Customer Reviews

Chords and Progressions for Jazz and Popular Guitar

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great book for the intermediate guitarist, or for advanced players looking to move into the jazz arena. (Not for novices: only the first 29 pgs. out of 126 are beginner-level info. The learning curve gets a good deal steeper after that.) The book first walks you through basic jazz chord forms (with roots on 6th and 5th strings), then into inversions (seemingly every conceivable type!). Next, you get to deal with extensions, alterations, embellishments, and substitutions for I, II, and V chords (and, ultimately, any major, minor, or dominant). The rest of the book is fleshed out with smaller sections on triads, chord melody playing, comping, etc., which work to tie the concepts together. The format is mainly chord diagrams, indicating both fingering and note values (roots, 3rds, etc.). Works best taken in doses, working with each concept until absorbed. Used along with a study of scales/modes and their use around various chord shape, you could become a true fretboard master!

This book is highly recommended. The author touches on jazz progressions, rhythms, inversions, substitutions, fingerstyle, chord-melody solos, alterered chords, and a host of other techniques that the novice or intermediate jazz guitarist will find interesting, challanging, and if mastered, very rewarding. To understand the author's theoretical explanations the reader should have rudimentary knowledge of harmony and melody. I found the book to be very useful.

Unlike a lot of books that expect you to already know some music theory before you use them, this book doesn't assume anything.

It bogs you down a little with the inversions they have you memorize, and the chords that look like fractions and chemistry symbols are intimidating, but at least you start out slow and easy...by the time you're into the inversion chapter you've already been able to hear your progress in a jazz-flavored accompaniment to "Blue Moon". I myself was amazed after I played it and could actually superimpose the song over the chord changes in my mind; I could say, yeah, that works!

I wish all guitar instruction books were programmed the way this one is. By the end of the book, and I'm not there yet, you really know your music, and not just jazz, either!

The beginning guitarist often buys one of the many chord books, typically entitled something like "1000 Guitar Chords!" in his or her search to advance. But once they start looking throuugh these massive volumes the reaction is not enlightenment, but desapir. What are all these chords for? Which ones do I have to know? And when do I actually use them?

Luckily, though, there's Arnie Berle. This boook will guide anyone from the rank beginner through the intermediate guitarist through the maze of chords. Rather than the usual listings- "here's every possible C shord in every position"- Arnie starts out simply and builds on basics, showing you at every step how chords function, where they come from, and why you might want to use a particular form in a particular situation.

The book starts with open chords, and then moves into the rocker's favorite, 6 string bar chords, with plenty of examples of common progressions. From there it's on to 4 and 5 string jazz voicings, along with copious examples, and simplified 3-string rhythm chords for the swing or big band guitarist. By the time you finish with this book- and you might take anywhere from a month to a year, depending on how you went at it- you should be able to start with a simple lead sheet and make your own hip rhythym part.

I'd recommend this book to beginners inetrested in learning something beyond simple open chords- particularly those with a bit of jazz interest. I'd also recommend it to any intermediate-level guitarist who wants to go beyond the basic rock chords into something a little hipper. There's something here for most every player.

this is a good book for learning chords and jazz progressions. it starts off fairly simple and gets more complicated as the book continues.it gets pretty in depth and does explain the material in a logical way but u have to stick with it to get the most out of it.If u want to learn chords and jazz progressions i would recommend this one

Arnie is a great teacher...The book is perfect to understand progressions, chord substitutions and so on... If you're trying to understand the jazz basics and if you want to succeed in jazz, this book is for you. Thank you Arnie!

Are you tired of playing the same old rock and blues and looking to expand your horizons into jazz, but don't have the foggiest idea how to start? That's where I was when I ordered this book along with Berle's Patterns, Scales and Modes for Jazz Guitar. I ordered them both because I didn't know which would be better for my needs. This book was the one. I think the other book will come in handy later, but this is the one to get first.

A note of caution: jazz guitar is hard (but fun). Even though I've played guitar for years I had to work really hard at this stuff. I suggest spending some real long, quality practicing time with Berle's exercises for maximum benefit. That's what I've been doing and am slowly becoming able to play those fancy chords and make the hard changes that seemed impossible at first. Thanks Artie!

This book will start you out with open string cowboy chords and end with 2 good chord melody arrangements of familiar tunes.Depending on your skill level,you can jump in where you feel comfortable.There isn't information on single line playing,but that isn't in the title.For me, the diagrams for the chord inversions were very useful.The four note upper string chord diagrams will give you all you need to arrange your own chord melodies of about any song.Its unlikely you'll be playing like Barney Kessl or Herb Ellis after studying this book,but you'll be headed in the right direction and will get to that level much sooner.I have several of Arnie's books and I got some use from all of them.I highly reccommend this book for self study if you don't have a teacher available.

I play many styles of music, but Jazz is my favorite, as the chords are the warmest of them all.
You don't need to pound on the guitar, do a bunch of bends, play the same two notes to monotony, or have any accompaniment to sound full bodied and just right all by yourself. Blues does this to a point, but just does not use the full bodied chords that Jazz does.
Jazz chords are not necessarily easy, but well worth it once you have them down.
The book goes through the types of chord forms until around page 31 and then you are off with the actual progressions.
I am an old Wes Montgomery fan and can remember many good times with his music and now I can actually play some
of it.

I am a jazz guitarist and occasional teacher. Arnie Berle's book is the best teaching reference that I've found, and I have many, as it includes all the fundamentals, theory, fingering diagrams, etc., etc., that a student needs to learn to play his preferred style of popular or jazz guitar.

HOWEVER, I recommend that a student should use this excellent book - like ANY OTHER 'how to' book - in conjunction with a 'pro' performer/teacher to have a better understanding of what, why and how the various text information and diagrams will be most useful in a manner that only a pro can do.