Jack Wilkins said in a video to never play anything on the guitar without swing. I’ve always been struck by that, and it has stuck with me. I’m saying this as someone who during practice would play scales or chords against a metronome without caring whether it sounded like a machine gun or not since I wasn’t performing for an audience. My focus was on accuracy, not musicality.
What about fast swing? I do even 8th notes on 140 bpm swing songs but we have a song called Heat's On that is about 240 bpm and I do some even 8th notes but I mix up the rhythm also.
Alex, Thank you so much for posting this. Very useful. I am a wannabe jazz pianist. When you get to step 2, I can only just hear the eighth notes being played behind the beat on your video. Don't you introduce this section by saying you will first play quarter notes. This does not seem to appear on the video, but might have been helpful to me and a few other learners. Regards, GEoff
+Geoffrey Packe that's because most jazzers hear the beat on the 2 and the 4. the 1 and 3 beats are inbetween the metronome clicks, therefore they are quarter notes :)
I like your videos. Do you use any specific school of picking technique? I was messing around with George Benson picking one day and out of the blue a really neat sounding consistent kind of swing came out of my guitar. Your great sense of ease and concentration really gives you a unique sound. Some really fun musical ideas come out of your solos.
I've never looked into benson picking, so I honestly have no idea if I do anything like that... hah! I do use the "wrong" side of the pick like Pat Metheny though, so maybe I'm closer to him?
AuthenticatorMonkey I think it becomes more of a triplet with slower tempos. It’s really a very hard thing to describe, so any words we use aren’t going to 100% cover it.
Hmm interesting. After watching your video I've been trying to pay more attention to different players' time feels. One of my favorite guitar players is Peter Bernstein. I slowed down one of his recordings and it seems that he really does play right on the beat and with a triple type feel (much better sounding than my time feel though)
What about quarter notes regular and staccato? What about different rests? What about ties? What about triplets? What about dynamics? What about playing 8th notes with both staccato and tenuto phrasing. There is no ONE way/magic bullet method of developing great swing feel - it's a combination of a LOT of different factors and different kinds of notes, er, that's if it's at all interesting...
The reason I made this comment, is because there's lots of guitarists on youtube all talking about 'swung eighths'. Subsequently, there's a whole generation of younger potential jazz guitarists watching these videos, thinking that an unbroken stream of eighth notes, is the only to way to improvise from a rhythmic standpoint. It's like creating a generation of boring, jazz 'shredders' instead of rhythmically interesting players like Wes Montgomery or Grant Green. I'm just trying to make a point. I'm not putting down what you're doing here.
Simon Loveland do you really think the older generation played any better than the younger? The style has shifted a bit to where you probably hear more fast 8th note lines in contemporary players sure, if you don’t like that style then don’t listen to it. I personally love it, but that isn’t what this video is about. It’s just about how to swing 8th notes lol
'do you really think the older generation played any better than the younger' For me to give my personal opinion on who is 'better', would be entirely subjective and fairly pointless. Although playing continuous streams of eighth notes lines IS undeniably a very valid style of jazz improvising, it's certainly not the only way to improvise. The 'modern' style of playing continuous streams of eighth notes, was evolved from the jazz style where a greater variety of rhythms and the all-important PHRASING were used - Continuous eighth note style, really just 'fills in' all the gaps of these phrases, but doesn't ignore them. Therefore for beginner improvisers to focus on this advanced style without first learning the principles of phrasing from the earlier jazz styles, is a mistake in humble opinion. That's all...
That depends on how you interpret one "click". He said at the beginning that he sets the metronome to click on 2 and 4, which results in him playing 8th notes. To practice with a metronome in that way helps to get that jazz feel of stressing the weak beats.
No he's not - The click is representing the hi hat playing on beats 2 & 4 - that's two hi hat beats per bar. He's playing 8th notes which means four 8th notes per hi hat beat...
Jack Wilkins said in a video to never play anything on the guitar without swing. I’ve always been struck by that, and it has stuck with me. I’m saying this as someone who during practice would play scales or chords against a metronome without caring whether it sounded like a machine gun or not since I wasn’t performing for an audience. My focus was on accuracy, not musicality.
i watch this video most days before i practice my time feel. thanks a lot for this. helps me a lot.
Nick ghjjhljk You're welcome Nick! Grad you like it, and good luck with your time feel
Going back to the absolute fundamentals… this is really what matters.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Insightful video man! I'm mainly a metal guitarist but I'm venturing into jazz guitar to broaden my horizons. Thanks for the vid
excellent , well explained. going to show this to some of my sax students..
Thanks for this. ..Great approach to teaching something that is so important to address with students. ..
Thanks for sharing... As a new guitar player these exercises are great for learning to pick cleanly with a sense of timing...
BigRed56 cool! Glad you enjoy them
Are you saying that you should avoid the tied triplet eighth notes followed by triplet eighth? Would that still be appropriate on old standards?
What about fast swing? I do even 8th notes on 140 bpm swing songs but we have a song called Heat's On that is about 240 bpm and I do some even 8th notes but I mix up the rhythm also.
This was helpful. Nice video!
What are you thoughts on playing on the front side of the beat? I've noticed people like art blakey, Op, and Mark elf do this and it swings hard!
