I am starting to learn Jazz guitar (On my own), and need help choosing and finding the right material to practice.
I have been using the ii-V-I and I am pretty good at it. Also I can use altered material over the V chord.
Now I need to know what standards to learn, and possibly how to play over them.
Any help?
thanks in advance There is much to learn, grasshopper!
Well, I am not a guitarist (sax player), but I know what I like to hear on jazz guitar. You would do well by buying a 'Real Book' and studying the head sheets in there.
Some real good beginning tunes would be like 'Satin Doll', 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'The Way You Look Tonight'. There are also a lot of 'play-along' books available from Jamey Aebersold that are compiled by complexity (beginnner, intermediate, advanced) which are excellent aids in learning chord progressions and standard tunes.
I realize that you are doing this on your own at this time, but at some point, you are going to need to take some lessons. You will be amazed at how much a good jazz guitar instructor can teach you in just a few lessons. Believe me, the same stuff will take you much longer to learn by yourself.
Good luck! Go to Amazon, type in Jamey Aebersold, and click "buy, buy, buy, buy, buy" Most of his books come with CDs that have changes on them, and you can learn ALOT! Download a free demo of the program band in a box. You can type chord changes in and it will play accompianment for you. I like this better than aebersold because you can slow slow down down or speed up tempos and change style.
Some standards to learn are autumn Leaves, All the Things you are, On the sunny side of the street, There is no greater love, Bye Bye Blackbird, ect.
You can probably find a real book online in band in a box format also. Standards are a start but I think there are couple other things you need to do first to make learning standards easier.
1. The Omnibook - the #1 source of bebop material. Learn this. Find the recordings to each song and play along. It is extremely important foundation to have. You will sound like charlie parker for a while but it is the best way of getting information and content to play fast plus a of standards have fragments of popular bebop lines in the melody.
2. Jamey Aebersold - the #1 practice cd's. He has a library of jazz standards where there are just rythym section playing. 100+ volumes to choose from.
3. Learn Blues progressions, Rythym changes (Jamey Aebersold has a volume dedicated to rythym changes and there multitude of bridges. The terminology rythym change comes from the chord changes to "I got Rythym". Also the theme to the "Flintstones". Family Guy also has some of the best intro/ outro scene music, thats cuase the creator also plays piano) Minor Blues, Open soloing (no changes), Sus chord (ex Maiden Voyage)
ConformationIndianadonnaleethewayyoulo... yeah
4.Jazz theory - Modes of the major scale (Ionian, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian etc..) Modes of the melodic minor scale. 4ths, 5th, dimished whole tone scale, super locrian scale, whole tone patterns etc...
5.Have a notebook of patterns hand written out in all twelve keys. Practicing is as much mental as it is physical. Writting it out and thinking about it is also good practice.
6. TRANSCRIBE - It helps with ear training as well as getting good information to play. Some people might put this first but after a while, like a i said before, you will start to sound like another person. Its always best to be yourself.
hope this info helps in your journey into improvisation. Summertime, and the livin' is easy Hi Bubbie,
Here's a good list to start with:
-Blues for Alice (or another Parker blues)
-All The Things You Are
-Autumn Leaves
-Anthropology (or another rhythm changes)
-So What
-My Funny Valentine
-Stella By Starlight
-There Will Never Be Another You
-Summertime
-How Insensitive
Have a look at http://www.jazzguitar.be to learn how to play jazz guitar.
- Dirk Some Jazz standards would be in my opinion:
Honeysuckle Rose
The Birth of the Blues
Saint James Infirmary
Fascinating Rythm
I Got Rythm
After You've Gone
Bill Bailey
Body and Soul |
