All Blues for Jazz Guitar: Comping Styles, Chords & Grooves

Rating:
Summary: This book is AWESOME
Review: For me, this title was a dream-come-true. I've always wanted to get away from the basic 12-bar blues progressions in my playing, and this book really helps you accomplish that. The author does several things, which I found to be excellent in terms of approach.

This book is geared towards the aspiring jazz guitarist, and as such, the first thing the author does is compare the standard 12-bar blues progression (I-IV-I--IV--I--V-IV-I-V) to more complex ones, including Parker changes, minor blues, various forms of modern blues, swing and bop. Just going through this part of the text is already of benefit to most players, and this is only the beginning.

Next, the author goes through actual playing of the chords for different progressions on the guitar, by demonstrating several standard chord positions and their inversions. Obviously a jazz player, he tends to stay in position, and shows how to do so effectively - this is something that's very useful for voice-leading; it also sets the groundwork for later topics presented.

The next three sections are applications of blues progressions in various blues and jazz settings. They range from swing and bop, to double-stop blues, to walking bass lines. The author goes through various "in-the-style-of" possibilities, which include such jazz greats as Joe Pass and Lenny Breau, as well as several others.

The chapters are very structured and organized. The examples are in several different keys, which serves to show how a variety of ideas can be expressed in different areas of the fretboard. All examples are in standard notation and tab, and include chord symbols (Gm7, B9b13, etc etc). The analysis of each progression is fairly in-depth, but for someone familiar with basic chord theory and progressions, that shouldn't present a problem - in fact, it comes in very handy.

If you've ever had any sort of interest in jazzy blues, this is the book for you. If you've played guitar before, this book shouldn't take excessive effort to work through. And if you're already an advanced player, you will still get insight into the variety of ideas associated with blues from Mr. Ferguson, who's an accomplied educator and a wealth of information.

The only drawback of this publication is the CD. The bass is up way too loud so you can't hear the chord colors very well. Also, there's no (audible) clicktrack, so counting is a pain unless you have the music in front of you. However, since the presentation is in standard notation and tab, it's not really a big issue and not worth taking off a star. Also, the audio quality is also only a problem for the chord comp; the walking bass and more riff-based examples can be heard fine.

In short, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: This book is AWESOME
Review: For me, this title was a dream-come-true. I've always wanted to get away from the basic 12-bar blues progressions in my playing, and this book really helps you accomplish that. The author does several things, which I found to be excellent in terms of approach.

This book is geared towards the aspiring jazz guitarist, and as such, the first thing the author does is compare the standard 12-bar blues progression (I-IV-I--IV--I--V-IV-I-V) to more complex ones, including Parker changes, minor blues, various forms of modern blues, swing and bop. Just going through this part of the text is already of benefit to most players, and this is only the beginning.

Next, the author goes through actual playing of the chords for different progressions on the guitar, by demonstrating several standard chord positions and their inversions. Obviously a jazz player, he tends to stay in position, and shows how to do so effectively - this is something that's very useful for voice-leading; it also sets the groundwork for later topics presented.

The next three sections are applications of blues progressions in various blues and jazz settings. They range from swing and bop, to double-stop blues, to walking bass lines. The author goes through various "in-the-style-of" possibilities, which include such jazz greats as Joe Pass and Lenny Breau, as well as several others.

The chapters are very structured and organized. The examples are in several different keys, which serves to show how a variety of ideas can be expressed in different areas of the fretboard. All examples are in standard notation and tab, and include chord symbols (Gm7, B9b13, etc etc). The analysis of each progression is fairly in-depth, but for someone familiar with basic chord theory and progressions, that shouldn't present a problem - in fact, it comes in very handy.

If you've ever had any sort of interest in jazzy blues, this is the book for you. If you've played guitar before, this book shouldn't take excessive effort to work through. And if you're already an advanced player, you will still get insight into the variety of ideas associated with blues from Mr. Ferguson, who's an accomplied educator and a wealth of information.

The only drawback of this publication is the CD. The bass is up way too loud so you can't hear the chord colors very well. Also, there's no (audible) clicktrack, so counting is a pain unless you have the music in front of you. However, since the presentation is in standard notation and tab, it's not really a big issue and not worth taking off a star. Also, the audio quality is also only a problem for the chord comp; the walking bass and more riff-based examples can be heard fine.

In short, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A useful and enjoyable tool
Review: I have been using this and the Blues Soloing for Jazz Guitar at the reccommendation of my guitar teacher and have found both books to be informative and useful. I am relatively new to guitar playing and have learned some difficult techniques at a rapid pace. My compliments to the author.

