# From 0 to HERO jazz guitar book out there?



## CRaul87 (Jan 18, 2013)

So I'm interested in knowing if there's any book out there that can teach me jazz straight up from the absolute most basic concept and build up on that with each lesson/example. (chords/rhythm/lead lines, chromatics and outside playing)

The theory that I already know is your basic diatonic modes all over the neck, 3n/s and the boxier ones 3n/s + 2n/s. I know how to build chords and arpeggios though I'm by far not fluent in them and I do need to look up the notes and formulas before attempting to do any of that...


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## birch (Jan 20, 2013)

Id recommend the NYGM vol 1 and 2 from muse-eek. I know ive mentioned their stuff before in posts but it really kicks ass. 
If you really want from zero, they have primer books to get you up to scratch as well. The material is kinda dry, but if you apply it and be creative with it then its not a problem.


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## StratoJazz (Jan 20, 2013)

You might want to try hal galper's from bach to bebop. It's not a guitar book, but if you can read music you'll get alot out of it.

Jazz improvisation in general is more vertical than other types of improvisation(like playing over a blues with the pentatonic scales). While i think you should become familiar with the scales/chords you should spend more of your time transcribing. Transcribing will help you develop a better ear for jazz and also give you more of an appreciation for the music because you've put in a great deal of work and emotional effort into it.

I recommended the Bach to Bebop book to you simply because he explains why some melodies(solos) sound better than others. His emphasis on the idea of outlining thirds and 7ths in your licks helps you outline chords.

Anyway, hoped that helped.


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## djyngwie (Jan 21, 2013)

I see Mickey Baker's books recommended quite a bit for this kind of thing.


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## Poparad (Jan 27, 2013)

Whatever books you end up getting, there are two absolutely vital things you must do, even more so than reading out of a book:

1) Learn tunes. Get a fakebook, if you don't already have one (The Real Book, Volume 1, Sixth Edition by Hal Leonard is the standard one most people use), and get familiar with the melodies, chord progressions, and form of standardly played songs.

2) Listen and transcribe! You can't learn a style without listening to it a lot. It's also essential to take what you hear and translate it to the guitar. Figure out solos, and then analyze what they're playing so you can steal it and reuse it for your own playing.


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## Rook (Jan 27, 2013)

The Jazz Theory Book

This one gets recommended a lot


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## Trespass (Jan 27, 2013)

To actually answer your question, Jody Fisher's 4 book series assumes you know nothing, and by the end leaves you with a strong command of soloing, comping and chord melody.

If you have work ethic to go through the books sequentially, you will become a strong enough player to play over pretty much any tune.


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## Sam MJ (Jan 28, 2013)

Trespass said:


> To actually answer your question, Jody Fisher's 4 book series assumes you know nothing, and by the end leaves you with a strong command of soloing, comping and chord melody.
> 
> If you have work ethic to go through the books sequentially, you will become a strong enough player to play over pretty much any tune.


1995/96 versions?

Good call though, Jody has some amazing video's on youtube .


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## bondmorkret (Feb 1, 2013)

Check out Jazz Improvisation by Shelton Berg if you can find it!


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## Ralyks (Feb 1, 2013)

The Serious Jazz Practice Book for All Instruments: Melodic Materials for the Modern Jazz Soloist (Book & CD): Barry Finnerty: 9781883217426: Amazon.com: Books


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## bondmorkret (Feb 5, 2013)

Bond Tuition has loads of lesson packages and ebooks that will help! Also a free Dorian lesson download


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## CRaul87 (Feb 5, 2013)

thanx alot for all the answers I'll try and pick out what suits me best and that's the one that assumes I know nothing at all to begin with witch I don't theory wise at least...

The reason I started this thread is not so much to get to grips with the jazz soloing style witch I'm not saying that I'm some sort of master at it or anything but I can do it in my own way... the true reason is that I already have a jazz solo guitar piece written but the way the melody progresses makes it almost impossible for me to make a backing track to it... I have made something that works but I can't be satisfied with that... I need something that sounds legit and no matter how much chord construction noodling I do won't help me.. so that's when it became clear that I really need to get some books and understand how things work.


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## JPMike (Feb 11, 2013)

I would say it needs more than one just book to actually become a HERO in jazz, if you ask me it will take you years to achieve that level. 

Jazz is not only about learning your theory, it's about transcribing (trying to get the feel of the Greats), playing with other people as much as possible, listening to jazz a lot, practising a lot but with quality, also you need to have a clear head cause it requires mental discipline, imagine playing Giant Steps or 26-2 tunes that change key every bar with 2 chords each bar and have to improvise over that. it's quite a lot of things. 

But if I had to recommend books, I'd say,

Jazzology: The Encyclopedia of Jazz Theory for All Musicians: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Rawlins, Nor Eddine Bahha: Books
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Building-Ja...1610/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360586685&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BERT-LIGON-COMPREHENSIVE-TECHNIQUE-MUSICIANS/dp/0634001760/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360586735&sr=8-1
Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony: Amazon.co.uk: Not Applicable (Na ): Books
Jazz Theory Resources: Volume Two, Tonal, Harmonic, Melodic & Rhythmic Organization of Jazz: 2: Amazon.co.uk: Bert Ligon: Books
JAZZ THEORY RESOURCES VOLUME 1 BOOK: Amazon.co.uk: Various: Books

Also, Jerry Bergonzi's book. True master.


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## AlexRuger (Mar 24, 2013)

Ok, stick with me here. You may not like this answer but it's the honest truth.

A book is the absolute last way to learn jazz. None of the classic idols of jazz studied out of books and most of the more killin guys playing now shun method books. 

Please note that I'm _only_ referring to "method" books. There are tons of fantastic "resource" books--Slonimsky's Thesaurus has a long history of being applied by jazz guys, Ted Greene's books, though on the surface "method-ish," are better treated as "resource" books and are gold-mines of information. I could go on and on, and will give you a ton of fantastic book names if you'd like. Studying is always, always good. Just spend your time where you'll actually get something of real worth out of it.

But overall, I'd suggest you bypass most books--even "resource" books--altogether and do two things: 1) Listen, and 2) Transcribe. This is the most direct (albeit difficult and sometimes painful) way of learning jazz. All your questions, with time, will be answered, and you'll create your own "method" along the way. 

Find something you like, and figure out what they're doing. Repeat, and get out there and gig. There are way too many bedroom jazz guitarists repeating the past.


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