I tend to disagree with a portion of this recently posted statement:

"The only way to really learn how to sight read is to read as much as
possible. It's a frustratingly simple concept but it's also the only
solution"

I would pin point the word "learn" as the difference of opinion. If one
wishes to LEARN to sight read effectively, then one must understand what
constitutes good sight reading. How? By analyzing the PROCESS of sight
reading!

Conversely, if one functions well in the sight reading department, then
they are simply reinforcing what they already do "as much as possible".

-DP

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-- Talk to your group with your own voice!
--

The only way to really learn how to sight read is to read as much as
possible. It's a frustratingly simple concept but it's also the only solution.

Steve Gallagher wrote:

From: Brad Rabuchin [mailto:bradrabuchin@...]
Subject: [jazzguitar] Re: Changes to "4 on 6"


//Gm7 /
/ / /
Cm7 F7 /Bbm7 Eb7 /Am7 D7 / Ebm7 Ab7
/
Gm7 / /
/
Cm7 F7 /
BbMaj7 / Am7b5 D7(b9) / Gm7 / Am7b5
D7(b9) ://

These are also the changes Wes uses on "Summertime".

Steve Gallagher

Steve,

Very interesting, never noticed that before.I don't have a recording of Wes
playing Summertime but those changes would defiantly work. I wonder if this
is another example of a Jazz player writing his own head over the changes to
a standard tune.

Thanks,
Brad

The question of how to become a better sight reader usually gets the
typical response -"Do a lot of it". If you resign yourself to several
hours of daily drudgery for the next ten years or so, that method
unquestionably works. If, howevr, you are in the vast majority of those
"average" players, and consider sight-reading a necessary evil, then I
would have to say there are a few things that most teachers and college
level courses ignore about how to improve one's sight reading skills.

First, you need to analyze the PROCESS of sight reading. Understanding
what makes good skill reinforcement is one of the keys. Once you realize
what physical, mental, visual and audial processes are involved, it
becomes a matter of conditioning yourself to respond to certain specific
stimuli. There is much that could be said here, and although I would
like to do so, perhaps one could sy that sight reading is "the art of
learning new material quickly with a fair amount of retention" (Howard
Roberts). Consider the following points.

I. Know the notes on the music staff;.
a. BEFORE playing scan the music for:
1. Key Changes
2. Time Changes
3. Repeat, Signs, etc.
4. Complicated Rhythms
5. Large Interval Skips
6. Unusual Chord Voicings
7. All ornamentations
8. Dymanic marks
b. Anything easily recognized, such as:
1. Sequences
2. Arpeggios
3. Triads
4. Scales
5. Motifs
II. Know where they are on the fretboard.
a. From the above info:
1. Decide on the positions and fingerings you will use BEFOREHAND
2. Play the HARDEST part FIRST.
3. Play this quietly (to yourself) BEFORE you do so with anyone else.
III. Understand musical time notation.
1. Internalize the rhythm(s) FIRST.
IV. Concentrate (as does a typist) on doing all of this fast by:
1. Visualizing yourself playing it BEFOREHAND.
2. Always read ahead one or two bars.
3. Never break tempo, even if you make a mistake.
V. Above all else, learn to HEAR WHAT YOU SEE before you play it!


Good Luck!


Don Price
allJaZZGuiTaR

"...Education...Reference...Resource..."

Hi, according to Jamey Aebersold's book (volume 62), the changes are:

melody
|| Gm C7 | Gm C7 | Gm C7 | Gm |
(stop time)
| Cm F7(#11) | Bbm Eb7(#11) | Am D7(#11) | Ebm Ab7(#11) |
(time)
| Gm C7 | Gm C7 | Gm C7 | Gm |
| Bbmaj7 Gm G#m Am | D7(#9) | Gm solo break --|--------||

Have fun!
[]'s,

Alexandre Alvim

开云体育

Rick,

Thanks a lot for the tip. By the way, I e-mailed you about this awhile ago,
but you never replied. I transcribed "Song for Jimmy and Susanna" by Jimmy
Bruno and wondered if you would be interested in posting it. Jimmy looked
it over himself (I live in Philadelphia and see him often) and thought it
was fine. You're welcome to it if you want.

You did? I apologize for not responding. I've been very busy lately and things have been slipping my mind recently. Believe it or not, I'm generally very good about responding to e-mail.

I would love to post your transcription! In fact, I've just begun to accept other people's contributions in order to make available that much more free music. Another J.B. would really be welcome! :-)

--brent

From: Brad Rabuchin [mailto:bradrabuchin@...]
Subject: [jazzguitar] Re: Changes to "4 on 6"


//Gm7 /
/ / /
Cm7 F7 /Bbm7 Eb7 /Am7 D7 / Ebm7 Ab7
/
Gm7 / /
/
Cm7 F7 /
BbMaj7 / Am7b5 D7(b9) / Gm7 / Am7b5
D7(b9) ://

These are also the changes Wes uses on "Summertime".

