Robert+A.

=Hello everyone :D=

August 26th, 2011
HELLO EVERYONE! :D We're almost back in school and stuff :D Hurray (right?) :D

=The Wonderful World of Stuff People May or May Not Know About:= =Jazz Guitar=

What and why..... (don't ask where, when, or how please)
Jazz music has always been a fascination for me, though I've never really made an attempt at discerning the chords until this project. Jazz guitar, in particular, appeals to me because its not a genre any novice or any guitar player below that can fake without sounding utterly terrible, and requires a certain level of knowing whatever the hell it is they are playing.

Jazz music, like many genres, was borne of the blues, though the guitar in its early years played no large role in jazz. When the guitar was introduced to jazz, the first thing they did was was put it in the rhythm section in place of the banjo. The guitar was strictly rhythm (in jazz) until the introduction of amplification to music. This was when musicians realized the potential of the guitar as a lead instrument.

Jazz guitar is primarily based off of improvisation, and requires a quick "ear" to know what chords/notes to add in agreement with what the other instrument(s) are sounding. Often the lead sets a melodic structure and takes off from there, returning occasionally to remind the listener what song it is. That just means that whatever melody they play as the primary melody of the song is returned to somewhere along the line, almost like a chorus or refrain. 7th chords are common (The change of the harmony note) in jazz chord progressions, as well as plucking two agreeable notes.

Research Questions (listed at the same time! :D)
1. What is unique to the sound of electric and acoustic sounds in jazz? 2. How often does Acoustic Alchemy improvise from the format they set at the beginning of the song, "Ariane" ? 3. What is the most common chord progression for guitars in smooth jazz? 4. How do the melodies of smooth jazz differ from those of rock? 5. How does the difference of nylon vs steel strings affect the sound of the song "The Rideout" ? 6. In general, do jazz songs change key often? 7. What quality of smooth jazz makes it more tranquil than most other genres? 8. What strumming/ picking techniques are used in the songs "Ariane" and "The Rideout" ? = =

"Jazz Chord Progressions." //jazzguitar.be//. jazzguitar.be, n.d. Web. 3 May 2011
This article was proofread by 3 guitar teachers, and I myself verified the information on this page. The purpose of this source was to give examples of jazz chord progressions and songs that share them. I noticed while testing these chords that the progressions matched examples both listed on the page and others that I've heard on The Wave, and also coincided with the information on a few other sources. I viewed this page on the 31st of March, and this was the first that I found. It answered a few of my questions, the most specific to this source being "What is the most common chord progression in jazz?" It turned out that there are several common chord progressions that I won't write here but were also listed on the page.

Watson, C.J. "Melodic Styles." //netplaces.com.// The New York Times Company. n.d, Web. 3 May 2011.
This article was the most illuminating as to inform what to look for in jazz, because it led me to minor sources that answered minor questions. Though much of the page was useless, the paragraph on jazz melodies was what I needed to pull the right methods out of my guitar books. The most crucial information on this page was was that all instruments in a jazz band (save the bass line, occasionally) were part of the melody, and a lead guitar based off of improvisation. I can tell that the source is reliable and accurate, as the author of the article also wrote "The Everything Songwriting Book" that I had once seen in the self-instruction section at a presently closed down Barnes and Noble. This single paragraph essentially made choosing my information from other sources easier.

Denyer, Ralph. //The Guitar Handbook.// New York: Alfred A. Knopf inc., 1982. Print.
In hindsight my great //Guitar Handbook// should have been my first choice of information gathering, as it answered half of my research questions. The most significant of these were "How do the melodies of jazz differ from those of rock?" the answer being that rock consists of instrument rhythm rather that instrument melody like jazz, and "What is unique to the sound of electric vs acoustic guitars in jazz?" the answer being that the acoustic sounds are played to the set structure of the song, while electric guitars are played lightly and change back and forth between structure and improvisation. All of the information regarding technique and styles could be found on two pages of the book, making me a little frustrated that I had not used this ever-present source earlier. The jazz article mentioned the melodic properties of jazz, as well as all chords ever invented in the 14 keys. This book had everything (save the Acoustic Alchemy related questions) that I could have needed for this research project, and now the lesson has been learned. ALWAYS check your gigantic book with all the answers in it.

Chord - A combination of three or more notes played at the same time
Harmony - Different notes in a chord that agree with each other

7th Chord - Changing of a note in a major chord in agreement with the other notes (Still played as a chord)

Progression - Series of chords sounded for the duration of the song (According to the key the song is in, which can change)

Riff - Series of notes or chords or a combination of the two played in a few bars of a song.

Major Chord - A basic chord of a major key (A, B, C, D, E, F)

minor Chord - changing the root of a major chord

* = subject to change
-Introduce my topic with a long rant on the history of jazz* OR -Introduce my topic with a summary of my typed introduction*

-Explain why I like jazz guitar

-Give a BRIEF history*

-Talk about various jazz guitarists w/ examples*

-Display (on screen) pictures of chord fingerings

-Perform a small example of jazz guitar

-Explain improvisation and its uses

Research Days
=May 6, 2011= I decided on my three best sources. The most helpful so far have been -netplaces.com > Melodic Styles -jazz.be > Jazz Chord Progressions - The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer > Jazz Guitar Syles

