Charlie Christian And The Unusually Modern Arpeggios

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  • Опубліковано 25 січ 2019
  • I'll bet you did not think Charlie Christian would be playing the type of arpeggios that he does in this solo. I was really surprised when I was checking it out. I guess that he was very literally playing the changes. In this Charlie Christian Lesson, I go over 5 examples from the solo and discuss the material he uses.
    The examples show how Charlie Christian was already using a lot of bebop ideas in his playing. The examples also show he crafted a lot of his lines in the solo, which is very interesting.
    This is a simple one chorus solo on the "swing standard" I've found a new baby. But actually, it is pretty insane all the stuff that is in here if you think about the fact that it was recorded in the 1940s
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 204

  • @JensLarsen
    @JensLarsen  5 років тому +29

    Charlie Christian! I really did not expect him to use Drop2 voicings as arpeggios 😀
    Of course, I am always open to suggestions for who to do a video on, even if I don't do a lot of the fusion guys, so let me know! 🙂

    • @JazzGuitarScrapbook
      @JazzGuitarScrapbook 5 років тому +4

      Very cool, isn't it! I think that this an approach that works really well, very natural to guitar and yet is often ignored by guitarists as they think of it as not 'proper' somehow ... I know I don't often use it.... I think Peter Bernstein actually thinks this way a lot - out of the shapes, at least that's what he says. He also said that the only solo we ever transcribed all the way through was a Charlie Christian one... You can certainly here those m6 arpeggios in Pete's early playing (circa 'Light Blue') and obv. hear a lot of Grant Green too, who was probably Charlie Christian's direct descendant musically.

    • @JazzGuitarScrapbook
      @JazzGuitarScrapbook 5 років тому +3

      I'm thinking Django might have some surprises for you too, actually.... He's much more interesting harmonically than most modern Gypsy players lol.... Trying to think of a good solo. His 1936 Exactly Like You has some fun stuff in it... Also Django's Castle is an interesting study on what to play on a 13b9 chord.

    • @rodneycampbell3825
      @rodneycampbell3825 5 років тому +2

      Django would be cool or a lesson specifically on bebop chord progressions would be cool if you don't already

    • @Achase4u
      @Achase4u 5 років тому +2

      I think a Barry Galbraith video would be cool. He's got some cool ideas on his album "Guitar and Wind" and some great rhythm parts and solos on many other albums. He is really showcased on Willie Rodriguez "Flatjacks".

    • @cooneyman21
      @cooneyman21 5 років тому +3

      Jens! I would just like to thank you! I have taken so much from all these lessons over the last year or two. I can’t stress how important that is to me. So many concepts you’ve helped me with!

  • @matiaspastorini4041
    @matiaspastorini4041 5 років тому +29

    Charlie Christian is a must for any guitar player starting to understand jazz lenguaje and also for more advanced players that that forgot their roots. Great video as always

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +1

      Thank you Matias! Glad you like the video!

  • @underwoodvoice9077
    @underwoodvoice9077 5 років тому +72

    "Charlie Christian and the Unusually Modern Arpeggios" would be a great name for a band...

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +13

      It would have to be British though 😂

    • @arvh1952
      @arvh1952 5 років тому +1

      hahahaha

  • @johntravena119
    @johntravena119 5 років тому +10

    Charlie Christian might be underrated - a huge influence on Django. Swung hard & full of energy. Thanks for doing a video on him.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      Glad you like it! :)

    • @theprogrammerrolandmc3039
      @theprogrammerrolandmc3039 Рік тому +1

      No he was not influenced by charlie christian or any other guitarist apart from oscar aleman his friend django made over 40 albums of music charlie christian made no albums only thing that exists are him being a side man for other peoples bands. Charlie christian made no money whilst django toured all over the world.

    • @davidstucker3962
      @davidstucker3962 Рік тому +1

      @@theprogrammerrolandmc3039 Charlie Christian tragically died young of tuberculosis. Along with Django, his influence on subsequent generations of guitar players cannot be overstated. It's distasteful to compare them on the basis of how much money they made in their lifetimes.

    • @theprogrammerrolandmc3039
      @theprogrammerrolandmc3039 Рік тому +1

      @@davidstucker3962 It's called capitalism my friend if it didn't exist you would have never heard of CC unless you seen him play when he was alive. And he would not be happy knowing a few days in his lifetime of recording made millions that he never got.

  • @chrish3694
    @chrish3694 5 років тому +11

    Awesome lesson! Charlie Christian is a great guitarist to study for understanding the early years of bebop guitar.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thanks, Varg! He is indeed a great place to hear how it all got started!