Rating:
Summary: excellent book for real musicians
Review: I've been looking for a book that does not teach a purely physical beginner-like approach to the blues. This one is pretty darn close. Its tough to find exactly such an animal, because the two basic book audiences seem to be a) beginner hobbyists or b) gigging pros who make a living playing guitar. What about us guys in the middle? Maybe there are not enough of us to warrent a market.

This book assumes you are a decent player who can read charts and are already an intermediate-level jazz cat. In other words, you have put in a lot of hours on a music-based appraoch to the instrument and now want to learn blues.

Since I am not quite at that level, I kind of have to come in "sideways" at the material and figure out how to make use of it.

My guess is an accomplished jazz player might throw 5 starts at the book, but I rated it based on what I wanted it for.

I do recommend the book to guys in the middle between hobbyist and pro, because there is plenty in there to get your money worth.

Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: excellent book for real musicians
Review: I've been looking for a book that does not teach a purely physical beginner-like approach to the blues. This one is pretty darn close. Its tough to find exactly such an animal, because the two basic book audiences seem to be a) beginner hobbyists or b) gigging pros who make a living playing guitar. What about us guys in the middle? Maybe there are not enough of us to warrent a market.

This book assumes you are a decent player who can read charts and are already an intermediate-level jazz cat. In other words, you have put in a lot of hours on a music-based appraoch to the instrument and now want to learn blues.

Since I am not quite at that level, I kind of have to come in "sideways" at the material and figure out how to make use of it.

My guess is an accomplished jazz player might throw 5 starts at the book, but I rated it based on what I wanted it for.

I do recommend the book to guys in the middle between hobbyist and pro, because there is plenty in there to get your money worth.

Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: From the publisher
Review: Jim Ferguson's years of playing, listening, and writing about jazz guitar makes him an authority on the comping styles of such greats as George Benson, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, Lenny Breau, Joe Pass and many others. This book is a comprehensive guide to these players comping styles, starting with the basics of chord symbols and basic blues form. Guitarists will learn the traditional grooves and changes along with modern approaches to time-proven figures in a way to help you play in a wide spectrum of settings, from big band and small combos to a solo context. Techniques covered in the four sections include voice leading, linear comping, modal concepts, walking bass lines, and advanced rhythm chord comping styles. Material is presented progressively but nothing is simplified- all examples are rhythmically notated which is very important in a jazz context as rhythm represents perhaps the single most important element of creative jazz improvisation. Notation and tablature.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Maybe you've been playing guitar for a while, and can play basic rock and blues rhythm. You know a few dozen bar chords, and they work well for most rick playing. You've listened to R&B guitarists like Matt Murphy and Steve Cropper, and wondered, what the heck is he playing? That doesn't sound like any of the chords I know. And all those different chords in a simple blues? And hey, what about those cool two-note riffs?

If that sounds like you- this is the book you need. Ferguson teaches an essential vocabulary of 3 and 4 note rhythm guitar chords while showing you how to apply them to not only blues, but any sort of pop or jazz chord changes. By the end of the book you'll be playing so hip your guitarist friends will think you sold your soul to the devil at a crossroads at midnight.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Maybe you've been playing guitar for a while, and can play basic rock and blues rhythm. You know a few dozen bar chords, and they work well for most rick playing. You've listened to R&B guitarists like Matt Murphy and Steve Cropper, and wondered, what the heck is he playing? That doesn't sound like any of the chords I know. And all those different chords in a simple blues? And hey, what about those cool two-note riffs?

If that sounds like you- this is the book you need. Ferguson teaches an essential vocabulary of 3 and 4 note rhythm guitar chords while showing you how to apply them to not only blues, but any sort of pop or jazz chord changes. By the end of the book you'll be playing so hip your guitarist friends will think you sold your soul to the devil at a crossroads at midnight.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Maybe you've been playing guitar for a while, and can play basic rock and blues rhythm. You know a few dozen bar chords, and they work well for most rick playing. You've listened to R&B guitarists like Matt Murphy and Steve Cropper, and wondered, what the heck is he playing? That doesn't sound like any of the chords I know. And all those different chords in a simple blues? And hey, what about those cool two-note riffs?

If that sounds like you- this is the book you need. Ferguson teaches an essential vocabulary of 3 and 4 note rhythm guitar chords while showing you how to apply them to not only blues, but any sort of pop or jazz chord changes. By the end of the book you'll be playing so hip your guitarist friends will think you sold your soul to the devil at a crossroads at midnight.

Rating:
Summary: A great tool for learning jazz guitar blues
Review: This book is a very well written and organized study of jazz blues for jazz guitar students! I have found something new each time I have picked it up. The writing is clear and explains things on many levels, and the examples are not that hard to play, so you can use them pretty quickly. I find that one of the best ways to use the book is to play the examples as choruses while you are playing tunes that you know, changing the rhythms to fit the tune. Thanks to the author for giving us what must be a lifetime of experience in a compact package!