Jazz Festivals

All about jazz festivals
RSS

Posts Tagged ‘Jazz Sound’

How to get a Jazz Guitar Sound

Posted by admin on September 2nd, 2009 No Comments

The word Jazz often evokes a darkly light Smokey club with musicians expertly improvising against seemingly complex chord progressions. Featuring passionate tone – getting that jazz sound can be a complex process – in this article we’ll address what you’ll need to get a great jazz guitar sound.

A Jazz Guitar

Getting the right guitar for a jazz sound used to be expensive. Jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass may have played expensive Gibson Semi’s but these days there are a variety of entry level guitars that are suitable for getting a jazz tone.

For an authentic jazz tone, you should have a semi-acoustic hollowbody electric guitar. Models such as the Gibson ES-175 or the Gretch Tennessean can run into thousands of dollars but there are also excellent entry models such as Ibanez Artcore line of guitars. Guitar manufacturers such as Yamaha or Guild also make entry level semi-acoustics similar to the more expensive Gibson 335. There are also numerous Epiphone hollowbody guitars that will also be suitable and come from the Gibson stable. Explore your local music store and try out what they look for something that is comfortable to play and can produce a tight clean tone with plenty of sustain.

Hollow body guitars will provide a suitable mellow tone and most will be fitted with two humbucker pickups allowing you to vary your sound accordingly. Most guitars will be fitted with tone controls. Practice rolling the treble off your tone and experimenting – Jazz guitarists often play with a less trebly sound as it produces a rich mellow resonance that is suitable for the style.

A Jazz Guitar Amplifier

Whilst it could be said that there is “no jazz amp” there are a number of considerations for the jazz guitarist when selecting an amplifier.
Firstly it is important to determine the playing style and sound that you wish to attain. Traditional jazz guitarists often choose amps that can produce a clean sound which compliment acoustic archtop guitars. For this sound solid state amps produce a nice clean tone. For a more distorted sound a tube amp may be more applicable. There are many popular amps that are used by Jazz guitarists for example – try experimenting with a Fender Pro or a Polytone
Another requirement may be on board effects this may range from simple reverb to an overdrive channel – again this will depend on the style your trying to achieve.

Effects

Traditional Jazz may only require a hint of reverb but many modern jazz guitarists apply a range of effects from Chorus, Overdrive through to delay. There are many effects units available from single stomp boxes to complex digital “modeling” devices such as the Line 6 Pod. When choosing effects ensure they compliment your playing style and that you retain that “clarity” in your tone. Too many effects often muddy the sound and do not produce a quality sound.

Conclusion

In summary there are primarily 3 things that you should investigate when trying to get a jazz tone. Ultimately you should also listen to a wide range of jazz greats – listen closely to their sounds and try to emulate them. Ultimately when you have done this a few times they will begin to merge and you will begin to develop your own tone that will sound equally brilliant!

By: Adrian Martin

Posted in Jazz Festivals

What Are The Best Jazz Guitars?

Posted by admin on August 25th, 2009 No Comments

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

Posted in Jazz Festivals

Finding A Good Amp For Playing Jazz Guitar

Posted by admin on August 20th, 2009 No Comments

Jazz guitar talk is generally focused around one thing – sound. The tone of your instrument will play a huge role in the sound that you achieve. If you are engaging in live performances, and jam sessions, no doubt you will be using an amplifier too. Finding a good amp for playing jazz guitar is just as important as finding a good guitar. Let us avoid discussing which amps are “better” than others, and get down to the important issues you need to focus on when you are looking for a good amp for playing jazz guitar.

Traditional Jazz

Players who are concentrating on developing a traditional jazz sound are going to be looking for just one thing in a guitar amp – a clean sound. If you want a traditional, clean jazz sound, then you will commonly gravitate toward a solid state amp or a tube amp. Solid state amps are easier to care for than tube amps, they are less prone to damage and most importantly they deliver clean, distortion free sounds on a regular basis. This is what makes them extremely popular among jazz guitarists. The biggest complaint about solid state amps is that they tend to sound “flat” and elicit little life from the tone of the instrument. Tube amps, on the other hand, are believed to deliver a much warmer tone, and some players insist that their sound is more alive when they use a tube amp. Unfortunately, tube amps are prone to distortion, typically something traditional jazz guitarists want to avoid at all costs. Despite their expensive maintenance bills and extreme weight on the move, tube amps are exceptionally popular, for those who favor the clean, traditional sounds of jazz as well.

Contemporary & Modern Jazz

For the more modern and contemporary jazz guitarist, a good amp may come in many shapes, sizes and forms. Players who are looking for a more mixed up and funky modern vibe in their sound will regularly employ effects and alterations. They might be more inclined to own and perform on a solid body electric, and may gravitate toward amps with more bells and whistles. Digital amps are increasingly popular for modern jazz. Modern jazz guitarists may also be dabbling in other genres, and digital amps are extremely effective in other arenas of music as well, thus it is a very practical choice. These players are going to want a lot of on-board effects at their fingertips, and a digital amp provides just that.

Industry Standards

Within the world of jazz, there are several amps that have emerged as industry standards. This includes the Fender Pro, often heralded as a good amp for playing jazz guitar due to its extremely clean sounds and lack of distortion.

It is unfortunate that manufacturers do not produce amps that are labeled “jazz guitar amps”. This means you will need to spend a lot of time listening to others, and trying out amps in order to find your own signature sound.

By: David Smithe

Posted in Jazz Festivals
Newer Entries »

Powered by WordPress | Log in | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS) | seo service