Jazz Festivals » Jazz Guitar

Learning the Jazz Guitar Scales – Basic How-To’s

admin2 — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:25:59 +0000

When learning to play jazz guitar, you’ll have to master learning the scales. Most players are led to believe that all they need to do is learn how to finger the scale and that’s where their learning ends. When it comes time to play solos and improvs, they get frustrated because they find it hard to just play. The real problem is not that playing an improvisation is hard or beyond their skill. The real problem is that they haven’t learned to master the scales as they thought they had.

Basically, there are five skills that need to be mastered because they set the foundation for your improvisation and solo play. If you don’t master all five skills in your lessons, then you will have a difficult time doing the improvisation because you don’t truly know the scale and as a result won’t have a feel for the scale. The five skills are: ears, eyes, intellect, fingers and application. Let’s see how they can work for us.

How-to #1: Learn to hear the sound of the scale so that when you hear a tune, you know what notes they are. This is an amazing skill that most people don’t develop because they rely on music sheets, fakebooks and their teachers.

How-to #2: Learn to see the scale on the fretboard. Your eyes will help you develop technically correct hand and finger positioning technique when playing the scale.

How-to #3: Learn to play scales from any position on the fretboard. Know your gypsy jazz guitar inside and out. Once you learn the finger positions for a scale, practice playing the scale starting from the different notes.

How-to #4: Learn the music theory behind the scale. Know the notes, the tones and where the scale can be played in an improv.

How-to #5: Learn to use the scale in a musical way. Many players don’t know where a tune might fit into a short improvisation. Mastering this area definitely will take some work, finding out what works and what doesn’t.

People can play music, but there are many people who don’t know how to feel their way around a fretboard. They get lost without a music sheet and you and I both know that these players can’t perform a solo at all. Instead of focusing on which amp to buy, work on honing your craft and working more closely with mastering the scales. Once you’ve thoroughly learned this technique, you’ll be playing improvisations and solos like you’ve always dreamed of doing!

By: Logan B Young

Jazz Guitar Players – Immortalized By Their Musical Style

admin2 — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:28:13 +0000

Jazz guitar players are distinguished by their ability to improvise and each one has a unique style of their own. While there is no specific rule for improvisation, there are some great jazz guitar players who develop a pattern and technique, which sets them apart and makes them immortal in the world of music.

Different Styles Jazz Guitar Players Use

Some famous jazz guitar players develop the style of focusing on a few specific ideas when they play a solo. They tend to modify these with various techniques and rhythms – and this performance gives their audience the sense that they are experiencing something amazing. What’s more, it is possible for the audience to join in and sing with the song, making it a totally enjoyable experience. Every fan of Wes Montgomery will testify to this, as practically all his solos are wonderful to sing along with.

There are jazz guitar players like Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, etc. who follow a particular pattern where they focus on an intricate harmony, underplaying the rhythm part. You will find that it is not as easy to join in vocally with these kinds of solo players; nevertheless, these players are masters in terms of technique and hold their audiences enthralled with their music.

Another type is the kind of player with whom you can sometimes sing along, and sometimes not, depending on what he or she is playing. These players put in some work before their performance and time them with accuracy. When they play, they sound extremely practiced since it is like a preplanned performance flowing through a familiar chord progression. If you listen to Robert Conti, Pat Martino, etc. you will recognize the style.

Here is an inspiring look at ten of the most well-known and well-loved jazz guitar players who have inspired millions of aspiring guitarists through their most famous works:

Pat Metheny, best known for American Garage in 1999 has a very unique style with a blend of the Midwestern blues. He puts a lot of attitude and freedom into his jazz guitar playing, making him stand out. Jim Hall has the distinction of being a composer and a jazz guitar player who saw no limits. His “Concierto”, in 1997 was a masterpiece of his tonal abilities. Joe Pass’s work “Virtuoso” put him among the world’s best. He has a sense of melody and improvisation that is unmatched – so much so, he can play alone and yet sound like a band. Kenny Burrell, a Detroit player, has been a source of influence for players through the generations with his outstanding lyrics and blues-style. Wes Montgomery hailed from Indianapolis. But jazz music fans all over the world know him for his “Incredible Jazz Guitar”. He was so creative that he set a whole new trend to jazz guitar music with his techniques. Tal Farlow was an expert with his solos incorporating hard bop into them. Johnny Smith’s Moonlight in Vermont will be fresh in any jazz music fan’s memory forever. He was a master of chord arrangement with his jazz guitar playing, blending it with superb technique and artistry. Charlie Christian was a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet. He has the distinction of being among the first to use amplifiers and his modern jazz playing influences every jazz guitar player in some way or the other. Eddie Lang of the ‘Yazoo” fame is the incredible jazz guitar player who performed the solo recording “Feeling My Way”. He was the first Jazz guitar Virtuoso. Django Reinhardt, a European is famous for his gypsy jazz music, giving the jazz guitar fresh new sounds. His deformed left hand did not stop him from carving a unique place for himself in jazz music history with his fantastic control over techniques.

What the above proves is that each jazz guitar player is distinctive, no matter what ’style’ they are typecast into.

By: Brian Trainer

Gypsy Jazz Guitar – A One-Man Genre

admin2 — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:15:32 +0000

Gypsy jazz guitar is a genre based on the music of Django Reinhardt, a guitar player who overcame a severe disability to become a legend in jazz music. Most people have heard music by the Quintet du Hot Club de France or one of the gypsy jazz groups devoted to its style of music. Born in the 1930’s this group with Stephane Grapelli on violin, Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt and Roger Chaput on guitars and Louis Vola on bass, pioneered the concept of lead and rhythm guitar.

The group played popular jazz tunes of the time with Django and Grapelli alternating on the lead with the two other guitars playing rhythm and Vola playing walking bass figures. A drummer was never in the mix. They also wrote their own tunes, many of which have themselves become standards. Some of the group’s compositions include blue Drag, Minor Swing, Djangology, Django Rag, Django’s Blues, Django’s Tiger and Nuages.

The group’s violinist, Stephane Grapelli continued making music until his death in 1997 but the figure that has proved to be the inspiration of many gypsy jazz groups, Django Reinhardt only lived to be forty-three years old. Gypsy jazz has been behind the popularity of the Maccaferri and Selmer style guitars. The guitar that Django Reinhardt made famous was made by the Selmer company in Paris based on a revolutionary guitar design by Mario Maccaferri, one of the first generation of classical guitar players. Surprisingly, Maccaferri was never familiar with Django Reinhardt’s music.

As with all music associated with the tag “gypsy” the music is usually passed on directly from one musician to another. The Quintet Du Hot Club came out of an environment where playing music was simply a part of life. Each musician was both student and teacher. And there were not too many note readers among them. In fact Stephane Grapelli, a classically trained musician used breaks in the groups playing schedule to tutor Django in music. So every guitar player wanting to learn to play gypsy jazz is faced with learning the music of Django Reinhardt, as played by Django Reinhardt.

One element that made Django’s music unique was the fact that, due to an injury in a fire, Django played the guitar using only the first and second fingers of his left hand. This limited the range of notes available to him as he worked his way up and down the fretboard was severely limited. As a result of his injury, barre chords are not found in gypsy jazz guitar music. A close look at Django’s music will tell you he had little use for sevenths in his music.

If you want to listen to some contemporary gypsy jazz guitar, American groups devoted to the genre are Pearl Django and the John Jorgenson Quintet but Europe is still the place where there is most interest in this music, with groups like Hot Club of Hungary and Hot Club of France. If you want to learn to play gypsy jazz guitar, the ability to read tab would be a minimum requirement because there are many examples of Django’s music available as guitar tab.

By: Ricky Sharples

Jazz Guitars – An Introduction

admin2 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:34:18 +0000

Music can prove to be the healer for many of us. In today’s fast life, many of us suffer from worries and tensions, which can be relieved by music through its soothing action. As a result, music has become a way of life for many of us. There are many types of musical instruments in the market today. We can go for playing guitar, piano, drums and violin. But if you want to do something different, then a jazz guitar is the musical instrument for you. A jazz guitar is cool and classic at the same time. The number of jazz freaks is growing all over the world, and Jazz guitarists are earning much fame and adulation. So, if you have decided to buy a guitar, you should have some basic knowledge about the music instrument.