  • @simonfivez2947
    @simonfivez2947 2 роки тому +4

    Just watched this video for the second time after a few years, and just now I realize what a resource it is (like all your videos)! Thanks again, Jens!

  • @oldschooltakingyaback
    @oldschooltakingyaback 5 років тому +3

    You can smell 100k, you deserve it brother. Loved your channel for close to 2 years now. Absolutely quality uploads, always.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thanks! :) We'll get there eventually

  • @pjokivuo
    @pjokivuo 5 років тому +3

    Thanks again Jens, your videos are at the highest level; great licks and interesting and notable knowledge of the history of jazz playing. Fantastic!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank you, Pertti! That's great to hear!

  • @tinajackel
    @tinajackel 5 років тому +3

    Hi Jens! Thank you for another really nice video - for me it’s the perfect mix of information and relaxation since you have a really chilled out way of explaining complexe stuff 😊

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank, you Tina! That's a very nice compliment :)

  • @kensifford8277
    @kensifford8277 5 років тому +8

    Love the mix of chromaticism with arpeggios. Jens, your videos are changing the game for me.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank you, Ken! Great that you can put it to use!

  • @bobwilkinson7647
    @bobwilkinson7647 2 роки тому +3

    Thanks enormously for this lesson Jens. Absolutely a gem, and a lot of hard work for us to get stuck into. I really appeciate all your very accessible lessons.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  2 роки тому

      Great to hear it is useful 🙂

  • @millerviz
    @millerviz 3 роки тому +4

    I really enjoy these solo analyses. The historical context helps me understand jazz evolution better.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  3 роки тому

      Thank you! Really great to hear 🙂

  • @dkwvt13
    @dkwvt13 5 років тому +5

    Really interesting lesson, Christian played much different content than I was learning on clarinet at the time. I always thought he was very modern (outside) although perhaps not...? Very creative use of the upper structure still available under a guitar players fingers but a bit of a reach for a fledgling clarinetist. Cool, Thank You!

  • @leeannemcdonald5706
    @leeannemcdonald5706 Рік тому +2

    Thanks Jens. I'm in Charlie Christian bootcamp this month and this really helps out.

  • @DaveKaplowitz
    @DaveKaplowitz 5 років тому +3

    He was brilliant and very ahead of his time! Very helpful the way you explain his use of swing phrasing - now I understand why playing my CC licks over bop or modern blues sounds square. Thanks!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thanks, Dave! Yes that is true, some of those swing phrases are going to be a bit funny in a bop piece :)

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +5

    As an instrumentalist, with a jazz guitar, upon occasion, I forget how beautiful the human voice actually is, and the honour, if we are lucky enough to accompany such an instrument.

  • @midnightblues717
    @midnightblues717 5 років тому +3

    "What's old is new; what's new is old".
    Thanks Jens!

  • @GetUpTheMountains
    @GetUpTheMountains 4 роки тому +1

    Thanks for the C.Christian hotlix breakdown. If you listen to the live "Immortal Charlie Christian" album, you can hear him playing some of the exact same phrases you've picked here, which means they're in his hotlix arsenal and applied to certain chord change patterns. Its always great to learn a master's signature moves, so you can include them in your own lines as a sort of nod and or wink-wink tribute. It also helps the developing guitarist to reverse engineer the lines and discover the "why's" of a master's note selection. Great video here!

  • @yannicklambert-briere650
    @yannicklambert-briere650 Місяць тому +1

    Wow amazing lesson, so inspiring, thank you!

  • @GinoMeregillanoLoneGunmen
    @GinoMeregillanoLoneGunmen 5 років тому +1

    Another great video, gotta love Charlie. Thanks you!!!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      You're very welcome Gino! I am glad you like it! 🙂

  • @Malcolm.Y
    @Malcolm.Y 3 роки тому +2

    You make some of the same observations I made when transcribing Christian on this song 40 years ago. LOL.
    Another "modern" innovation is the way he "stresses" B-natural on the Dm chord. Earlier improvisers, like the Hot Five on this number, or other songs that have that Sweet Georgia Brown feel to them - have soloists using Bb, even when the D-chord is major.
    And that Dm6 (by any of its names: rootless G9, or Bm7b5) would be the same "arpeggio," a whole step away, that you point out he uses on the A7.
    Also, let's not overlook how great the solos of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton are.

