I am occasionally asked if I teach private lessons. Well, I do. If you're in the Los Angeles-area and would like to work on swing rhythm guitar, swing-era jazz improvisation, or swing-era harmony, then I can be of help.
If you just want to learn how to play guitar or are just starting out, then I'm sure there's a guy at your local music store who's cheaper and has way more patience.
Just give me a call or email, if you're interested.
Hopefully you’ve read the last post about Swing-Era Time-Feel, and if not, stop and go read it and listen to the examples first. Ok, now that we have that out of the way, today’s post will be focused on the left-hand and right-hand technique necessary to achieve the right sound for Swing-Era Rhythm Guitar
The sound
As we discussed in the last post, the unique rhythmic feel of the swing-era involves the chunky, pumping, four-beat rhythm.
It’s important that each note be separate and distinct from the next. Short, fat little round notes. But, you don’t want them to be so short as to be choked.
Left Hand Technique
The left hand is the most important part of the equation, since the left hand is responsible for how long fretted notes ring. You’ll want to “pump” your fingers for each beat; pressing down only as much as is necessary for notes to sound, and releasing only as much as is necessary to mute the strings. Your fingers will never completely leave the strings.
Notice how each note is even, and there is no particular accents. There is clear separation between each note, but the notes were not choked, or stunted.
Right Hand Technique
Picking technique is also important. You’ll want to avoid emphasizing the low E string, because it can easy buzz against the fretboard if you hit hard. Rather, you should emphasize the D and G strings. These notes do the real work, anyway. As far as picking position, there are two schools of thought. Some prefer to just strum away over the end of the fretboard, basically where a neck pickup would be, if you had one. See, just look where Freddie Green is pickin':
Others alternate between the neck pickup area on beats 1 and 3, and the bridge pickup area on beats 2 and 4. I generally strum in the neck position, because I like to really keep the beats even, however I will alternate if there is a really heavy shout chorus, and I want to even further accentuate the back beat.
Guitar selection
A quick note on guitar selection. Much of the sound signature sound of swing-era rhythm guitar is tied to the instruments used – the acoustic archtop. Acoustic archtops have just the right amount of sustain, so getting the right time-feel is second nature. Selmer-style “Django” guitars come in at close second, and then flattop acoustics. Electric guitars, even hollow-bodied ones will have way too much sustain when plugged-in and amplified through an electric guitar amplifier. In a pinch, it can be done on a hollow-body electric, but there you will have to change up your technique a bit to compensate. More on that particular problem to follow.
*By the way I'm just playing a I-vi-iiV7 pattern in Bb, and my strings are kinda dead.
Here's a long overdue overview of the most important parts of swing-era rhythm guitar: Time-Feel
(way, way more important than all those cool chords!)
Before you figure out what you're supposed to sound like when playing Swing music, it's a good idea to understand what Swing music itself sounds like, especially because most musicians on earth play it with just the same feel as most other post-swing jazz. I've described the difference between Swing and later, straight-ahead jazz many times, but I think I've found some dead-on audio clips to demo the difference.
A. Swing
Swing, meaning the jazz of the Swing-era, is all about a thumping, pumping four-beat. "Chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk." It's the sound of a round, fat bass drum, of gut string bass, or rhythm guitar.
This is the section where it's basically just Benny wailing over that solid pulse. The rhythm section, Allan Reuss, Gene Krupa, Harry Goodman and Jess Stacy are all focused on the solid four. By the 2nd or 3rd bar, you can actually hear Allan Reuss pretty well. Just listen - straight four. There's not even the "chick" of the hi-hats closing on beats 2 and 4.
(as an totally non-scientific testament to this thump - the Windows Media Visualizer was totally pumping each quarter note, despite all of the other aural activity in the song; awesome)
This example is from practically the end of the Swing-era, but the cats on the session were solidly in the "swing" and not "bop" camp - Allan Reuss, Zutty Singleton, Barney Bigard, Red Callendar. This is a little more laid back than Goodman, but still foused on that thump-thump-thump-thump. I prefer my music to have be more driving, like Goodman, but this is definitely Swing.
B. STRAIGHT AHEAD JAZZ
This is NOT Swing. It just isn't. It's "straight-ahead jazz." That term has been applied a bit inconsistently through time, but it's most used meaning is that of post-Parker, bebop-influenced (if not overtly bebop-y), swung-8th note, mainstream jazz. Basically anything after swing, that isn't fusion, smooth jazz, or completely avant garde would count. So, Bebop, Cool Jazz, Modal Jazz, Hard Bop all fit under the "straight-ahead" umbrella.
In contrast to Swing music, the pulse is way less defined and the bass notes blur into each other. "Doo-doo-doo-doo." The washy ride cymbal obscures some of the definition of each "ding." There is no rhythm guitar chunking away to define the beat. Lastly, the only thing that clearly defines the beat is the "chick" of the hi-hat on beats 2 and 4.