Nice video thanks. Do you have the guitar on a prop angled up? 😊
Thanks! Yep, I did have a triangle thingy 🙂
Good work man thanks
Which is the metronome tempo? 60?
I love your tone and timing
Felix Subsound Thanks Felix, I was thinking about doing a lesson on tone at some point soon
Alex Ispa-Cowan Man please do it, I'll be waiting for this one
Pat martino plays wayyy on top. Feels incredible
Really appreciate this man. This is one good lesson, and one I intend to use. Tasty playing in the intro. What scales and what chords?
which is the metronome time?
Alex, Thank you so much for posting this. Very useful.
I am a wannabe jazz pianist.
When you get to step 2, I can only just hear the eighth notes being played behind the beat on your video. Don't you introduce this section by saying you will first play quarter notes. This does not seem to appear on the video, but might have been helpful to me and a few other learners.
Regards,
GEoff
+Geoffrey Packe that's because most jazzers hear the beat on the 2 and the 4. the 1 and 3 beats are inbetween the metronome clicks, therefore they are quarter notes :)
Does this really work
I like your videos. Do you use any specific school of picking technique? I was messing around with George Benson picking one day and out of the blue a really neat sounding consistent kind of swing came out of my guitar. Your great sense of ease and concentration really gives you a unique sound. Some really fun musical ideas come out of your solos.
I've never looked into benson picking, so I honestly have no idea if I do anything like that... hah! I do use the "wrong" side of the pick like Pat Metheny though, so maybe I'm closer to him?
Dude, what scale is that?
you should work in a radio with this voice ;)
Hey thanks, thats the first time anybody ever told me that!
NPR late night jazz show ... you could be the DJ easy lol
Bit monotone, it'll put you to sleep. Great lesson, though!
thank you...sir
ceulianthang you're welcome!
Great video! Whose name did you mention on 5:33?
+pashtettRB Thanks man, it was pat metheney
+Alex Ispa-Cowan Thanks :)
really swinging
How to develop great swing feel in 3 "Giant Steps"! ;)
If this is what swing is then why does practically everybody define it as a triplet feel?
AuthenticatorMonkey I think it becomes more of a triplet with slower tempos. It’s really a very hard thing to describe, so any words we use aren’t going to 100% cover it.
Hmm interesting. After watching your video I've been trying to pay more attention to different players' time feels. One of my favorite guitar players is Peter Bernstein. I slowed down one of his recordings and it seems that he really does play right on the beat and with a triple type feel (much better sounding than my time feel though)
click,click,click yip,yip,yip
What about quarter notes regular and staccato? What about different rests? What about ties? What about triplets? What about dynamics? What about playing 8th notes with both staccato and tenuto phrasing.
There is no ONE way/magic bullet method of developing great swing feel - it's a combination of a LOT of different factors and different kinds of notes, er, that's if it's at all interesting...
This video is to help people by sharing a process that helped me. If you already know how to swing, then you don’t need to watch this video.
The reason I made this comment, is because there's lots of guitarists on youtube all talking about 'swung eighths'. Subsequently, there's a whole generation of younger potential jazz guitarists watching these videos, thinking that an unbroken stream of eighth notes, is the only to way to improvise from a rhythmic standpoint.
It's like creating a generation of boring, jazz 'shredders' instead of rhythmically interesting players like Wes Montgomery or Grant Green. I'm just trying to make a point. I'm not putting down what you're doing here.
Simon Loveland do you really think the older generation played any better than the younger? The style has shifted a bit to where you probably hear more fast 8th note lines in contemporary players sure, if you don’t like that style then don’t listen to it. I personally love it, but that isn’t what this video is about. It’s just about how to swing 8th notes lol
'do you really think the older generation played any better than the younger' For me to give my personal opinion on who is 'better', would be entirely subjective and fairly pointless. Although playing continuous streams of eighth notes lines IS undeniably a very valid style of jazz improvising, it's certainly not the only way to improvise.
The 'modern' style of playing continuous streams of eighth notes, was evolved from the jazz style where a greater variety of rhythms and the all-important PHRASING were used - Continuous eighth note style, really just 'fills in' all the gaps of these phrases, but doesn't ignore them. Therefore for beginner improvisers to focus on this advanced style without first learning the principles of phrasing from the earlier jazz styles, is a mistake in humble opinion. That's all...
Simon Loveland the first jazz guitarist I tried to copy was pat martino. Maybe that gives you a clue as to why I like 8th note lines a bit too much :D
You're so quiet I turned you up but still had to listen really hard. Maybe that's intentional so people listen better.
To practice swing, I play all songs in swing time like AC/DC, Guns and Roses, and especially Van Halen. That's a 4th step. Write it down.
Your playing 4 notes per click. That is 16th notes!
That depends on how you interpret one "click". He said at the beginning that he sets the metronome to click on 2 and 4, which results in him playing 8th notes. To practice with a metronome in that way helps to get that jazz feel of stressing the weak beats.
No he's not - The click is representing the hi hat playing on beats 2 & 4 - that's two hi hat beats per bar. He's playing 8th notes which means four 8th notes per hi hat beat...