  • @Grindgodgrind
    @Grindgodgrind 4 роки тому +2

    This was really great, thank you Jens. I'm currently working on the solo from Seven Come Eleven, and Charlie really threw a lot of stuff into that!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  4 роки тому +1

      Thanks! Go for it :)

    • @Grindgodgrind
      @Grindgodgrind 4 роки тому +1

      @@JensLarsen I got a recording of it down. It's pretty fiddly in places but it felt great to work through it. Time for more!

  • @samuelsolano5759
    @samuelsolano5759 5 років тому +2

    so informative, thank you!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      You're very welcome! I am glad you like it! 🙂

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +1

    Sometimes it's so very hard to master, such inflection, I could imagine, even harder to teach,. playing like that voice, or others could only be a rare aspiration. Take care Sir, you have my respect.

  • @Bobby007D
    @Bobby007D Рік тому

    Jens is like a human encyclopedia !

  • @andy_travis
    @andy_travis 4 роки тому +4

    2:03 instruction starts
    3:49 solo starts

  • @analogalien
    @analogalien 5 років тому +1

    Bravo! i love this.

  • @hycus4292
    @hycus4292 5 років тому +2

    Great, long waiting for CC analysis !!

  • @MichaelNeverisky
    @MichaelNeverisky 5 років тому +1

    Fascinating... thanks for the analysis.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Glad you like it, Michael! 🙂

  • @dannilonascimento9113
    @dannilonascimento9113 3 роки тому +1

    Beautful work man ;) Thank you

  • @fredpg
    @fredpg 4 роки тому +1

    Excellent video, thanks for that! And now, with these concepts in mind, let's try to phrase as fluidly and swing as hard as CC did!!

  • @Dman85612
    @Dman85612 5 років тому +4

    Jens , charlie was jamming at Mintons after hours with all the future big names in Bebop , so his playing contains all the elements and had he survived would have been a big name.
    We know he had a tremendous ear and was an out of this world improvisor...

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Yes, I think so too. Am I saying that he wasn't? I am a little confused

  • @johnpandolfino8663
    @johnpandolfino8663 9 місяців тому +1

    That's an understatement.....

  • @arvh1952
    @arvh1952 5 років тому +1

    Jens thanks for highlighting Charlie Christian. He was truly ahead of times and your video was absolutely illuminating. He was truly a legend... did u know that he was only 25 when he died???????

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank you! I thought he was 23 actually? But I did know he was very young

    • @Dman85612
      @Dman85612 5 років тому +1

      He was 22 when he died

  • @vvblues
    @vvblues 5 років тому +1

    Great lesson.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank you, Oscar. I am glad you found it useful! 👍

  • @seanrose5943
    @seanrose5943 5 років тому +1

    Really helpful!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank you! Very glad to hear that!

  • @30smsuperstrat
    @30smsuperstrat 5 років тому +1

    Nice video on Christian! I got your book in hard copy and am getting ready to dig in! Al Di Meola from Kiss my axe would be a great fusion guitarist to look at. That's probably my all time favorite albums of his. I thought it was his best blending of his acoustic and electric playing .

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      Thanks! That's really great to hear :) I hope you like the book. If you enjoy it and have a few minutes then consider leaving a short review on Amazon. That is a huge help for me.
      I will check that Al Di Meola album, though he is not a guitar player I usually listen to.

  • @richardsorice4509
    @richardsorice4509 5 років тому +3

    Hi Jens, that chromatic lick over the G7 is very close to the melody of "It ain't necessarily so". I hear people quote it almost as much as "cry me a river". It's a cool modern sounding lick, contain major 3rd and minor 3rd, so I use over the tonic chord, major or minor. Thanks for another great lesson 😀

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      That's true, though I don't really hear it like that. Most of the time that quote is used a little more obvious :)

  • @grobertabidbol4005
    @grobertabidbol4005 5 років тому +3

    Very good guitarist and song choice !
    i' m always surprised by the use of the 13th on the A7 , the last chord of the A part . We play in Dm and it s the major third of it... But sounds great !
    Django used to do it too, do you see that dominante 13th chord that often in a minor contexte?
    Great work, as always , interesting the difference between Swing and Bebop in therms of 1 and 3 or 2 and 4.
    Thanks Maestro

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      I think you can find it quite often actually, though here it is more prominent than what I usually come across 🙂

