Jazz Festivals » Jazz Guitars

Jazz Guitar Pickups – Putting The Swing On The String

admin2 — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:39:55 +0000

Traditional jazz guitar pickups are usually the P90 soap bar type or the humbucker pickup. If you look at the classic jazz guitar, it is a hollow body arch top type with the pickup on the neck.

Some Jazz Guitar Pickup Facts

The electric jazz guitar pickups are of the electromagnetic type. These transmit the vibration in the string to an amplifier. Electric guitars can have both single coil and humbucker pickups. While both work similarly, they sound quite different. Humbuckers use two single coil pickups that are wired together to produce a thick warm sound. Single coils tend to have a lot of electric interference and to avoid this a differential amplifier is used. Different Humbuckers produce different kinds of sounds. The jazz Humbuckers are rich with an even tone to produce the clean sound associated with jazz guitar pickups.

Selecting The Jazz Guitar Pickup

If you look at electric guitars, most of them have two pickups – one near the neck and the other near the bridge. By using the pickup selector switch, you can opt for the appropriate pickup to pick up the string’s vibration and send it to the amplifier. When the pickup selector switch is turned up, the neck or rhythm pickup picks up the string’s sound. When the switch is turned down, the bridge pickup picks up the string’s sound. If the switch is in the middle position, both the pickups pick up the string’s sounds. Usually, the pickup whose proximity is more to the next has a warmer and sweeter sound. The one near the bridge can sound brighter. It is easy to see from this which one jazz players will use – obviously the neck pick up. The bridge pickup is ignored.

To avoid the possibility of notes getting mixed when the player plays fast, today’s jazz guitar pickups are usually the floating type. Some jazz guitars don’t use any pickups. This helps them achieve a clean sound.

Instead of the parallel bracing commonly used, Cross bracing is used to tone down the sound and increase sustain. This results in the jazz guitar’s tone sounding like the traditional steel string acoustic guitar.

Some jazz guitar pickups are embedded in the instrument so that sustain is increased. These show limited acoustic response. Many jazz guitars have the pickup installed on the underside of the ebony finger rest. The finger rest fixes to the side of the guitar’s neck via an aluminum bracket and a couple of screws. The pickup is fixed with epoxy. The large contact surface strengthens the instrument. Large finger rests are not preferred basically because they block the F hole on the right side, and this completely changes the quality of the sound projection.

A common jazz guitar pickup used is the Benedetto S-6 mini humbucker, especially for the arch top design. A highly durable “ebonova” housing protects it. You also get jazz guitar pickups that can be fixed so as to not affect or change the acoustic characteristics of the guitar. Some fix with the help of screws at the neck.

Positioning the jazz guitar pickup in relation to the finger rest is very crucial because the sound is likely to be unclear if the pickup is too close to the strings. Being too far from the strings, on the other hand, can lower the output level drastically.

Jazz guitar pickups are a tricky issue in terms of the effect they can have on the sound output. This results in many jazz guitar players preferring to have theirs custom made. As mentioned earlier, many players even prefer to have no pickups at all.

By: Logan Young

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

The Mysteries of Acoustic Jazz Guitars

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:43:43 +0000

Guitars used to play jazz have some special characteristics. They produce a certain type of sound that has been developed over the years. Due to the specialization, not just any guitar is appropriate for an acoustic jazz guitar. Learning about the characteristics of acoustic jazz guitars, and how to make them the most unique, will help you in your quest to purchase the perfect instrument to learn and perform with.

The Body Style

Certain types of instruments have become commonly accepted as essential acoustic jazz guitars. These include arch-top guitars, a physical feature that both early pioneers, modern day legends, and the stars of tomorrow are relying on for practice, performance, and recording purposes. The arch-top originally appeared in jazz because its unique shape tended to amplify the sounds of the guitar greatly, allowing it to soar over screaming horn lines and drums in larger jazz orchestras. Today, with the advent of advanced electronics, most mid to high end arch-top guitars feature built in plugs for amplifications. For these types of jazz guitars, this is an important feature because it allows you to practice or participate in a jam session easily without hauling an amp around, but you also have the option to plug in and play loud when you need to. The arch-top, despite the prevalence of electronics, still plays an important role in creating that signature jazz sound.

Another unique characteristic of typical acoustic guitars used in jazz is that they often feature unique sound holes, sometimes in the shape of the letter D or F. They often resemble classical instruments like violins, and the purpose of the sound hole design is to achieve maximum tone production.