There are many types of guitars and the playing styles, which can be called jazz. In the beginning, Jazz guitars were mostly played through the normal acoustic ones, but in today’s techno modern age, they have been replaced by electric guitars. Through a guitar, a guitarist can produce umpteen sounds and tones, which can then be arranged and practiced to be turned into harmonies and melodies. But this ability and talent to control the strings come after many weeks of practice. If we are experienced enough, we can use different combinations of the pedals to give out different types of sounds.

There are two types of guitarists, one who are learning to play guitar just as a hobby and to impress their friends and family. But there are others who are much more serious and want to learn guitar to take it professionally. For such people, there should be special focus on their instrument. They should have a guitar which is made by experienced hands. Only if the guitar is finely made, it will be able to give out clear and harmonious tones. There are many shops which will sell you good quality jazz guitars, at not very expensive rates. But you can opt for having a guitar custom made for you, by the hands of experienced guitar makers. It could cost you a little more, but you can afford the high price, if you want real quality.

There are various types of jazz guitars and one of the most famous types is the Archtop guitars. This guitar is known for its adjustable bridge and its ‘F’ cut body. The sound and quality of a guitar depends on many factors. A very important thing is the kind of wood used to make the guitar. Guitars can be made of ordinary wood, but real music lovers would like to go for guitars made from the exquisite mahogany and ebony. Another factor which affects the quality of the sound is the shape of the guitar and its sandbox. A very important aspect to look is whether you guitar has the right pickups.

If you look at these basic things, you can get for yourself a jazz guitar, and begin to impress everybody with your new found skills.

By: Salil Kothari

Buying a Good Jazz Guitar

admin2 — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:44:46 +0000

If you are planning to learn how to play the guitar and really want to be good at it, I would suggest that you start out with learning Jazz. Jazz guitar playing does not have any actual base of music theory but instead, is a theory which is a collection of ideas which were passed on from musician to musician. Jazz players never really needed music theory to come up with their music, but instead, needed to thoroughly know the instruments enough to give a rhythm to accompany the other jazz musicians. Jazz playing changed over the years and now has become a base for many other genres of music.

It is said, if a guitarist knows how to play jazz, he is really good. This is because jazz playing has a vast background and includes a huge number of unique jazz scales and licks. Jazz playing will teach you how to create your own strumming patterns and chord progressions, making your music very unique. When learning jazz theory, you will learn to rely mostly on the seventh and third notes of a chord. Jazz may seem like fun, but requires a good amount of practice and dedication. However, learning jazz is what I would recommend for anyone who is planning to start out with guitar playing.

When going to buy a jazz guitar, it is best to go with someone who already knows how to play the guitar, and plays it well. A person who has good experience with guitars will be the best one to tell whether or not a guitar is good. If you are buying the guitar online then you should consider only buying a reliable make. Also, read testimonials of people who have bought a guitar from the site you are planning to purchase your guitar. The prices online will definitely be a lot cheaper than at a regular music store, and you can also find places that offer other things along with the guitar.

Not all guitars are meant for jazz. Back in the day, before solid bodied electrics were made, people used acoustic guitars. But now however, the hollow bodied electric guitar is the ideal choice for a jazz guitar. When buying an electric guitar, make sure that you do not buy one without doing a good amount of research. The ideal jazz guitar is a hollow bodied electric guitar. Makes like Gibson and Epiphone are commonly used in jazz guitar playing and are known to be some of the best jazz guitars. Do not go in for a solid bodied guitar if you want to only focus on jazz since the tone of those guitars won’t suit the genres.

If you plan to play other genres of music also, then you should probably think of going in for a Gibson or a Fender. Guitar makes like Ibanez and Kramer are really good but mostly meant for heavy metal. The tone of the guitar mainly depends on it’s pickups as well as the design of the body. Archtop guitars are typical jazz guitars and you can find them in many makes. Make sure that the guitar you buy has a floating bridge to allow adjustments so as to increase or decrease the action. Once you get a good jazz guitar you will not have a problem with spending time learning.

