Hot Jazz in Chicago Tuning

[JazzinOn4String]

Hello friends of 1920s-30s hot jazz:

For guitarists curious to explore 1920s-30s hot jazz in DGBE Chicago tuning on the tenor banjo or tenor guitar, a new book worth checking out is Jazzin' On 4 Strings: Hot Jazz in Chicago Tuning for Tenor Banjo, Tenor Guitar, Baritone Ukulele, Banjo-Uke, and More.

The 288-page book is an introduction to the genre and a guide to the application of the guitar-like DGBE Chicago tuning on a variety of 4-string and 4-course instruments ... for a more varied sonic palette. The copiously illustrated book includes history, recommended listening, theory, application of rhythm & chord basics, 20 hot jazz standards (notation & chord symbols), fretboard diagrams, string tension charts, a gallery of 4/8-string instruments, endnotes, appendices, bibliography, and index.

The book is by author/historian Reginald W. Bacon, veteran guitarist, tenor banjoist, vocalist, comedy tap dancer, and acrobatic juggler, now retired after 35 years with a succession of touring theatrical shows and revues. (Hey, that's me ... now getting around to sharing knowledge and insights from all those years in tangible form.)

To learn more about the book, and to read the introduction, contents, and sample pages, visit the publisher's website at VarietyArtsPress.com.

Wishing all good fun and good fortune to my extended musical family of 4, 5, 6, & 8 string enthusiasts ... and 10-string tiple players too!

Reg Bacon

[mr. beaumont]

Reg, looks like a really cool book-- love the photos and the history and the original sheet music cover.

Are the arrangements mostly "chords above melody" lead sheet types, or are there some solo arrangements as well (like chord/melody style?)

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Reg, looks like a really cool book-- love the photos and the history and the original sheet music cover.

Are the arrangements mostly "chords above melody" lead sheet types, or are there some solo arrangements as well (like chord/melody style?)

Sounds interesting. I looked up the publisher's site, here's a sample arrangement:

https://varietyartspress.com/images/...agesForWeb.pdf

[JazzinOn4String]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Reg, looks like a really cool book-- love the photos and the history and the original sheet music cover.

Are the arrangements mostly "chords above melody" lead sheet types, or are there some solo arrangements as well (like chord/melody style?)

Hi Jeff: Yes, your phrase "chords above melody" is a good description of the arrangements in the book. Although there is plenty of depth in the book to engage the most knowledgeable players and hot jazz enthusiasts, the purposeful simplicity of the arrangements aims to engage those who might be new to the genre ... or new to 4-string instruments. (The book's introduction has more about this rationale.)

Regarding chord/melody style: I'll confess that after decades of playing rambunctious hot jazz for happy crowds, these days I enjoy time "in the zone" with a 6-string archtop, playing a "poor man's chord-melody" on tunes from my late father's "big band baritone" repertoire, like "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "In My Solitude, "Willow Weep for Me," etc. etc. It's still a brain-stretch. (But I don't dare sing those songs. My vocal pipes are more suited to "Somebody Stole My Gal," or "Minnie the Mermaid.") - Reg Bacon