All About Learning to Play Jazz Guitar

On 12.28.09, In Jazz Blog, By admin

Let’s get rid of one myth right here! One common myth floating around is that jazz music is complicated. Some people have the idea that it can only be learned by unraveling the deep mysteries of the inner being – like it’s some sort of mystical experience that requires years of learning theories, scales and chords. That thought alone is overwhelming and as a result, we need to refocus our attention to one thing – keeping it simple.

If you seriously want to become a better jazz guitar player, then keeping it simple is all you need to get where you want to go. Start with the basics. You already know that you’ll need some knowledge of jazz guitar scales and chords. You’ll also need a mentor or a teacher who can help you develop your talent and skill and lastly, you’ll need to begin developing confidence in your playing ability (this means practicing what you’ve learned). For the new player, these basic activities will help you progress in your learning and soon, you’ll be looking for the intermediate and advanced teachings in jazz guitar!

The first step to learning how to play jazz guitar is to invest in some jazz guitar lessons. In the basic type of lesson, you should be learning the different scales and chords from a teacher who isn’t trying to impress you with his or her blinding knowledge and ego. Instead, find a teacher who keeps it simple so that you can grow as a student.

Know that you have to invest some time into your playing and practice! One of the players I met used to avidly videotape his playing the gypsy jazz guitar so that he could improve his playing technique. Another woman I met used to listen to a melody over and over again until she had it solidly in her mind. As she listened to the melody, she attempted to memorize it and recreate it on her guitar. In fact, she’s memorized a lot of tunes that way. A few years ago, I knew of a student who used to go over the lesson he just learned for hours, and I literally mean hours, until he knew it inside and out. I think he was just looking for an excuse to play, though, because even after he knew the lesson, he didn’t quit.

Before you get out there and start buying your jazz guitar amps and other gear, consider if you’ll have the time to do the basic things you need to do to learn all about playing jazz guitar. Set your learning and practice habit up for success by keeping it simple and you will reap the results of your investment!



By: Logan Young

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Jazz Music Midi Files- The Best Way To Listen Music

On 11.28.09, In Jazz Blog, By admin

If you happen to be a jazz musician then it is important for you to be able to present your music in a very vivid manner whereby you can have the control of the tracks with ease and with effective flexibility. But if you are hard core fan of jazz music then you must always be wondering how to listen to this great music anytime and with perfect ease and enjoyment.

Jazz Midi files are a perfect solution for this as it allows you to hold the reins of jazz music and jazz play alongs in a very effectual manner. These jazz midi files are the standardized form of music detail representation in a digital format. This helps you to gain immense knowledge of the jazz music and gain an expertise in it as you can easily learn and imitate your favorite jazz personalities in the way you desire.

As the jazz midi files happen to be just data, sound modules and professional midi-keyboards can also be used for the purpose of recreating sounds. Being unrecorded, it enables you to make the desired changes as well so that you can have the best experience of listing to jazz music with complete satisfaction. You can easily buy the jazz midi files online from the various web sites that offer them. You may either download the jazz midi files for free from the reputed and selected web sites or purchase them from these web sites at affordable costs. Another way to obtain these midi files is to become a member of these web sites that is either absolutely free of cost or comes at discounted prices.

In fact, as the very essence of the jazz music makes you feel like grooving you can get various jazz play alongs to add that extra effect on the entire experience of jazz music enjoyment. These days amazing jazz play alongs such as books, piano sheet-music, guitar sheet-music, guitar scales, tablature, CDs with great live bands, songs by famous artist and the karaoke CDs are easily available in the market and online. These jazz play alongs are incredible in enhancing the very experience and the appeal of the jazz music you are listening to. So, get going and have the best of your time listening to your favorite grooving music genre.



By: Akhila Choudhary

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Jazz Guitar Tips and Tricks – Learning Jazz Guitar Playing

On 10.20.09, In Jazz Blog, By admin

Jazz is more complicated than any other music genres as far as playing guitar is concerned. But there are a lot of jazz guitar tips and tricks that you can use to make it easier for you and to help you become a better jazz player and a well-rounded guitarist.

At the top of the list of the important jazz guitar tips is knowing your scales and modes. Internalizing jazz guitar scales is considered to be one of the most challenging part of learning to play jazz because of the many scales to be learned and mastered. These scales provide the basis for the improvisational sound of jazz music.         

When it comes to modes, it becomes confusing because many guitar players call modes as scales. Technically, a mode is a scale but modes are used by many musicians to open doors to new sounds. Jazz players rely on the major and minor modes in setting the tone of their music. They use these to get the great flavors of music out of the scales aside from just using the full neck of their jazz guitars.

Other important jazz guitar tips include eliminating the feedback produced by the guitar, using a software to practice improvisation, and using a metronome in your practice to achieve good timing.

In learning to play jazz guitar, you should also learn and memorize the lyrics to help you recall the music better. Recording yourself will also give you a clear picture of how does your guitar playing sound.

And of course, you cannot play jazz guitar better if your guitar itself is not in a good condition. Before starting to play, check first if it needs some tweaking. You will know if it needs a tune-up when it begins to feel tiring to play.

The basic adjustments you need to do are in the truss rod, the bridge, height of the pickups and intonation. To ensure that the strings are on the proper height, you have to regulate the nut. Examine also the high and low frets and level them as needed.

In adjusting the intonation, do it in small increments and consider your ear’s accuracy in deciding the pitch between two notes. For more accurate results, use a highly accurate tuner with analog-style needle display.

Other helpful jazz guitar tips that will bring your performance to the highest level are ensuring the proper location of your guitar and your hands. The strap of your guitar should lift the instrument up to about midway on your chest. It will feel tighter but will give your left hand more mobility. Your right hand should not also exert much effort in picking out the notes.

To sum it up, you should be familiar with the important components of learning jazz guitar which include effective scale usage, harmonization, rhythm, melody and jazz chord improvisation.

Also, learning jazz guitar requires an astonishing skill that you can’t develop by just relying on your music sheets or music teachers alone, so keep in mind to practice and persevere.

By: Carolyn Anderson

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