Getting into jazz guitar?

Ok so i am really getting into smooth jazz guitar, and i'm self taught... So you could imagine how hard it would be for me to start trying to play jazz with all the music theory and such. I have been to www.jazzguitar.be and wholenote, and i just find it really hard to fit in. I really struggle because i don't know all my notes on the fretboard, and i also find that hard to keep up with... Any help?

I'm a self-taught rock/blues guitarist, and, I gotta tell ya, from experience, it pays to learn the notes. I's difficult at first, but it will pay off later. Stick with it!

Based on my experience:

I suggest you not to start studying guitar by Jazz -even if it is a smooth one- . Jazz music is un-deniable as one of the hardest genre to study and to understand. Or else you will find yourself depressed, then you'll start thinking to stop studying guitar.

Start from blues, understand the scale, and applicate it in easy songs.

it happened to me.

well,in my opinion its better to get a guru..i mean sumbody who can really teach you the theory,style,character and improvisation..at least it will make you better in understanding the concept and music and also solve technical problems.. :) anyway, jazz guitar is cool bro

Learn the neck first.

Do it.

Take as long as it takes.

Then you can do anything. Until then, you're restricted to basic stuff.

Learn the neck.

I really don't understand what the question is...

start of with some blues. its slow, and easy to go with if you're self-taught. definitely memorize the notes. you will find jazz to be nearly impossible if you dont. also, learn chords. you can find plenty of websites with them listed. in jazz, there is a whole lot of weird chords, so youll need to learn them by heart. once you've got the whole key change thing down start with the jazz. i am self-taught myself, so i know roughly what you're going through right now trying to play like the greats! also, for some inspiration, check out players such as larry carlton, john scofield, george benson, lee ritenour, mike stern, wes montgomery, pat metheny, jim hall, al di meola and john mclaughlin (if you havent already). good luck with the music!

I have recently decided to pursue jazz as well. As a full time truck driver, lessons are not possible, however I did find a very excellent video course "Learn and master the guitar" which is helping me a great deal. If you want to learn jazz, you HAVE to know the neck inside out and backwards, you need to know your scales and I don't see how you can do any improvisation if you don't have a strong base in theory and reading music. Others have said it, take the time and learn the basics first, well enough that you can find any note in the dark. When you play jazz, quite often the improvisations are spontaneous and never quite repeated in the same way, so you need to fully understand what is going on. It is tough at first, but it will be tons of fun as you progress. I have been actually playing for many years, but Have elected to put all that aside and give 100% of my attention to learning these new skills. I Bought a cheap guitar to take on the road with me to practice on and have promised myself that when I have made hugely significant improvements, I will buy myself the best guitar I can...It definately keeps me motivated. Good Luck!!!

do it and dont give up!