Jazz (Lead) - Advanced

Improvising With Arpeggios – 12 Bar Jazz Blues

Here we have the same chord progression as with the previous exercise (see "Jazz Rhythm" below this post), but this time the chords are strummed with a plectrum rather than fingerpicked. For the solo I have used the arpeggio (literally the individual notes that make up the chord) that fits with the chord being played at that point in time. For example, if the chord being played by the rhythm guitar is Bb7, I’ll improvise over it with a Bb7 arpeggio. If it’s a Cm7 chord, I’ll use a Cm7 arpeggio.

To be able to use scales, chords and arpeggios well on the guitar, you need to learn your notes on the fingerboard extremely well. Guitarists are notoriously slack in learning the names of each of the fretted notes on the neck. Learn the notes “cold” taking one string at a time. Leave out the #’s and b’s until you have a strong grasp of where the “natural” notes are (i.e.; A, B, C, D, E, F, G). You can easily find the # and b notes once you have the natural ones fully committed to memory. Learn the notes ascending and descending alphabetically (you need to think backwards down the musical alphabet too!). This doesn’t happen overnight, but it will give you a greater understanding of music once you can do this, and it will also open up avenues for your playing which would have been impossible to perform before. Exciting? No. Essential? Yes!!

This exercise is also accompanied by a backing track for you to try playing along to (this will be uploaded shortly - please check out http://www.chrispearcemusic.com/ if you are feeling impatient!). If you can’t fit all of the notes in at first, just play some of them to get a feel for what is happening in the music. Don’t ignore the chords either. Playing guitar isn’t all about taking solos. Playing rhythm is something you’ll be doing 90% of the time in most bands. Practice the rhythm guitar part and learn as many shapes/voicings/inversions for each chord as possible.





NOTE: Soundfiles for this piece will be uploaded shortly. Please click on the URL link below to hear the piece (make sure pop-ups are enabled on your browser or press "shift" when clicking on the link). When the new window has opened, click the triangular play button in the right hand corner of the screen to hear the music (you will need Flash installed to hear/view the music).


http://chrispearcemusic.com/downloads/12barjazzblues.php

Jazz (Rhythm) - Advanced

Walking Bass Jazz Blues

This exercise is based around the same 12 bar chord pattern used in the Jazz Blues Lead improvisation exercise above. The basic idea here is to sound like two instruments, namely a guitarist “comping” (the tri-tones/3rds/4ths played with index and middle fingers) with a bassist playing the walking bass line (thumb). The chord tones should be played short and choppy (staccato) whereas the bass line should flow smoothly and effortlessly throughout. The bass line employs a great deal of chromatic/passing notes. Try to work out what is going on with the harmony in this exercise to get a greater understanding of how you could use this technique yourself. Find a chord progression in The Real Book (jazz standards book) and try to walk the bass. Good luck!




NOTE: Soundfiles for this piece will be uploaded shortly. Please click on the URL link below to hear the piece (make sure pop-ups are enabled on your browser or press "shift" when clicking on the link). When the new window has opened, click the triangular play button in the right hand corner of the screen to hear the music (you will need Flash installed to hear/view the music).


http://chrispearcemusic.com/downloads/walkingbassjazzblues.php