80/20 Jazz Guitar by Sam Smiley All Rights Reserved ©2014 Sam Smiley Music|samsmileymusic.com All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law Find the bonuses for 80/20 Jazz Guitar at http://www.samsmileymusic.com/8020-jazz-guitar-amazon-sign-up/ Table of Contents How To Use this Book Limits and Creativity Why 20?? How to Learn from this Book Organization Approach Questions Preliminary Stuff Know all of the Notes on the Fretboard Know the Common Major Scale Fingerings Know the Common Minor Pentatonic Scale Fingerings Scale Practice Suggestions One and Two Octave Arpeggios Octave Arpeggios Major Dominant Minor Half Diminished octave arpeggios Major Dominant Minor Half Diminished Arpeggio Practice Suggestions Voicings Box Shapes Spellings Vocabulary Chord Families Major Dominant Minor Half Diminished Diminished The Chords Major Dominant Minor Half Diminished Diminished Exercises Ear – Hand Connection Flexibility Prepare the Ear for Improvisation Play from Memory The Exercises Melodic Patterns Diatonic Thirds Triads 7th Chords Four Note Pattern 1321 Chromatic plus Third Non-Diatonic Coltrane Pattern Major Triads in Minor Thirds Major 7th Chords by Whole Step ii-V Patterns Basic ii V ii V Voice Leading Basic ii V to Basic ii V with Eighth Notes Basic ii V with alterations Short ii V – Short ii V – Short ii V – Descending Short ii V with Alterations Short ii V with b9 Rhythms Big Band Rhythms?? The Roots of Modern Jazz Usefulness Practicing Rhythm as Vocabulary Deeper Groove Reading vs Hearing My Story Making These Rhythms Happen The Rhythms Rhythm – “Do dit dah” Rhythm – The Charleston Rhythm Rhythm – Moten Swing “Do Dit Dah” Rhythm – “One O’Clock Jump” Rhythm – Lester Leaps In (solo) Rhythm – Blues in Hoss Flat Rhythm – Bill’s Mill Rhythm – Moten Swing Rhythm 10 – Jeep Blues Rhythm 11 – Everyday I Have the Blues Rhythm 12 – Everyday I Have the Blues Rhythm 13 – Yardbird Suite Rhythm 14 – Yardbird Suite (solo) Rhythm 15 – Scrapple From the Apple Rhythm 16 – Ornithology Rhythm 17 – Moose the Mooche Rhythm 18 – A Night in Tunisia Rhythm 19 – Dexterity Rhythm 20 – Dexterity Licks Language Study the Masters Find Your Own Interests What if I Sound Too Much Like… Organization “Using Your Ear” Learning the Licks Onto the Licks! Blues/Static Chords Lick – Wes Montgomery “D Natural Blues” Lick – Wes Montgomery “D Natural Blues” Lick – Kenny Burrell “Chitlins Con Carne” Lick – Kenny Burrell “Chitlins Con Carne” Lick John Scofield “A Go Go” Lick Grant Green “If I Should Lose You” Lick Pat Martino “Just Friends” Short ii V Lick Wes Montgomery “SKJ” Lick Pat Martino “Just Friends” Lick 10 Joe Pass “Joy Spring” Lick 11 Joe Pass “Joy Spring” Long ii V Lick 12 Wes Montgomery “S.K.J.” Lick 13 Grant Green “If I Should Lose You” Lick 14 Jim Hall “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” Lick 15 Stock Lick Lick 16 Stock Lick Minor ii V Lick 17 Jim Hall “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” Lick 18 Grant Green “What is This Thing Called Love” Lick 19 Grant Green “Green Dolphin Street” Lick 20 Grant Green “If I Should Lose You” Theory Diatonic Harmony Triads th Chords Extensions Progressions ii-V Progression Minor ii-V Cycle V/V – Secondary Dominants Guide Tones Half Step Resolutions Alterations Levels of Alteration Major Chords Dominant Chords Diminished Scale Melodic Minor Substitution Tritone Substitution Transposing Blues Form Song Form Basics Glossary of Terms Where to Go Next 20 Limiting Tips Practice very slow tempos Selective Metronome Beat Metronome Every Other Bar Memorize tunes Sing! Sing a solo Transcribe entire solos Memorize a transcription Transcribe just the best parts Create a chord melody Mean every note Practice Up the Neck Listen to one album at a time Play Counterpoint improvisations Learn pop songs Alter the time feel of a tune Work on different meters Record yourself Play free improvisations Write solos Appendix 20 Ways to limit yourself in order to increase creativity Twenty Tunes to Memorize Twenty classic jazz guitar albums to check out 20 Jazz Guitarists to check out 20 Great (Jazz) Guitar Books 20 Solos to Transcribe 20 Books about jazz and music (not only guitar) How To Use this Book What in the world is 80/20?? And how does it relate to the guitar? The 80/20 principle, also called the Pareto