My solo gig went well on Sunday, have been booked to be there each week.
I have ordered the Beatles for classical guitar and have worked on a couple of other arrangements.
One thing bothers me - I included a few classical numbers that I have worked on. (Chorus No 1 etc.) However I was asked if I could play `dueling banjos` - aagghh!
How long before I am asked for `stairway to heaven` I wonder.
--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, Ron Murray <rmurray@...> wrote:
> I don't know if you need any more tips or help, Will, but I've played
> hundreds, maybe thousands of solo gigs, and I found that putting
> things in guitar keys was a great help. For instance, I worked up a
> very swinging and fun arrangement of Ain't Misbehavin' in A, and the
> Beatles' And I Love Her in Am. Yesterday works really nicely in C, a
> la Barney Kessel, and that key is also great for Misty, They Can't
> Take That Away From Me, and Don't Know Why, to name a few.
Hi guys I haven't followed your posts in months. I tried to learn too much too fast and overwelmed myself, I can't spell, but I'm back. Pluss I was so busy practicing my sax I didn't have time for guitar. But like I said now I'm back. Playing tunes in different keys is great. On Sanborn's last few albums he's played a lot of standards and he does some of them in different keys as well. He's different than us though. I think some of the keys he uses are harder than the original keys. Maybe because that's just how I know them. I'm not a Sanborn fanatic but I was in my youth. I still buy his albums just to see if there are any surprises but for the last ten years there haven't been. Maybe longer. The last one I really liked was Up Front. He even did an Ornett Coleman tune on that one. I heard about a guy who went to Phil Woods for a lesson and Phil Woods asked if he knew Cherokee in all 12 keys. They guy said no and Phil said learn it. And that was it. Phil took his money and left. Maybe Phil was just lazy that day, I've heard he's a real jerk by many others too, but it is a lesson. Be able to play in any key. Sonny Stitt used to do a thing over rhythm changes where he'd have the whole band change keys impromptue. He had hand signals for which key he wanted to go to and the whole band would follow him. Crazy stuff. I'd like to be able to do that someday. Freaking hand signals.
Thanks for those, all tips gratefully received. Playing solo is completely new for me but it seems to have a lot of plus points.
Will
> I don't know if you need any more tips or help, Will, but I've played > hundreds, maybe thousands of solo gigs, and I found that putting > things in guitar keys was a great help.
I have just got the Beatles for classical guitar and the arrangements are really good. I will order the ones you suggest.
I remember an interview with Chet atkins in which he said that - as a child - he played on the radio once a week so he learned one new song per week.
Cheers
Will
> Will and all, > Con your listeners into thinking you are the very soul of the classics: > I forgot to mention 2 very helpful books: > The Classical Fake Book (Hal Leonard) > The Great Composers Fakebook (Amsco)
> These are lead sheets of the classical standards.
> For myself, rather than work thru some elaborate arrangement,
Will and all,
Con your listeners into thinking you are the very soul of the classics:
I forgot to mention 2 very helpful books:
The Classical Fake Book (Hal Leonard)
The Great Composers Fakebook (Amsco)
These are lead sheets of the classical standards.
For myself, rather than work thru some elaborate arrangement, I would rather have a lead sheet of Pavanne for A Dead princess, or Clair de lune,or Jesu, or Mozart #40 (It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Mozart) ad infinitum. The big names are here. Great sight reading. (get out binoculars or do as I... print and enlarge.)
Especially check out Hal Leonard and arrange the Bach preludes for improvisational guitar. -;) You will have a decent classical repertory before long.. if you can read some...like instantly.
Jim
I don't know if you need any more tips or help, Will, but I've played hundreds, maybe thousands of solo gigs, and I found that putting things in guitar keys was a great help. For instance, I worked up a very swinging and fun arrangement of Ain't Misbehavin' in A, and the Beatles' And I Love Her in Am. Yesterday works really nicely in C, a la Barney Kessel, and that key is also great for Misty, They Can't Take That Away From Me, and Don't Know Why, to name a few.
> I have just got the Beatles for classical > guitar and the arrangements are really good. > I will order the ones you suggest.
> I remember an interview with Chet atkins in > which he said that - as a child - he played > on the radio once a week so he learned one new > song per week.
> Cheers
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--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, "Don Rogerson" <saxman232001@...> wrote:
>Sonny Stitt used to do a thing over rhythm changes where he'd have the whole band change keys impromptue. He had hand signals for which key he wanted to go to (snip)
That sounds like a great idea, also for a blues tune.
The usual hand signals works fine - fingers up is sharps and fingers down is flats. For example, hold three fingers up and it's A major; point three fingers at the floor and it's Eb major. Easy and widely used.
"I heard about a guy who went to Phil Woods for a lesson and Phil Woods asked if he knew Cherokee in all 12 keys. The guy said no and Phil said learn it. And that was it. Phil took his money and left. Maybe Phil was just lazy that day, I've heard he's a real jerk by many others too, but it is a lesson."