The Sound

Every jazz guitarist wants to avoid feedback and distortion when they plug in. Acoustic guitars used for jazz are generally fortified against feedback, and other troublesome excess sounds. They are designed with clarity and distinction in mind, and this is something you will also want to listen for when you are looking for a good jazz guitar. These guitars are not intended to be played with effects pedals, and this is an instrument that will be valued for the trueness and forwardness of its tone. Jazz guitarists also try to avoid a great deal of sustain when they play, they want their instrument to produce a tone that is crisp and clear, but it does not need to ring in the back of the hall moments after it has been played. To new listeners, the sound can be “choppy” or “muted”, but to a certain extent, that is what the instrument should sound like.

The Playability

Acoustic jazz guitars should be extremely playable, all over the neck of the instrument. Melodic lines and funky solo licks need creative freedom, and a good guitar will feature a smooth, manageable, and playable neck from top to bottom. This does not mean that the instrument should have a thin neck, but it does mean that it should feature smooth frets and a reasonable action in order to maintain playability in the higher frets.

Now that you understand why and how jazz guitarists get their sound, you can experiment on your own.

By: David Smithe

Benedetto Jazz Guitars

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:12:45 +0000

Benedetto jazz guitars are internationally renowned for their
exquisite design and craftsmanship. Benedetto is considered the
world’s foremost maker of arch top guitars. Bob Benedetto will
also custom-craft one-of-a-kind instruments on request starting
at about $45,000 and going up depending on what people want in
the guitar. Benedetto’s jazz guitars range in price from $5000 to
over $100,000.

They are prized by jazz guitar players such as John (Bucky)
Pizzarelli, who donated one of the seven-string guitars custom-
made for him by Benedetto to the Smithsonian Institution.

Since the original creation of the Benedetto Guitar introduced in
1968, many people have enjoyed the harmonic sounds that have
flowed from it. Noted jazz guitarist’s who play Benedetto jazz
guitars are: Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins, Frank Vignola, Kenny
Burrell, Johnny Smith, Ron Eschete, Cal Collins and Joe Diorio.

Bob Benedetto has worked hard with the jazz world’s greatest
musicians to refine laminated, smaller-bodied Benedettos that
feel and sound like the great carved Benedetto guitars but are
better suited to the demands of the road and nightclub.

Widely considered the contemporary master of the archtop jazz
guitar. Benedetto jazz guitars are available in:

(a) special one-of-a-kind custom order guitars

(b) the Flagship series

(c) the Professional series

The Flagship series models include – La Venezia / Manhatan /
Fratello / Bambino Elite and Bravo Elite.

The Benedetto jazz guitar Professional series include – Bravo /
Bravo Deluxe and Bambino.

The Benedetto jazz guitar is by far one of the most distinguished
archtop guitars. The Bravo’s parallel spruce bracing, rather
than the X-bracing of most of today’s finest acoustic archtops,
further enhances the rigidity, punch, and (electrified) nature of
the design, although it’s nice to see the laminated spruce here
rather than the traditional maple a detail that Benedetto says
maintains a visual link with his carved-top guitars.

The Benedetto Bravo Features:16″ body with three-ply binding,
laminated maple back and sides, laminated spruce top, parallel
spruce bracing, adjustable ebony bridge, three-piece bound flame-
maple neck, ebony fret board, body-mounted volume and tone
controls with ebony knobs, Benedetto A-6 humbucking pickup,
bleached bone nut, Schaller tuners with ebony buttons, gold-
plated hardware, nitrocellulose gloss finish.

The Bravo is every bit a Benedetto, and has many high-end
features you typically find on more expensive instruments,
including a gorgeous laminated flame-maple back and matching
sides, a select clear arched laminated spruce top, three-piece
flame maple neck with a dark ebony fretboard and adjustable ebony
bridge.

At first glance the Benedetto Bravo may appear to be a little
steeply priced for a laminated-wood instrument doesn’t have the
sylvan, multi-dimensional timbre or tonal succulence of
Benedetto’s Manhattan, Fratello, or La Venezia models, but it
gets you a portion of the Benedetto pedigree, and that’s still a
pretty amazing deal.

“In my earlier years, I was able to make instruments that were
more affordable to guitarists,” says Benedetto. All of which
implies that the Bravo is an “affordable” guitar, and although
such a claim seems contradictory for a model that retails for
$5,000, Benedetto’s carved-top La Venezia goes for $26,000, so
you can see the relativity at play here.

In summary the Benedetto Bravo is a flawlessly crafted archtop
with a very live and responsive top, effortless playability, and
an unmistakable high-end vibe without the top-end price tag.

