Customer Reviews

Building a Jazz Chord Solo: A Guitarist's Guide to the Art of Chord Melody Playing (Guitar Educational)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have bought 4 different books to help me learn and understand guitar chord soloing. This one for me has been the best. It really fits for where I am on the learning curve. As he goes through the 4 versions of each song he gives a few pages of theory explaining why and this has made the difference for me. The songs are cool and his ability to take the song to different levels of complexity is really a great way to learn. I would reccomend it to anyone.

This book not only teaches four arrangements for each of the four songs, but teaches the student how to prepare their own arrangements of songs (which is what we're all really seeking, after all!). The theory can be overwhelming for a beginner, but for someone with knowledge looking to "pull it all together," the style is fine.

Fred sets out the first arrangement with first position chords, accompanied by a virtual seminar in basic music theory. This can be followed easily by the player with some basic music background, and in my case has provided a couple of "now I get it!" moments. The second arrangement is played up the neck with movable chords, which doesn't add to a theoretical understanding, but does show related chord families in other positions (and teaches other chord shapes). The third arrangement is made with jazz substitutions. The accompanying analysis of the third arrangement is the part that can be overwhelming at first, but the song provides immediate real life examples of the concepts so the student immediately applies what has just been taught. The fourth arrangement discusses putting together improvised solos.

Fred's style emphasizes mastering the chord progression before starting to work out a chord arrangement, which is a little different than some other chord/melody styles I've seen that emphasize building chords over the melody line that fit the song's key. It's a wonderful style, and if you're not sure, watch some of the clips of Fred or his students on YouTube. While this book is not a college level theory book by any means, it is still far more than just a basic, beginner's level book (and a lot tougher!). Fred teaches a lot of music in a fun, easy going manner. Well worth the purchase price.

I love how this book gives you four versions of each song. You can see how a piece evolves from a simple solo piece into a true work of art. And each version features an introduction densely packed with music theory. And the CD is invaluable, though interestingly the recordings are not necessarily identical to what's in the book. Still, there's plenty here to work on and even head you toward creating your own song arrangements.

So why only 4 stars? One major concept of jazz (and covered in this book) is chord substitutions, so I would be remiss if I didn't offer a course substitution for this book. If you are looking for something considerably more in depth and have a slightly higher budget, you should look into TrueFire's "Fingerboard Breakthrough" DVD course by Howard Morgen. (It includes a whopping 133-page PDF book and over 4.5 hrs of video for as little as $40.) Ideally, you could use that course and this book as companion pieces to each other, but if you can only buy one, Morgen's course is the one I would suggest. Still, if your budget is tight, and this book is all you can afford, you certainly won't regret the purchase.

I tried several books to work my chord-melody playing and this one is by far the most usable for "good beginners". The concept of showing four versions of each song, each time adding a level of complexity is simple but really powerful. I would strongly advice it if you wanna increase your ability to play in this style.

Muito bom esse livro. Ele começa com arranjos simples, construídos em cima dos acordes mais básicos daquelas revistinhas de banca de jornal e vai evoluindo nas substituições, até um onde a melodia é deixada de lado em favor da improvisação. Estou gastando um tempo com ele e já colhi alguns bons frutos: mais consciência de harmonia, do braço, mais habilidade de tocar acordes um pouquinho mais complexos. Recomendo!!!

As I've gotten older my style of guitar playing has changed. I've found this a good book in helping my style change.