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It’s Time for Your 2011 Guitar Resolutions

Thursday, December 23, 2010

It’s that time of year again. It’s the time of year when we all try to take a step back, look at what we’ve done over the past year and, more importantly, look at what we have not done. This is is the time of year when we mentally prepare ourselves by assembling a list [...]

Nat Janoff: Come Together Move Apart

Friday, November 5, 2010

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I would like to get things rolling again here on Fretterverse by talking about a new CD from one of my friends, Nat Janoff. I have known Nat for a while now, and I was very happy when he sent me his latest CD – Come Together Move Apart. One of the things I love [...]

Chord Hacks: Root Substitutions

Friday, September 17, 2010

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It’s fun chord Friday here on Fretterverse! I can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve broken out the staff paper and done some actual guitar work. I hope you had a chance to digest and start working on yesterday’s phrasing exercise. Though you should continue with the phrasing work from yesterday, today we’re going [...]

Learn to Phrase by Numbers

Thursday, September 16, 2010

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You know how your girlfriend talks and talks and talks? And talks, and talks, and talks? And talks some more? You know how much you bitch to your friends about how she just goes on and on and on forever, barely taking a breath in between sentences? You know how you wish she would just [...]

Jazz Guitar Harmony by Jody Fisher (book)

Friday, September 10, 2010

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I love chords. Love ‘em, love ‘em, love ‘em! I’m one of “those” guitar players that gets off on hearing great guitar rhythm playing/comping than a great solo. Especially in regards to jazz, comping and playing the right notes and chord voicings is where it’s at. There is nothing like hearing a new chord underneath [...]

Jam Track Friday

Friday, July 2, 2010

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In lieu of a traditional blog post where I wax philosophical on the musings of being a guitarist, I decided to spend my time today adding a bunch of jam tracks to the site that I’ve been meaning to do for a while. They are all on the Downloads page, and include ii-V-I progressions in [...]

Rhythm Changes Jam Tracks Added

Thursday, July 1, 2010

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As promised in my Rhythm Changes article, I have added jam tracks with the chord changes for a typical Rhythm Changes tune. There are four tracks: two basic tracks and two advanced tracks. The basic tracks are the normal, standard chord progression. No surprises, with one at 110 beats-per-minute and the other at 200. The [...]

Only 10 Minutes to Practice? No Problem!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

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So there you are, all decked out in your Sunday finest, ready to take your main squeeze for a night out on the town. You sit patiently (for a minute) as you wait for your significant other to finally make it down the stairs and out the front door. The problem is, you and I [...]

Learn the Modes, or One Big Scale?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

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There are two primary schools of thought when it comes to scales and improvisation. The first is to treat each chord as a separate entity and improvise using certain scales/modes over each one individually. I like to think of this as “vertical improvisation” as the player deals with each chord individually. The second is to [...]

What Are “Coltrane Changes”?

Monday, June 28, 2010

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Welcome to what is, perhaps, the hardest aspect of jazz improvisation; what has made many a musician cower in the corner while others step up to the plate, knock back massive grand slams, and take home the hottest girl in the club (hopefully not the girl that came in with the guy now cowering in [...]