I asked Ted after about my tenth lesson (after realizing how much he had mastered) what currently floated his boat. He took the question very seriously and replied. “I’m really bummed out that I can’t improvise fugues as well as Bach” I said as far as I know Bach didn’t play guitar Ted: ) Look up the complexities of composing a fugue whilst following the form let alone IMPROVISING one! That’s where Ted Greene was at! Thanks for talking about Ted!!
Yes, he was very kind. When one works all ones life to be the absolute best one can be and finds out someone that good exists.... He was hard to believe, but he was real. The stuff on American Metaphysical Circus is pretty funny. I always thought Joe Byrd was making fun of the state of music at the time. The underground radio would play it about 2:00am. I also ran across Van Eps around the same time in a novelty store playing behind the counter- I think he might have owned it. He was very humbling. Hooray for Hollywood!
Thank you so much for sharing this video ! I studied with Ted for 4 years. One life time is not enough to digest everything I learned from Ted. Ted was the most wonderful person as well as the greatest musician in the world !!! Ted completely changed my life.
Great Video Adam! So nice to hear a personal account of your experience with Ted. I’m incredibly jealous that you had the opportunity to study with him. I’ll have to make do with the books and videos. What’s nice is that Teds output is so vast and sophisticated that it’s great to hear people’s condensed experience of what they drew from him. Take care and peace my friend.
I was very lucky -- growing up in the Los Angeles area in the ’70s and ’80s. Studying with Ted Greene at that time was a right of passage for many of my peers.
"He didn't have particularly big hands, but he had big ears." I'm gonna hang on to that! Such treasures to be found in all your tips Adam, thanks so much for your ongoing dedication and passion. Take care
At 8 minute 10 seconds you can see an amber figure pass behind Levy as he explains choosing a lower inversion of FM7 closer to home-i think Ted Greene briefly stopped by to show his appreciation ❤
My introduction to Ted Greene was his book Chord Chemistry. I bought it when it first came out and it was an eye opener. Over the years I would hear Ted's name mentioned in reverential tones by local guitar heavy weights like Lenny Breau and other giants of the fret board. It wasn't until UA-cam came along and I accidentally stumbled across videos of Teds genius that I fully comprehended what those guys were on about. You were so very fortunate to have actually studied with him. What an awesome experience.
Greene the unplow-able! LOVE IT!!!!!!!! Thanks so much Adam!! (Greene=YODA!) That 4-vid installment (one hour, total, on UA-cam) of him doing Baroque counterpoint ALONE is a lifetime, AND THEN SOME, of work... Can't believe it's been 10 years already :-(
I was lucky to have met Ted at the Dick Grove Music Workshop in Studio City, way back in 1977 .... He made a lasting impression to this then 17 year old ... still have his handouts, his books, his CD . Thanks for posting this, I really like all your postings.
Sorry, forgot I was posting under my band page. I was in CAP in 86, but I took a semester off and came back in 87. I unfortunately only made 2 semesters due to finances. I was on the road in 88, so I'm pretty sure that was the right timeframe. I was in the first time with Bruce Salvati, can't remember anymore names. That was a strange time in my life :)
I bought his hand draw chords book in the 70s and could never assimilate everything :-) but I learned a lot from it. After watching your video, I think that I will try to find his book in my pile of books…
So insightful thank you for sharing! Magnificent! 10TH'S now I am learning them all these years playing Blackbird and I never thought about the Intervals.
I've been a huge fan of Ted Greene for a long time, but I've only recently discovered the work of Billy Butler, not because of anybody mentioning him, but because I've heard his solo on "In the dark" for Carrie Smith (a fantastic and underrated singer) that was just one of the most beautiful blues solo I've ever heard, quite short but an example of pure class, and I've decided to find more about him. It's great to discover that even Ted Greene was a fan of him.
Wow. I just found your Guitar Tips channel. I love your approach. I've been playing music for years, but have just recently been taking the guitar seriously. Your lessons/tips are so encouraging, instructional, and inspiring. I will definitely be checking out your other videos and looking forward to new ones. Thank you so much!
Hello Adam, I did discover Ted Green from Pandora. I discovered you watching Nora. Your playing was sublime and melodic. It was a perfect pairing her piano and your guitar.
