Whole Tone 3-Octave Pattern

Today we will examine a pattern derived from the 2 whole tone scales. This pattern which spans the range of 3 octaves will make a great addition to your improvisation technique. It begins with the whole tone scale on F (F-G-A-B-C#-D#) also known as the B whole tone scale. Bring your attention to the fingerings and shifts. Strict alternate picking is used.

Next the whole tone pattern is played in complete retrograde but now using the whole tone scale beginning on C (C-D-E-F#-G#-A#) also known as the C whole tone scale.

And when we combine the ascending and descending patterns we have the final result.

Have fun and enjoy! 

Blues Comping #4: Equinox (Coltrane)

This installment of Blues Comping has us playing through a minor blues form. This tune which features saxophone by John Coltrane, drums by master Elvin Jones and the unmistakable piano of McCoy Tyner.

McCoy uses several interesting voicings to evoke the sense of mystery this tune has. I have adapted what he plays to guitar and taken some liberties to give the same vibe as he does.

First, we have the comping over the head of the tune:

Next, we have some ideas inspired by McCoy's famous quartal voicings.

And last but not least, sit back, relax and listen to the original tune.

Whole Tone Scale Exercise 12 B

Here is a great exercise from Nicolas Reinoso's book:

Jazz Improvisation: Studies for Technical Development

I have adapted it for guitar which I have demonstrated in the video. This exercise draws its notes from the Whole Tone scale and is useful for development in the following areas:

-Usage of patterns from the whole tone scale
-Finger stretching
-Position extension
-Alternate picking

The up-tempo version:

And the slower version:

One will note that this exercise has a pattern as follows:

1. Up a maj 3rd

2. Down a maj 2nd

3. Up a maj 3rd

4. Down a maj 2nd

5. Up a maj 3rd

6. Down a maj 2nd

7. Up a maj 3rd

8. Down a min 2nd

Repeat this pattern again, followed by the exact reverse of the first two patterns.

Jim Dunlop JazzTones 205 Picks: Review

After years and years of guitar playing and experimenting with different guitar picks I have finally found what I believe is the most useful of them all (at least at the present time).

Before getting into the nitty-gritty let me explain the background. The first picks I used were by Fender (as many of us still use). The Fender in normal 351 size were never comfortable for me regardless of gauge. I also disliked the glossy texture of the classic tortoise picks.

Next, I moved on to Dunlop's tortex .88mm (green turtle), then the Gator Grip .96 mm and finally on to the Dunlop Nylon 1.0mm (black with raised molded grip surface. Then I encountered the Jazz III picks. These were a great finding as their smaller shape was very well suited to my "closed fist, no anchor" right hand style. I like the Jazz IIIs still to this day and they would be my backup if the JazzTones ever are discontinued.

Enter the JazzTone. If there is one message I would like to convey most it is that in my opinion these picks are as close to the sound of a thumb that I have heard. I like the matte type finish of these picks and, on the 205 in particular, the semi-sharp tip. It is not as sharp as the Jazz III and the material is different, gauge thicker and tone is mellower. I find this to be the best of all worlds. One caveat is the molding process leaves a small indention on the top side of the pick. This may or may not be an issue but since they last so long (especially playing on flat wound strings) you may wish to lightly sand this down so you won't even think about it.

I think any player can find a JazzTone that suits their style, as you can see they make a whole mess of sizes.

Blues Comping #3: The Man From Toledo (Benson)

This blues tune with a straight feel comes from the "Benson Burner" record by George Benson and friends. I feel it is a great example of a "less is more" approach to comping that actually adds to the groove of the tune.

Because the comping is so sparse I have added in the head of the tune as well.

Here are the shapes followed by some additional ideas you might try.

And finally groove on with George on the original track, key is G.

 

The Art of Jazz Guitar

Thanks to one of my fellow jazz guitar.be members I have been enlightened to a new blog. It can be found here at:

The Art of Jazz Guitar

Please have a look as there are many useful lessons on this blog. I particularly enjoyed this one:

C Minor Voicings

GHS Brite Flats .012-.054 (Set 730): String Review

For Christmas this year I received a set of GHS Brite Flats .012-.054 gauge strings. I have just recently changed them after using them daily for approximately 2 months on the old ES-175. I have found these strings to be unique among strings I have tried.

First, these are not what I would consider flat wound strings (contrary to the name brite flats) as they are actually ground round wound. This process of string making involves the production of a round wound string which is then ground to slightly "flatten" the ridges created by round windings. This property of the strings makes them unique; it is a feel that is edgier than the true flats but smoother than round wound. For reference, I have used D'Addario half rounds and found the Brite Flats to have more of an edge to the feel.

