#46
|
|||
|
|||
Yes, but try not to look as if you are...
Do these guys look like they're having fun??? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c The idea is to look as bored as possible. That's how you get to be "cool". |
#47
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Though I would argue that there is much better money in jazz than most other styles at the local/regional level. Obviously famous pop musicians make more money in a week than most famous jazz players do in a year. However, when you compare the average local rocker or singer-song writer gigs to similar level jazzbos it’s very much the other way around. When I was doing weddings as a solo jazz guitarist ten years ago I would usually get between four and seven hundred bucks a pop for a few hours (or less) of work. Often I’d do that twice a day, and then go out at night for a downtown trio gig... |
#48
|
|||
|
|||
Yeah, solo wedding gigs are well...the best kept secret in music...takes a jazzer to pull off cocktail hour.
|
#49
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
i like miles, but i'm not fanatical, so no expert, but when does he ever look like mr. fun? mr. cool maybe. Last edited by mc1; 01-11-2013 at 06:59 PM. Reason: tpyo |
#50
|
|||
|
|||
I'm no jazzer, and I make the majority off my income from solo wedding gigs. And it's not so much that it's a great secret, but that most players (jazz or otherwise) can't play solo stuff that people want to listen to during a cocktail (and even fewer can pull off a ceremony AND cocktail without sounding repetitive).
|
#51
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
I've played in a band which played weddings and anniversaries in the 70's. I found it to be a good introduction to Jazz and other genres as well...very educational.
__________________
There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major... Sergei Prokofiev |
#52
|
|||
|
|||
I get regular wedding gigs, mostly from word of mouth. For some reason guitar rates have generally been the lowest. I tend to play piano more since it is my primary instrument, I'm more versatile on it in terms of instrumental chord melody arrangements, and it typically commands a lot more money (like 2-3x as much as guitar).
Although I have jazz pieces in my piano repertoire, lately none of the 20- and early 30-somethings have wanted any jazz at their cocktail hours. The closest I got was a request for "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" - but it had to be the Lauryn Hill version. When I sit down with the couple and tell them that I'm willing to play music that is meaningful for them - especially for their 'entrance' into cocktail hour - then I get very interesting lists of pop, indie, alternative rock, music from TV / movies, even mashups. I know I'll never make it in any pure jazz circles. I'm fine with being a dilettante. I respect the purists but I'm more of a crossover type. I listen to Chris Thile playing a Bach partita, or Bela Fleck playing My Favorite Things with McCoy Tyner - and I sense from interviews that they are dabbling in those genres and not immersing themselves in those worlds. I've tried to transcribe a few Keith Jarrett piano solo pieces by ear (still very difficult for me) just so I could fake some jazz at wedding-type gigs. But in all honesty I get more attention and appreciation for my arrangements of Radiohead (inspired by Brad Mehldau and Christopher O'Riley). |
#53
|
|||
|
|||
I don't always follow up, but when I do it's with good news.
I actually went for this pretty hard with the new guitar. I'm starting a Coursera with Garry Burton next week to up my improvisational skills. I've been working with flatwounds for the last month or two and my primary focus has been on expanding jazz chords into arpeggios and playing through basic changes. I'll be playing in a concert showcase in a month, playing some Piazzola tangos – which while not strictly jazz fare per se were well beyond my skill set when I started this thread. Anyway. This isn't to bignote. This is just to come back and say, hey thanks for some good advice. I went through a lot of what was posted here to try and up my game and it was really helpful. Cheers. |
#54
|
|||
|
|||
Glanced through the thread and didn't see any link to this. Perfect for some someone wanting to dabble in jazz. Great teacher and downloaded for less than the price of one lesson.
I don't have this course but I do have two other 1-2-3 courses. Perfect for laying the foundation of the particular styles they teach. http://truefire.com/jazz-guitar-lessons/123-jazz/ |
#55
|
|||
|
|||
OP
That is great news. Very difficult work but soo rewarding. Wes Montgomery...thats the stuff! |
#56
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I'd suggest listening to albums that mainly draw on the popular and show tunes from the "Great American Songbook." And I'd say that jazz tunes do stay diatonic--the great majority are in major keys--but they don't stay in one key, which is probably what Jeff means. Learn to recognize ii-V7-I progressions, and the keys they signify. That is most of what you are hearing on the standard (pre-Kind of Blue) tunes.
__________________
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon Last edited by Howard Klepper; 04-25-2013 at 10:50 AM. |
#57
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#58
|
|||
|
|||
I was happy to read this request....like me you just want to play some songs and become a good jazz guitarist, and you haven't found the entry point yet. I took lessons from a local performer...big mistake. He had this elitist attitude and went way ahead of us even before the 2nd lesson. Only thing I learned was one chord progression and how complicated jazz guitar can be.
I often hear certain jazz rythyms in my head and find myself immitating them in some classic pop songs I do. My plan is just to learn some tunes and add to my repertoire of wedding songs. I picked up "Summertime" on Youtube and I'm proud of how I play it. It's possible to be a good jazz guitarist but only play a half dozen songs in that genre, as part of you overall mix. Oh oh....left myself open on that one hee hee hee.
__________________
Neil M, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
#59
|
|||
|
|||
If it is just chording you are after, the first few pages of the Mickey Baker Book 1 are worth price of the book. In fact, page 1 alone is.
You don't need to learn every inversion all over the neck to play good jazz rhythm.
__________________
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
#60
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
This is so true...better to know maybe 10 shapes and how to really use them, versus 100 shapes and no clue... |