  • @Trombonology
    @Trombonology 5 років тому +6

    Jens, after you mentioned that CC was coming up, I was wondering what song you were going to discuss -- great choice. IFANB has some of my favorite Christian figures, all of which you dissect thoroughly. Charlie was a giant, no question! It's true that he appeared at a transitional time, but to fully appreciate his genius, it must be borne in mind that he wasn't reacting to the transition -- he was creating it! His big influence was Lester Young; he couldn't afford a sax (tenor or otherwise), so he played at first a homemade guitar, on which he learned all Prez's lines and this is how the horn-like, as opposed to strongly chordal, use of guitar developed -- which we saw progress and expand through Charlie's "children," like -- say -- Grant Green and maybe Jimmy Raney most obviously, but also guys like Barney and Wes who, though they incorporated a lot of the chordal style into their solos, also cite Charlie as their major influence/inspiration. Two other points: Charlie couldn't read; he was just an extremely intuitive player (who, of course, practiced endlessly, like Bird). Also, bear in mind, he died in '42 -- before Bebop even had a name. He was at all those famous after-hours sessions at the renowned Minton's, literally stirring the bebop pot, along with Bird, Monk, Dizzy, etc. -- all the guys we now see as the chief architects of the style. Charlie's impact on modern jazz guitar is incalculable as it is, but imagine how he would have developed and influenced others if he had lived longer! ... Excellent discussion!

    • @DojoOfCool
      @DojoOfCool 5 років тому +2

      One of Charlie Christian's influences was Eddie Durham, guitar, trombone, arranger, composer. It's said Eddie was man who got guitar into big bands. Eddie experimented with various ways to amplify the sound of the guitar before the Gibson with a pickup like we're familiar with today.

    • @Trombonology
      @Trombonology 5 років тому +2

      @@DojoOfCool Yep! I'm a big fan of Eddie's work in all three roles. There may be some amplified guitar prior to Eddie's on the Kansas City Five/Six sides (with the Basie band contingent), but offhand I'm not thinking of any. He employed the chordal style in his solos at times, but also single-note lines and arpeggios, whose influence showed up here and there in Charlie's work. ... You may have read that Goodman was thinking about luring guitarist Floyd Smith away from the Andy Kirk band after hearing the '39 recording, "Floyd's Guitar Blues," on which Smith played amplified. Then, of course, Charlie was literally smuggled onto the stage with Goodman. It's said that when Benny caught Charlie in purple pants, a yellow shirt and a Stetson hat, among all his sidemen in matching suits, he was fit to be tied, so he called out "Rose Room," thinking Charlie wouldn't know it and he'd quickly get rid of him. After forty-five minutes, or whatever it was, of that one song, Charlie was in the band!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +1

      Thanks, Elizabeth! Yes, there is a lot to discover in a solo like this. This one is more complex than the others I checked out btw.
      I think I do hear some of these lines in Wes and certainly also in Jim Hall's playing

    • @Trombonology
      @Trombonology 5 років тому

      Jens, re: complex -- I think it can be heard on the records that Charlie, as one of the founders of bebop's "cool" aesthetic, was at times fighting a little bit against Goodman, who being very much of the more old-fashioned "hot" school, wanted a really heavy swing beat, which may not have provided Charlie the best context in which to express his more forward-looking ideas. Goodman, in fairness, loved Charlie's playing, but I don't know that he had a full grasp of how Charlie's approach was diverging from swing's harmony and way of addressing rhythm. In addition to several sides in the blues form, where Charlie excelled in his own unique way, the Goodman Sextet recorded several standards. I like Charlie's work on Memories Of You ua-cam.com/video/za06bkFtweU/v-deo.html and I Surrender, Dear ua-cam.com/video/0X443lODfGk/v-deo.html You get a sense of his favorite harmonies and also his more unorthodox, for the day, beat emphasis.

  • @jwp2460
    @jwp2460 Рік тому +1

    Awesome!!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  Рік тому

      Thanks!

    • @jwp2460
      @jwp2460 Рік тому

      @@JensLarsen I've been studying some of Django Reinhardt's playing and I can see so many similarities with some of the Charlie Christian examples. This is great.

  • @vanguard4065
    @vanguard4065 4 місяці тому

    after studying the great musicians the end goal is to compose one’s own music to their utmost

  • @DESIENASHOES
    @DESIENASHOES 5 років тому +1

    very good fundamentals_ like it

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thanks, Francesco! Glad you like it!

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +1

    Just to lighten up, Jens, as someone said, you are a good egg, Take care.