I really dig your enlightened tips. Would be cool if you could give us some tips on chord soloing over an A minor vamp. I'd like to learn some weird new chords
Nice video; thanks Adam. I discovered a two hour class (at MI?) that he did - just phenomenal. As someone commented on that video, if there was something that Ted didn't know about guitar, it probably wasn't worth knowing. A little hyperbole, but what a creative mind.
My copy just arrived, and I can't put it down! In the last year, I have been accompanying more vocalists with solo guitar, and I am always looking for ways to make the arrangement more interesting - can't wait to start putting some of these in the mix. And as a lover of books, the handwritten aspect of it is very cool. Great Tip - Many thanks!
OK, that cinches it. I recall from Danny Gatton's Telemaster! video where he said that he pulled his B3-sounding stuff from Bill Doggett records. So, if Danny Gatton, Adam Levy and Ted Greene endorse Bill Doggett, I need to listen to more Bill Doggett.
I want to learn Ted Greene style of guitar playing, but it is so hard and frustrating to find some teacher who speaks Ted Greene here in sydney. I usually learn thru face to face that's why.
I have a Martin and it drives me crazy because the double dot is on the 9th fret. I had the same issue watching you play harmonics until I realized your double dot was also on the 9th fret. Do you know why?
Alex, As far as I'm aware, there is no absolute standard for where the double-dot fretboard inlays are placed. In fact, I hadn't even noticed the 9th-fret placement on my Martin 000-17SM until you mentioned it! (The position markers along the side of the fretboard are all single, and that's all I reference while playing.) Sorry for any confusion. Ultimately, we should all be able to play without looking at the fretboard at all - but I still peek sometimes. All best, ~Adam
I blundered into Ted Greene in 1972. After getting over the emotional trauma and ego bludgeoning he gave everyone (I don't think it was on purpose) I realized there was Ted, and there was everyone else- he made one feel like they were waiting to die for the seventeenth time (look it up.
I stand in awe of Ted Greene; ever since I bought 'Chord Chemistry'. But I can never play many of his chords due to a short, first-joint on my left thumb. This means I can't fret bass notes in certain inversions. I just can't curl my thumb around the neck to do it. I should have been a leftie, maybe! Lol! And does anyone else find that the first joint of the left index finger falls right on the first string when using the barre, causing a muffled note?
I think many of us have these little idiosyncrasies, Ted actually discusses this, so don't be too concerned, make your music and stop chasing perfection, nobody has it.
I have all of Ted's book and they are great. I think Van Epps "Harmonic Mechanisms" series is the pinnacle of guitar harmony though (and Ted studied with George). I lived in 'sunny' L.A. for a while...no thanks...to much smog burning my eyes, MS13 gangs roving around, terrible traffic, horribly high cost of living, and gigs that paid way less than back home...I'll take the 'sleepy' Midwest any day of the week.
Ted had a great brain for theory but he was a terrible live performer, so nervous & shy & unorganized. over the decades I have seen so many guitar players who are legend in their own bedrooms but become frightened rabbits when faced with a live audience. Performance is such an important part of being a complete guitarist.
True enough. Performance is part of a musical life - as are business skills, self-promotion, self-care, etc. But I wouldn’t judge Ted too harshly just because of his performance anxiety (or whatever it was that kept him offstage). If he’d had a busy performing/touring schedule, perhaps he wouldn’t have had the energy to be such a thoughtful teacher - which, I believe, was his true calling in life. Would we think any less of J.S. Bach if we learned that he’d never played the Goldberg Variations in public? Did we need to see Angelo Dundee step into the ring to respect him as a great cornerman?
I asked Ted after about my tenth lesson (after realizing how much he had mastered) what currently floated his boat. He took the question very seriously and replied. “I’m really bummed out that I can’t improvise fugues as well as Bach” I said as far as I know Bach didn’t play guitar Ted: ) Look up the complexities of composing a fugue whilst following the form let alone IMPROVISING one! That’s where Ted Greene was at! Thanks for talking about Ted!!
That is very humbling.
“Compared to Bach… man, we all suck.”
Pat Metheny
Thanks, Adam. Appreciate the lesson.
I took lessons from Ted the last year of his life. Ted was the kindest person you could meet in a lifetime. He was a brilliant guitarist!
Yes, he was very kind. When one works all ones life to be the absolute best one can be and finds out someone that good exists.... He was hard to believe, but he was real. The stuff on American Metaphysical Circus is pretty funny. I always thought Joe Byrd was making fun of the state of music at the time. The underground radio would play it about 2:00am. I also ran across Van Eps around the same time in a novelty store playing behind the counter- I think he might have owned it. He was very humbling. Hooray for Hollywood!
Thank you so much for sharing this video ! I studied with Ted for 4 years. One life time is not enough to digest everything I learned from Ted. Ted was the most wonderful person as well as the greatest musician in the world !!!
Ted completely changed my life.
He was like the Taoist master of guitar.
Ive watched this before. Its an absolutely magical video. Filled with love and music! I’ll come again for this !! Dig Ted Greene! Indeed! Thank you!
Sweet energy of Ted adoration pouring out of you and keeping the focus on loving making music. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing all of this 🙏❤️
Great Video Adam! So nice to hear a personal account of your experience with Ted. I’m incredibly jealous that you had the opportunity to study with him. I’ll have to make do with the books and videos.
What’s nice is that Teds output is so vast and sophisticated that it’s great to hear people’s condensed experience of what they drew from him.
Take care and peace my friend.
I was very lucky -- growing up in the Los Angeles area in the ’70s and ’80s. Studying with Ted Greene at that time was a right of passage for many of my peers.
"He didn't have particularly big hands, but he had big ears." I'm gonna hang on to that! Such treasures to be found in all your tips Adam, thanks so much for your ongoing dedication and passion. Take care
At 8 minute 10 seconds you can see an amber figure pass behind Levy as he explains choosing a lower inversion of FM7 closer to home-i think Ted Greene briefly stopped by to show his appreciation ❤
My introduction to Ted Greene was his book Chord Chemistry. I bought it when it first came out and it was an eye opener. Over the years I would hear Ted's name mentioned in reverential tones by local guitar heavy weights like Lenny Breau and other giants of the fret board. It wasn't until UA-cam came along and I accidentally stumbled across videos of Teds genius that I fully comprehended what those guys were on about.
You were so very fortunate to have actually studied with him. What an awesome experience.
Hello Adam ! I want to thank you for making this video and mentioning dear Ted..
He is a great inspiration to me.
hi Adam, so great to remember Ted Greene. Keep up the good work and the good notes, you are a great inspiration too
Man - thanks so much, Giampaolo.
Thank you Adam.
thank you so much.😁 just discovered Bill Frisell and Ted Greene in the same week! im set for life. subbed
Awesome!
Brett Price that's a damn good week
Add Julian Lage and Gilad Hekselman in your playlist! :D
Caffeinated AJ dude. i was listening to Gilad over the weekend. mind blowing. thanks for taking the time. have you checked out pasquale grasso yet?
Not yet; but I've been listening to Ted Greene, Ed Bickert, and Wes Montgomery. lol
I just bought Ted's CD a few weeks ago. I have to say I am stunned. His harmonic complexity floors me.
Greene the unplow-able! LOVE IT!!!!!!!! Thanks so much Adam!! (Greene=YODA!) That 4-vid installment (one hour, total, on UA-cam) of him doing Baroque counterpoint ALONE is a lifetime, AND THEN SOME, of work... Can't believe it's been 10 years already :-(
daleturner hahabi just discovered those vids. I thought the same thing. More than a lifetime of info in those vids. Ted was truly a genius
Ted and you got some in common...listening to you talking and playing is very rewarding! Good stuff!
Thanks, Fabian!
Thanks Adam! I've watched dozens of your videos and I really appreciate your thoughtful delivery and deep insight.
Adam, thanks for a great video. Your soft spoken clarity reminds me of someone . . . very nicely explained too. More please . . . .
Just stumbled upon the magic of Ted. A big moment for sure. Great sounding guitar there, need more baroque stuff for sure
thank you so much!
i can feel the love from both of you when you both speak about harmony!
I was lucky to have met Ted at the Dick Grove Music Workshop in Studio City, way back in 1977 .... He made a lasting impression to this then 17 year old ... still have his handouts, his books, his CD . Thanks for posting this, I really like all your
postings.
Wow! I went to Dick Grove in the mid 1980s. I learned so much there.