Principle, says that 80% of results come from about 20% of your efforts In business, this usually means that about 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers In basketball 80% of a team’s points will come from 20% of its players About 80% of the cars on the road are driving on 20% of the roadways It is a principle that is found in many areas of life, including music This means that about 80% of your progress comes from 20% of your practice About 80% of your material is drawn from 20% of your idea Think about that one If the vast majority of your ideas come from 20% of the ideas you’ve practiced, you can cut your practice time down in those areas and focus on other things that are ignored– like rhythm and timing, repertoire, etc Limits and Creativity There is much power in limiting yourself Many of the world’s greatest artists have worked within specific boundaries and are extremely creative within those bounds (Picasso’s Blue Period comes to mind) Have you ever had the experience of having a day free of all obligations and end up getting nothing done? And conversely had an experience of a very busy day where everything gets done like clockwork? Boundaries are actually very helpful to the human mind We work much better within boundaries than without them I want to ask you in your jazz learning journey to stick to very few things at a time If you learn the things in this book all the way, while cutting the fat of your other practice, you will find yourself making huge strides in learning jazz guitar that you would not make otherwise Why 20?? This book takes the “20” part of 80/20 pretty literally Jazz is a very complex style of music that has an almost infinite number of subgenres, styles, and artists to learn about In fact, learning 20 of anything (licks, chord voicings, etc) does not even account for 20%! I chose to use the number 20 to set up a boundary that is representative of the overall theme of the book While we may not be going over 20% of jazz, we are limiting the number of things to the ‘lowest effective dose’ and learning it completely This will end up opening doors down the road that being overwhelmed will shut Plus it’s catchy! Tritone Substitution The tritone substitution is a most common chord sub Its name comes from the interval between the 3rd and 7th of the dominant chord - the tritone The tritone is half of an octave or half steps It is also called a diminished 5th and augmented 4th, depending on the context The term “tritone” covers all of these spellings The tritone is the same interval when inverted (turned upside down) The notes B and F are a tritone apart So B up to F is a tritone, and F up to B is a tritone Each dominant chord has a tritone between the guide tones, the 3rd and 7th The G7 chord has a tritone from B (3rd) to F (7th) Since the tritone is the same either way, we can flip the interval There is a chord that has F as its 7th and B (or Cb) as its 7th In this case it is Db7 - Db F Ab Cb These two chords share the same guide tones Remember, the ear does not hear one note as a “3rd” and one note as a “7th.” It hears both notes together as a composite sound It doesn’t matter that in one case the B is the 3rd and in the other it is 7th Since G7 and Db7 share guide tones, they can be substituted for each other Notice that these two chords are also a tritone apart - G to Db When you put this into a ii V I progression you get a smooth chromatic movement Dmi7 G7 Cmaj7 becomes Dmi7 Db7 Cmaj7 This substitution can also be used in improvisation, by implying a Db7 during a G7 chord Just be sure to resolve it! Related terms chord substitutions ii V progression Transposing Transposing is moving an idea from one key to another You can transpose short melodic ideas, chord progressions, or entire songs Transposition is an important tool for improvisers to develop their vocabulary As you learn licks, you will want to be able to play them in many different keys You will also want to be able to play tunes in different keys to accompany singers or just to change things up Transposing is a simple idea, but can be difficult in practice The simplest way to transpose is to think of things diatonically - or within a key First, figure out how each note or chord relates to your original key The two examples both start in the