Jazz Scope by Steve Herberman

Developing a Personal Practice Routine (March 18, 2009)

This article is a preface for a curriculum I’ve developed for my private students over a 20-year period. It is meant to help give the guitarist an outline for how to structure his or her practice time while reflecting on some key things before getting to the actual work. Practicing is a personal endeavor and varies from one player to another. I find that focusing on fundamentals, technique and ear training is paramount before getting into the more creative areas that lie ahead. Though creative “right brain” approaches should be included early on in a player’s development, it makes sense to begin getting the instrument and ear under better control through structured “left brain” type of exercises that stress fundamentals, technical issues... Continue reading "Developing a Personal Practice Routine"

Electric Fingerstyle Guitar (August 10, 2008)

It has become increasingly common these days to see an electric jazz guitarist playing fingerstyle .The great jazz-country-meets flamenco guitarist Lenny Breau was instrumental in showing that fingerstyle technique could work nicely on a steel-string electric for nimble single-note runs. Before him, early jazz guitarist George Van Eps was playing ingenious chord solos (first pickstyle and later fingerstyle) but rarely engaging in single-note soloing. In the late 1960’s while Lenny Breau was playing fleet single-note passages with his fingers, or a thumbpick, Joe Pass was perfecting his right-hand technique to the point where he could virtually play an entire solo gig fingerstyle. Pass’ bebop-oriented single-note lines sounded quite horn-like with his frequent use of left-hand slurs. The left-hand slurs (pulloffs, hammer-ons, glisses) work well for the electric fingerstylist making it possible to execute legato rapid phrases... Continue reading "Electric Fingerstyle Guitar"

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Developing a Personal Practice Routine (March 18, 2009) This article is a preface for a curriculum I’ve developed for my private students over a 20-year period. It is meant to help give the guitarist an outline for how to structure his or her practice time while reflecting on some key things before getting to the actual work. Practicing is a personal endeavor and varies from one player to another. I find that focusing on fundamentals, technique and ear training is paramount before getting into the more creative areas that lie ahead. Though creative “right brain” approaches should be included early on in a player’s development, it makes sense to begin getting the instrument and ear under better control through structured “left brain” type of exercises that stress fundamentals, technical issues... Continue reading "Developing a Personal Practice Routine" Electric Fingerstyle Guitar (August 10, 2008) It has become increasingly common these days to see an electric jazz guitarist playing fingerstyle .The great jazz-country-meets flamenco guitarist Lenny Breau was instrumental in showing that fingerstyle technique could work nicely on a steel-string electric for nimble single-note runs. Before him, early jazz guitarist George Van Eps was playing ingenious chord solos (first pickstyle and later fingerstyle) but rarely engaging in single-note soloing. In the late 1960’s while Lenny Breau was playing fleet single-note passages with his fingers, or a thumbpick, Joe Pass was perfecting his right-hand technique to the point where he could virtually play an entire solo gig fingerstyle. Pass’ bebop-oriented single-note lines sounded quite horn-like with his frequent use of left-hand slurs. The left-hand slurs (pulloffs, hammer-ons, glisses) work well for the electric fingerstylist making it possible to execute legato rapid phrases... Continue reading "Electric Fingerstyle Guitar" Composing and Improvising Strong Melodies (June 18, 2008) Creating memorable melodies can be challenging, especially in the midst of an improvised solo. I get a great deal of inspiration from the master composers of American popular song, drawing from the solid compositional principles inherent in these tunes. One example, when I’m improvising over a tonic minor chord for several bars, I might use the solid architecture of a guide tone line starting on the tonic and descending chromatically, to add motion to my line. Yes, this is the same descending line used in the opening changes to "My Funny Valentine" and even "Stairway To Heaven" and thousands of other tunes. If the improviser practices this sequence melodically weaving in other notes, the result can be a complex line that has a solid substructure... Continue reading "Composing and Improvising Strong Melodies" Readers' Comments (0) Fundamentals Checkpoint: Got Gaps? (March 24, 2008) We all know how important fundamentals are. But are they mastered to the point that they can be called upon at any instant during performance? For instance when a guitarist comps, he/she must be able to put any note of their choosing on the top of their voicing quickly and accurately. Without knowing at least the common chord voicings in all of their inversions one’s comping may fall short of the mark. When soloing, having complete command of chord scales and arpeggios in a variety of positions is crucial. Getting serious about really knowing one’s fundamentals allows the musician to focus on the business at hand: music making... Continue reading "Fundamentals Checkpoint: Got Gaps?" The Van Eps Inspiration (October 24, 2006) George Van Eps set his goals higher than most solo jazz guitarists. He enjoyed discovering new ways to turn a phrase in the moment and often going to “the woods” and having to find his way back, inventing most of his journey. He would often tell his audiences that he found it hard to believe that they found his “noodling” interesting. Granted he had his comfortable material to fall back on like any improviser, but he insisted on trying to improvise a string trio arrangement on the guitar’s fretboard. His use of an extra low seventh string helped him get closer to a piano’s wider range. Continue reading "The Van Eps Inspiration"		Steve's Links Steve Herberman Steve Herberman on MySpace Mel Bay's Guitar Sessions Towson U Music Department Just Jazz Guitar Magazine Jazz Fakebook Index Aebersold Jazz Materials Jazz Improv Magazine Luthier Bill Comins Jim Hall Photographer Michael Stewart Mike's Masterclasses Recent Articles Developing a Personal Practice Routine Electric Fingerstyle Guitar Composing and Improvising Strong Melodies Fundamentals Checkpoint: Got Gaps? The Van Eps Inspiration Online Masterclasses Seven-String Guitar Monthly Archives March 2009 August 2008 June 2008 March 2008 October 2006 June 2006 December 2005 August 2005 July 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 Shop for Music Gear » Inside Modern Guitars Welcome to Modern Guitars, where you'll find thousands of guitar related articles covering every style and genre. 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