I recently joined JaZz band

[lpdude0690]

I recently joined Jazz band playing guitar. I am really starting to get into it, but it is hard for me since I'm not that good at reading guitar music or chords. Besides that, does anybody have any tips? Thanks

[jake plays guitar]

not good at ready music and im guessing this is a school jazz band where they give you the music and you just play it along with everyone

[Jom]

Excuse me if I misinterpreted your post, but:

You can't read sheet music?

Then you're going to have to start learning, sir.

The musical staff is made up of lines and spaces, like so:

Picture (http://www.spirit-lake.k12.ia.us/dist/forms/music%20staff.jpg)

Because you'll be playing guitar, you will be reading the treble clef, which is the top row. The bass clef is the bottom row, which is for instruments like bass guitar (duh) and trombone, among others.

The lines and spaces of a treble clef read as so:

F
D
B
G
E

And the spaces, from top-to-bottom, are as follows:

E
C
A
F

There are a few mnemonic devices you can use to remember them, such as Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, and FACE spells... well, face.

Ledger lines are notes written above the lines and spaces.

For example:

These are whole notes on the bottom ledger lines (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/frozeninshadows/ledgerlines.jpg).

For each line/space, go up or down a value.

So, the full set will read as such [-line- and (space)]:

-F-
(E)
-D-
(C)
-B-
(A)
-G-
(F)
-E-

Of course, a lot of jazz has accidentals (flats, sharps, double sharps, double flats, and so on), so remember that:

Flat: lowers note by 1/2 step
Sharp: raises note by 1/2 step
Double flat: lowers note 1 whole step
Double sharp: raises note 1 whole step

///

In terms of chord construction, what you are going to have to do is, on your spare time, translate the notes into chord shapes, and then be able to transcribe them to your guitar so that the fingerings and rhythms make sense to YOU.

If you are lucky, the piece will have the fingerings on the sheet.

For example, take a look at this sheet of music (http://www.usmma.edu/parents/sheet%20music%203.gif).

See how the fingerings are labeled above the chord name above the notes? I know it's hard to see, sorry. But hopefully you get the idea.

It takes quite a bit of memorization regarding chord names and constructions, but hopefully you will learn quickly.

In short, it's going to take a lot of work and patience on your part. But man, jazz band is going to be a lot of fun.

Whatever effort and work you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

I deeply apologize if I misinterpreted your post, but I hope that you find this somewhat helpful. Feel free to ask questions, this was extremely, extremely bare-boned. I'm also kind of operating under the assumption that you [hopefully] know beginner logistics when it comes to music, such as notes, duration, and all that.

Sorry, but good luck :)

[lpdude0690]

I can read tabs and I can read real guitar music, I just really suck at reading guitar music and it'll take me awhile but I can. but yeah I'm in high school jazz band. But Thanks for your advice it helped me out.

[Syncope]

You need to work on your rhythm. Learn how to read dotted eight notes, You'll see a lot of those, I hardly doubt you'll see sixteenth notes, and learn whole notes, quarter etc... Learn how to add on a 13th,9th and 11th on any minor,major or dominant chord. Ya..

[Jom]

I can read tabs and I can read real guitar music, I just really suck at reading guitar music and it'll take me awhile but I can. but yeah I'm in high school jazz band. But Thanks for your advice it helped me out.

Ask your teacher to give you some extra sheet music to practice sightreading, maybe. You're only going to become more familiar with sightreading the more you practice.

[Krabsworth]

I'm in 7th grade and I'm trying out for it next month :D

[spastic]

Learn to read chord charts, and learn them well. That's usually what most guitarists play in high school jazz bands.

I would suggest learning how to construct chords on the spot instead of trying to memorize a million difference voicings for chords. Develop a system that works for you. What I do a lot of the time when I see a chord that I'm not very familiar with is this:

6th and/or 5th string: root and/or 5th of the chord
4th and 3rd string: Chord tones such as 3rds, 7ths, or 6ths
2nd and 1st string: Extensions such as 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, or altered 5ths

Now after a while a lot of your voicings will start sounding the same and you'll want to try to vary your chords, but having a system like this will get you through a lot of different situations for quite some time.

[Pitch Fork6]

Excuse me if I misinterpreted your post, but:

You can't read sheet music?

Then you're going to have to start learning, sir.