key of C and move to Eb When transposing a melody, analyze the original in the original key Then transfer those scale degrees to your new key When transposing chords, start again by analyzing the original progression and moving it to the new key Keep the same chord qualities from the original The other way to transpose is chromatically Chromatic transposition is moving each note by interval If your original line is in C and you want to transpose it to Eb, move each note (or chord) up by a minor 3rd Chromatic transposition works best in situations where a key is not defined Related terms Diatonic Harmony Blues Form Blues is one of the roots of jazz Most guitarists have played a fair amount of blues by the time they are interested in jazz, so this section will just clear things up so you can understand how it relates to jazz Blues is typically played in song forms of 12 bars That set of 12 bars is repeated several times during the song Harmonically, the blues follows the same pattern no matter the tune There are variations, but it’s important to know the basics first before moving on to the variations The first four bars of the blues consists of the I chord Most of the time in jazz, players will put a IV chord on the 2nd bar of the tune Bars and are the IV chord, followed by the I chord Bars and 10 are traditionally the V and IV chords Jazz musicians favor a ii and V chord there instead Bar 11 sees the return back to the I chord A ii V or I VI ii V turnaround brings things back to the beginning of the form Blues form is the most common form heard in jazz I have included a more typical jazz blues form below Related terms Progressions Song Form Basics Song Form Basics The song form is the general structure or shape of the song The blues form is detailed already here The other common form is the 32 bar form Jazz musicians (and musicians in other styles) name sections by using letters - A, B, C, etc If a section of the tune repeats it is simple to say “A section twice” or the common “AABA” form This tells the other musicians that the tune is not an endless number of different sections but a common form Sometimes there will be slight variations in the chords or melody even when a section is repeated Musicians will still call it the same section - if the A section is different at the end, you still might hear “Back to the A section.” More precise musicians might call the section with slight differences “A1” or “A2” but those sub names are particular to the musicians you are playing with Most of the time, the sections are bars long They can be more or less, so be sure to pay attention to the song that you’re playing These forms are derived from the Great American Songbook, or the songs from musicals in the early 20th century Most tunes will have an A section as the first section of the tune A contrasting section is called a B section AABA is the most common form heard in jazz, especially classic jazz, other than the blues form Many variants on the Gershwin standard “I’ve Got Rhythm” have been written using this form Another standard form is the ABAC form There are also tunes that not repeat sections, some might describe their forms as ABCD They are also called “Through Composed.” Many jazz composers have used the standard song forms when composing their own songs The forms have become part of the basic vocabulary of jazz and are now used by jazz composers Related terms Progressions Blues Form Glossary of Terms Diatonic - anything that happens completely within a scale static - chord or note that doesn’t change raising (a note) - moving a note up a half step (or another interval) This does not automatically make it a sharp Raising a Gb a half step makes it a G natural A G# raised a half step is a G double sharp (written Gx) and is enharmonically the same as an A lowering (a note) - moving a note down a half step (or another interval This does not automatically make it a flat Lowering a G# makes it a G natural A Gb lowered a half step is a Gbb (G double flat) and is enharmonically the same as F enharmonic - pitches that can be described with two or more names “Gb and F# are enharmonically the same.” The pitch has names but is the same note voicing - the order or arrangement of pitches that make up a chord comping - playing chords with another musician, comes