  • @nivrox95
    @nivrox95 Рік тому +1

    If I had to chose one jazz guitar solo (and maybe not only for guitar) it would be this one.Its the first jazz guitar solo I transcribed after my great teacher told me to bring him a Charlie Christian solo every week! It wasn’t easy but really helped me improvise cause I recognized some of the chord shapes.
    Your analysis is great but I my ear thinks and hears the first 4 bars alternating between D- and A7 bar each..I looked up charts and it’s probably what it is except the chord in bar 4 says D7, might be a secondary dominant to G7..🤔

  • @marcaskew61
    @marcaskew61 5 років тому +2

    Hey Jens, Charlie plays some great lines over the cycle of 5ths bridge in his solo on Swing to Bop (live at Minton’s recording, 1941) check it out..would be interesting to analyse.

  • @cleberguima1
    @cleberguima1 5 років тому +2

    I know that this is not the topic of the video but I think it's nice to mention that CC played most down picking. This is one of his "secret" to that incredible tone.
    Great video as always. :)

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      Thanks, Cleber! It was mentioned in some other comments too.
      I don't actually think his tone is that great personally but that is of course a question of taste :)

    • @cleberguima1
      @cleberguima1 5 років тому +2

      For sure and it's great that each one has your own taste, otherwise everyone would had the same tone. hahahaha. :D

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      @@cleberguima1 Exactly! :)

  • @hendrixjoe555
    @hendrixjoe555 3 роки тому +1

    Only 25 years, short period of time but great contributions to the 🌎 .

  • @simonfivez2947
    @simonfivez2947 5 років тому +3

    Nice lesson, Jens! Just finished transcribing From Swing to Bop, and I did not ctively notice these (I'm not yet good at analysing solo's..), so had a lot of discovering fun watching :)
    PS: suggestion, when you hit a 100 subs, you could maybe change your "subscribe to channel" edit?! The current one shows you having only 34k and that's a shame ;)

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +1

      Thanks, Simon! I didn't check out that solo, but the other ones I checked out are also less hip :)

  • @dougandrade2850
    @dougandrade2850 2 роки тому

    All. Set. Bro.

  • @bok2bok333
    @bok2bok333 5 років тому +2

    As a practise....cause I am still getting arpeggios for each position under my belt I came up with an idea to practise some chromatism doing the following...say using C major as an example
    Play through each diatonic arpeggio triad (1. 3. 5 and maybe a 7) starting at C. Then do a three note chromatic run down to the 1. Or. 3. Or. 5. Of the next chord (say D m) and move through them all that way...as a starter. It seems like a cool way of getting it into my soul and learning the different parts of each diatonic chord on the neck. I'm not thinking to much about the bee bop aspect yet but giving it more of a bubbly rythm....and also chromatic up to the 1. 3. 5 etc....maybe alternating between the two.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      Sounds like a solid approach! :)

  • @TheDjazz1
    @TheDjazz1 5 років тому +3

    Hey Jens, love your content. I got really tickled when I saw this because Charlie tends to be overlooked/lost in the fray when it comes to the "who's-who" of jazz greats, especially since the music has gone through a vast evolution since Charlie's untimely death. Sure, guitarists and other jazz musicians get hipped to Charlie's playing, but there truly is some monumental foreshadowing in his lines of what would be taking place in the music post-Swing era that, in my opinion, doesn't always get the attention it deserves. You ought to check out "Charlie Christian: Selected Solos from the Father of Modern Jazz Guitar" by Chip Henderson. It's chock-full of transcriptions of multiple live, studio, and rehearsal takes of the tunes that showcased Charlie's talent so well. The quotes at the end of the book are fun to read as well. Thanks for all you do for the jazz guitar community, and take care!

    • @Trombonology
      @Trombonology 5 років тому +2

      Just to chime in, I completely agree with your thoughts. I suspect that many younger players are delving into the jazz guitar of a more chronologically advanced point and perhaps only a relative few of these neophytes have an interest in exploring the evolutionary line before, say, Pat Metheny or maybe even some of the more contemporary players. Thus, with little or no sense of history and context, they're not able to appreciate how startlingly different and forward-looking Charlie's style was in its time or how influential it has proven to be. ... Dizzy Gillespie once said of Louis Armstrong, " No him, no me." Many contemporary jazz guitarists could say the same thing about Charlie.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      I am not sure I think that is entirely true, to be honest. For the school, where I teach, even if they don't check out a lot of Charlie Christian they are aware and at the very least checking out the generations right after him.
      From a stylistic point of view learning a lot of Charlie Christian may not be solving your problems as a developing jazz guitarist, and I think that is as much a reason that he is not more of a topic in lessons.