I answered a few more questions. 5. How does the difference of nylon vs. steel strings affect the acoustic sound of "Red Dust and Spanish Lace" and "Casino" Steel strings made a sharper, brighter sound (Casino) and the nylon strings made a thicker, more self-sufficient sound (Red Dust and Spanish Lace). This information was gathered from my dad's Acoustic Alchemy album, "Blue Chip". 8. What quality of smooth jazz makes it more tranquil than most other genres? Smooth jazz is generally played in //piano//. This was found by further observation on 94.7. The Major Scale in All Twelve Keys as formatted by Ralph Denyer, from //The Guitar Handbook,// page 105 (Playing the guitar) I II III IV V VI VII A B C# D E F# G# Bb C D Eb F G A B C# D# E F# G# A# C D E F G A B C# D# F F# G# A# C D E F# G A B C# Eb F G Ab Bb C D E F# G# A B C# D# F G A Bb C D E F# G# A# B C# D# F G A B C D E F# Ab Bb C Db Eb F G = = =May 3, 2011= I answered a few of my questions concerning melodies. 1. What is unique to the sounds of electric and acoustic guitars in jazz? The answer to this was found through a 3-day listening period in which I heard about 3 hours of music from 94.7 The Wave while involved in my day to day activities. I noticed that the electric guitars had a fuzzy sound, and the chords were played muting the harmony string. The acoustic guitars played more note progressions than chords. All the guitars were used for melodic sound purposes. 3. What is the most common chord progression in jazz? The answer found on the jazzguitar.be site (will link below) was that any 7th or m7th chords create the desired jazz sound, and require the muting of one string, often the harmony note, to make a high and low pitch of a note (ex. C c) 4. How do the melodies of jazz differ from those of rock? The answer was found on the first source in a very small paragraph for jazz guitar, and a slightly larger paragraph for rock guitar (see previous post link) Rock guitar consists mainly of a strong rhythm and an overlapping melody to time. In jazz guitar, all the chords are used to make a melody, whether it is the lead or not. 6. In general, do smooth jazz songs change key often? This information was derived from listening to 94.7 The Wave from Friday to Sunday (VERY tiring work I must say.) What I noticed through my strenuous observation was that there were many fill chords, but all the chords came back to the melody set at the beginning of the song. Links: [] []

= = = = = = =April 28, 2011= Today I tried to find some example of the style of acoustic alchemy, whose solid genre has eluded me thus far. I can't identify what genre it is, so I can't be certain what exactly to look for. I do know, however, the sound I wish to emulate and will look into it further as soon as possible.

So far the only source with plausible information has been a single paragraph on the following link, regarding the melodic styles of jazz. []

= = = =

="Sister Golden Hair"= Fear started gripping me, more than it did any time before. I felt the suspense in the air, a kind of anxiety caused by impatient anticipation. You know what I mean? I felt uncomfortable where I was standing, and a constant battle of temperatures was raging around this room. I can never explain to this day how it magically reached a medium, although its been a year since. Either way, I wasn't sure how this little diddy was going to end.

I can still see the dark green wall, contrasting heavily with the shiny laminate wood floor. All around the walls were dark and nearly invisible, save the green wall that seemed to conceal an empty space.The floor reflected the lights all around the ceiling, which, combined with the heat absorbed by the strange green wall and anxiety, made the room even more interesting. As warm as the room was, I still felt the chills going up and down my spine. Needless to say this oddly arranged room was uncomfortable.

The occupants of this room -- The //Carlo Robelli// acoustic, two microphones, and the familiar looking strangers on the left side of the room-- were waiting for me. I nodded to the strangers who I was positive I'd met before. The room was still unnerving, but the strangers paid no heed to the constant clash of temperatures in the air. Did they feel it? These strangers nodded in return. They turned some knobs and doohickies and other things I might never understand. The lyrics to "Sister Golden Hair" began stirring around in my brain, along with the chords and the timing. I felt the frets on the //Carlo Robelli//, and I nodded again to the strangers on the side. C#m, A, E, F#m, B, A. It was time.

The strangers nodded back and pulled some strings. The mysterious green wall began to open as I stumbled upon several revelations. The room wasn't a room itself but a stage. The curtain was concealing a single bright light that made it impossible to see around this newly discovered space. This space that looked like nothing from my perspective began creating a loud noise like applause. The temperatures ceased in their seemingly endless struggle. The applause halted and I was no longer afraid. It was time. C#m, A, E, F#m, C#m, B, A...

=

= =With Question= That day the weather was deceivingly pleasant for November, and my hopes for that day were mistakenly high. I thought my reputation and history as her friend had set everything in place. I figured 8th grade - my last year in Hacienda Heights - should have been a great one before I left. I was always nice to her, and we enjoyed each others' company. I felt everything was right, but even with the pleasant air, there was an uncertainty that kept pestering me. Maybe I was wrong...

I must have been a natural at ruining things, which, for most people, takes years to master. Whether this was (or is) a part of me, it didn't change the end result. I don't remember saying anything nasty, or wrong, or insulting when I asked her out. I thought I had been funny around her through the year, easy to get along with, etc. I realized how distant I felt when I did this, but I didn't know it was just the quietness of my voice. Either way, it didn't change things.

In the instant when I asked, I reflected on my actions with question (regretfully I might add). Was I wrong? Was it too soon? Had I said something wrong, inappropriate? Was she angry? Was she sad? Why did she seem so offended? Why was I even there? Why did her piercing glare hurt me more than the stinging slap? How could the day that had been going so well have turned so bitter? What had I done wrong?

It seems like an old bad dream, a realistically fake experience. I wasn't sure why it was so hard to get over, or why I couldn't have left sooner. There were other things to look forward to, but for some reason I still felt the sting when she looked at me and the cold when she ignored me. It wasn't until March that I finally managed to escape the revolting label of being "that one weirdo who asked Karen out" to "the guy who always had his guitar and played music that no one cares about anymore," which suits me just fine.