Bob Benedetto has been built some of the finest musical
instruments to appear in the last 30 years. Each guitar is built
by hand using top-shelf materials, and each is inspected by
Benedetto before being shipped. Bob still works one week per
month at the Benedetto factory with as much care and enthusiasm
as he did way back in the 1960’s.

If you ever have a chance to hear of play any of the Benedetto
jazz guitars live, you’re in for a treat, they don’t make them
any better than this.

By: Mike P Hayes

Mysteries Uncovered About Guitars Used for Gypsy Jazz

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:21:41 +0000

The word “gypsy” in itself is a bit mysterious. Dictionaries define the word in a myriad of ways, and it is hard to imagine how the term became attached to a genre of jazz. French guitar master Django Reinhardt made the genre famous. It is a combination of the popular American style of jazz and the musical techniques of a nomadic group of tough-to-classify gypsies of European descent. The instruments used to play gypsy jazz are very specific in a number of ways, and possess a rich history unlike any other.

History

In order to begin learning about guitars used for gypsy jazz, it is important to understand a bit about the history of the genre. Gypsy jazz is a genre derived from the work of French musicians during the 1930’s. It is a combination of improvisational jazz techniques and historical traditions passed down from generation to generation from one musician to another. In general, gypsy musicians do not read standard music notation and beginners will spend hours learning by ear, studying recordings and learning from their elders. Guitar and violin play important roles in gypsy jazz; they are the two most commonly featured instruments. As a result, the guitars used for gypsy jazz generally have a few specific features that are a combination of tradition and practicality for the style of music.

Features

Guitars used for gypsy jazz are characterized by a sound that is quite dry, but also offers intensity in the tone at the same time. The instruments are generally hollow bodied with arched tops. Some of the technical traits of the guitars are floating bridges, easily accessible fingerboards, and simple bracing. Gypsy jazz guitars need to be able to play supportive, rhythmic accompaniment roles, as well as shine in the spotlight with punching solo capabilities as well.

Popular Brands

Probably the most notable guitar used for gypsy jazz is made by Selmer. Django Reinhardt made the unusual Selmer guitar famous with his unique styling and musical interpretation. The guitar is often incorrectly referred to as the Selmer-Maccaferri or just simply the Maccaferri, which was the name of the man who invented it. The design of this legendary guitar has been copied by many other manufacturers including Dell’Arte Guitars, Busato, and Patenotte. These companies tend to produce high-end copies closely resembling the Selmer design. Other manufacturers have tapped into the student and amateur markets by offering more affordable models, like Cigano, which makes student gypsy guitars.

Gypsy guitars are a very specific type of instrument, and stem from a long tradition of music that was developed over the course of time. You needn’t own one in order to experiment with playing this style of jazz; it can be performed on different varieties of guitars with a similar effect. The difference will be in the generated tone. Django Reinhardt’s classic Selmer guitar gave gypsy jazz its trademark, and it is a distinctive sound that will remain forever engrained in the ears of music enthusiasts.

By: David Smithe

Tips to Learn Jazz Music

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:10:43 +0000

There would barely be any human being on earth who doesn’t like music. God has been veritably benevolent for his creations like this. One form of musical art originated in African American cultures is jazz, a lively music with ultimate rhythms. It was formed when some African slaves experimented to contrast folk music with American music. Unlike other music, jazz requires immense interpretation by those who want to learn to play jazz music. The tremendous variety comes in jazz music because of the fact that its rhythm has a forward momentum, commonly referred as “swing”. The musical assembly affiliated with jazz music is big band jazz music.

Jazz has gained so much of importance that people want to learn this music, specifically practice jazz piano, guitars and jazz bass lines. To learn jazz music one needs to follow certain things which will be beneficial for becoming a true music lover. Those who want to learn jazz music must adopt the habit of listening. Do the researches for the type of music you like i.e. old musicians such as Art Tatum, Count Basic etc or some new musicians and try to listen what you like as much as you can. Listening to the solo musicians will give the clear idea of the notes, for beginners this is the good option. For those who want learn to play jazz piano, they must get themselves familiar with all the 12 scales and when you get comfortable with them, learn pentatonic scale for the key you like the most. This will help them like wonders if they are dedicated. Have a start with playing very small notes and basic stuff.

The more you will practice; more you will sound like the things written in front of you while practicing, without knowing them. At last, improvisation is the key for learning the music, after learning one instrument it will be easy a lot to learn another. You should know what you want. Finding out how to play necessary chords at what time and how to sound the strings of the rhythm will make you master of the art.