By: Shoked Mohol

Learn to Play Jazz Guitar

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:35:09 +0000

One of the reasons that people devote their time to learning the guitar is that they love the idea of making up their own songs and music. Simply by sitting down at an inspired moment, a guitarist might come up with a great song in only one session. Some guitar styles differ greatly from another, but it is by learning the jazz guitar that many musicians have experienced the liberty it brings. The deviations in styles that somehow hold to one rhythm and work together in the name of improvisation are why jazz musicians are said to be filled with “soul”.

When training your ear or your mind to learn how the jazz guitar fits into an entire ensemble of musicians, it is important to first know how jazz music works, at the root level. Much like an athlete prepares for a race, a jazz musician also prepares for a performance. The jazz musician needs to warm up, have an introduction, and be allowed to have some time to get used to the atmosphere of a place and an audience. Some musicians, however, especially those who have played a long time together will jump right into a tune without warming up, giving listeners an awakening into what’s about to take place.

A jazz guitarist in a band may or may not lead the group through a melody. Many jazz performances may not have a singer, but instead a trumpet, or some other horn instrument will take this lead. If a horn isn’t present in the ensemble, then the guitar or piano might work to lead a session. Since jazz music is made up of a band, each person in the band has a certain role to fill before they begin their improvisational role. The jazz guitar tends to hold the players together within a certain chord so that other band members can stick to what’s being played. A jazz guitarist in this role, will not necessarily strum a rhythm such as in other forms of music, but will instead move rhythmically with the rest of the players involved.

In the game of jazz music, improvisation is key. If you know how to play another instrument, learning the jazz guitar might be a little easier. And, if you love improvising on the piano, for example, then you might love it on the guitar. “Improv” as it is sometimes referred to, is one way music can be highly addictive and liberating. When that liberation happens with a group who is playing together, the soul and reaction from the audience involved can be magical. Overall, learning to play the jazz guitar will be rewarding on many levels. Learning to play the necessary chords and knowing when and how to strum to the rhythm of others in the group takes time and practice. Give yourself plenty of time and dedicate yourself to listening to and learning how jazz music works and you’ll be on your way to playing along with a jazz group in no time.

By: Rich Matthews

Jazz Guitar Has a Home

admin — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 05:15:33 +0000

The reason for early jazz bands using banjos and never guitars was simply because guitars were not loud enough. But by utilizing brand new recording and amplification techniques, Eddie Lang played his guitar in the movie “The Big Broadcast of 1932″ and banjo players immediately recognized that guitarists would soon be filling their chairs on the bandstand. Pawn shops soon filled up with banjos, and guitar craftsmanship produced lush sounding quality instruments that were in enormous demand.

The American Guitar Museum located in New Hyde Park, Long Island exhibits the finest work of craftsmen that poured their skill and love into this wonderful instrument. The museum puts us in touch with both the guitar’s history and its future.

It’s only fitting that the person responsible for establishing this museum would not only be a guitar player and collector, but as he is affectionately called the “Guitar Doctor” Chris X. Ambadjes is one of the finest luthiers in the business having conceived a guitar museum about 33 years ago, Chris was able to bring his dream to fruition about 16 years ago. Fortunately Chris’ friends, Demo Manolis, the late great Wayne L. Wright and a few others were willing to make this museum a reality. The friends pooled their resources and they formed a board of directors there.

The American Guitar museum possesses an authentic charm. Its home is a restored three-story colonial building that is one of the original farmhouses in the area. Stepping through the outer gates (which by the way are made in the shape of guitars) and entering the main door, you can’t help being caught up in the pictures that seem to be everywhere. These are pictures of the great players of both today and yester-year.

Moving on to the main room right in front at eye level stands one gorgeous oval-holed D’Aquisto New Yorker on loan from the talented player, Joe Carbone. Before his untimely death, luthier Jimmy D’Aquisto was considered the greatest guitar builder alive. For this beautiful sun-burst instrument he would charge about $50,000 with a three year wait.

