Learning to play Jazz.

[Bentley]

So I'm a self-taught rock/punk player, and I mainly play barre chords and just use tabs.. But I took jazz band this year in school and I have absolutely no clue what anything is. To give you a clue where I am in learning this, I don't even read music. Any help or advice on where to start and where to aquire the knowledge would be helpful. I've went all over the internet, but the beginner stuff is still too confusing. I'm a quick learner, but when they use words I have no clue about, it's futile.

[slowpinky]

Several issues there - if youre into Jazz you'll need to listen to it and dig it the same way that you listen to the rock stuff - all of the time.
The theory and music reading issue is another issue and a teacher can help you there.

Any decent beginner guitar tutor book will give you the basics for reading music - Ernie Ball, Progressive, etc. but a teacher will help you do it right and introduce you to the type of chords and scales you need to learn - and how to use them together

Maj7,Maj9
Min7,Min9
7th,9th 13th

m7b5

7th chords with - #9, b9, #5,b5

are some of the important chord types.

Learn your major scales in all keys


Here's a list of some of the great jazz guitarists from the late 1950's to the present day - some of them could read music and some (like Wes Montgomery) couldnt. But they all have great ears - have great rhythm and importantly all became really good by listening to their predecessors in great depth.

Wes Montgomery
Joe Pass
Herb Ellis
Grant Green
John McLaughlin
Pat Martino
George Benson
John Scofield
Pat Metheny
Bill Frisell

good luck!

[GigsbyBoyUK]

I've been playing jazz for about six months now and definitely sitting down with someone who plays it has been the key. Before that I quickly got lost and confused.

I was lucky - met a local guy that is happy to help me as it means he will have someone to jam with, in an area that isn't brimming over with jazz guitarists!

Oh, I don't really read music BTW and that's not stopping me from learning new chords and arpeggios and when to use them.

[Bentley]

I would normally just say screw the learning to read, but my Jazz Band at school is an award winning one. We're going to new oreleans this year for competition and being able to read notes is pretty key. Thanks for the input, and I think i'll just have to get some help from friends in it.

[Scantron08]

To read, get Bill Leavitt's Modern Method 1. Best material I've ever run across for reading standard notation for guitar.

If you're going to learn jazz, you absolutely need to know how to read. All the fake books are in standard notation.

Start with some standards like Autumn Leaves and Blue Bossa, and learn how to play over the ii-V-I.

[guitar dan]

This book is a good place to start:
http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Guitar-Jazz-Big-Band/dp/0793549582

It is a companion book to a Jamey Aebersold book/CD... Vol 1, I think.

Basically, you need learn how to play/ and "outline" the 3 main chord types- major, minor, and dominant.

To "outline' chord changes, means to be able to play the correct scale and arpeggio for each chord change.

[rave]

I am learning some Jazz guitar after playing rock and blues for many years and a teacher is obviously the quickest route. I also have a kid in a high school jazz band and can attest that all the kids including the guitarists read and read well.

This free book from Abersold is a nice resource.

http://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/download/FQBK-handbook.pdf

That said if I had to do a crash course, In a jazz band you are going to comp and maybe play the head or melody and maybe solo.

Do you have some charts you have been given, if so start looking up the chord shapes in the tunes you are doing. If not look up the ones slow pinky mentions above you will see those many times.

If you don't have charts you can start by Googling the real book and look at a few standards to get an idea of the charts for some of the standards. Autumn Leaves, Stella by Starlight, On Green Dolphin Street etc and see the changes. Pull up these tunes on youtube and listen to a few versions, try to comp along.

Here is a quick tutorial on the major scale and the major ii v i pattern. Jazz uses this pattern both major and minor in tons of songs.

http://www.learnandmaster.com/email/...rogression.pdf

Spend time at Justin Sandercoes website, he has jazz progressions and grips as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFBa...feature=relmfu

If you are going to play the melody, obviously reading it is preferential. Learn the key signatures. Knowing the key and the major scales makes learning the melody easier if you are doing it by ear. Listen to versions of the songs you are doing with vocals (if they have vocals). This makes learning the melody easier. You will hear it.

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold

As far as soloing goes, people spend lifetimes trying to solo over these standards. Arpeggios obviously work great. If you are not totally up to speed on all of the arpeggios you can still solo knowing the major scale and even pentatonics using the key of the song or using the I chord of the ii v i sequences, knowing which ones are major and minor. Try to do this using charts and some backing tracks from youtube.

Best of luck