| Fundamentals Checkpoint: Got Gaps? |
We all know how important fundamentals are. But are they mastered to the point that they can be called upon at any instant during performance? For instance when a guitarist comps, he/she must be able to put any note of their choosing on the top of their voicing quickly and accurately. Without knowing at least the common chord voicings in all of their inversions one?s comping may fall short of the mark. When soloing, having complete command of chord scales and arpeggios in a variety of positions is crucial. Getting serious about really knowing one?s fundamentals allows the musician to focus on the business at hand: music making...
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| The Van Eps Inspiration |
George Van Eps set his goals higher than most solo jazz guitarists. He enjoyed discovering new ways to turn a phrase in the moment and often going to ?the woods? and having to find his way back, inventing most of his journey. He would often tell his audiences that he found it hard to believe that they found his ?noodling? interesting. Granted he had his comfortable material to fall back on like any improviser, but he insisted on trying to improvise a string trio arrangement on the guitar?s fretboard. His use of an extra low seventh string helped him get closer to a piano?s wider range.
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| Online Masterclasses |
A couple of months ago I was approached by Mike Gellar, a fine Maryland guitarist/computer whiz, about teaching online masterclasses. I had been thinking that it was only a matter of time before someone got this type of project in action. Kudos to Mike for following through! He enlisted some of the best jazz guitarist/educators such as Jack Wilkins, Sid Jacobs, Tony DeCaprio and Sheryl Bailey with more to follow...
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| Seven-String Guitar |
A Modern Guitars reader recently asked me to talk a bit about the seven-string guitar, why I chose it and what keeps me playing it. My introduction to the seven-string was hearing the recordings of the great George Van Eps. The first time I heard about Van Eps was in high school at the school's library. They had a good supply of back issues of Guitar Player magazine one of which had Van Eps on its cover. What high school library today would have something like this? I learned so much about jazz guitar and other guitar styles from reading GP back when it was less concerned with what was popular. So, before heading to Berklee I knew quite a bit about Van Eps and Johnny Smith courtesy of Guitar Player...
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| Ted Greene |
Ted Greene left this world all too soon last week. I still canā??t believe heā??s gone. Knowing that he was there in his Encino apartment all day teaching his many students was a comforting feeling. Most things in the world change so abruptly but there was Ted doing what he loved and werenā??t we all the better for it! Dropping into town for a few days one may have been fortunate enough to...
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| Practicing and Memorizing Tunes |
Every guitar student I coach is encouraged to memorize a handful of standard tunes. Iā??ve found that most students will first go to a fakebook in attempting to learn a new tune. Iā??d like to suggest a more natural approach that makes memorizing tunes easier, is more thorough, and great fun at the same time...
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| Realize Your Uniqueness |
As a teacher I get the most pleasure in helping a student realize the special qualities they possess and working together to further develop them. These abilities are the things that really stand out in their playing and can be strengthened with a little encouragement...
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| Letting Go |
Most of us know what itā??s like to sit down and practice the all-important fundamentals like technique, theory, ear training, sight reading, tunes etc. for many hours at a time. Sometimes itā??s easy to lose sight...
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| Play Me An Idea |
The great guitarist Joe Pass used to say to his students, ā??Play me an idea.ā? This was often met with a blank stare. Many times the uninitiated would pile into a barrage of notes often pentatonic licks or a quick run up or down a scale. Next thing Joe would say was ā??sing me that.ā? Of course they couldnā??t sing it like they had...
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