rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz

Frequently Asked Questions

This is the official FAQ for the rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz newsgroup. Click on a question to see the answer. Comments are welcome and, in fact, encouraged. Feel free to suggest new topics as well as additions to existing ones. The answers given are not our personal views, rather we've attempted to present the views of RMMGJ contributors. If you think we've misrepresented the majority view or ignored a significant minority opinion, please let us know.

The FAQ is still evolving and is frequently updated, so check back often and use your browser's reload button. It's again available in both the the USA and Europe.

About the newsgroup

• What is rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz, and what are Frequently Asked Questions?
  
  
• When did this newsgroup start and what was its charter?
  
  
• Do the contributors to this newsgroup actually know what they're talking about?
  
  

Listening to jazz guitar

• Who is the "best" (insert modifier here) guitarist?
  
  
• I'm just getting into jazz guitar. What recordings should I be listening to?
  
  
• On which CD does (insert guitarist) play (insert tune)?
  
  
• What are the most straight-ahead jazz recordings of George Benson and why doesn't he make more?
  
  
• Who are some of the more "modern" sounding guitar players that I should check out?
  
  

Learning to play jazz guitar

• I'm interested in playing jazz after playing guitar for a few years. What books would you recommend to get me started?
  
  
• I'm interested in playing jazz. Should I find a teacher?
  
  
• I would like to learn jazz at a music school. Is there a shortlist of schools that I should be considering?
  
  
• What are some guitar-related teaching resources on the web?
  
  
• My sight reading needs work. What books are there that are useful?
  
  
• I have trouble playing "outside". Does anyone have any suggestions for practicing this?
  
  
• Where can I find transcriptions and exercises in TAB?
  
  
• Can learning some classical guitar technique improve my jazz guitar playing?
  
  
• What does the chord symbol 7alt mean and why isn't it in my chord book?
  
  
• What is a tritone substitution?
  
  

Equipment for jazz guitarists

• How do I get the "Jazz Tone"?
  
  
• What kind of guitar do I need to play jazz?
  
  
• I'm looking for a budget archtop. What are my choices?
  
  
• I'm interested in buying a telecaster? Which one is best for jazz?
  
  
• I'm looking for an amp to give me the "Jazz Tone". What should I buy?
  
  
• What are the differences between tube amps and solid-state amps? What should I buy?
  
  
• How does guitarist X get that sound? What is his rig?
  
  
• How can I reduce feedback?
  
  

Repertoire for jazz guitarists

• What (pick a #) tunes should I know if I want to participate in a jam session?
  
  
• What are some essential standards that I should know?
  
  
• Where can I find transcriptions of (insert name here) on the Web?
  
  
• What is the Real Book? Where can I get one?
  
  
• What are the changes to "Satin Doll" or other common jazz tunes?
  
  
• Why don't the changes in the Real Book/fakebook sound like the record?

Web resources and software for jazz guitar

• What is Band-in-a-Box? Where can I get it? Is there a demo version?
  
  
• Are there any other web pages about jazz guitar?
  
  
• What other newsgroups are relevant?

Questions that don't fit into the other categories

• What is the name of this chord?
  
  
• How, when and where did Emily Remler die?
  
  
• How can I take my guitar with me when I'm flying?
  
  
• Is "Dick Garcia" really Hank Garland?
  
  
• Are there any plans to release "Live" by Jim Hall on cd?
  
  
• What are "drop" voicings?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

rec.music.makers.jazz.guitar is an online forum for the discussion of the guitar in jazz. If you've already used internet newsgroups you'll know how to find us. If not, the easiest way to participate is via the www.deja.com website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are just what it says: questions that get asked over and over again in a newsgroup. This happens because visitors and newcomers are always joining the discussion, and they obviously can't know what questions were asked last month. The purpose of this document is to present the answers to the most common questions. Please check whether the answer to your question is here before posting to the newsgroup.

It's not our intention to dissuade anyone from taking part in the newsgroup, we just want to maintain the high quality of the discussions. We look forward to reading your Infrequently Asked Question at rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz!

The group was first proposed by Bob Patterson and the results of the voting were announced on Dec 12, 1995. According to Bob, "I wanted it to be rec.music.jazz.guitar but there was no rec.music.jazz hierarchy."

Here are the rationale and charter from the original Request For Discussion and Call For Votes.