The tone of the brite flats are difficult to describe as they are in-between a mellow tone and a bright tone. I noticed the increased high frequency presence as well as a slight decrease in note-to-note separation of chords. I did like the strings overall but have realized that I prefer true flat wound strings on the ES-175.

The moral of the story is that different strings seem to "get along with" different guitars. I surmise that on a guitar like a Les Paul these strings may be just the ticket because it may be a good contrast to have the extra brightness. Either way in the eternal quest for tone you may want to give Brite Flats a try along the way.

Restring with the Thomastik Jazz Swing

So after 2 months using the Ghs Brite Flats (.012-.054) I decided to try a new type of flat wounds on the old ES-175; Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Swing Lights.

These strings are on the pricey side ($22.99) versus the Brite Flats (~$9.50) but from just simply looking at the packaging you can justify the difference.

The strings are in a nice plastic container which I saved for other uses. Also each string is in its own envelope and the wound strings have another plastic sleeve which they reside in; very high quality.

When stringing the guitar one notices the finer details such as the red silk windings on the end of each wound string. Ball end and plain end are reinforced for ease in stringing, extended playing life, and aesthetics.

These strings feel great on right and left hands. The finger style playing is also very enjoyable with these strings. The tone is more articulate than D'Addario chromes and mellower than GHS Brite Flats. I particularly like the choice of string gauge. I highly recommend these strings to any player in search of the ultimate flat wound.

Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method Grade 1 Review (Expanded Edition)

This is one of my all time favorite guitar methods for pick-style beginning students of any age over 8. I have used this method for multiple hundreds of students with great success from all who are willing to learn.

My favorite aspects of the method are:

-The thoroughness of which the material is treated.
-The presentation of standard notation is superior to other methods.
-The clarity of the examples.
-The pace of which the material is presented.
-The use of many different styles within a beginner's method.
-The segue at the end of the method which leads to review in the next grade level.

With the trained teacher and the patience and willingness to learn, one can surely be successful.

If you are contemplating beginning lessons or a self-teaching course please consider this time proven and highly successful method. Drop me a line if you have any questions.

Blues Comping #2

Here we have a fun and funky blues comping style with an integrated bass line. This one has a lot to do with the feel. Shown in the key of B for variety.

Here are the chords and bass line slowed down.


And finally the last 2 chords:

Blues Comping #1

Today we will examine this wonderful example of a guitar blues comping/harmonized melody example.

Kenny Burrell played this kind of thing on "Blues for Del" on a Jimmy Smith record in the 1960s.

I would google it, there does not appear to be a YouTube vid for it.

It is harmonized entirely of sixths, skipping a string in between. The example is in Bb.

Round Midnight Backing Track

Learn Jazz Standards- Round Midnight

This is a great backing track from Camden Hughes at LearnJazzStandards.com

This is a great site by the way, tons of jazz backing tracks. Check it out!

Round Midnight

All of you guitar players ought to have a look and listen (more importantly) to this version of the classic Thelonious Monk standard "Round Midnight":

This version is special because it showcases Wes throughout. There are many great camera shots of his right and left hand technique.

My observations are his astoundingly fast use of downward thumbstrokes, perfectly intonated octaves, smoothly moving left hand (very fluid and effortless), and his comfortable demeanor when soloing.  He also manages to keep the entire 8 minutes very entertaining for any listener. That is the key; listening not just hearing. I like to sit and listen with eyes closed in a dark room to really listen and feel what the music is telling me. I find it fascinating that every time I hear Wes play I hear different things. Even when I have the solo mentally memorized. There is certainly something to be said about the beauty of improvisation.

Fun with tuning forks

I must admit that I am a champion of the tuning fork. Its simple elegance and utilitarianism has always intrigued me. I feel as though it may be a dying tool that is doomed for obsolescence. But, in an effort to stir the popularity of my beloved reference instrument, I have thought of some neat things you can do with a "C" and an "A" fork.

Fun stuff. I also decided to experiment a little more:

You can make any chords you want, that was a minor.

Fun Facts:

The Yamaha logo is a stylization of 3 forks:

And here is a neat link of an online tuning fork:

http://www.onlinetuningfork.com

My personal philosophy is that the tuning fork will never go out of style because it transcends technology; no batteries, power or learning curve (assuming you can match pitch by ear).

Fun Chord Solo Idea.

With as complex as life can be sometimes it is nice to sit back with something simple and let it spark your creativity. The concept I used here is based on the opening bars of this improvised tune. From there I use the idea of stopped notes against open strings; one of my favorite guitaristic devices. Relax and enjoy!