Frankly, modern musicians think hammering the beat clearly was square - but it's what makes Swing sound like Swing.
Here on this trio recording, these guys are the quintessence of post-swing grooving. Bassist Ray Brown was certainly able to at times chunk it out, the sound on this track is the template for all straight-ahead jazz. Notice how each of Ray's notes blurs into the next one; notice how he mixes in 8th notes. Both obscure the punch of each downbeat. Also, listen to Ed Thigpen's ride cymbal - how it rings into the space between each "ding." There's also definitely not any bass drum audible (although he was probably playing it - what they boppers call "feathering"). Each and every one of these things tends to obscure that "chunk". And notice how far the beat lays back. It's a lot harded to lay back with a solid beat.
There are very few images of Allan Reuss in general, let alone floating around on the web. Gettyimages.com has a great shot, but it is really expensive to get without the watermark over top of the image.
Then I found this ad on ebay, and it just arrived today:
Awesome shot - check out the engraved truss rod cover "A.R."
Because of a comment on another post, I realized that I hadn't cover why the classic swing rhythm guitar voicings are three notes.
Consider the rhythm guitarist in a swing band: Allan Reuss in Goodman's Band, Freddie Green in Basie's, etc. It's you and your acoustic archtop versus 10 to 13 horns. You have to cut through and still provide the pulse. The answer is a three note chord.
While it might seem counter-intuitive that playing less notes will be heard better than more notes, but you have to think about being a knife. In a big band, the bass player, bass drum, the trombones and the left hand of the piano are below you, and the trumpets, saxes, cymbals, and the right hand of the piano are above you. In between all of these voices is a small notch - that's where the rhythm guitar goes. By filling that notch, and not trying to play any other notes, you're acting as knife, slicing through the mix.
If you play higher and lower notes, they'll just get lost in the mix of the other instruments. But the notes (especially on the D and G strings) can cut through the band. Think of that space as a hole in enemy lines - you need to get a small special forces squad through unnoticed, not try to cram a battalion through. Playing more notes in a big band just muddies things up. It blunts the rhythmic impact (which is really the primary thing), and it results in a lot of wasted effort.
Acoustic archtop guitars happen to have their natural peak in the mid-range on the D and G strings, between the 5th and 10th frets - basically prime rhythm guitar chord territory. By focusing on that region, you get the best return on your efforts.
When people talk about Freddie Green playing only or two note chords, he would basically be fingering the classic three note voices, but not fully pushing down the bass string, and/or or the G string. He would be focusing on the D and G strings for the maximum punch and cut.
I generally stick to the classic three note voicings for 90% of playing. Sometimes, in a bigger band, I'll drop the bass string. And sometimes, in a trio setting, I might add a fourth note, but I also might not. By focusing on only playing those three notes, it is also easier to check the rhythmic snap needed for the style.
I've generally not been one to do my own transcriptions. For one, I find transcribing very, very difficult. And two, I'd generally rather spend what little patience I have for transcribing on taking down arrangements for one of my bands. But the other night, I found myself really driven to figure out Charlie Christian's solo on "All Star Jump," recorded January 16, 1941.
"All Star Jump" is one of my favorite recordings, both from a musician and a dancer's perspective. The Metronome All Star Band of 1941 featured no less than Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cootie Williams, Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins and Buddy Rich. It's one of my favorite versions of "One O'Clock Jump", albeit with a slightly different shout riff. It's filled with fantastic solos, and unlike many "all star" sessions where the players seem to have no chemistry, the band really jumps. "All Star Jump" is something I almost always play when I DJ, and I've transcribed the arrangement for the Jonathan Stout Orchestra. (The other tune recorded on that session was "Bugle Call Rag", using the Fletcher Henderson arrangement made famous by Benny Goodman. The All Stars' version is easily the tightest and most ferocious recording of that arrangement. But CC doesn't get a solo.)
That CC solo, though, is something I'd never seen transcribed (although maybe it was on Garry Hansen's now defunct site), but I could generally sing it back from memory. I was able to get the first three bars without trouble, but I'd started it around the 9th fret. I couldn't get the next couple bars to lay right on the fretboard. In a moment of frustration, I went to check Leo Valdez's Site to see if maybe he did have one up. Instead I found myself looking at another one of his transcriptions and the playing notes he provided. He mentioned that he had a different outlook on how to finger CC's playing versus more common transcirptions. While some of his fingering just seem implausible, many do lay better.
With than in mind, I tried playing the "All Star Jump" solo in the 4th-6th position, and using some of Charlie's classic shapes in that position, and the next couple bars clicked. So, since I figured I should write it out to keep for myself, I though I'd share.
Have fun - maybe when I have some time, I'll write some notes and analysis. But for now:
I've had many friends who have begun trying to play swing guitar after coming from a rock/pop background, not a modern jazz one. "Minor Swing" is a popular tune to start with, but many players without a jazz background can't figure out how to approach soloing over the chords. Specifically, it's the minor pentatonic scale that is the backbone on much rock and blues that doesn't fit. The main culprit of this is the 7th scale degree (in Am, the G note) - it just doesn't fit over swing or early jazz minor songs. And there's good reason: the V7 chord.