RATIONALE:

The guitar has become the dominant musical instrument of the 20th Century. Widespread interest in various aspects of this instrument are evident in the many guitar-related newsgroups on Usenet. There are newsgroups as narrowly focused as rec.music.classical.guitar, rec.music.makers.bass, rec.music.makers.dulcimer, etc.

In Jazz, the foremost American musical art form, the guitar enjoys a history longer than almost any other instrument. There have been many notable players in its history from the turn of the century to today. The guitar has been a catalyst of many important stylistic changes in jazz. Currently, study of jazz guitar at the University level is increasing exponentially, bringing with it a flood of new Usenet users interested in the topic.

As it stands now, dicussion of jazz guitar is split among rec.music.bluenote, rec.music.makers.guitar, and rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic. I believe there is enough traffic on these groups that, combined with the relative specialization of the topic, a separate newsgroup is warranted.

CHARTER:

All aspects of the jazz guitar.

rec.music.jazz.guitar is an unmoderated newsgroup for the discussion of the guitar in jazz. This would include both electric and acoustic-oriented instruments and players in all the various sub-genres: Early, Swing, Bebop, Hard Bop, Cool, Modal, Fusion, Brazilian/Latin, and Contemporary. Furthermore it encompasses aspects of both Solo and Ensemble playing.

Possible topics include: single string technique, fingerstyle jazz technique, chord vocabulary, solo arrangements and chord reharmonization, teaching methods, styles and analysis of players, recordings, transcriptions, instruments and equipment, aspects of lutherie (instrument building) directly related to jazz guitar, publications, compositions written by or for jazz guitarists and history of jazz and archtop guitar design.

Commercial posts and advertisments of any kind are not appropriate. Also discussion of other jazz instruments not related to guitar OR other styles of guitar playing are not an appropriate topic. For such topics use either rec.music.bluenote, rec.music.bluenote.blues, rec.music.makers.guitar or another appropriate newsgroup.

Jimmy Bruno
Joey Goldstein
Cliff Kuplen
Clay Moore
Kevin Van Sant
Pat Smith

In addition, there are two collections of audio files that include RMMGJ participants. The first is Wesley Dick's Jukebox, where Wesley has posted a collection of sound clips from RMMGJ regulars. The second is Nick Delonas' Guitarists of the Internet page that is not limited to jazz players, but does include RMMGJ participants. To learn a little bit about some of the regular posters on rmmgj, visit the Meet the Contributors page.

• Wes Montgomery - recording career 1959-1968, style: hard bop
• The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
• Smokin' at the Half Note
• Full House

• Charlie Christian - recording career 1939-1941, style: swing, early bebop
• Genius of the Electric Guitar
• Guitar Wizard

• Jim Hall - recording career 1950-present, style: cool, post-bop
• Alone Together (duo with Ron Carter on bass)
• Take Ten, Bossa Antigua (Paul Desmond recordings)
• The Bridge (a Sonny Rollins recording. There is also a video available of this group - Sonny Rollins "Jazz Casual", that is well worth seeking out. Mr. Hall can also be seen playing on the "Art Farmer / Jim Hall "Jazz Casual" release. The latter is also well worth seeking out for insights into his comping and soloing styles.)
• Live (finally released on cd. Many feel that this is his best recording. Note that this is NOT "Live in Japan".)

• Django Reinhardt - recording career 1928-1953, style: swing, gypsy jazz.
• The Art of Django Reinhardt
• Verve Jazz Masters

• Joe Pass - recording career 1962-1994, style: bop, unaccompanied jazz guitar
• Virtuoso (solo recording, there are 4 volumes)
• Appasionato
• For Django

• Barney Kessell - recording career 1945-1992, style: swing, bop
• The Poll Winners
• The Poll Winners - Exploring the Scene

• John McLaughlin - recording career 1970-present, style: progressive rock/jazz fusion, Indian influences
• The Inner Mounting Flame
• My Goal's Beyond

• Kenny Burrell - recording career 1956-present, style: bop, heavy blues influence.
• Midnight Blue
• On View at the Five Spot Cafe
• Blue Bash (with Jimmy Smith)
• Back at the Chicken Shack (a Jimmy Smith recording)

• Howard Roberts - recording career 1956-1992, style: bop.
• The Real Howard Roberts
• H.R. is a Dirty Guitar Player/Color Him Funky

• Grant Green - recording career 1961-1978, style: hard bop, R&B influence
• Idle Moments
• Feelin' the Spirit
• Grantstand

