Which Genre Is More Difficult to Learn

Charlie Bernstein

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I like the "generic" version of "jazz" for this discussion, otherwise Rich's complex and profound question is even more complex and profound!

BTW, Charlie, everyone's different, but I would give up guitar if I had to practice scales five hours a day. Or even 1/2 hour. It's supposed to fun and relaxing!


walrus
Yup, that's why I never took up jazz! That, and the chords sound so awful. And those drummers with their infernal high-hat TSS tss-a TSS tss-a TSS tss-a TSS . . . .

But what do you mean by generic? Kenny G?

Which reminds me:

Q: What did Kenny G say when he got on the elevator?

A: "Wow! This place rocks!"
 

dougdnh

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Overall jazz to me is the most difficult (and interesting). When I was first learning guitar, my dad was a jazzer and he taught me some basic jazz stuff, but I really wanted to play like Chuck Berry and Lonnie Mack. I wish I had the patience then to let him teach me more. Anyhow at this point in my life I'm trying to learn more jazz stuff, especially bossa nova - love those 6/9 & major 9 chords! If you never watched the Brazillian film 'This Is Bossa Nova' , it can be a life changing film. Of course there are some amazing country pickers and rock shredders, and classical is another whole world.
 

dreadnut

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I would say jazz - there are basically two genres: Jazz, and everything else.
 

walrus

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Yup, that's why I never took up jazz! That, and the chords sound so awful. And those drummers with their infernal high-hat TSS tss-a TSS tss-a TSS tss-a TSS . . . .

But what do you mean by generic? Kenny G?

Which reminds me:

Q: What did Kenny G say when he got on the elevator?

A: "Wow! This place rocks!"

Definitely not Kenny G.! LMAO! I meant that we should not go into sub-genres of jazz, it's like metal, so many sub-categories!

Overall jazz to me is the most difficult (and interesting). When I was first learning guitar, my dad was a jazzer and he taught me some basic jazz stuff, but I really wanted to play like Chuck Berry and Lonnie Mack. I wish I had the patience then to let him teach me more. Anyhow at this point in my life I'm trying to learn more jazz stuff, especially bossa nova - love those 6/9 & major 9 chords! If you never watched the Brazillian film 'This Is Bossa Nova' , it can be a life changing film. Of course there are some amazing country pickers and rock shredders, and classical is another whole world.

+1 on bossa nova! I learned cool versions of "Girl From Impanema", and "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)". I first found out about Antonio Jobim through the Sinatra/Jobim collaboration album.

And I guess it's really "jazz fusion" but one of my all time favorite guitarists is John McLaughlin.

walrus
 

JohnW63

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I HAD to learn some theory and scales - or at least know where I was going somewhat - to have any hope of playing a solo.

I'm trying to learn to properly play the guitar, as an instrument, after all of these years of chords and noodling. My instructor is heavily into Jazz, so , often the songs we learn and play as a group are Jazz standards and songs that have been " Jazz-a-fied " . "Sunny" is one, and a song or two of Bill Withers, are others. The difference in a Jazz solo and a Rock solo is in rock you can play the same pentatonic scale over the verses and maybe another over the chorus, if it stays in the same key, but with Jazz, that doesn't work as well. It's sort of expected to play over the chord changes with the proper scale to match that chord. Often the song changes modes or keys quite a bit, so, you NEED to know the structure of the song and how to solo along with it, or it ends up sounding like you're not paying attention. I've been working with him for 3 years. I now know how much I NEED to know to play well. Putting in the hours to learn the scales and all the positions of them and modes and all the notes on the fretboard is the drill and kill that I have not pushed myself to do. It's boring and seemingly a huge mountain to climb. OK, I'm off to do some fretboard drills. I learn faster doing that, than just typing about it.
 
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