A friend of mine who has a doctorate in music and is a fine sax player had something similar happen to him. Phil sat down at the piano, & started playing ii-V-Is in different keys. He got through the "lesson" OK, and Phil even asked him to sit in with his big band, so all ended well, but only because Jeff (my friend) knew his stuff well enough.
I don't think Phil is a "jerk" per se, I think he has a different take on what it is to be a professional musician. If you get on the stand with someone in front of a paying audience, and you only know "Have You Met Miss Jones?" in the Real Book key, and the leader calls for something else, you'd wish you had someone like Phil Woods tell you what the "real" world is like. Just a thought. Music is as much a craft as it is an art, and (as my friend Mings would probably say), you need to be able to drive all sizes and shapes of nails...
> I don't think Phil is a "jerk" per se, I think he has a different
> take on what it is to be a professional musician. If you get
> on the stand with someone in front of a paying audience, and
> you only know "Have You Met Miss Jones?" in the Real Book
> key, and the leader calls for something else, you'd wish you > had someone like Phil Woods tell you what the "real" world is
> like. Just a thought. Music is as much a craft as it is an art,
> and (as my friend Mings would probably say), you need to be
> able to drive all sizes and shapes of nails...
Yeah you're right. I was just coming from the perspective of learning tunes in different keys myself. Maybe my words were too hard about Phil Woods. I've heard other stories though too. Like he'd go up to a sax player while the guys on stage playing and start talking to him while he's soloing and saying things like how can you play on a mouthpiece like that? And sit there and criticize him. We all have our critiques but come on. From a fellow musician while you're on stage trying to concentrate.
--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, "Petri Krzywacki" <petegtr_1971@...> wrote:
The usual hand signals works fine - fingers up is sharps and fingers down is flats. For example, hold three fingers up and it's A major; point three fingers at the floor and it's Eb major. Easy and widely used.
Petri
Petri,
I said nothing a couple of months ago when this hand signal thing came along. In the "old school" -and that used to be everybody- up is flats and down is sharps. I have called several of my friends who have been band leaders since, well, a long time. I ask "what is 3 fingers up?" Everyone has said "3 flats." Not even Eb just three flats.
With everyone I have ever played with 3 down is gonna get you scowls and 3 sharps.
No one seems to know exactly why this is so. I believe it is because trumpet players - Since Louis Armstrong - have been the band leaders. They don't wanna play in E, for goodness' sake. When a trumpet player raises fingers off the keys they are up. Thumb is hooked so any key up to 4 flats is easy to communicate. Putting fingers down is much harder and since we won't be playing in sharp keys, up for flats is easiest.
Jim
> That sounds like a great idea, also for a blues tune.
> The usual hand signals works fine - fingers up is sharps and fingers down is flats. For example, hold three fingers up and it's A major; point three fingers at the floor and it's Eb major. Easy and widely used.
Cool. My generation never learned that kind of thing. I'm 38 and I live in Utah. Nobody in Utah knows anything about jazz in utah. There's me and a hand full of guys who went to Berklee. Well and of course there's Joe Mcqueen too. He just turned 90 last month and he still plays his sax do you believe that? I got this guitar player who's lived around in a lot of places so he's heard a lot of stuff and is a very good player. He's the first guitar player I've had who can solo over a tune I wrote 7 years ago called Dark Clouds. The others could comp on it but they wouldn't take a solo they thought it was too hard. My bass player who just barely started playing upright taught guitar lessons for 10 years before he played electric bass and he's only played jazz for a year. He was in college for a while but I think he dropped out to be a musician. I can't believe how much he's learned in the last year though. He really does his homework. He could be a great jazz bass player if he keeps at it.
--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, "Don Rogerson" <saxman232001@...> wrote:
> > fingers up is sharps and fingers down is flats...
> Cool. My generation never learned that kind of thing.
It's just a matter of luck and such matters that I learned this stuff (I just turned 38 myself on Monday) - Finland isn't really the primary breeding ground for jazz either! ;) I've just been lucky enough to be in bands that have had some visiting players from New Orleans come over and that's where I learned those. The trumpet player Leroy Jones uses them; the way he plays When The Saints these come in very handy - he plays the theme three times, first in F (where the tune has been all along), then Ab (four fingers down) and finally in Bb (two fingers down). Very useful.
Another useful hand signal is the "bridge" sign - you just draw an arch with your hand, moving away from your body, as if your hand is crossing a small bridge (fingers first). Useful in ballads, the bridge equivalent of the "head" sign.
--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, "Petri Krzywacki" <petegtr_1971@...> wrote:
> The trumpet player Leroy Jones uses them; the way he plays When The > Saints these come in very handy - he plays the theme three times, > first in F (where the tune has been all along), then Ab (four fingers > down) and finally in Bb (two fingers down). Very useful.
Leroy Jones is awesome! I saw him at The Village Vanguard in New York when I lived there. I learned about key change hand signals when I played on cruise ships. The band didn't use them but one of the older cats told me about it.
I wonder if you might help bridge a gap of understanding?
As a very beginning player (1 year) there are lots of aspects of my musicianship that need to be worked on. And I'm way past the age where it's cute to be seen struggling with basics. So do I impose on my friends to get me up to speed, or find a willing teacher?
How would one go about finding a teacher competent in jazz that would be willing to take on a low level student?
That gap is between me and a professional- I don't even know what I need to know, except for keeping time and finding my way back after being lost.
Elliot I turn 57 Saturday,in June I found my first professional guitar teacher.I AM HAVING A BLAST! I don't retain what I'm learning as much as I would like to.My hands have taken a beating from years in the oil fields and railroading not to mention hearing loss.But I have never had so much fun with my guitar.I may never move anyone with my playing,but I thank God the music moves Me.Go for it man and never look back. I wish you Joy.
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--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, "optics22000" <optics22000@...> wrote:
> do I impose on my friends to get me up to speed, or find a willing teacher? > How would one go about finding a teacher competent in jazz that would be willing to take on a low level student?
Hi,
I'd say find a teacher - and the way to go about it is just ask. Speaking for myself, the level of the student is not the most important issue, it's the attitude and dedication that matters. If those are in order, the level is about to change anyway.
The biggest gift you can give yourself is that you really take the role of the student - play with the teacher and if he's any good he'll tell you what areas you need to work on and also specifically how you should work on them.
As for finding a good teacher in your area, there are people from all over the US in this group so if you ask someone is bound to know some people you could ask for lessons.
Hi Elliot, Both Juan and John have given you good advice. If you find a teacher who will work you hard with basic musical and technical skills, and you work hard, you will find yourself progressing much more quickly than you could have imagined. Whomever the jazz teacher of your dreams turns out to be in the end, he will be much more eager to work with you if you know your instrument and have a thorough grounding, giving him something to work with.
And remember, attitude is everything. Many students get too anxious to share what it they think they know with their teacher (the "Everything I Read in Guitar Player Magazine " approach), and it's a pitfall - it just slows everything down. Be patient - the value of each and every thing your teacher is making you do is not necessarily going to be made manifest in one or two weeks time.
Ask your teacher tons of questions. Show him you are interested. Stand out from the crowd, and help him to take an exceptional interest in you.
Learn to love the process. As ol' Solomon observed, the planting of the vineyard was the most fun of all. The guitar is a "plateauing" instrument - it may seem for prolonged periods that you aren't getting any better. That happens to everyone, and that's where the less serious are most inclined to just give up. Hang in there, and it will all come together, seemingly out of nowhere.
When you get frustrated, just remember the answer to that old question: "How do you eat an elephant?"
I fell like making a comment on this, considering that I am almost 56 now and I started studying jazz guitar when I was over 50.
Since the beginning of this experience, I decided to take lessons, knowing that I had already reached my upper limit studying on my own. The same happened with the first teacher: at a certain point, I realized that he could not take me to the next level, so I decided to find a new one.
In this 5 years, the most insidious obstacle on my way to become the kind of guitarist I'd like to be, has been a sort of "lack of self-confidence". Questions like: do I have enough talent? can I develop my tecnique to a sufficiently decent level? is my ear good enough? do I have enough time to exercise? and many others (quite self-depressing question, honestly) keep coming to my mind. By the way, it must have something to do with the age: I do not recall to have been so doubtful about myself when I was 20!
But at the same time I am also more thoughtful than when I was younger, and the rational part of my mind sends me different messages: I know that I am learning, that every time I exercise on something new I increase my knowledge, in the end that every day I play better than the day before (ok, not EVERY day, but I'm sure you understand what I mean).
So, do not hesitate: start with the basic, and sooner than you would expect you will no longer be a beginner
I wonder if you might help bridge a gap of understanding?
As a very beginning player (1 year) there are lots of aspects of my musicianship that need to be worked on. And I'm way past the age where it's cute to be seen struggling with basics. So do I impose on my friends to get me up to speed, or find a willing teacher?
How would one go about finding a teacher competent in jazz that would be willing to take on a low level student?
That gap is between me and a professional- I don't even know what I need to know, except for keeping time and finding my way back after being lost.
Thanks for help, this is a great group.
Elliot
Elliot,
I'm not aware of your geographic area where you live.
To find an adequate 'jazz guitar" teacher in your area I would visit a few of your most popular music shops (and also you less-than-popular shops ... not necessarily in that order).
Don't worry about an "expert" teacher accessing your level of play. That will follow with time with the right teacher. Your local music shops will have knowledge of the "good" and "not-s0-good" teachers. You want to learn music rudiments as well as progress on to the application and study of jazz. Start with a good teacher that will point you in the right direction of "Learning Guitar as it Applies to Music in General."
Once you have the most basic general music knowledge under your belt (and I do mean "Reading" skills, Rhythmic skills, Time and Tempo skills, etc., etc., then the "Network" of teachers will be available to you for more intensified study for specialized "Jazz Guitar" expertise. Your teacher (whoever it will be) would recommend you on to that expert in your area.
Have patience and do visit those shops ... even look on-line in your area under "Guitar Instruction," "Jazz Guitar" instruction, etc., etc.
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