By: Akhila Choudhary

The Wonderful World Of Jazz Guitar

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:26:52 +0000

In many places in the world the jazz guitar is not normally heard of and even more rarely seen however that is not an indication that there are no resources available to learn jazz guitar. Jazz music and guitarists are becoming less and less known because of new music influences as well as the grasp of young people wanting to play electric guitars and drums. The people are not standing in line to learn jazz guitar but if they knew some and heard some of what a jazz guitar can do, surely there would be more people learning to play it.

The media plays a huge role in the declination of jazz guitarists because it is rarely portrayed. In fact, it is almost too easy to go out to the streets and ask a few young adults if they know what a jazz guitar is because the proof is right there on the streets. Jazz guitar is unique and wonderful and if you are reading this article because you wish to learn the guitar then that is fabulous because the world needs a whole bunch more like you! We don’t want to go forward without the history and roots in which jazz guitarists bring to the musical world as well as the fabulous sounds.

Jazz Guitar History

The jazz style of guitar is likely one of the oldest types of guitar and in fact, it was through jazz music that electric guitars were invented. In order to make jazz guitars louder back in the day, they used to modify the guitar in order to amplify it’s sound without the use of power. If you wanted to learn jazz guitar in those days there was no plugging anything in to any outlets and no television or computer to instruct you on it.

Another amazing technique that is generally only used in blues and jazz is a technique called “bottle necking” and this was done with the old jazz guitarists breaking off the tops of wine bottles, places them on their ring fingers and proceeding to make fabulous sounds. If this kind of guitar playing sounds exciting to you, please go out and try to find a way to learn the jazz style of guitar as it is both rewarding and very pleasing to the ears. Similar to any near-extinct animal, jazz guitarists are a rare and everything should be done to protect this fine musical ability before there are no great jazz players left on earth to learn the jazz style of guitar from.

By: Roland Jefferson III

Jazz Guitar Tips and Tricks – Learning Jazz Guitar Playing

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:22:09 +0000

Jazz is more complicated than any other music genres as far as playing guitar is concerned. But there are a lot of jazz guitar tips and tricks that you can use to make it easier for you and to help you become a better jazz player and a well-rounded guitarist.

At the top of the list of the important jazz guitar tips is knowing your scales and modes. Internalizing jazz guitar scales is considered to be one of the most challenging part of learning to play jazz because of the many scales to be learned and mastered. These scales provide the basis for the improvisational sound of jazz music.

When it comes to modes, it becomes confusing because many guitar players call modes as scales. Technically, a mode is a scale but modes are used by many musicians to open doors to new sounds. Jazz players rely on the major and minor modes in setting the tone of their music. They use these to get the great flavors of music out of the scales aside from just using the full neck of their jazz guitars.

Other important jazz guitar tips include eliminating the feedback produced by the guitar, using a software to practice improvisation, and using a metronome in your practice to achieve good timing.

In learning to play jazz guitar, you should also learn and memorize the lyrics to help you recall the music better. Recording yourself will also give you a clear picture of how does your guitar playing sound.

And of course, you cannot play jazz guitar better if your guitar itself is not in a good condition. Before starting to play, check first if it needs some tweaking. You will know if it needs a tune-up when it begins to feel tiring to play.

The basic adjustments you need to do are in the truss rod, the bridge, height of the pickups and intonation. To ensure that the strings are on the proper height, you have to regulate the nut. Examine also the high and low frets and level them as needed.

In adjusting the intonation, do it in small increments and consider your ear’s accuracy in deciding the pitch between two notes. For more accurate results, use a highly accurate tuner with analog-style needle display.

Other helpful jazz guitar tips that will bring your performance to the highest level are ensuring the proper location of your guitar and your hands. The strap of your guitar should lift the instrument up to about midway on your chest. It will feel tighter but will give your left hand more mobility. Your right hand should not also exert much effort in picking out the notes.

To sum it up, you should be familiar with the important components of learning jazz guitar which include effective scale usage, harmonization, rhythm, melody and jazz chord improvisation.

Also, learning jazz guitar requires an astonishing skill that you can’t develop by just relying on your music sheets or music teachers alone, so keep in mind to practice and persevere.

By: Carolyn Anderson

Jazz Guitars – 5 Guitars for a great Jazz Tone

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:17:22 +0000

As a musical genre traditional Jazz requires a fairly specific Guitar sound – generally this has involved a very clean dry tone – with little to no effects (perhaps only a hint of reverb) – usually the neck pickup is used with the resultant sound required to be clear enough to pickup the subtle nuances and articulation of the playing.