When did you go? I was there in 85-87. First in Guitar, then Songwriting, then CAP.
Salsa Blanca I was there at that same time, General Musicianship Program, then CAP. Did we meet??
Sorry, forgot I was posting under my band page. I was in CAP in 86, but I took a semester off and came back in 87. I unfortunately only made 2 semesters due to finances. I was on the road in 88, so I'm pretty sure that was the right timeframe. I was in the first time with Bruce Salvati, can't remember anymore names. That was a strange time in my life :)
Dick Grove and Ted Greene in the same sentence... You guys know what's up! Two amazing pinnacles in music and education.
Great material and presentation Adam - Thank you for sharing !
Thanks for tuning in!
Great Channel Adam! Ted was the most humble human. I miss him dearly
Beautifully sincere and hunker much like Ted great great tips and lesson Adam !!!!!! Thanks for sharing.
that was awesome, thanks Adam!
Thank you so much!! thinking of learning more about that harp armonic, really love it!thanks again
thanks Adam - love Ted Greene and you are carrying the flame
Ah -- thank you!
6:43 reminded me of the chord progression from Joe Satriani's "Not Of This Earth"
Thanks, Adam! What a great legacy TG had left.
No doubt.
I bought his hand draw chords book in the 70s and could never assimilate everything :-) but I learned a lot from it.
After watching your video, I think that I will try to find his book in my pile of books…
Dig it up -- it's worth it!
So insightful thank you for sharing! Magnificent! 10TH'S now I am learning them all these years playing Blackbird and I never thought about the Intervals.
I'll certainly listen to him. Thank you Adam.
Wow Adam... stumbled upon this video LOVED it, subscribed now my adventure begins. Thanks a lot for these!
I've been a huge fan of Ted Greene for a long time, but I've only recently discovered the work of Billy Butler, not because of anybody mentioning him, but because I've heard his solo on "In the dark" for Carrie Smith (a fantastic and underrated singer) that was just one of the most beautiful blues solo I've ever heard, quite short but an example of pure class, and I've decided to find more about him. It's great to discover that even Ted Greene was a fan of him.
Oh -- wow! I'd never heard this Carrie Smith record before. What a gem. Thank you.
Wow. I just found your Guitar Tips channel. I love your approach. I've been playing music for years, but have just recently been taking the guitar seriously. Your lessons/tips are so encouraging, instructional, and inspiring. I will definitely be checking out your other videos and looking forward to new ones. Thank you so much!
:) some of my favorite guitarists!!!!
Well done lesson, inspirational and aspirational. Like a zen teacher ;)
Thanks, @MrMusicguyma!
Hello Adam, I did discover Ted Green from Pandora. I discovered you watching Nora. Your playing was sublime and melodic. It was a perfect pairing her piano and your guitar.
I really dig your enlightened tips. Would be cool if you could give us some tips on chord soloing over an A minor vamp. I'd like to learn some weird new chords
Great video, great info, thanks
I got all Ted Greene books love it
Your energy reminds me of Ted’s. Of course I’ve only seen videos of him, but I subbed you for it!
James Cunningham Thanks, James!
Ted Greene was one of the few guitarists that made a guitar sound like a piano.
Yes -- and more!
Nice video; thanks Adam. I discovered a two hour class (at MI?) that he did - just phenomenal. As someone commented on that video, if there was something that Ted didn't know about guitar, it probably wasn't worth knowing. A little hyperbole, but what a creative mind.
My copy just arrived, and I can't put it down! In the last year, I have been accompanying more vocalists with solo guitar, and I am always looking for ways to make the arrangement more interesting - can't wait to start putting some of these in the mix. And as a lover of books, the handwritten aspect of it is very cool. Great Tip - Many thanks!
So good
OK, that cinches it.
I recall from Danny Gatton's Telemaster! video where he said that he pulled his B3-sounding stuff from Bill Doggett records.
So, if Danny Gatton, Adam Levy and Ted Greene endorse Bill Doggett, I need to listen to more Bill Doggett.
If you want to hear applications of what Adam is talking about around 17:50, look up Tim Lerch, another Ted Green student.
crm1492 Yes - Tim really has the Ted spirit!
Hi, I've just been on Tim Lerch video on Melodic minor harmony lesson. Thanks for making me discover this great guitarist!!
good muzik!