• Lenny Breau - recording career 1968-1984, style: his own
• Live at Bourbon Street
• Five O'Clock Bells
• The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau

• Tal Farlow - recording career 1953-1976, style: bebop
• This is Tal Farlow
• The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow

• Jimmy Raney - recording career 1949-1985, style: bebop
• In Paris, Volume 1

• Johnny Smith - recording career 1952-1970, style: cool
• Moonlight in Vermont
• Johnny Smith
• Johnny Smith and His New Quartet

• Baden Powell - recording career 1963-2000, style: Brazillian
• Tristeza on Guitar
• Poema on Guitar
• Apaixonado

  Note that some of the people on the "classic" list are still recording. Their inclusion on the above list in no way implies that what they are currently doing is somehow not as good as their work on the older albums. Here is a list of some younger players and their recommended recordings. Again, these are in no particular order.
  
  

• Pat Metheny - recording career 1978-present, style: hard to say. Post-avant-garde post-fusion with folk influences?
• Pat Metheny Group
• Still Life Talking
• Question and Answer

• Larry Coryell - recording career 1966-present, style: fusion, post-bop.
• The Essential Larry Coryell (fusion)
• Private Concert (solo and duo works)
• Monk, 'Trane, Miles & Me (post-bop)

• Ralph Towner - recording career 1972-present, style: his own. Uses classical and 12 string guitars.
• Solo Concert

• Pat Martino - recording career 1964-present, style: post-bop.
• Footprints (aka The Visit)
• El Hombre
• Live
• Conciousness

• John Scofield - recording career 1974-present, style: post-bop.
• Grace Under Pressure
• Flat Out
• Bass Desires (Marc Johnson, leader)

• John Abercrombie - recording career 1971-present, style: post-bop.
• Timeless
• Tactics
• Witchcraft
• Abercrombie, Johnson, Erskine

• Bill Frisell - recording career 1979-present, style: post-bop.
• Live
• Where in the World
• Paul Motion on Broadway, Vols. 1 and 2
• Bass Desires (Marc Johnson, leader)

• "New Boss of Jazz Guitar"
• "George Benson Cookbook"
• "It's Uptown"
• "Blue Benson"
• Jimmy Smith's "Off the Top"
• "Body Talk"
• "Bad Benson"
• "Cooking in Benson's Kitchen" (possibly out of print)

The answer to the second part of the question is: "Maybe he is just playing what he likes."

The next problem is how to locate a teacher in your area. Some suggestions that have been made include:

• If there is a music school nearby, call to see if any faculty members give private lessons.
• Go to performances of local musicians and ask them if they have any suggestions for teachers. They may take students themselves.
• Check at your local music stores. They will either have instructors that teach out of the store or may have a bulletin board where teachers can post their numbers.

It IS appropriate to post a message to the list to ask if there are good teachers in your area.

A final word. Several people have pointed out that if you decide to study with someone, you are not tied to this person for life. If their teaching style does not meet your needs or match your learning style, feel free to seek out another teacher. You will not be hurting their feelings and, in fact, they may feel the same way. You should, however, give them a month or so to ascertain where you are with your playing and how best to work with you.

• You will learn how to "properly" hold the guitar. Although there are many fantastic guitarists with terrible technique, it is not a bad idea to see how classical guitarists hold the instrument. The idea that there is a "right way" to hold the guitar is based on the fact that CG players need to play the entire neck of the guitar with facility and through the years they have come up with a posture and placement that allows them to do this. Obviously, there is not just one way that is correct (even among CG players), but you may find, for example, that keeping your thumb behind the neck allows you to move around better than you had before.
• You will learn to pay attention to "tone". In many CG pieces there are sections in which the player is asked to play near the bridge and others where the strings should be plucked above the soundhole (towards the tuners). This is important to increase the tonal pallette of the guitar and a jazz player (or any player) should be aware of these possibilities.
• Your ability to read music will improve.
• The ability to use your fingers or nails will allow you to comp in a more pianistic manner. No matter how fast you strum, when you use a pick you are playing the notes sequentially. When you comp with your fingers, you can pluck each note at exactly the same time and really play chords. Again, this increases the number of different sounds available to you as a guitar player.
• The increased finger independence of both hands is helpful in chord-melody solo playing. Many people can play solo beautifully with a pick (Johnny Smith is a good example), but again the ability to make large leaps or keep a bassline going by using all of your right hand fingers increases what is possible for you to play.

