Playing Jazz Guitar

This is a nice article about Playing jazz guitar, by Ian Williamson. Ian mentions some of the all time jazz greats in this, short but interesting article.

Playing Jazz Guitar
When a person knows the basics of playing the guitar, it is quite easy to play music from various genres. Many people start in one genre before moving on to another. A good example is Bach who composed classical music the traditional way then later improvised it creating something unique for the audience to appreciate.

Playing guitar jazz is also like that. It can be improvised and/or combined with other musical genres. By listening to the notes and a little practice, the people who hear it will simply love it. The same thing can happen when playing the guitar. A person can start by learning a certain song the way is it commonly played; then when he understands the rhythm he can determine where slight changes can be made, how it can be refined and/or turned into a jazz rendition.

Jazz music is made up of 4 beats to a measure. This is called syncopation which is very different from classical music that is made up of half beats. By learning how to play each of these notes and with a lot of practice, you will be able to get used to the rhythm.

Jazz guitars are different from traditional guitars because the wood used is a lighter material and the strings are set much lower making it faster to play. For the person to play like other guitarists, it is advisable to buy the right guitar for the part.

Another way of learning how to play jazz is by listening to some of the greatest jazz musicians. Some of the best are Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and David Benoit. By buying the albums and listening to how each of these people play and sing, you will get into the rhythm and be playing like the experts in a short time.

Since the music is quite different, practicing the various notes will help. One can start with a C note. This should be done repeatedly while the left hand is moving on the chromatic scale. For a better feel, the E flat can be added until one has reached the blue scale.

Learning how to play jazz music will take some time. The important thing to make it successful is being able to hear each part of the song. If a person is serious about switching genre's, then he must devote a lot of time and effort to get it right.


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