The main room’s ceiling is certainly worth a look. It’s designed like the inside of an archtop guitar with f-holes, cross-bracing and wood grain all painted into the ceiling. A Showcase at the front of the room holds some of the original punches used to manufacture picks around 1910. These punches were contributed by the D’Andrea Company of Long Island, which is still in business today. If you have a pick in your pocket, there’s a 90% chance that the D’Andrea Company made it. The picks were originally made by punching out little tortoise shell plates in different shapes.

The Guitar Museum is just chock full of luthier tools, various tailpieces, books, blueprints, biographies of various players and histories of some of the guitars gracing its walls. One piece impossible to miss sits on the right side of the room. This is a 400 lb. press from the Strad-o-Lin Company that was used to bend the sides and tops of guitars and mandolins. It dates back to the 1890’s.

One of the oldest guitars in the museum was built in 1861. Chris Ambadjes says, “We like to tell the kids that come for a tour that this guitar is from Abraham Lincoln’s time and they get a kick out of that.” It’s exhibited in its original hard shelled case.

Two guitars that always get a lot of attention are the 1965 Olympic White Strat that belonged to a friend of Jimi Hendrix which Jimi played on occasion; and the other eye-catcher is a mint condition dark wood-grained Les Paul which Les himself contributed to the museum containing the inscription “To Chris, from Les ‘Keep On Pickin’.”

In addition to Les Paul’s signature model, there are a number of cherished Gibsons on display. A few of the most valuable Gibsons belonged to one of New York City’s finest musicians, Jack Hotop. Jack played in the opening of such Broadway hits as “Oklahoma” and “Annie.” He fell in love with the sound of the first 1957 ES-175 with a PAF pickup (better known as the humbucking pickup). This guitar was used as a demonstrator model by Gibson and Jack begged Gibson for that particular instrument. He was forced to wait until it was shown around the country before Gibson would let him have it. Jack later used this ES-175 when he played for the opening of “West Side Story.”

Two of the newest items in The American Guitar Museum are a pickup winding machine that jazz innovator Attila Zoller made and the mixing board that was used in Woody Allen’s classic movie “Radio Days”.

What this museum boasts of is its wonderful collection of both rare and beautiful instruments – What Chris calls “the cream of the cream.” Ambadjes has a particular love for the D’Angelico archtop guitar and who can blame him. John D’Angelico is considered by many to have been the “Stradivari of guitars.” Appraisals place these guitars between $25,000 – $75,000 on the average, with some being even higher. Quite an investment when you consider their original price tag of about $695.00!

How fitting, that D’Angelico started making his custom guitars the same year as “The Big Broadcast of 1932.” 1,164 beautiful custom guitars and mandolins were built bearing his name by the time of his death in 1964.

At the museum there are roughly 10 D’Angelicos on display, two of which are “one of a kind.” Though it’s accurate to say all D’Angelicos are unique, they all are either guitars or mandolins; all that is, except for these two. Sitting appropriately in a baby’s cradle is the first of these unique acquisitions. It is an 18″ tall baby jazz uke. Benny Mortell pleaded with John D’ Angelico to build this to use as a wedding proposal to his wife. The finger board contains the inscription “To My Dearest Rose From Ben.” The newest addition to the museum is called a Cellar (pronounced ché lâr). This is John D’s largest masterwork and it is the only other instrument that does not fall into the category of either guitar or mandolin. Alongside these two priceless pieces you’ll find the 1942 Excel, which was played by its owner Benny Mortell, in the film “The Godfather” in both the wedding scene and on the soundtrack. Next to this is a 1946 New Yorker. There is a left-handed D’Angelico that has been used by Wayne Wright (rhythm guitarist for Les Paul, George Barnes, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee).

“Nothing in this life is free” – not true anymore, because a tour of the American Guitar Museum is just that FREE! Guitar aficionados, class tours and families alike have had mini-lessons on guitar building, how guitar pickups work, how fretboard in-lays are inserted and an overall history of America’s most popular instrument. Note too that Chris Ambadjes repairs fretted instruments of all kinds right on the premises and there are a number of excellent music teachers present also.