The musical staff is made up of lines and spaces, like so:

Picture (http://www.spirit-lake.k12.ia.us/dist/forms/music%20staff.jpg)

Because you'll be playing guitar, you will be reading the treble clef, which is the top row. The bass clef is the bottom row, which is for instruments like bass guitar (duh) and trombone, among others.

The lines and spaces of a treble clef read as so:

F
D
B
G
E

And the spaces, from top-to-bottom, are as follows:

E
C
A
F

There are a few mnemonic devices you can use to remember them, such as Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, and FACE spells... well, face.

Ledger lines are notes written above the lines and spaces.

For example:

These are whole notes on the bottom ledger lines (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/frozeninshadows/ledgerlines.jpg).

For each line/space, go up or down a value.

So, the full set will read as such [-line- and (space)]:

-F-
(E)
-D-
(C)
-B-
(A)
-G-
(F)
-E-

Of course, a lot of jazz has accidentals (flats, sharps, double sharps, double flats, and so on), so remember that:

Flat: lowers note by 1/2 step
Sharp: raises note by 1/2 step
Double flat: lowers note 1 whole step
Double sharp: raises note 1 whole step

///

In terms of chord construction, what you are going to have to do is, on your spare time, translate the notes into chord shapes, and then be able to transcribe them to your guitar so that the fingerings and rhythms make sense to YOU.

If you are lucky, the piece will have the fingerings on the sheet.

For example, take a look at this sheet of music (http://www.usmma.edu/parents/sheet%20music%203.gif).

See how the fingerings are labeled above the chord name above the notes? I know it's hard to see, sorry. But hopefully you get the idea.

It takes quite a bit of memorization regarding chord names and constructions, but hopefully you will learn quickly.

In short, it's going to take a lot of work and patience on your part. But man, jazz band is going to be a lot of fun.

Whatever effort and work you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

I deeply apologize if I misinterpreted your post, but I hope that you find this somewhat helpful. Feel free to ask questions, this was extremely, extremely bare-boned. I'm also kind of operating under the assumption that you [hopefully] know beginner logistics when it comes to music, such as notes, duration, and all that.

Sorry, but good luck :)


THANKS for that post, I never remember this stuff when I was in music class at all..(sheet music)

[Krabsworth]

Learn to read chord charts, and learn them well. That's usually what most guitarists play in high school jazz bands.

I would suggest learning how to construct chords on the spot instead of trying to memorize a million difference voicings for chords. Develop a system that works for you. What I do a lot of the time when I see a chord that I'm not very familiar with is this:

6th and/or 5th string: root and/or 5th of the chord
4th and 3rd string: Chord tones such as 3rds, 7ths, or 6ths
2nd and 1st string: Extensions such as 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, or altered 5ths

Now after a while a lot of your voicings will start sounding the same and you'll want to try to vary your chords, but having a system like this will get you through a lot of different situations for quite some time.


Well really, the first time you go through the song, even the 2nd and 3rd, etc, you should just drop the extensions.

[spastic]

I suppose, but you'd be surpirsed that once you get the technique that I described down it really isn't any extra effort to add those 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. I almost always play them my first time through unless the song is difficult.

[lpdude0690]

Thanks guys for all your advice. I'm sure with time it'll get better and my teacher is extreme laid-back as we have a few months before a real jazz event comes up. take care

[Destroyed]

I have joined also. How can you tell when to play an A on the 6th string or an A on the 1st?

[Samuel]

I have joined also. How can you tell when to play an A on the 6th string or an A on the 1st?
You can't, unless the publishers wrote it for guitar and were nice enough to put in a marking for it on top of the score. Work out of convenience, but omitting as many open strings as possible can simplify the work you do.

[Destroyed]

What if they note is like Eb, where would that be on the fretboard? I know there is D# before E and F after E, so would Eb be D#?

[Jon]

I joined Jazz band the other day :eek:

Its really fun, comping literally 10 seconds after you get the score with chords you can't even pronounce, let alone sightread :)

[spastic]

What if they note is like Eb, where would that be on the fretboard? I know there is D# before E and F after E, so would Eb be D#?


Yes it would be the in the same place on the fretboard, but don't start thinking of D# as the same thing as Eb. They are enharmonically the same, but they are different.

[Destroyed]

Ok, so if the sheet music says to play an Eb, i would actually play a D#? But they are not the same thing.