Steve Gallagher

Rick,

Could anyone out there please post (or e-mail me) the changes to Wes Montgomery's "4 on 6"?? A friend from France can't find them and my guitar is being repaired so I can't work them out without it.? Thanks.

Try

--brent

//Gm7 /
/ / /
Cm7 F7 /Bbm7 Eb7 /Am7 D7 / Ebm7 Ab7
/
Gm7 / / /
Cm7 F7 /
BbMaj7 / Am7b5 D7(b9) / Gm7 / Am7b5 D7(b9) ://

Rick, here's the solochanges to 4 on 6. The changes for the head are
basically the same with some 7#11s on the F7, Eb7, D7 and Ab7.

Brad

Rick Goosenberg wrote:

开云体育

I am new to this list, so I innocently ask... is there
a faq out there (or some opinions) about reccomended
programs of study for jazz guitar. Wait...there is a
catch: I'm looking for an educational institution in
Brazil...in particular, one around Bahia. Information
about the program would be a plus...
Ahead of time...thank you.
Tano
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.

Well I can't help you with those lead sheets but i have another ont to add
the list ,, Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry,, Thanks

Does anyone have, or know where to find, the lead sheets for the following tunes?

1. Flamenco Sketches -- M. Davis
2. Cousin Mary -- J. Coltrane
3. Blues and the Abstract Truth -- O. Nelson
4. K.C. Blues -- C. Parker

-brent

People Hi ,
I want to thank you all for your replays. Don Price was right, there
is nothing new under the sun. And the way you speak is the way you
play.
Also thanks to Brad Little, simple and natural idea: to play over
the melody.



--
Best regards,
mailto:Igord@...

Hi Brad:

Some lyrics I'd rather not know.

There are famous arias I have been in love with for years until I heard them sung in English. I had heard them sung in Italian and never got their meaning, just the emotional tone, that it was something dramatic or whatever.

Similar for ballads and showtunes. I've known the instrumental for years, never bothered to dig up the sheet music or reissued CD or video, and now with the release of Sher Music's "Standards" book, I'm reading the lyrics for the first time ever. Some are great -- like finally getting to read bossa nova lyrics in the original Portuguese. Others I can dispense with -- maybe they were the "filler" needed to stretch the original Broadway production to full length -- a great melody, but just plain dumb fun for lyrics.

More later,

Mark

Hello,
Regarding improv solos, Rick said >I also believe a good solo should be like
good prose writing.< Interesting. Most of my improvisational development was
when I was primarily a reed player. I was always aware of both the melody
(except of course with free improv) and the lyrics. Certain words and notes
were used as pivot points around which I would improvise, and the flow of
the lyrics would act as an inspiration.
Free improv also often depended on lyrics. One example: I was asked to play
my flute at the ordination of a friend as a priest. I found out what his
favorite psalm was and then interpreted it musically by "reading" it on my
flute during the ceremony. This gave both rhythm and intonation inspiration.
Most of my guitar playing involves arranging and writing rather than improv,
so I applied some of these ideas tonight (on Summertime, solo), and knowing
the words and the melody forward and backward sure made improv easier.
Brad Little

I got question: where do you get licks you play from? It's clear that
some of them are taken from records, but when you play you must invent
somthing of your own, which is the way to do it????!!!!!

Transcribing will help you isolate some musical ideas which you then would want to "mutate". Spend some time writing variations on licks that you've learned through transcribing. Pretty soon you'll have a language of your own.

--brent

speaking for myself, i try to construct solos from my head drawing
inspiration more from piano players these days. this works well as i'm a
fingerstyle player. i think i have found my own voice on my instrument. i
also believe a good solo should be like good prose writing. you make a clear
point in a concise manner. less is often better than more.

yoursinthumbpicks,
eric

1. Regarding your "licks" question. Learning to improvise is a life long
process. Much is learned from recordings, yes, but it is more a
combination of theory, harmony and the ability to "hear" something in
your head and to play it. The "way" it comes out is similar to the way
one learns to speak any language. There is the basic information level,
syuch as letters, words, sentences, paragraphs. There is the next level,
which involves word order, syntax, etc. Then there is the personal level
of interpretaion that is reflected by style, region, and even "slang."
Also, how fast or slow is that speech. Does it have apoint, is there
continuity of thought, does it have tension and resolution? These are
all aspects of speech which are very similar to improvisation.

2. It is not enough to know only the "tools" of improvising (scales,
modes, arpeggios, triads, intervals, etc). One must know how to connect
these (chromaticism, rhythmic variation, phrasing, voice leading, etc.).
How well do you wish to outline the harmony (chords)? How much tension
should you use? How and when should resolution occur? These are aspects
that reflect the knowledge and experience of the individual player.

3. In short, while there is "nothing new under the sun" so-to-speak,
there is always a new way to rearrange what is'nt new. This is where the
improvising seems magical. However, nothing in means nothing out; so one
must take it all in before one can mix it up and give it back in some new
order. The Improvisor's abilities are no different than how well he or
she can articulate a spoken language.

Hope this helps


-Don.