More free instructional material is available online at:

• Guitar Masters
• Jazz Guitar Online
• Guitar Main
• Vision Music
• WholeNote
• Dan's Guitar Stuff

• Sideslipping: This involves playing up a halfstep from your current scale. This can mean that you start a phrase in C, for example, continue it in Db, and end it back in C. Or you can play a phrase in C, play it again in Db, and then play it again in C (assuming you have time!). Since the basic idea is that of tension and release, you could play Out - In - Out (which is the example above), Out - In - Out - In, or Out - In - Out (though this is a bit harder to pull off).
  
  
• Superimposition of one harmony over another: For example, one could outline an E7 (or E7b9) chord when the tune's harmony is Am. This is an application of the fact that you can treat any chord as the I (or i) chord and superimpose it's V chord. Another possibility is a Db7 chord over C (which would be the tritone sub for the V of C, a G7). (The Db7 could also be viewed almost as a side slip as well.)
  
  
• Playing ahead of the changes: This is a rather mild form of playing out, but it gives a nice tension/release feel. For example, if the changes are | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |, start outlining the G7 during the Dm7. The ear will hear the tension during the Dm7 and will recognize the "in-ness" when the G7 comes along. This became common practice in the bop era.

One reason for not specifying exactly what chord to play is that soloists use the chord symbols to suggest what scale to use at that point, and the alt symbol is sufficient for that purpose - see the recommended books and online tutorials for more information. But transcriptions in fakebooks are far from perfect anyway, it could be that the transcriber couldn't define it any closer than that, or was just in a hurry. Writing 7alt instead of 7 may be significant, but it may not be - use your ears and make your own decision.

A few other potentially misleading chord symbols:

° and °7 look as though they should mean a dimished triad and a diminished 7th respectively, in fact both denote a diminished 7th.
+ and add are synonymous for everybody except musicians. add9 means a major triad with the 9th added, whereas +9 means a 9th chord built on an augmented triad.
+11 is an exception to the above rule, denotes an 11th chord built on a major triad but with the 11th sharpened.

IIm7  V7  I

Dm7   G7  C

     Sub             Sub                  Sub         

IIm7 V7   I    or   IIm7  V7  I     or    IIm7   V7  I

Dm7  Db7  C         Abm7  Db7 C           Abm7   G7  C

Having said that, most jazz guitarists prefer archtops, for both historical and aesthetic reasons. Before amplification, guitarists in jazz combos valued the volume provided by large-bodied acoustic archtops with their cello-like construction: the first electric guitars gained acceptance in this market by offering the traditional look and feel. These archtops have the same carved, solid wood top and hollow body construction as their acoustic predecessors, with a floating pickup to allow the top to resonate freely, so they're still good as acoustic guitars. As example of this sound, Bucky Pizzarelli use minimal volume to "comp" behind soloists. This allows him to get a more "pitched-percussion" acoustic sound rather than a piano-like sound. Later designs put more emphasis on plugged-in tone, with routed pickups and less resonant, laminated (plywood) tops that reduce feedback at the expense of unplugged tone and volume. But the acoustic qualities still play a big role in the amplified sound, so this kind of guitar should sound good acoustically, even if it's not loud enough to actually perform unplugged. Jim Hall also uses the acoustic capabilites of his guitar by using minimal volume when comping, even though his guitar has a routed pickup (granted, the guitar is a D'Aquisto).

Plugged in, hollow-body archtops sound different to solid-body electrics: woodier, mellower, airier... hard to describe, but for many it's simply the "jazz tone", the right sound for playing jazz. And there are other reasons why you may decide to get an archtop if you're moving to jazz. Maybe the appearance - they're certainly very beautiful instruments. Maybe you feel you'll have more street credibility at jam sessions with an archtop. Or maybe you just can't resist the word "Gibson" on the headstock. These sort of emotional reasons are OK - if you're so much in love with your guitar that you can't walk past it without picking it up and playing a few bars, that's certainly a good thing.