Picking/Fretting Exercise

Here is a fun and challenging exercise for the right and left hands. Start with a major 7th chord shape in the 1st position (would be F#maj7). Play all downstrokes and then descend chromatically (beginning with an upstroke) from the G# on the 4th fret, 1st string.


Keep ascending as in the video until you have spanned a full octave of the pattern.

At this point you can continue to torture yourself (if you like that kind of thing) by fully reversing the pattern like this:

Arpeggio Chord Scale With 7th Chords (Economy Picking)

Here we have some fun arpeggios (shows in the key of G for simplicity) which are a good practice tool for the economy picking style.

Watch carefully for picking and fingering.

Use down strokes for the triplets at the beginning:

And alternate for the next notes:

Four On Six: Wes Montgomery

Ever wanted to play this tune and when referring to the Real Book you see that it isn't really what Wes plays on "The incredible Jazz guitar".

I had the same dilemma; so here is what Wes plays as the head in "Four on six" on that record.

Please listen to the whole tune here:

Check out starter guitars here:

Silvertone SS10 Guitar & Amp Package, Black - Guitars

D'Addario Balanced Tension Strings

Now here is a truly fantastic idea! This problem which all guitarists have learned to live with is finally being solved logically. I am jazzed to try these innovative new strings and will be sure to review them when I string up next.

Please read the great page that D'Addario has put together:

Balanced Tension

And have a look here:

These string tensions will probably relieve a majority of the neck issues that guitars tend to have "seasonally". While I believe that seasonal humidity changes do affect guitars, I also believe that necks acclimate themselves to both the humidity (if applied in a controlled slow manner) and to unbalanced tension.

Now only to get them to make a set of flat wound strings this way...

Guitar of the week: Roland G-707

This was a very innovative instrument. I have never had the joy of trying one but the concept is intriguing. Check it out!

These links provide useful information:

Vintage Synth Page

and

Mister Jones

And for the record the bar is purely cosmetic!

Paper Mate Sharpwriter Mechanical Pencil, HB, 0.70 mm, Yellow Barrel, (Google Affiliate Ad)

Whole tone chord scale

Here is a fun whole tone chord scale. Note the use of strictly augmented chords (only whole steps in the whole tone scale).

The augmented chords I use in this example are four note voicings with 1-3-#5-1 formulae.

The Gladiator's Chromatic Exercise

From the famous Julius Fucik piece entitled "Entry of the Gladiators" here is a fun excerpt from the theme that is amusing to play and serves as a good chromatic exercise and warm-up.

Here are the parts broken down:

Also, since there are no open strings this pattern is fully movable. Great for exercises or harmonizing with friends playing a tritone apart.

Mel Bay's 100th Anniversary!

As a tribute to who I believe to be one of the most important guitar educators in the last 100 years, I submit this offering.

http://blog.melbay.com/the-mel-bay-story/


Any serious student of the guitar (myself included) should read this e-book. All of the info is very interesting.

I use Mel Bay books all the time, in fact I'm buried in a few right now.

Here's the most current for me:

complete-book-of-guitar-chords-scales-and-arpeggios

What a great teaching resource!

Whole Tone Exercise For Guitar

Here is a fully movable exercise for the guitar using three adjacent positions and some shifting to take us from "point a" to "point b" (no musical note puns intended).

Watch carefully for fingering. Picking can be either strict alternate or economy style. Use triplet 8ths throughout.

The end has some augmented chords played a whole step (tone) apart.

Listen for the next installment...

Guild A-150

I'm jazzed about this new axe. Here's what Guild says about her...

The elegant tone quality and design of this guitar will bring real satisfaction of ownership to the most critical player. A truly outstanding acoustic/electric, the A-150 Savoy™ is a pleasure to see and hear, pairing a wonderfully free-playing late-1950s Guild orchestra model with the distinctive addition of an exceptionally voiced DeArmond® 1000 floating pickup. The welcome return of a true Guild classic.

Also check out these vids...

Cool tone, played through one of the new Fender GB amps.


AND~

This one gives a good idea what the guitars of this Newark street collection sound like...the A-150b is the last one demoed.

My big questions are:

When do these come out for sale?

Where are they made?

In any case, I use these pencils to write out my notes in pencil. Give them a try!

BIC Mechanical Pencils, 0.7 mm 24/pk (Google Affiliate Ad)

Grande Opening

This is the Guitar Corners. Here is where we will discuss all of the interesting happenings pertaining to the guitars. We will also have some neat things which we can learn by, guitarrily or philosophically. We might see that we use the word guitar in ways we didn't think possible.

Today's topic is the new Guild Newark Street Series.

I like these axes. They have a neat-0 retro thing going on.

Guild Newark St.