Four Fundamental Forms of Jazz
Tue, 03/26/2013 - 9:39am
In this article, modern jazz guitarist Jake Hertzog (aka Guitar Player Magazine's Hey Jazz Guy), breaks down some of the different forms of jazz music.
Four Fundamental Forms of Jazz
By Jake Hertzog for ArtistWorks
Classification can be useful! Much like the biologist as a student of nature attempts to sort all living things, we students of jazz can attempt to sort the types of situations we must be able to play. Knowing full well of course that most songs are a hybrid of basic elements, one can divide the jazz "kingdom" as it were, into these four categories: The Blues, Rhythm Changes, Modal Harmony and Coltrane Changes. Regardless of ‘style’ of jazz you are studying, be it straight-ahead or bebop or modern abstract, each of these represent different ways that harmony can move, and when examining a song you might find it relies primarily on one or the other, most often with elements of all four.
Jazz Guitar Lessons: Modes of the Major Scale
Thu, 03/14/2013 - 5:43pm
One of the keys to jazz improvisation is getting comfortable with the modes of the Major Scale: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian.
Each of these modes work for any scale by moving the first degree of the scale up one step or half step depending on where it falls in the scale.
In the key of C, for example, the Dorian mode would start one full step up, making D the first degree of the scale. This is called D Dorian. The rest of the scale would follow the original pattern for C, meaning that half steps would fall on the third and the seventh note in the scale, rather than the fourth and eighth.
More Blues Fiddle and Jazz Lessons
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 5:50pm
What if we told you that we added even more jazz fiddle and blues fiddle lessons? Well good news, we did! Here's a list of what's new (with links!) which you can also find in the Jazz & Blues Fiddle area:
The Blues Matrix (3 part lesson)- Alabama Jubilee
- Fly Me Toonward (3 part lesson + slow-mo)
- House Atomic Pants (4 part lesson + 2 slow-mos)
- Classic 2-5 Licks
- Darol's Rhythm Changes (lesson + slow-mo)
- Spelling Chords with 2 Notes (2 part lesson)
- Minor Blues (in C Minor)
- Minor Swing Chords and D.A. Solo
What if we told you that we added even more jazz fiddle and blues fiddle lessons? Well good news, we did! Here's a list of what's new (with links!) which you can also find in the Jazz & Blues Fiddle area:
The Blues Matrix (3 part lesson)- Alabama Jubilee
- Fly Me Toonward (3 part lesson + slow-mo)
- House Atomic Pants (4 part lesson + 2 slow-mos)
- Classic 2-5 Licks
- Darol's Rhythm Changes (lesson + slow-mo)
- Spelling Chords with 2 Notes (2 part lesson)
- Minor Blues (in C Minor)
- Minor Swing Chords and D.A. Solo
Martin Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel featured in Guitar Techniques
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 5:35pm
Martin Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel are featured in the new April 2013 edition of Guitar Techniques (on UK newsstands this week).
There's a nice piece on the duo's tour, and they've also written a lovely 4-star album review of their soon to be realeased album The Colonel And The Governor.
"Martin and Tommy provide an object lesson in how players from such apparently diverse disciplines can make great music together."
-Guitar Techniques Magazine, April 2013
Plus, there's a new Q & A with Tommy Emmanuel where he talks about how he got started playing guitar, his first gig, and a whole lot more.
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