• Epiphone Emperor II Joe Pass
• Epiphone Emperor Regent
• Epiphone Zephyr Regent
• Washburn J6 Montgomery
• Washburn J8 Memphis
• Washburn J9 Washington
• DeArmond X135
• DeArmond X155
• Cort LCS-1 Larry Coryell
• Ibanez AF120 Artstar
• Hohner HS-40
• Aria FA-70

Further up-market: Heritage H-550, H-575 and Eagle are highly regarded. The latter two have solid wood tops, and are considered as excellent value. The Gibson ES-175, first introduced in 1949, is the single most popular choice amongst jazz guitarists and the current version still a very fine instrument. The current street price of an ES-175 can range from a low of $2100 (Vintage Sunburst and much shopping around) to ~$3000 (expect to pay ~$500 more for a blonde). For comparison, custom-built archtops with hand-carved solid wood tops are available from the less famous luthiers for as little as $2000 new. If you want a Gibson, the ES-165 Herb Ellis is a lower priced alternative, same as the ES-175 but with a single pickup. Also frequently recommended in the $1000-$1500 range: Guild X-150 Savoy and X-170 Manhattan, Ibanez GB-10 George Benson, Yamaha AEX1500 and AES1500.

There is a comprehensive Product Review Database with user comments on these and other guitars at Harmony Central.

Buying used is a good option - most musicians take good care of their instruments, and a "played in" used guitar offers some security against slowly manifesting structural defects. Rule-of-thumb used price is 50% - 75% of the new price, except where collector's value plays a role - then the sky's the limit. In addition to the instruments already listed, there are some out-of-production models to look out for. For example, the Washburn J10 Orleans has been highly recommended on the newsgroup and can be found used for about $750. Ibanez archtops from the 70's were much more exact replicas of Gibsons than today's copyright law allows. Epiphone Zeniths from the 40's and 50's have solid carved tops, and offer good tone and playability at a price of $400-$750.

• 1952 Reissue
• American FAT
• ASAT Deluxe (G&L)
• 1972 Custom (has a Seth-Lover-designed humbucker in the neck position)
• Pro Tone FAT (Squire, no longer manufactured, but are available used)
• American Series (NOT the American Standard Series, which is now discontinued)(the American series is supposedly already routed for a humbucker)
• Plus (made from 1989-1995).

• Seymour Duncan Nashville Studio (not a humbucker, a little dark, but very quiet)
• Harmonic Design (no models given)
• Seymour Duncan '59 SH-1 in the neck position
• Seymour Duncan Vintage Stacked
• Joe Barden (no model given)
• Seymour Duncan Jazz (though its not very warm, it has a clear sound that some like)
• Have the stock pickup rewound by Kent Armstrong or Lindy Fralin
• Blue Lace Sensor in the neck and Red Dually Lace Sensor in the bridge

• Polytone Minibrute IV
  Probably the most frequently recommended "jazz" amp, and reasonably priced (around $450 new). Many swear by them since they do not seem to add much color to the guitar tone (though some have complained that they are somewhat "nasally"). In addition they are reasonably light.
  
  
• Fender Twin Reverb
  These have gone through some wiring changes in their production history, the early blackface models are most prized by jazz guitarists, and can fetch $1500+. Later silverface models cost $500 to $650: if you see one cheaper, it's probably the most recent and least desirable version. The current "reissue" sells for around $800.
  
  
• Roland JC120
  Click here for their website. These have been lauded as having a good, clean sound, but others have complained about their high hiss. Around $750 new. Also comes in an 2 x 10" speaker, 80 Watt model (named, oddly enough, the JC-90).
  
  
• SWR California Blonde
  Click here for their website. $1099 (retail).
  
  
• Walter Wood
  All custom made, prices from $900 to $2000 depending on options. His address is: Walter Woods, 78395 Sterling Lane, Palm Desert, CA 92211 (ph)760.772.7952
  
  
• Evans
  These are handmade amps and are very clean sounding. They are available in a few stores, but they are mostly mail order. Since their introduction, the models have changed frequently so it is best to call the company to see what the current offerings are or click here for their website.
  
  
• Acoustic Image
  This is a relatively new head on the scene. The company's focus was originally on producing amplification equipment for the acoustic bass, but has branched out into other instruments. Their head is called the "Clarus" and it is 120 watts into 8 ohms (the usual resistance of a cabinet). The selling point for the Clarus is that the amplification is very flat meaning that it should better keep the acoustic quality of the instrument without shaping the tone. More information can be found at this link.

Check out the Product Review Database at Harmony Central for more information and user comments.

• My one and only gigging amp is a Fender Deluxe Reverb. I love the way tubes ever so slightly compress your sound, when cranked up a little bit.
• oh yeah, I loved my Princeton Reverb (65) with my Andersen...real Wes sounding.
• I've used my Fender Pro Junior exclusively on probably 500 gigs in the 2 years I've owned it. I crave the dynamic response of tubes and this tiny amp has it plus a smooth, focused sound that really cuts through a band even with the darkest of tones and a little of that intangible tube 'burn'. What else do you want?!!
• There's a certain "magic" with tube amps that many really enjoy. Although the Classic Jazz Tone is not heavily distorted, in fact a tube amp that's right on the cusp of distortion has additional tonal complexities and mid-range harmonic overtones that can be very attractive.