Jazz Guitarists therefore need to carefully consider their Guitar when setting out – luckily Jazz has been around for many years and there is a wide selection of instruments available. Traditionally Jazz Guitars are hollow body semi acoustics (though not always) and these have tended to favor P90 or Humbucker style pickups to produce the required sound – as stated there are many guitars on the market today – but here we list 5 classic Jazz guitars that helped shape the scene.

1 Gibson ES150

Made famous to the jazz community by Charlie Christian the ES 150 became his guitar. The ES150 became one of the world’s first commercially available electric guitars. With its single coil pickup fitted at the neck and its acoustic shaped body with f holes – the 150 has that sweet warm jazz tone that became a world favorite.

2 Gibson L5

Another of Gibson’s Jazz power trio (the others are the ES150 and the ES175) – the L5 features a large resonant body. With a history that goes back nearly 90 years the L5 has changed a little over this time and has featured different pickups (from P90’s to Humbuckers). As the prestige rhythm guitar it has been played by a variety of greats including Wes Montgomery.

3 Gibson ES-175

With it’s stylish Florentine single cutaway – the ES175 represented a departure for Gibson from their usual design – Debuting in 1949 – the 175 has been associated with a variety of Jazz greats from Herb Ellis to Pat Metheny.

4 Gretsch Country Gentleman/Nashville

While Gretsch are not considered jazz guitars per se – both the Country Gent and the Nashville are able to produce both versatile and authentic jazz tones. Both guitars offer a range of controls for adapting the tone of the guitar and can produce some versatile jazzy results – whilst the FiterTron pickups produce something that’s unlike it’s Gibson counterparts.

5 Fender Telecaster

With it’s sweet and mellow neck pickup tone the telecaster offers something a little different that the usual Jazz fare – Traditionally a country guitar the telecaster has been featured with Jazz artists including Ed Bickert and Mike Stern.

By: Adrian Martin

What Are The Best Jazz Guitars?

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:15:30 +0000

In finding the best jazz guitars, it is important to look at some of the historical icons in the genre. The tone of any jazz instrument is of the utmost significance. Many famous jazz guitarists have developed signature sounds that have come to be viewed as standards in jazz music.

By looking at players who made a distinct mark on jazz with their signature tones and techniques, you can discover the reasons behind their choice of guitar, and this might influence your decision.

Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian was the first musician to make a name for the electric guitar in jazz. His work was so pivotal that jazz enthusiasts often talk about jazz “before Charlie Christian” and jazz “after Charlie Christian.” He played a critical role in developing the type of jazz known as bebop. Guitar legends like B.B. King and Eric Clapton followed in his footsteps and learned their craft from the efforts of Charlie Christian.

Charlie Christian was an arch-top man. He is the reason that the Gibson ES150 is such a legendary instrument. The arch-top guitar became a standard piece of equipment in jazz music. It features a hollow, resonant body, and f-holes. They are designed to produce a clear voice with little sustain that is free of distortion or feedback. If you want to focus on maintaining a traditional jazz sound, then an arch-top guitar is definitely the way to go.

Les Paul

Les Paul was not only a jazz guitarist, but he was an innovator who actually made some of the best jazz guitars. The solid body electric guitar appeared in the jazz world, much due to the efforts of Les Paul. These instruments got rid of the two things that no jazz guitarist wants – feedback and lack of sustain. Solid body electrics play an important role in jazz, and one of the most notable instruments is the Gibson Les Paul guitar. Many more affordable imitations of this instrument are also popular choices for jazz guitarists, like ESP and Heritage guitars.

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt revolutionized the world of jazz. He was an acoustic guitar man, and he played a flat-top acoustic guitar made by Selmer, which was capable of resonating above the large bands in Europe. The instrument is commonly known as a Maccaferri, which happened to be the last name of the creator. While Selmer is not necessarily a leader in the guitar world (only about 1,000 of this particular model were manufactured), other companies have created successful models that are similar to Django Reinhardt’s instrument. Typical acoustic guitars that are commonly found in jazz music include Gallato and Dell’Arte models.

The best jazz guitars are designed with the functionality of the music in mind. Jazz should not be distorted or heavy, and the guitar does not typically play a role that requires a great deal of sustain. Arch-top, solid body electric, and flat-top acoustics can all accommodate the needs of the genre, and the best instruments are the ones that have stood the test of time, yet still come out on top!

By: David Smithe