    • @Trombonology
      @Trombonology 5 років тому +1

      Jens, but your statement seems to suggest that Charlie's style or point in jazz guitar evolution can't be an end in itself. There are jazz players today -- perhaps not on the tip of everyone's tongue but, then, who playing jazz is? -- whose approach shows little if any influence beyond Charlie's era or personal innovations. Does this mean that they have no validity as jazz guitarists? Among those of us who have had exposure to the pre-Hall ... Metheny ... Lund (just random names) universe, aren't at least some of us just making the choice, based on preference, to confine our harmonic/note choices and way of addressing the beat to how things were done in, say, 1940? Of course, the harmonic and rhythmic boundaries have expanded since then, which is great, but does choosing not to go to the edge mean you have nothing worthwhile to say musically?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +1

      Well, I am of course coming from a teachers point of view I guess.
      I would indeed think that it is not a good idea to take that route if you have issues in other parts of mainstream jazz phrasing since it is a very specific choice. You can specialize in that but I would recommend getting your mainstream act together first if you want to make have a shot at being a jazz guitarist.
      It's not really a judgment of the validity of the style. I view that no differently than I view people specializing in free-jazz or looping if they are in a Jazz education program. It's a choice for later once you have your bases covered.

    • @Trombonology
      @Trombonology 5 років тому +1

      I dig. I'm sure your being a teacher gives you a somewhat different, and certainly expanded, perspective. ... Actually, maybe I'm a little hazy on how you define "mainstream" jazz or, specifically, guitar. When I hear "mainstream" in any context I think _popular_ or _commercial_ or, more broadly, _accepted_ . In the former sense, who in jazz has been a household name since Wes (and then, sadly, because of stuff like "Windy" on '60's variety shows)? And in terms of what's "accepted" or "established," isn't that constantly evolving? ... Not trying to be difficult. :-)

  • @VoodooDewey69
    @VoodooDewey69 Рік тому

    As a novice guitar player ,I spend more time shedding on guitar than my main instrument which is trumpet.If I could play guitar as fluemt aa trumpet I'd be good . I've found a lot of great guitarist channels here on UA-cam,like yours .

  • @nw865
    @nw865 5 років тому +2

    Please do a video on Four on Six! I know you’ve done videos citing licks from it, but I’d love to see a full breakdown of it. I find that myself and many others I’ve listened to can’t help but play bars 5-8 somewhat isolated and disconnected from one another just to get through them. But making well connected lines through the changes is deceptively challenging

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Ironically I think that the approach to playing that and connecting it is exactly what those videos are about. Breaking down the entire solo won't help you with that. The skills you need for that you should develop in other ways.
      Do you see what I mean with that?

    • @nw865
      @nw865 5 років тому +1

      Oh totally! I might not have been clear though, I don’t really care specifically about Wes’s solo. I meant breaking down just navigation through those changes. I always hear people doing sort of what Wes did, playing one phrase, then essentially repeating for 4 bars through the changes until they get back to G minor. I was hoping to find a way out of that rut. So, sort of an anti-Wes solo! But I hear you, thanks for the reply
      Edit: I know Wes doesn’t always do this, but he does generally play very compact phrases and use repetition frequently. Since most people listen to his renditions of this tune for reference, I find that most people tend to copy this. Not hearing other stylistic approaches, I tend to see people getting stuck only imitating Wes on this particular tune. But of course the only way to improve is for me to practice haha. I will go do so now

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      I think you could argue that Wes' solo is great because he does that? The main thing is just to be creative with what you are repeating, he does that quite well but it takes practice to do that.
      The other options would be to play through it with just lines or try to find ways to make motifs that go against the chord movement. But I think it would be strange to teach that on a Wes tune since it is not something he does that much. The way he works with these changes is really a big part of his style :)

    • @nw865
      @nw865 5 років тому +1

      Yes indeed! I’m just lately obsessed with the tune and wish more artists played it so I could hear some different stylistic perspectives. If only Wes had decided to Coltrane’s band when he was invited to, we might have heard something out of this world haha

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      @@nw865 I seem to remember that Wes didn't like playing with Coltrane? You can check out the Scofield/Abercrombie version or the Pat Martino version of this song?