So pay a visit to this little treasure where the love of its owners is evident throughout. This is really a present to the world. It just so happens it’s been gift wrapped in Long Island, New York.

By: Michael Ducey

Overdrive and Distortion Pedals in Jazz

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:05:06 +0000

Jazz guitar is an instrument with a tone usually thought of as clean and warm. Traditionally, most jazz guitar players go with little effects and stick to basic guitar set ups. Although there is a charm to tradition and standards, this trend is now changing, and this is probably a good thing.

Jazz as a whole is not an incredibly popular genre of music. It has moved from the underground into the music conservatories and universities but it still remains a style supported by a relatively small group of die hard supporters. For this reason, any development that can add to the popularity of jazz should be seen as a good thing. More players and listeners will mean more support for the artists and more artists. Overdrive and distortion pedals in jazz guitar are a small step in the right direction for this exiting and special line of music.

What the use of overdrive and distortion pedals do for jazz is open it up to the huge amount of rock guitar players and lovers that live all around the world. If they hear a jazz guitarist playing a solo with overdrive they will be much more inclined to listen, it will give them an obvious point of familiarity. Along with this, the use of overdrive pedals usually make the guitarist play with more energy and in more of a rock style. All of this could help influence more rock minded listeners to give jazz a chance; All of their favorite guitarists use distortion pedals to play their lead lines, and the simple addition of overdrive distortion to jazz can make the two genres sound surprisingly similar.

The use of overdrive pedals in jazz is not a new idea; Grant Green played with a lot of guitar overdrive in the early days, but it has become more pronounced and widespread in the modern age of jazz guitar. Kurt Rosenwinkel is a player who has employed small amounts of guitar distortion and overdrive in his sound to give his lead lines just a little more power and edge, but he has also played with an all out distortion sound on several records and live appearances. Not only that, but other types of guitar effects are also being used. Delay and reverb have long had a place in jazz, but now you can hear some tremolo and other effects finding their way into jazz recordings.

In general, the more jazz becomes infused with other styles, the more exposure it will get by others, and this is better for everyone who likes jazz. What has started with the use of simple guitar effects such as overdrive pedals and distortion pedals will continue to grow into an expansion of jazz that should help everyone trying to make a living off of it or just enjoy it whenever.

By: Randal Stevens

Jazz Guitar Strings – The Right Ones For That Perfect Sound

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:40:14 +0000

Serious jazz players are quite particular about the jazz guitar strings they choose and use. They expect the exact sound they want. There are different kinds of jazz guitar strings available with reputed manufacturers like Thomastik-Infeld, D’Addario, Elixir, etc. Finally it all boils down to choosing the jazz guitar strings that sound just right for the user.

Types Of Jazz Guitar Strings

Flatwound – probably the most popular for Swing. These are usually flat ribbon wound strings with a polished nickel surface giving the player the flexibility and the kind of smooth sound that is expected.

Roundwound – for BeBop jazz. While several jazz players don’t really go for roundwound strings, manufacturers like Thomastik-Infeld have wooed jazz players with the way they manufacture these. These strings are dense, although of thin diameter and play wonderfully at high frequencies, so much so that the tone has the purity of piano notes.

Most high quality jazz guitar strings are crafted with a core of carbon steel rather than the usual hex cores. This makes them play better and also vibrates well without the ‘preferred motion axis’. These string ends are wrapped in silk to keep the winding intact and to also increase their life.

For those who play blues jazz – and practically everyone who plays jazz does play the blues – the flatwound chrome strings they use are the most preferred. This is because these strings do not create the finger noise associated with other strings, resulting in easy play and better style. But the half round wounds are also popularly used, as they seem smoother and there is more clarity of sound with them compared to flatwounds, making them sound great when playing the blues.

Making The Choice For Jazz Guitar Strings

It is vital, as any jazz guitar player knows, to choose the strings that work best for you, and also make sure you replace them properly when necessary to avoid your guitar detuning. The main things to remember in making your choice are: the brand you select, the composition of the strings, string gauge, and the type of winding.