• I've had an Evans AE200 8/6 for about four months which replaced my fender black faced deluxe. (Killed it dead, really)
• I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to get a pretty good approximation of my standard jazz sound on the Vibro-King with the (Evans) AE200.
• The MBII colors the sound much less, has more punch, and seems to respond faster (than his '65 Deluxe Reissue). It's so fast you don't even need to play all the notes sometimes :-)
• Solid-state amps give you a more "accurate" less colored sound
• This doesn't come easy for me.... knows I'm a die-hard 60s Fender twin aficionado, the clarity of the Evans, Polytone + Raezer Edge (ed. note: the latter is a make of cabinet), and Walter Woods, in my opinion is on par or superior to the best vintage tube amps of the late 50's/60's.
• I'm just looking for an amp that faithfully reproduces my acoustic archtop's tone at a volume the audience will be able to hear. Coloration of any kind is not desirable.
• So, to top it all off, for low weight, high power, and even, clean tone I prefer a Polytone.
• Johnny (Smith) had an amp (solid-state) designed and built... It is an absolutely flat amp like the Clarus which has received so much attention here lately. Johnny also carried a Walter Woods as a backup amp.

• Wes Montgomery: Gibson L5 (full sized archtop w/carved top, top mounted pickups) with tone knob rolled off (to varying degrees) through Fender type tube combo amp. Most likely heavy flat wound heavy strings. Also important to his tone is the fact that he played with his thumb (the "meat", not the nail), rather than with a pick.
• Jim Hall: Gibson ES175 with tone knob rolled back through small Gibson tube amp. (This is his older rig from the 50's through 70's or so) Currently he plays a D'Aquisto with light gauge strings (0.010?) and uses many different types of picks to get different sounds. Has been known to use an effects pedal. Is absolutely not into equipment.
• Joe Pass ES175 through Polytone or similar small combo amp. Liked extremely heavy strings. The essence of simplicity.
• "the modern traditionalists": exemplified by people like Jimmy Bruno and Howard Alden. Handmade archtop (carved top, floating pickup) through "boutique" solid state amp such as Evans, Walter Woods, Kolbe, etc. String gauges are typically use heavy and their tone is somewhat brighter tone Hall or Metheney.
• "modern traditionalist players that play(ed) solid body guitars": Examples, Lenny Breau, Ted Greene, Ed Bickert. Bickert and Greene both play Telecasters. Usually humbucking pickups are used in the neck position and the tone knob is typically rolled off a little. These guitarists play with a very clean tone by either using solid state amps or playing quietly. They also tend to be more "pianistic" in their approach to the instrument and take advantage of the solid body's extra sustain and typically easier playability. Some play mostly or even strictly fingerstyle.
• John Scofield: Ibanez ES335 copy, RAT distortion pedal (with the amount of distortion set fairly low), Boss Chorus, light guage strings. "Amp du jour" (actually, two amps in stereo from the chorus). He has stated at clinics that part of the reason for using the pedals is to get some consistency in sound since he ends up having to play through a lot of differnt amps on tour. Note also that his rig has changed somewhat recently (he lost the chorus and is using heavier strings) but the above is the "classic" Scofield rig.
• Bill Frisell: (once again, "classic" Frisell, his recent rig has changed); Klein solid body guitar (or Gibson SG) with bridge humbucking pickup, tone usually NOT rolled off. TC electronic compressor, RAT distortion, volume pedal, Boss digital delay (for ambience), Electro Harmonix 16 Second Delay (for loops), Alesis microverb, "amp du jour" (often in stereo from the stereo out of the microverb). He has stated in interviews that he is going for Jim Hall's style with Jimi Hendrix' sound.
• Pat Metheny: Because Pat's sound has incorporated less use of chorus and reverb in recent years, it is not entirely clear if he is still using the same setup today as in years past. Also he often seems to use a different rig on sideman gigs than on his own albums. However, as of 1998, he was still using the following setup on the road to achieve his trademark chorused sound. First the signal is routed from the guitar into a digital delay to achieve some slap echo. It then goes into a Digitech GSP 2101 preamp. After the preamp, the signal is split into three separate channels. One channel remains clean and runs into an Ashly Mosfet 200 power amp where it is then routed out to a 4x10 cabinet containing JBL speakers. The other two channels are individually chorused through the use of two separate Lexicon Prime Time digital delay units. These are very old, large out-of-production units. One Prime Time is set for a delay of about 14 milliseconds, while the other is set for 26 milliseconds The delays are modulated and use a sine wave form to achieve the chorus effect. The outputs of the two delay units are then sent into a stereo Crest 6001 power amp. The chorused channels remain discrete and are then run out to separate 18 inch cabinets, most likely loaded with EV speakers. The thickness of the chorused sound results from the three sources mixing in the air. It should be noted that with the Digitech GSP series multi-effects preamps, it is possible to run a stereo rig with one channel clean, one channel chorused, and reverb on both, all with just the one unit. However, you will need to program in your own algorithm in order to do this.
  