[Jom]

Ok, so if the sheet music says to play an Eb, i would actually play a D#? But they are not the same thing.

Yes they are. They're equal accidentals that sound the same.

The way the note is written depends on what key you are in. Sometimes it's easier to write with flats, sometimes it's easier to write in sharps.

Ab = G#
Bb = A#
Cb = B natural
Db = C#
Eb = D#
Fb = E natural
Gb = F#

[spastic]

Enharmonic means two notes with the same pitch (on instruments tuned with equal temperament). Even though they have the same pitch, they are still different notes. They have different harmonic functions. A D# is not an Eb even though they have the same pitch. If the sheet music says to play an Eb, play an Eb.

[Saxamassima3]

in my opinion, enharmonics are a load of crap. the notes are essentially the same, but technically (theoretically) they aren't.

[joas]

Okay.. and your point being, Sax..?

[HaVIC5]

Its a question of semantics that becomes very important in understanding more advanced aspects of theory.

[joas]

Such as.. ?

[Destroyed]

Well I understand it more now, thanks.

[YDload]

I got a notice from my college's music department saying that they need people for concert and/or jazz band. I wouldn't try to make room for it, but jazz band is only one day a week and they say they really need electric bass players (that's me!).

I've been playing bass for two and a half years, but I can't sight-read bass clef music. Prior to this, I had played saxophone in elementary to high school concert band, so I know treble clef and very basic theory.

Do I have a shot at this? Keep in mind that I've never seen another bass player on this tiny campus ever, and I can probably transcribe the sheet music so it makes sense to me with enough time (B is the first line rite?!).

[Jon]

The first line at the top is A.

I thought you'd been playing for longer than that. I've been playing for 4 years, but I'm sure you can pull it off.
in my opinion, enharmonics are a load of crap. the notes are essentially the same, but technically (theoretically) they aren't.
Nononono.

Lets say G Major.
G A B C D E F#
=/=
G A B C D E Gb

Don't you understand? Lets say you wrong something in G Major. If you wanted to play the 7th and then the tonic you'd have to write a flat then a natural. This way you know that every time you see an F note you play what sounds like a Gb. Seriously what's wrong with you?

[YDload]

I meant the first line going up from the bottom is B. I am still rite :)

[Jon]

urrite (but the very bottom line is G).

[Jom]

Great Big Dogs Fight Aliens!

All Cows Eat Grass.

That's how I know the notes for bass clef, heh.

-A-
(G)
-F-
(E)
-D-
(C)
-B-
(A)
-G-

[lpdude0690]

I suppose, but you'd be surpirsed that once you get the technique that I described down it really isn't any extra effort to add those 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. I almost always play them my first time through unless the song is difficult.


Yeah I got a good technique for finding the higher octive notes. If its lets say a b, I'll play the low power chord of b and since the 3rd and 1st string are the same note, I'll move the power chord to where the root note is the former 3rd string. God I hope that makes sense.

[Kayetan]

I got a notice from my college's music department saying that they need people for concert and/or jazz band. I wouldn't try to make room for it, but jazz band is only one day a week and they say they really need electric bass players (that's me!).

I've been playing bass for two and a half years, but I can't sight-read bass clef music. Prior to this, I had played saxophone in elementary to high school concert band, so I know treble clef and very basic theory.

Do I have a shot at this? Keep in mind that I've never seen another bass player on this tiny campus ever, and I can probably transcribe the sheet music so it makes sense to me with enough time (B is the first line rite?!).
http://homepage.floodcity.net/users/neo/BCS.pdf

I don't know how well you'd function in a jazz band. You either need to know how to sight-read, or be able to improvise bass lines based off of chord sheets. And if you only know basic theory, you might be a little stuck on that.

[Akumal]

I recently joined Jazz band playing guitar. I am really starting to get into it, but it is hard for me since I'm not that good at reading guitar music or chords. Besides that, does anybody have any tips? Thanks

Just Hear the Bass, believe me, it very important to hear the bass

[Saxamassima3]

Okay.. and your point being, Sax..?

it's called sharing an opinion, dickhead.

[joas]

it's called sharing an opinion, dickhead.


Oh, okay. I was just seeing if there was more to it than some guy being a jerkoff.

[Saxamassima3]

no, there wasn't