from accompanying harmonic rhythm - the timing which the chords go by - typically every bar or beats in jazz interval - the distance between notes modes - playing a scale from a note OTHER than its root Where to Go Next You’ve gotten through all sets of 20 in the book, great! Hopefully you’ve made huge improvements in your jazz guitar playing in a bunch of areas If not, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me via email or on one of the social media websites (Twitter or Facebook) I will my best to help out This chapter will give you a bunch of ideas (20) on where to go next I am not going to go into too much detail on these ideas – that would make this book 40/80, but I want to make sure you have a good idea of some additional things you can in your jazzlearning journey Some of the 20s are lists of 20s, so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck here! 20 Limiting Tips Practice very slow tempos I mean very slow, around quarter note equals 50 or less There’s no better way to test your time and rhythm than to slow things down Anyone can speed up and just go with the flow In order to go very slowly you must know the rhythm Selective Metronome Beat Put the metronome only on beat If you’re in 4/4, just divide the tempo marking by four Try to hear the new tempo as beat one For example, if you’re playing at 160, divide the marking by (160/4=40) and put the metronome at 40 Each click is beat one of a measure The metronome apps (Tempo by Frozen Ape is an absolute steal) can this without the math! Advanced trick – try hearing the metronome as any beat other than one Super advanced trick – try hearing the metronome as an off beat Metronome Every Other Bar Again, slow it down so you only hear a beat every other bar You are forced to internalize the rest of the rhythm Memorize tunes Memorize one tune at a time It is far better to know one tune well than to kind of know 20 tunes Go to local jam sessions to figure out which songs you should be learning Sing! Singing is a great way to internalize things Sing licks, melodies, tunes, everything Sing the roots of each chord as you play a progression Then sing the 3rd of each chord Sing a line as you play a chord Sing a root as you play a line Get creative with it Sing a solo Pick a solo by one of the masters and work at singing it as close as you can Match every inflection Do all of this before trying to put it on your instrument You will be amazed at how quick you learn the actual solo Transcribe entire solos Learn solos from the greats from the record Sometimes it’s good to grab a transcription book, but know that you will learn far more by transcribing the solo yourself You also learn feel and pacing from an entire solo Work towards playing the solo note for note with the recording Memorize a transcription Memorizing the solo will get the solo and style into your playing It is a great way to internalize a particular player’s vocabulary into your playing too Transcribe just the best parts Another way to approach transcribing is to learn the parts that grab your ear It’s a very effective way to boost your vocabulary Create a chord melody Chord melodies are arrangements of melodies played with chords Creating these can be intimidating for the first timer, but just dive in It’s as simple as putting the melody of the song on the top of the chord Advanced idea: try putting the melody of the song in the bass or middle of the chord Mean every note Lennie Tristano was one of the greatest jazz educators of all time One of his practice methods included playing scales very slowly He had them this so that they would mean and feel each note Try playing scales slowly and see if you can keep your intensity up through the entire thing It’s much more difficult than you think! Practice Up the Neck Try practicing up and down a single string or set of two strings You will find the guitar neck opening up as you this Listen to one album at a time I went through a period of time where I kept one CD in my car at a time – this was back when you used CDs! I wasn’t a fan of the early Beatles records but knew they were influential and good, so I made myself listen to their first album for a month, and then their second album It was a transformative experience! Try limiting your listening to expand your