  Pat has used a variety of acoustic guitars over the years. Earlier on he seemed to favor Guilds. Later on, he became partial to Manzers, (visit her website) - steel and nylon strings. He has even used a fretless nylon also made by Linda Manzer. He also uses an Ovation nylon, and a Sadowsky solidbody nylon-stringed guitar.
  
  His recent jazz rig seems to be his ES175 or Ibanez Pat Metheny model (with tone rolled off) into an amp with no effects (even reverb). He seems to prefer a dark, "Jim Hall"-type of sound.
• Mike Stern: Telecaster copy with neck humbucker through Yamaha SPX90 for chorus effect, Boss delay for ambience, Boss distortion. Runs in stereo from the SPX90 to: Pearce head, GK cabinet and JBL 10's speakers and an old Yamaha solid state 2x12 combo amp. He never uses reverb, only the delay.

• Play a solid-body guitar. Feedback occurs when the sound you (or others) are making causes your guitar to vibrate and these are picked up by your amplification system and amplified in the amplifier. Which causes even more vibrations etc. etc. Hollow body, carved top guitars with floating pickups are the most sensitive to this since they are built and configured to allow the top to vibrate as freely as possible (thus maximizing the acoustic tone), next in line are plywood hollow body guitars with built-in pickups, and finally solid body guitars. Solid body guitars are more feedback resistant since it's harder for the sound to vibrate the block of wood enough to produce feedback.
  
  
• Sit with your back to your amp and have the amp over your left shoulder. This position uses your body as a shield between your pickups and the amp.
  
  
• Don't play so loud.
  
  
• Stay as far away from the amp as possible.
  
  
• use the side of your picking hand palm to mute the strings as you play.
  
  
• Stuff your guitar with: balloons, cotton (a possible source that was suggested was an upholstery shop), socks, etc. etc.
  
  
• Cut a piece of high density foam slightly longer and wider than your F holes and deeper than your guitar. Compress and feed in through F holes. Position under F hole. Adding flat black rubber hides the foam.
  
  
• Tape over the f holes with clear packing tape or get someone to make you some custom plugs.
  
  
• Use an amp with a closed back speaker cabinet.
  
  
• Get an amp with a parametric notch filter/equalizer so you can reduce the frequencies that are causing the feedback.
  
  
• Put the amp on a stand so it's off the floor.
  
  
• Reduce the amount of bass you have dialed in on your amp.
  
  
• One important, though not the only, cause of feedback is a phenomenon known as pickup microphonics. I'm not a technically trained person, so check this off with someone who knows more. But it seems that anything in the pickup itself that can vibrate can cause it to function like a microphone, and feedback is greatly reduced when the innards of the pickup are immobilized. "Potting" is the most common, and the easiest remedy. This involves filling the pickup cover with epoxy and sinking the coils into the material, which then hardens. Of course, once you pot a pickup, you can't alter it's wiring in any way. Whatever leads you have coming out, that's what you're stuck with. If you look at a Benedetto pickup closely, you'll see that it's really a big block of a kind of epoxy-like composite. When I had a guitar with a Benedetto pickup installed, you could tap with your fingernail on the pickup and nothing at all would come through the amp. Most guitars that feed back a lot will register that fingernail tap very definitely. "Fusing" is more involved, and is sometimes called coil saturation. Though similar to potting, (and sometimes confused with it) coil saturation involves impregnating the coils themselves with a substance that will bond--often it is some kind of wax. A quick source on this is "Guitar Electronics for Musicians," by Donald Brosnac, pages 68-69. (thanks to Lawson Stone for this post)
  