  • @marcaskew61
    @marcaskew61 5 років тому +1

    Great stuff. Back in the seventies I went crazy about Christie Christian and bought re-issue vinyl recordings of Charlie soloing with Benny Goodman - At that time I miraculously found a book of his transcribed solos - the cover was pale green, but I must have sold it, and the recordings - I’m still kicking myself for getting rid of these. Wonder if that old book is still around?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thanks! I am sure you can still find that book. A lot of the old books are still available :)

    • @marcaskew61
      @marcaskew61 5 років тому +1

      I’ve done a check and can’t find it - would have been published 1970-72.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Ok. I am fairly certain you can find books with transcriptions of his solos though 🙂

    • @marcaskew61
      @marcaskew61 5 років тому

      Yes. I know they are available - but I just miss my old green book! 😩😩😩

  • @hubertvancalenbergh9022
    @hubertvancalenbergh9022 5 років тому +1

    That was one of the very first solos I had to learn in music school.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      That's interesting! But a good choice. It is actually not that difficult to play and really good! What other solos did you have to learn? (if you don't mind)

    • @hubertvancalenbergh9022
      @hubertvancalenbergh9022 5 років тому

      @@JensLarsen I recall Halsted Street, which I found devilishly difficult. But I played it in a music store once (testing out a guitar) and it definitely turned heads. I'd have to search my files to find more titles. I mostly recall the music, but often forget the title of a piece.

    • @nivrox95
      @nivrox95 Рік тому

      Same here

  • @dennis_johnson
    @dennis_johnson 5 років тому +2

    You're the best Lens!

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +3

      You're very welcome Jennis! 🙂

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +4

    to hear the Late Eva Cassisdy's version of Autumn Leaves, is something rare, do you think, I'm just a kid, 1959 I is.

  • @mannoplanet
    @mannoplanet 2 роки тому

    Nice... like this approach a lot . Example 4 seems to be the intro to Steely Dan's Royal Scam, no?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  2 роки тому

      Thank you! I wouldn't if it is in a Steely Dan song 🙂

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +1

    Here's an oddball question you or others might be able to answer for me, Iv'e been watching your hands, and I notice when you start any vibrato, or a trill, it always begins with an upward finger movement. I am the complete opposite, I am a southpaw who plays right, is this common?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      I have no idea, I never noticed that myself, sorry :)

  • @j.p.7708
    @j.p.7708 Рік тому

    This is the only channel where I set the speed to 0.75, you speak too quickly Jens, us normal humans have limits.🤣

  • @jedmarsillo
    @jedmarsillo 5 років тому +1

    Wow another eye opening lesson. Could you please explain where the chord progression Dm-G7-C7-F6 comes from. I think I missed that in the video and don't really understand it. It sounds great though.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      Thank you Jed!
      The chord progression is really more Dm for four bars (which then feels like a tonic Dm) and then a cadence to F using the dominant of the dominant so: G7 C7 F7
      Dm - Dm - Dm - Dm
      G7 - C7 - F6
      does that help?

    • @jedmarsillo
      @jedmarsillo 5 років тому +1

      @@JensLarsen I think so. The progression is Dm but feels like a VI-II-V-I but the II is also a dominant?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      @@jedmarsillo Yes, but II as a dominant is the V of V right? :)

    • @jedmarsillo
      @jedmarsillo 5 років тому +1

      @@JensLarsen So the II of the progression is the dominant of C and the V of the progression is the dominant of F

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому

      @@jedmarsillo Well, it's not a II because it is a dominant. the II is a m7 chord. It is the V of V

  • @JazzGuitarScrapbook
    @JazzGuitarScrapbook 5 років тому +23

    Now play it all with down strokes. :-)

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +7

      So, it has to be historically correct? 🙂

    • @underwoodvoice9077
      @underwoodvoice9077 5 років тому +6

      Of course...and if you play Django, you have to tape your ring and pinky fretting hand fingers together.@@JensLarsen

    • @JazzGuitarScrapbook
      @JazzGuitarScrapbook 5 років тому +3

      @@underwoodvoice9077 Actually, it's a fun thing to try! Most of Django's single note stuff was just 1st and 2nd finger (!).... Makes you view the neck in a new way.... You realise there's no need to stretch (which is something Kurt mentioned in an interview - he doesn't stretch anymore for single note stuff as it was messing up his hand.)