horizons Play Counterpoint improvisations Counterpoint is an advanced art form, but is simple – just two different lines working together Practice by recording an improvised line, either free or over a tune Then play that line back and improvise a second line It’s great to this exercise with free improvisations because you have to rely on your ear Learn pop songs Sometimes jazz musicians get a superiority complex when it comes to jazz and pop music This is unfortunate because pop music is simpler to hear and jazz musicians miss out on a great opportunity to work on their ear Popular music is approached differently too Jazz was approached in this way at one point in its history – it was pop music for a time The approach of making something that sounds good because it sounds good would well in jazz It would create a fresh sound Alter the time feel of a tune Play a swing tune straight Swing a tune that is straight Put a backbeat to a ballad Play “Cherokee” very slow Work on different meters Most jazz is in 4/4 There has been a trend over the past 20 years of playing tunes in different meters You will learn a ton about rhythm and your own rhythmic tendencies and discipline It’s not easy! Record yourself Record yourself practicing Record gigs, record rehearsals With the availability of smart phones and other technology there is no reason to not hear yourself on a regular basis It always sounds different than you think it will Play free improvisations Don’t even use a meter, start playing whatever comes to mind Record it! You will almost always unearth a cool idea that you can develop Write solos Writing your solos is a great way to develop your own style and vocabulary You can put in whatever things you want to work on Spend as much time as you would like to craft something that sounds meaningful to you Appendix Here are some more lists of 20 things to to improve your guitar playing and musicianship 20 Ways to limit yourself in order to increase creativity Play on one string Play on non-adjacent strings Use only chord tones Stick to one or two intervals Play in double stops Play one song for an entire week Learn a new tune from recordings Try to play something you have heard before from ear without listening to it Pick a fingering shape and try to incorporate it into every chord Stay in one position Play all (or several) tunes in the same key Transpose each tune you learn up by a half step Take the bottom three strings off your guitar Play in a duo with a saxophonist or other horn (non-chord instrument) Put the guitar down, think of a phrase to play, pick up the guitar and play that phrase once, perfectly, put the guitar down and repeat Use only triads Take one note out the scale – for example take the 6th out of the major scale Use the metronome on and Practice ONLY to recordings – no metronome Limit yourself to one rhythm Twenty Tunes to Memorize All the Things You Are Autumn Leaves Billie’s Bounce Blue Bossa Body and Soul Bye Bye Blackbird Days of Wine and Roses Fly Me to the Moon Freddie Freeloader Have You Met Miss Jones I’ll Remember April Just Friends Oleo Solar So What/Impressions Stella By Starlight Summertime Tenor Madness There Will Never Be Another You What Is This Thing Called Love Twenty classic jazz guitar albums to check out Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue Charlie Christian The Genius of the Electric Guitar Bil Frisell Nashville Grant Green Idle Moments Grant Green The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark Jim Hall Live! Jim Hall Intermodulation Jim Hall (with Ron Carter) Alone Together Pat Martino El Hombre Pat Martino Live at Yoshis Pat Metheny Bright Size Life Pat Metheny Question and Answer Wes Montgomery Incredible Jazz Guitar Wes Montgomery Full House Wes Montgomery Smokin at the Half Note Joe Pass For Django Joe Pass Virtuoso Joe Pass Joy Spring Kurt Rosenwinkel The Next Step John Scofield A Go Go 20 Jazz Guitarists to check out John Abercrombie Billy Bauer Gene Bertoncini Bobby Broom Kenny Burrell Bill Frisell Freddie Green Grant Green Ted Greene Jim Hall Fareed Haque Pat Martino Pat Metheny Wes Montgomery Joe Pass Jimmy Raney Kurt Rosenwinkel John Scofield Johnny Smith George Van Eps 20 Great (Jazz) Guitar Books The Advancing Guitarist – Mick Goodrick Creative Chordal Harmony – Mick