Jazz Guitar Technique

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Stuff
Review: Congratulations to Andrew Green for his "Jazz Guitar Technique." This book is unique amoung the many jazz guitar books in print because it addresses much more than what many guitarists might consider "technique." Starting from 1)developing assertive pick hand rhythmic control, 2) demonstrating how to see and hear the same melodic idea in many areas of the fingerboard and 3) laying down a concise series of excercises aimed at mastering cross string picking, the author develops excercises and lines that are free from guitar cliches. He includes immediately useful chord voicings from the diminished scale with lots of beautiful phrases that one can apply to tunes right away.

There is more and I am certain that anyone who works with this book will make discoveries leading to improvisational fluency. "Jazz Guitar Technique" is a workbook with no wasted words or excess musical examples. It's one of the really great ones that do not come along often. I for one am glad that it is not published by one of the mega-music publishers (although it deserves wide distribution) because it is not from the conventional mold. Thelonius Monk has been quoted as saying "Jazz is Freedom." Time spent working from Andrew Green's "Jazz Guitar Technique" will help develop the musical and instrumental chops that will lead to freedom.

Rating:
Summary: This is THE book!
Review: Forget the "Learn Jake McButtkiss Jazz Solos Note for Note" books, this is the book that'll give you the concepts to break through to the next level of your playing. And if you use it even sparingly it'll give you chops to back up the new ideas in your guitarsenal.

Even though he's working on getting you play differently, the exercises start simply and build in logical steps. This makes it easy to work with even if you only have a little music reading ability like me, a self taught rock and roller.

Andrew Green also has his own website where you can hear lines from the book. Check out www.chopsfactory.com I've also seen him play a couple times in New York City, and this unassuming cat is a really killer player, comfortable in laid back grooves and uptempo tunes that change keys every measure; he can do it all!

Rating:
Summary: This is THE book!
Review: Forget the "Learn Jake McButtkiss Jazz Solos Note for Note" books, this is the book that'll give you the concepts to break through to the next level of your playing. And if you use it even sparingly it'll give you chops to back up the new ideas in your guitarsenal.

Even though he's working on getting you play differently, the exercises start simply and build in logical steps. This makes it easy to work with even if you only have a little music reading ability like me, a self taught rock and roller.

Andrew Green also has his own website where you can hear lines from the book. Check out www.chopsfactory.com I've also seen him play a couple times in New York City, and this unassuming cat is a really killer player, comfortable in laid back grooves and uptempo tunes that change keys every measure; he can do it all!

Rating:
Summary: This is THE book!
Review: Forget the "Learn Jake McButtkiss Jazz Solos Note for Note" books, this is the book that'll give you the concepts to break through to the next level of your playing. And if you use it even sparingly it'll give you chops to back up the new ideas in your guitarsenal.

Even though he's working on getting you play differently, the exercises start simply and build in logical steps. This makes it easy to work with even if you only have a little music reading ability like me, a self taught rock and roller.

Andrew Green also has his own website where you can hear lines from the book. Check out www.chopsfactory.com I've also seen him play a couple times in New York City, and this unassuming cat is a really killer player, comfortable in laid back grooves and uptempo tunes that change keys every measure; he can do it all!

Rating:
Summary: An advanced book even beginners can profit from
Review: I've been doing exercises from this book nearly everyday since I purchased it and it has improved not only my chops, but the way in which I approach improvisation as well. Although a beginner to jazz will profit from mere repetition of the studies, an advanced or intermediate player will find the harmonic ideas incorporated in the studies to be very advanced and original.

Particularly intriguing is his unorthodox approach to fingering, some of which I've incorporated into my playing.

Rating:
Summary: There is NO TAB!!!!!!!!
Review: Just an FYI for those who may not know. I didn't see it mentioned anywhere but....YOU MUST BE ABLE TO READ MUSIC to derive any benefit from this book. There is NO TAB!!

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff!
Review: This book delivers the goods as the title claims. Guitarists should also check out the following:
1) Mick Goodrick: The Advancing Guitarist (Hal Leonard)
2) David Keller: The Jazz Theory Handbook (Advance)
3) Scott Miller: Getting Into Jazz Fusion Guitar (Mel Bay)