  

• Autumn Leaves
• Green Dolphin Street (usually played in C, the wrong key (should be Eb), but it's in that key in the Real Book, so....)
• Have You Met Miss Jones
• So What
• All Blues
• Milestones
• There Is No Greater Love
• There Will Never Be Another You
• Four
• Satin Doll
• Well You Needn't (played with the incorrect bridge, which is what appears in the Real Book)
• A Foggy Day
• I Love You
• I'll Remember April
• In Your Own Sweet Way
• Summertime
• All The Things You Are
• Alone Together
• Straight No Chaser (usually played in incorrect key of F instead of Bb)
• Tenor Madness
• Confirmation
• It's You Or No One
• Out of Nowhere
• Recordame
• Solar
• Stella By Starlight
• Mr. PC
• Take The A Train
• The Girl From Ipanema
• What Is This Thing Called Love?
• Yardbird Suite
• Yesterdays
• You Stepped Out Of A Dream
• Little Sunflower
• In Your Own Sweet Way
• Rhythm changes or any number of bop heads based on it
• Blue Bossa
• Lady Bird

• Autumn Leaves (Gm)
• All the Things You Are (Ab)
• Body and Soul
• Caravan
• Cherokee (Bb)
• Girl From Ipanema
• How High the Moon (G)
• Honeysuckle Rose (F)
• I'll Remember April
• In a Sentimental Mood
• Just Friends (F)
• Like Someone in Love
• Misty
• My Funny Valentine
• On Green Dolphin Street
• Satin Doll (C)
• Stella by Starlight
• Summertime
• Take the "A" Train (C)
• There is No Greater Love (Bb)
• There Will Never Be Another You (Eb)
• You Stepped Out of a Dream

A set of more accurate and in general, better, books are published by Chuck Sher called the New Real Book series. There are also three volumes of the NRB's. The Sher Music Home Page has a handy search feature to find which volume has the tune you're looking for.

| Eb7#9   |        |         |       |

| Ab13#11 |        | Eb7#9   |       |

| Bb7#9   |        | Eb7#9   |       |

|    Cm   |Fm7 Bb7 |   Cm    |Bb7 Eb7|

|    Fm   |Fm7 Bb7 |   Cm    |Am7 D7 |

|    Gm   |Fm7 Bb7 |2. Cm7b5 |  Cm   |

• Jazz Guitar Online
• Jazz Guitar Resources - links to luthiers, guitarist's pages, equipment etc.
• Guitar Links
• Guitar Notes
• Harmony Central
• Guitar.net
• Jazz guitarists at Yahoo!
• Jazz Guitar Ring
• Clay Moore's selected jazz guitar resources
• Jeff Gower's links to nylon-string players of jazz
• Pat Smith's internet jazz guitar radio station!

rec.music.makers.jazz is similar in scope to RMMGJ but without being restricted to jazz guitar. It's a good newsgroup to follow - there's a lot of good discussions directly relevant to jazz musicians on any instrument.

rec.music.makers.guitar is the general guitar newsgroup, and may be a good place to go with equipment questions that aren't jazz specific.

• What's the correct name for a chord contaning G, B, D# and Ab and nothing else, assuming G is the root?
• What's the best name for the chord x3211x in the progression F6-D7-Gm7-(x3211x)-Fmaj7?
• In the opening measure of Satin Doll (key of C) the sheet shows Dm7-G9, what would you call the chord xx3455 used in place of the G9?

• Act like you do this all of the time and NEVER had any problems before. Adopt an incredulous (but polite) and bemused attitude. This sometimes works.
• Claim that playing the guitar is your sole source of income, that you are flying to a gig, and that damage to your guitar would be catastrophic to your career. While we do not like to advocate outright lying, this has worked in the past for some posters.
• If you get stopped by a person who seems particularly resistant to your carrying on the guitar, try the "filibuster" approach: talk about how long you have had the guitar, about the gigs you are booked for at your destination, etc. etc. The key thing is to keep talking until they get tired of dealing with you and tell you to go ahead. Be polite and reasonable, but make sure that they get the idea that you are in this for the long haul and will basically stand there and talk until you get what you want.
• Do not volunteer to buy the guitar a ticket. One poster tried all of the above and then resorted to this only to be told that he still could not put the guitar on the seat next to him since it could not be properly secured. It was then placed in one of the closets and he was out the cost of the extra ticket.