Goodrick The Guitarist’s Guide to Composing and Improvising – Jon Damian Chord Factory - Jon Damian Approaching the Guitar – Gene Bertoncini Gene Bertoncini Plays Jazz Standards – Gene Bertoncini Wes Montgomery Folio – Steve Khan Pat Martino The Early Years – Steve Khan Harmonic Mechanisms Vol 1-3 – George Van Eps Joe Pass Guitar Style – Joe Pass Joe Pass Chord Solos – Joe Pass Modern Method for Guitar – William Leavitt Linear Expressions – Pat Martino Bach Part Inventions – Barry Galbraith Three Note Voicings and Beyond – Randy Vincent The Brazilian Guitar Book – Nelson Faria How to Play Chordal Bebop Lines – Jim Bastian Jazz Conception – Jim Snidero Pumping Nylon – Scott Tenant Volumes (ii V), 20 (Jimmy Raney), 29 (Jimmy Raney duets) - Jamey Aebersold 20 Solos to Transcribe D Natural Blues – Wes Montgomery from Incredible Jazz Guitar West Coast Blues – Wes Montgomery from Incredible Jazz Guitar Satin Doll – Wes Montgomery from Dynamic New Sound SKJ – Wes Montgomery from Bags Meets Wes Green Jeans – Grant Green from Matador Jean De Fleur – Grant Green from Idle Moments If I Should Lose You – Grant Green from The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark Alone Together – Jim Hall from Alone Together I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Jim Hall from Intermodulation Chitlins Con Carne – Kenny Burrell from Midnight Blue Joy Spring – Joe Pass from Joy Spring Seven Come Eleven – Charlie Christian from The Genius of the Electric Guitar Rose Room - Charlie Christian from The Genius of the Electric Guitar Just Friends – Pat Martino from El Hombre A Go Go – John Scofield from A Go Go Bright Size Life – Pat Metheny from Bright Size Life Autumn Leaves – Miles Davis from Cannonball Adderly’s Somethin’ Else So What – Miles Davis from Kind of Blue Freddie Freeloader – Miles Davis from Kind of Blue Yardbird Suite – Charlie Parker from Charlie Parker on Dial 20 Books about jazz and music (not only guitar) Inside Improvisation (all volumes) – Jerry Bergonzi Lee Konitz : Conversations on the Improviser’s Art – Andy Hamilton Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music – Eunmi Shim The Art of Practicing – Madeline Bruser Miles: The Autobiography – Miles Davis Notes and Tones – Art Taylor The Jazz Theory Book – Mark Levine Thinking in Jazz – Paul Berliner Effortless Mastery – Kenny Werner The Inner Game of Music – Barry Green The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music – Ben Ratliff Study of Counterpoint – J J Fux The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles – Steven Pressfield Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art – Stephen Nachmanovitch Reading Jazz: A Gathering of Autobiography, Reportage, and Criticism – Robert Gottlieb Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz – Howard Mandel Four Lives in the Bebop Business – AB Spellman The New Real Book (all volumes) – Chuck Sher Modern Reading Text in 4/4 – Louis Bellson The Rhythm Bible – Dan Fox Thank you for reading 80/20 Jazz Guitar Make sure you go to http://www.samsmileymusic.com/8020-jazz-guitar-amazon-sign-up/ to receive all of the bonuses for the book You’ll find audio examples, backing tracks, and printable PDFs Sam Smiley’s other books Blues Language – Learn the language of the blues in context Over 100 licks by the masters of the blues – BB King, Albert King, TBone Walker, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, and more Chicken Pickin’ Vocabulary – Country music is based on the guitar Learn many of the most important country guitar licks here, in context and organized by chord or progression Chicken Pickin’ 101 – This small Kindle only book gives you 25 licks essential for playing country music ... question! Find the bonuses for 80/ 20 Jazz Guitar at http://www.samsmileymusic.com /802 0 -jazz- guitar- amazon-sign-up/ Preliminary Stuff Jazz guitar is accessible to any guitarist, but there are several... Appendix 20 Ways to limit yourself in order to increase creativity Twenty Tunes to Memorize Twenty classic jazz guitar albums to check out 20 Jazz Guitarists to check out 20 Great (Jazz) Guitar. .. Guitar Books 20 Solos to Transcribe 20 Books about jazz and music (not only guitar) How To Use this Book What in the world is 80/ 20? ? And how does it relate to the guitar? The 80/ 20 principle,