Introduction

Welcome to my guide to playing Jazz Guitar. Thirty years ago I first had the desire to start playing Jazz Guitar and began my initial steps in learning a few jazzy sounding chords. Over the next 20 years I kept on coming back to trying to play jazz. Somehow I couldn't seem to grasp what it was all about. I bought the books, I bought the videos, but somehow that didn't help, they tended to get looked at once or twice and then got stuck on the book shelf. All those scales, modes and strange sounding chords with b9's and 13's. Playing jazz seemed to be something only some strange intellectual beings where capable of. Somehow it wasn't going to be me. I had as much chance as learning brain surgery or following Neil Armstrong to the moon.

Then around 15 years ago I discovered Gypsy Jazz. The music of Django Reinhardt and Gypsy's of Northern Europe. Here were phenomenal players playing a form of jazz that I could understand. Not only that the kids where doing it as well. After a while I discovered after hanging out at the Django Reinhardt festival and jam sessions how they where doing it. Suddenly I didn't need a degree in Jazz Studies to be able to play a couple of convincing tunes. Now don't get me wrong, formal jazz study is the way to go if you want to make a career in playing jazz and or have the talent to make it to the top. But many of us don't have the time, energy or perhaps the talent but we still want to play jazz. Perhaps after working through my book that's the direction you take and I wish you all the best let me know how you get on. For the moment this book is about getting you started playing jazz chords, moving around the guitar neck, soloing and having the confidence to sit in on a jam session or play with a band. For the last five years I've been teaching jazz guitar to adults who haven't played before using the techniques used by the Gypsy's to play. I wish I could say I invented the technique but it's the oldest teaching method known to mankind. Kids are taught by example by Dads and uncles. At its simplest its like having a mate around to sit down and show you what to do. That what I'm attempting to do in this book. No complicated theory, scales, modes or harmony lessons (other books do that much better) I'll simple show the easiest way to play jazz guitar.

Have fun.                                                                                                Click for Page 2