    • @JazzGuitarScrapbook
      @JazzGuitarScrapbook 5 років тому +3

      @@JensLarsen Of course - and with three fingers LH, pinky and third finger RH locked down onto the scratchplate..... Joking aside, I do actually think it helps get the feel closer, that heavy old school thing.... You probably know Miles Okazaki's essay on Charlie Christian?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +3

      No, I don't know that essay. To be honest I don't think I feel the need to sound like him. The whole swing phrasing thing is nice but sounds very foreign to me :)

  • @dcoch2000
    @dcoch2000 2 роки тому +1

    What model is the Ibanez you are playing?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  2 роки тому +1

      It's an AS2630, the model before they made the AS200 🙂

  • @catgolfer1
    @catgolfer1 4 роки тому +4

    Did Wes Montgomery ever meet Mr. Christian?🐈

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  4 роки тому +1

      I don't know :)

    • @frankfrank7921
      @frankfrank7921 3 роки тому +2

      They never met but of course Wes knew Charlie very well. I read somewhere years ago that when Wes was starting out on guitar he was initially overwhelmed by Charlie's solos and then thought to himself they both have six strings and five fingers on each hand so why can't he do it too? The rest, as they say, is jazz history.

  • @cotiecowgill4520
    @cotiecowgill4520 Рік тому +1

    Great study.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  Рік тому

      Glad you liked it!

    • @cotiecowgill4520
      @cotiecowgill4520 Рік тому +1

      @@JensLarsen The lessons you post have been very helpful. The occasional humor thrown in to make a point is brilliant. I've been playing for many years but I really have the jazz bug now. It's great to have a new guitar journey to embark on. Of course I learned the old fasioned way due to lack of internet in younger years. Horray for you tube and Jens Larsen! 👍

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  Рік тому

      @@cotiecowgill4520 That is super motivating to hear! Thank you!

    • @cotiecowgill4520
      @cotiecowgill4520 Рік тому +1

      @@JensLarsen Absolutely!

  • @Soberan
    @Soberan 5 років тому +1

    Great vid! Please name of the tune? Thanks.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +1

      It's from I've Found A New Baby. I say it in the very beginning of the video :)

    • @underwoodvoice9077
      @underwoodvoice9077 5 років тому +1

      "I've Found a New Baby"

  • @sadayu1634
    @sadayu1634 13 днів тому

    I want to know name of each songs!

  • @chqngolion1777
    @chqngolion1777 2 роки тому +1

    Can you analyze Django?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  2 роки тому +1

      No, I leave that to all the Gypsy channels 🙂

  • @thestreetman5284
    @thestreetman5284 10 місяців тому

    top

  • @willruales9191
    @willruales9191 5 років тому

    Anyone can shed light on using half dim over Maj chords?

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      G7: G B D F and Bø: B D F A, so it is the arpeggio form the 3rd of the chord.
      Does that help?

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +1

    Sorry Jens, I notice stuff, no matter how insignificant to others, is my nature, now that I brought it to your attention, hope it helps to notice the little things, how unimportant, it might seem, I always felt a guitar was made for a left hander, feels natural, no one told me otherwise. love your stuff.

  • @GoFigure621
    @GoFigure621 3 місяці тому

    And he never used bends. Every note played clearly.

  • @MeTriviSlipKlokDriva
    @MeTriviSlipKlokDriva Рік тому

    I thought that was Michael Che for a sec 😐

  • @musik102
    @musik102 5 років тому +1

    The patron thing confuses me. Not specific enough. ALL I want are the tabs and any notes that go with this - and any other -Charlie Christian lesson(s).

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +1

      I don't offer that, sorry 🙂

  • @dougandrade2850
    @dougandrade2850 2 роки тому

    I ,have read Mr. Joe Pass. As. Well. Took. Many. Strides. To accomplish that. Task. As well. What. Atribuet.

  • @dougandrade2850
    @dougandrade2850 2 роки тому

    A Berkly. Grad. Metheiny

  • @robertdouglas4293
    @robertdouglas4293 5 років тому +2

    Sorry Jens, getting old Brother.

  • @Skizze37
    @Skizze37 5 років тому

    Unpopular Opinion: Charlie Christian was just doing his best Django impression
    Django was doing all of this stuff, before Charlie could hold a guitar.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      Pity that Django never got the swing right though. He might have been famous like Charlie 😄

    • @Skizze37
      @Skizze37 5 років тому +1

      @@JensLarsen Ouch. :(

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +2

      I am just joining in with the unpopular opinions...

    • @Skizze37
      @Skizze37 5 років тому

      @@JensLarsen You're an acid-tongued Dutchman, Mr. Larsen, but you're quick as a whip and a stand-up musician. I love your lessons, but not to the degree that I love Mr. Reinhardt.

    • @JensLarsen
      @JensLarsen  5 років тому +3

      I enjoy trolling trolls. But please don't call me Dutch 🙂

  • @waynethomas2950
    @waynethomas2950 3 роки тому +1

    Jen...you have Charlie's touch.. but, entirely too much talking, explaining. Show how it's done, then explain. This is hard to follow.