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    Learn Jazz Guitar Improvisation: The Charlie Christian Method
    Learn Jazz Guitar Improvisation: The Charlie Christian Method
    Learn Jazz Guitar Improvisation: The Charlie Christian Method
    Ebook75 pages41 minutes

    Learn Jazz Guitar Improvisation: The Charlie Christian Method

    By Joe Dochtermann

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    About this ebook

    The Charlie Christian Method For Jazz Guitar Improvisation teaches guitarists how to improvise in the jazz style by going 'back to the well' of ideas presented by the first electric guitar genius, Charlie Christian. Christian was the first electric guitar soloist and remains one of the most influential guitarists of all time, having heavily influenced Wes Montgomery, Barney Kessel, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, and later generations of guitar heroes. Readers will learn the how to solo over chord changes using the author's 'chord tone diagram' concept gleaned from Christian's solo playing, and learn a wide vocabulary of essential jazz guitar lines through the 10 solos presented in the book (notation and tablature provided). A link to download MP3 audio examples with both slow and regular speed performances is provided in the book so readers have an audio reference for solos they may not be familiar with. Recommended for intermediate guitar players who have an understanding of extended chords (7th, 9th, 13th).

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJoe Dochtermann
    Release dateFeb 5, 2013
    ISBN9781301738144
    Learn Jazz Guitar Improvisation: The Charlie Christian Method

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    • 5/5
      Interesting analyses of Charlie's style.

    Book preview

    Learn Jazz Guitar Improvisation - Joe Dochtermann

    The Charlie Christian Method

    for Jazz Guitar

    Joe Dochtermann

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright 2013 Joe Dochtermann

    Smashwords Edition, License Notes

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    Table Of Contents

    Introduction

    The Required Knowledge

    Example 1: Six Appeal

    Example 2: Poor Butterfly

    Example 3: Profoundly Blue

    Example 4: Stardust

    Example 5: Flying Home

    Example 6: Seven Come Eleven

    Example 7: Gone With What Wind?

    Example 8: I Can’t Give You Anything But Love

    Example 9: Wholly cats

    Example 10: I’ve Found A New Baby

    Final Thoughts

    Link To Download MP3 Examples

    Introduction

    Charlie Christian’s swing and early bebop guitar playing was a revolution in the development of the instrument; later guitar players have sung his praises time and again. One of the better known examples of Charlie’s influences was the great Wes Montgomery, who worked out Christian’s solos and got himself a gig playing them note-for-note in an ensemble. He would just rip out the solos and then lay out for the rest of the tune. A humble beginning, but as aspiring Jazz guitarists, we all know where Wes Montgomery was headed! I think it is obvious that there is room for us all to learn from Christian’s work.

    Christian devised a method for solo composition and improvisation based on the simplest of bar chords and basic movable forms, freeing himself to concentrate on melodies and lines, rather than a complicated system of scales, positions, arpeggios, chords and exercises. The study of theory is not to be excluded from a well rounded music education, but I would like to present a ‘shortcut’ to the meat and potatoes (or falafel and hummus, if you prefer) of Jazz music; the freedom to play on and through chord changes without restriction.

    I see Christian’s method as a very musical and comprehensive system of combining chords, scales and arpeggios into a whole. I do not feel in the least that Charlie’s playing was restricted by these views, and we can hear through his (unfortunately short) career a rapid development in his playing which led the world from Swing into Bebop.

    I have created a method for visualizing this concept which I call chord tone diagrams. I find them to be very straightforward and particularly helpful for understanding the guitar. Chord tone diagrams that will help you visualize how the solo lines relate to the chord progression accompany each song transcription.

    The following solos are transcribed and examined in this book:

    1) Six Appeal

    2) Poor Butterfly

    3) Profoundly Blue

    4) Stardust

    5) Flying Home

    6) Seven Come Eleven

    7) Gone with what wind?

    8) I can’t give you anything but love

    9) Wholly Cats

    10) I’ve Found A New Baby

    Transcriptions are provided in both standard notation and tablature. Audio examples have the solo guitar and rhythm guitar panned

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