Jazz Guitar - Playing In a Group

Let's say you know some jazz tunes, can improvise, know your scales and chords, and how to apply them to a jazz tune. What happens when you play with a group? Well, first how much do you play and what kind of lines or chords do you play? This all has to do with developing sensitivity to what the group needs. If there is a bass player, you usually don't want to comp (accompany) using root chords. It will just double what the bass player is doing and if the two of you aren't precisely in tune, will cause intonation problems. Instead stick to inversions and use three and four-part chords, or even thinner sounds - play them mostly at a mid-range which cuts through but doesn't interfere with the soloist.

Try to create a line on the top of your chords that goes down mostly step-wise, and learn how the thirds and sevenths of the chords tend to move downward, often by half-steps. If there is a piano player, he or she may cover all the chords comping (and may not ever stop to let you in). A good strategy in that situation is to play single-line fills or just stay out until your solo. Bass solos are another question - sometimes it's better to lay out, or start the solo with comping and then lay out. Different bass players will like different amounts of chording behind them. With singers, often the guitar will play fills behind the singer, especially if there is also a piano. In this case, less is more - the focus should stay on the singer.

When accompanying a soloist or a singer, a jazz guitarist must be sensitive to the situation and style and play appropriately. For example, in swing-era jazz, the guitar would chunk a steady rhythm - Freddie Green in Basie's band is a good example. This method would be inappropriate for more modern styles.

A good practice technique to learn how the thirds and sevenths of chords create lines is to study chords using the cycle of fifths. For instance: C7 to F7 to Bb7 to Eb7 and so on - the root motion moves in fifths. The third step of a C7 scale (mixolydian scale - like a major scale but with a flatted 7th step) is E and when you move to F7 that goes down by a half-step to Eb (the 7th step of an F7 scale). The seventh step of C is Bb, and that goes down to A when you move to the F7 chord. Thirds turn into sevenths, sevenths into thirds in the inner voices of the cycle of fifths progression, and it's all half-step motion.

Next take a tune (a simple one at first) and practice the chord progression in four parts - roots on the bottom, melody on top (simplified if need be) and the thirds and sevenths in the middle. When you comp, you can use those thirds and sevenths on top of your chord. You can also experiment with higher parts of the chord on top - ninths, thirteenths, and altered tones - using similar small motion in your voice leading.

David Widelock is a jazz guitarist who would love it if you visit his web site at
http://beegumrecords.com/

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