As far as brand is concerned, you can try a few and choose the ones you feel most comfortable with. As mentioned earlier, the most reputed are Thomastik-Infeld, D’Addario, Elixir, and others.

Guitar strings are usually composed of a core high carbon steel wire with a wrap wire wound around them, which influences the sound of the guitar strings. This material could be nickel, considered the best, or stainless steel for brighter tones, or phosphor bronze for a warmer sound mostly used in acoustic guitar strings. Most classical guitars have nylon strings.

String Gauge refers to the diameter of the first and last guitar string since most guitar strings are sold as sets. Jazz guitar string sets are usually available as .012 – 0.054-inch diameter, which is heavier than those used for other music styles, so that they result in a thicker tone with increased sustain. Most jazz guitarists just starting out to play use lighter sets to first get used to them and then move on to the heavier type. It should be borne in mind that as you progress to an advanced playing level, and switch to a string set of heavier gauge, you must also adjust your guitar neck and the intonation.
The roundwound type of strings have a louder and brighter sound while the flatwound type has a flat ribbon wire with duller, smoother sound. Most jazz guitar strings are of the flatwound type.

Some Jazz Guitar String Maintenance Tips

To get your jazz guitar strings to last longer, remember to wipe them down using a dry cloth after each playing session. It is better to replace your strings just as they begin to wear out. Preferably change the entire set since changing just that one broken string can lose the sync of your sound.

By: Brian Trainer

How to Choose a Good Amp For Playing Jazz Guitar?

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:36:15 +0000

Once you have purchased a guitar of your choice, next step is to buy a good amp for playing jazz guitar. ‘Amp’, the short for amplifier plays a very important role in deciding how your guitar finally sounds. It amplifies the sound of your jazz guitar and makes it sound great. The quality of amp is so important that it can make an ordinary guitar sound ultimately good, and vice-versa. Most of the musicians agree that a good guitar is no good without a good amplifier; this is the most necessary gear of your guitar kit.

There are basically four kinds of amps available in market. A suitable one for jazz guitar may not be the latest or the costliest one; you should look for the one which suits the sound of your guitar to perfection. Let’s have a brief know-how of all the four kinds:

1. Tube: These are the first amps that were introduced; they produce richer, warmer sounds. They use glass tubes; they produce louder sound than any other amp. But their upkeep is a bit costly, they are bulky too, thus you will have to be very careful while moving them around. Some makers of tube amps are Marshall, Mesa Boosie, Fender, they use Chinese tubes which come factory fitted.

2. Solid state: In these ones, transistors are used in place of tubes. This makes them very handy and better for heavy use. But for a good amp for playing jazz guitar, it has to be tuned finely because in this amp, sound may start sounding harsh and distorted at higher frequencies. Some players find solid state amps more reliable, some find that the sound does not retain its original quality.

3. Digital: These ones are quite trendy and they use digital technology for amplifying. Digital amps can imitate large range of sounds including distortions and the classic tube amp. The cheaper variety amps may sound synthetic. But to make your jazz guitar sound great, go for the more sophisticated digital amps. These amplifiers sound as good as tube amps, you can’t tell the difference.

4. Hybrid: These amplifiers combine the tube and solid state amp technology. The tone comes from tube amp technology and the power behind the amps comes from solid-state technology. If you want a tube-like sounding amp without spending as much, then you can go for it. Sound is not that great but its reliable, handy and ok quality.

What Is The Best Choice For You?

All jazz players have different opinions and choices when it comes to the choice of amplifiers for their guitars. Since jazz guitars are traditionally acoustic sounding, many prefer the tube-type amps. Many players like Mike Stern use solid state and it sounds good too. So there is no rule in choosing certain types of amps.

The kind of sound you want, the amount of travel your amp will have to do with you, the degree of usage and the kind of money you want to spend on it…all these factors matter when you are choosing an amplifier. Always remember that the sound produced by the guitar is as good as it is actually played. Thus, before buying an amplifier, take your guitar along and try out on different amps. Buy the one which suits your budget and your playing style in best manner. The related equipments like speakers and pick-ups also play a major role in sound quality along with a suitable amp for playing jazz guitar.

By: Logan Young