Going back at least as far as Bach, classical music did not use the standard v chord of a mino key (key Am: A-B-C-D-E-F-G; a V chord based on this scale would be an E minor7: E-G-B-D). In classical music a V chord is always a DOMINANT 7 chord (in Am, an E7 chord: E-G#-B-D). There is pavlovian response to hearing the G# note it that chord, which demands that it be resolved to the A note. With the G# note being so important, makes sense that the minor pentatonic scale doesn't fit with it's G natural note.
In classical and in early jazz and swing, they don't use the minor pentatonic scale, or the "natural" minor scale - which is just the normal notes of the key (in Am: A B C D E F G). Instead, they both use a minor scale with a raised 7th (in Am, a G# note). There are two minor scales that contain a raised 7th that are used extensively in early jazz and swing, the harmonic minor and the jazz minor.
The harmonic minor scale dates back to at least Bach, and has a particularly "European" sound (at least to my ears). It is a natural minor scale with a raised 7th (in Am: A B C D E F G#). The jazz minor is comparatively younger, and has a more "American" sound (again to my ears). It is a natural minor scale with both a raised 7th, and a raised 6th (in Am: A B C D E F# G#).
By "American" and "European", I'm really getting at the distinction between the gypsy-influenced hot jazz of Django, and the less classical sounding playing of American swing musicians, like say, Charlie Christian. Charlie was more likely play more raised 6ths and feature them as an important note in his phrasing. Django was at least equally as likely to play either a regular or raised 6th, and perhaps more likely to play the regular 6th. American pre-bebop jazz harmony often voiced a minor i chord as a im6, which contains the raised 6th. But it should be noted that even if there is a raised 6th in the harmony, the soloist can also use the regular 6th, as Django did, even though it technically shouldn't fit.
In all harmony, some notes are "functional" in the sense that they are guide tones important to voice leading and chordal movement. Other notes are not, and there for they can be approached less strictly. The 7th scale degree is clearly a functional note, whereas the 6th scale degree is not. That's why you can often play either 6th with no problem, but that natural 7th just doesn't sound right.
Even modern jazzbos have a hard time approaching pre-bop minor key tunes. When Miles Davis released "Kind of Blue" in 1959, he ushered in a new era of modal jazz, specifically based on the Dorian mode, with "So What", being the chief example.
The Dorian mode is a natural minor scale with a raised 6th (like the jazz minor), but NOT the raised 7th (in Am: A B C D E F# G).. The sound of the Dorian mode is based on a minor7 chord as the tonic, and there for the regular 7th scale degree fits. Many modern jazzbos have forgotten the older-style sound of pre-bop, and just ignorantly play Dorian over everything. I avoid musicians like that like the plague.
As a early jazz/swing style musician, one should learn both the harmonic minor and jazz mimor scales like the back of one's hand. Part 2 will feature some musical examples.
Here are the scales in question with the i and V chords built on those scales.
After spending a bit more time with the book "Masters of the Plectrum Guitar" (Mel Bay), I've come to realize that it's full, and I mean full, of errors. Wrong notes are sprinkled through out. I thought it had just been the transcription to "Sutton Mutton", but they're on other songs too.
One possible explanation is that the music in the book is taken from the original sheet music produced back in the 20's-40's and that the originals had mistakes, which is plausible. However, it doesn't take much time working through one of the pieces to hear the wrong notes as compared to the recordings of the songs.
Granted, the original sheet music was never an exact transcription, but if you take a look at the transcription of "Pickin' My Way", a Lang/Kress duet number, the first 8 bars after the intro are filled with musical typos.
So, I'm working on re-copying "Pickin' My Way" but fixed. I'll post it when I get done with it (although, bear in mind, that might be a while).
Turnarounds and line cliches are both common chord sequences in Swing Harmony, and can be found in numerous songs. Each sequence contains an ascending or descending line, often voiced in the bass. From a rhythm guitar standpoint, it’s important to get them under your fingers, because they come up often, and they come up fast when sight reading.
Major I-IV Turnaround
Most commonly found in songs based on the chords to “I Got Rhythm”, the I-IV turnaround can also be found at the end of some blues songs, and sprinkled in several traditional jazz standards. The sequence is a fancy way of moving from a I chord to the IV and back. Both the ascending and descending versions have the same chords except for the transition chord from the IV chord back to the I chord (a #ivº in the ascending / a iv minor in the descending). Both the ascending and descending versions are used interchangeably, and sometimes by musicians in the same band at the same time – even though, technically, the #ivº and iv conflict. But, hey, that’s jazz.
In either case, from a rhythm guitar perspective, the turnaround can be approached as static chords, or using walking chords. Here are examples of both:
