[Jazz Guitar Voicings Randy Vincent Pdf 51
Sharif Garmon
A complete guide to three-note jazz guitar voicings and related topics for everyone from intermediate newcomers to jazz guitar up to very advanced players. The book develops a unique "dynamic" concept of harmony where three independently moving lines team up to create beautiful harmonies that are valuable for comping, chord melodies and chordal jazz improvisations. Topics include:
One of the first technical things we learn as guitar players is a scale, usually the minor
pentatonic one, which is used so heavily in blues and classic to newer rock. The pentatonic
scales which are five notes, ALL come from either the major or relative minor scale, which are
eight notes. Every scale comes from the chromatic scale which includes all twelve tones in
music.
To improvise well, knowing your scales in all twelve keys, all over the fretboard is essential.
There is no shortcut. Furthermore, knowing how to harmonize your scales, with chords is
another essential element to playing jazz. Being able to recognize a ii-V-I progression (major
and minor) and the key that it is in is another thing to be aware of because ALL standard jazz
tunes have them and the first tunes you learn to play are standards.
An arpeggio can be played starting from the root, or from another note of the chord, which is
called an inversion. Learning to play them on the guitar, across the strings and fingerboard, is
another technical element that we may come across at some point depending on how far we
want to go as players. A jazz player should know all their arpeggios: Major, minor, diminished,
augmented to start with and then continue on with 7ths, 9ths, 13ths, etc. Once you get past
basic triads, all extended chords are triads stacked on top of each other.
Outside of modal jazz, which has 2 or 3 chords, standard jazz has a lot of chords. Usually two
to a bar and oftentimes modulating to different keys. Knowing how to play all your 7th chords:
Major, Minor, Dominant, Diminished, Augmented preferably in twelve keys in at least 2 or 3
different voicings: both barre and shell, is another key factor to playing jazz guitar. While
soloing is a big part of playing a jazz tune, we as guitar players often times spend more time
supporting a soloist rather than being one. You can also create great solos using just chords
too. Wes Montgomery in addition to revolutionizing the use of octaves in a jazz solo, was also a
master of chord solos.
The blues is ingrained in jazz with over thousands of jazz blues tunes to play. However, unlike
the typical 12-bar blues that we learn as guitar players that revolves around the I,IV and V
chord a jazz blues will have more harmonic movement using ii-Vs within the twelve bar format.
The blues scale will work over a jazz blues for the most part but knowing how to navigate the
other changes that lead to the IV and V chords is something that we need to know.
Listening to one another in jazz is crucial. While it may seem like there is just a soloist and his/
her accompanists, there is a lot more going on in the moment when a jazz group is playing.
While the soloist may be leading the group, if their bandmates are listening to them they may
be feeding them ideas, both rhythmic and harmonic in order to get them to take their solo in
another direction. There is a lot of give and take that goes on within the context of a jazz solo
between the improviser and their bandmates and this is skill is something that can only be
honed by playing as much as possible. Likewise, if we as guitar players are comping for a
soloist, giving them a firm foundation on which to build their solo is necessary for them to
succeed with their musical story.
As a guitar players there are hundreds of master jazz guitarists to expose our ears to but we must also listen to all the other instrumentalists, like the horn and piano players because they are the majority of jazz musicians that are currently in the canon.
A complete guide to three-note jazz guitar voicings and related topics for everyone from intermediate newcomers to jazz guitar up to very advanced players. The book develops a unique "dynamic" concept of harmony where three independently moving lines team up to create beautiful harmonies that are valuable for comping, chord melodies and chordal jazz improvisations. Topics include:
Three-note "shell" voicings and special derived comp voicings
Compete triad review including all close and open inversions on all strings
A section on developing "walking" guitar voicings, harmonized bass lines perfect for accompaniment in situations where no bass or keyboard is present
Sections on triad applications such as "slash" chords, Upper Structures, hexatonic triad-pairs and special "hybrid" voicings
Quartal and Secundal voicings perfect for modal comping and soloing
Drop-2 reductions perfect for melody harmonizations
Envious of pianists using lush "Shearing" style block chords? Here's a complete method to develop a realistic simulation on guitar.
Plus much more! Hundreds and hundreds of examples in both music notation and guitar grids.
Endorsements:
"Randy Vincent is an extraordinary musician who also happens to play the guitar. With this book, he gives a real life approach to voicing chords on the instrument that will allow both the student and the professional a clear way to illuminate harmonies in the most sensible and transparent way. With almost every student I have had I have stressed the issue of getting the most mileage out of the least notes whenever possible. This book lays it out in clear and concise terms. Pat Metheny
"What a great book! Randy Vincent has given us a huge amount of material we guitar players can use when we're listening and reacting to what's going on around us. This is so practical---and so rare! Thanks, Randy! Jim Hall
"This book is full of essential information for jazz guitarists at any level. It's beautifully put together. Very logical and easy to understand. A wonderful book. Mike Stern
"I can't imagine a more thorough, organized approach to three-note voicings. This book will be an invaluable asset to any serious student of jazz guitar. Ben Monder
"Looks like another winner....I look forward to using this with my students....Congrats. Vic Juris
"An absolutely necessary book for the aspiring jazz guitarist. Mark Levine
"One of the most difficult but gratifying aspects of guitar performance is to be able to go beyond single line playing and involve melodic and harmonic improvising, simultaneously. These studies open the door, and are a foundation for this total kind of creativity. Gene Bertoncini
"This book is amazing. It shines a light on the incredible potential of 3-note voicings, and their ability to imply the most colorful and vivid harmonic landscapes. Randy illuminates the path of discovery in the most natural and eloquent way, guiding you into how to practice and implement these concepts in real life musical scenarios. I consider the topics explored in this book to be the foundation of how I like to look at harmony on the guitar. From triad pairs to the way he discusses harmonizing melodies, I feel Randy offers the finest and most comprehensive course for the modern guitarist. Thank you Randy! Julian Lage