7:37 I have to have these chords.
10:44 part 1 by Bill what?
I want to learn Ted Greene style of guitar playing, but it is so hard and frustrating to find some teacher who speaks Ted Greene here in sydney. I usually learn thru face to face that's why.
I wish I knew of someone in Sydney to recommend. If you're open to remote lessons, Tim Lerch really knows Ted's style. www.timlerch.com/
Amazing! What kind of guitar are you playing?
Martin 000-17SM
Adam, I could send you a 5 hour energy drink.
Yes, please.
I have a Martin and it drives me crazy because the double dot is on the 9th fret. I had the same issue watching you play harmonics until I realized your double dot was also on the 9th fret. Do you know why?
Alex,
As far as I'm aware, there is no absolute standard for where the double-dot fretboard inlays are placed. In fact, I hadn't even noticed the 9th-fret placement on my Martin 000-17SM until you mentioned it! (The position markers along the side of the fretboard are all single, and that's all I reference while playing.) Sorry for any confusion. Ultimately, we should all be able to play without looking at the fretboard at all - but I still peek sometimes.
All best,
~Adam
💜
I blundered into Ted Greene in 1972. After getting over the emotional trauma and ego bludgeoning he gave everyone (I don't think it was on purpose) I realized there was Ted, and there was everyone else- he made one feel like they were waiting to die for the seventeenth time (look it up.
Are the melody tones you talk about the same as chord tones?
dry509 The melody notes are the notes of the song-the part you'd sing. Chord tones (R, 3, 5, etc.) should support the melody.
Ted Greene said that he did the TG vibrato with his right arm and shoulder not by moving the neck directly
Beautiful guitar Adam, Is it a smaller scale?
Standard Martin scale, I believe. The model is 000-17SM.
Adam Bock Fdrxxo
No
Icheme Zouggart Huh???
wow sorry I subscribed to you, was listening to one of your video on my iphone, it was in my pocket!!!!
Icheme Zouggart Ha! :^)
I stand in awe of Ted Greene; ever since I bought 'Chord Chemistry'. But I can never play many of his chords due to a short, first-joint on my left thumb. This means I can't fret bass notes in certain inversions. I just can't curl my thumb around the neck to do it. I should have been a leftie, maybe! Lol! And does anyone else find that the first joint of the left index finger falls right on the first string when using the barre, causing a muffled note?
Good luck!
I think many of us have these little idiosyncrasies, Ted actually discusses this, so don't be too concerned, make your music and stop chasing perfection, nobody has it.
I have all of Ted's book and they are great. I think Van Epps "Harmonic Mechanisms" series is the pinnacle of guitar harmony though (and Ted studied with George).
I lived in 'sunny' L.A. for a while...no thanks...to much smog burning my eyes, MS13 gangs roving around, terrible traffic, horribly high cost of living, and gigs that paid way less than back home...I'll take the 'sleepy' Midwest any day of the week.
Okay.
The first page you opened to in chord progressions is the exact page I am at!!!! weird dude
Weird!
I'm so jealous that you got to study with him 😮
It was a blessing, for sure.
Pulling out the Jake E Lee thumb on the fretboard :D
I can’t hear you!! 😞
Along with tommy bukovac, best guitar shows on utube
Thanks so much, Jacob.
Wonder--FULLL ADAM.
9.28
If you're the guitarist who used to play with Norah Jones, I'm a little disappointed I just found your channel.
Michael Ruggles Yep, I am.
louder
Ted had a great brain for theory but he was a terrible live performer, so nervous & shy & unorganized. over the decades I have seen so many guitar players who are legend in their own bedrooms but become frightened rabbits when faced with a live audience. Performance is such an important part of being a complete guitarist.
True enough. Performance is part of a musical life - as are business skills, self-promotion, self-care, etc. But I wouldn’t judge Ted too harshly just because of his performance anxiety (or whatever it was that kept him offstage). If he’d had a busy performing/touring schedule, perhaps he wouldn’t have had the energy to be such a thoughtful teacher - which, I believe, was his true calling in life.
Would we think any less of J.S. Bach if we learned that he’d never played the Goldberg Variations in public? Did we need to see Angelo Dundee step into the ring to respect him as a great cornerman?