versions.

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This collection includes Robert Yelin's excellent chord melody arrangements in standard notation and tablature for 35 all-time jazz favorites: All of You * April in Paris * Cheek to Cheek * Cry Me a River * Day by Day * God Bless' the Child * Imagination * It Might as Well Be Spring * Lover * Moonlight in Vermont * My Foolish Heart * My Romance * Nuages * Samba De Orfeu * Satin Doll * Sophisticated Lady * Stardust * Tenderly * Unchained Melody * Wave * What's New? * When I Fall in Love * Willow Weep for Me * and more!

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Howard Morgen's Solo Guitar: Insights, Arranging Techniques & Classic Jazz Standards (Jazz Masters Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Having been a subscriber to Fingerstyle guitar player magazine (for 5 years), Howard's articles were the most clear and complete.This book is a continuation of that style.
If you want to learn about intervals, chordsubstitution and jazz reharmonization techniques.
This is it.

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Solo Guitar is a musical approach to understand the techniques and concepts of solo guitar. Topics include arranging, transcribing, chord progressions, and chord substitutions. Also included are tips for maximizing practice time. Howard demonstrates every subject with arrangements of some of the most memorable songs of any serious musician's repertoire. Titles include: In Your Own Sweet Way * You Stepped Out of a Dream * Stompin' at the Savoy * Misty * Laura * Take Five and more.

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Guitar Secrets: Symmetrical Scales Revealed (Dimished & Whole-Tone; Book & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book displays the ideas of how to apply the melodic minor scale, through the means of scalar sequences, static chord vamp, ii-V applications, arppegio superimpositions, pentatonic fragments, etc. From learning these ideas, one should be well equipped for further exploring into the study of this scale, which is essential in jazz music.

In terms of technique, to be able to play the phrases, particularly the wide intervallic ones in full speed that Don demonstrates on the CD, obviously requires good technique, or at least will lead to the development of your alternate/sweep picking technique so as to accommodate some unusual runs within certain phrases. In this respect, the licks and phrases in this book can at times be quite advanced.

The most useful units in the book have to be the four usages (2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th mode of the scale) or substitutions, though the 6th mode is briefly showcased as an alternative to the harmonic minor scale in a minor ii-V progression. The demonstrated licks fuse together in general a traditional jazz sound (e.g. the "Gone but not forgotten" lick frequently appears, cf. Jerry Coker's Elements of the Jazz Language for the Developing Improvisor), arpeggio superimpositions, modern runs in 4th/5th, and wide intervallic jumps. The licks are inspiring and should help build a good foundation for developing the usages of this scale.

Interested guitarist may also want to check out Don's Artful Arpeggios: Fingerings and Applications for Guitar (REH Pro Lessons), Joe Diorio's Intervallic Designs for Jazz Guitar: Ultramodern Sounds for Improvising and Steve Khan's Pentatonic Khancepts for furthering the study of these areas which the current book has presented on different levels.

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Product Description:
Learning how to play and use scales has always been a large part of every guitar player's practice schedule. Written from a player's perspective, this book doesn't get too in-depth into the history and classical theory of the scales, but focuses on their uses in contemporary styles such as blues, rock, fusion, and jazz. Includes tons of diminished and whole-tone lines, licks, and music examples; soloing and scale substitution from a player's perspective; and new sounds and ideas. Written in standard notation and tab.

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Jazz Gems for Solo Guitar: 35 Chord Melody Arrangements in Standard Notation and Tablature (Guitar Solo) Review

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(More customer reviews)I like it. I bought it because I had heard and really liked the tune "Alice in Wonderland". I really appreciated having this as well as the other included tunes. They are gems and the arrangements sound really nice. Now I just have to get good enough to play them properly.

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35 great solo arrangements of jazz classics, including: After You've Gone * Alice in Wonderland * The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) * Four * Meditation (Meditacao) * Stompin' at the Savoy * Sweet and Lovely * Waltz for Debby * Yardbird Suite * You'll Never Walk Alone * You've Changed * and more.

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