Getting the right guitar for a jazz sound used to be expensive. Jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass may have played expensive Gibson Semi's but these days there are a variety of entry level guitars that are suitable for getting a jazz tone.
For an authentic jazz tone, you should have a semi-acoustic hollowbody electric guitar. Models such as the Gibson ES-175 or the Gretch Tennessean can run into thousands of dollars but there are also excellent entry models such as Ibanez Artcore line of guitars. Guitar manufacturers such as Yamaha or Guild also make entry level semi-acoustics similar to the more expensive Gibson 335. There are also numerous Epiphone hollowbody guitars that will also be suitable and come from the Gibson stable. Explore your local music store and try out what they look for something that is comfortable to play and can produce a tight clean tone with plenty of sustain.
Hollow body guitars will provide a suitable mellow tone and most will be fitted with two humbucker pickups allowing you to vary your sound accordingly. Most guitars will be fitted with tone controls. Practice rolling the treble off your tone and experimenting ? Jazz guitarists often play with a less trebly sound as it produces a rich mellow resonance that is suitable for the style.
A Jazz Guitar Amplifier
Whilst it could be said that there is ?no jazz amp? there are a number of considerations for the jazz guitarist when selecting an amplifier. Firstly it is important to determine the playing style and sound that you wish to attain. Traditional jazz guitarists often choose amps that can produce a clean sound which compliment acoustic archtop guitars. For this sound solid state amps produce a nice clean tone. For a more distorted sound a tube amp may be more applicable. There are many popular amps that are used by Jazz guitarists for example ? try experimenting with a Fender Pro or a Polytone Another requirement may be on board effects this may range from simple reverb to an overdrive channel ? again this will depend on the style your trying to achieve.
Effects
Traditional Jazz may only require a hint of reverb but many modern jazz guitarists apply a range of effects from Chorus, Overdrive through to delay. There are many effects units available from single stomp boxes to complex digital ?modeling? devices such as the Line 6 Pod. When choosing effects ensure they compliment your playing style and that you retain that ?clarity? in your tone. Too many effects often muddy the sound and do not produce a quality sound.
Conclusion
In summary there are primarily 3 things that you should investigate when trying to get a jazz tone. Ultimately you should also listen to a wide range of jazz greats ? listen closely to their sounds and try to emulate them. Ultimately when you have done this a few times they will begin to merge and you will begin to develop your own tone that will sound equally brilliant!
When a person knows the basics of playing the guitar, it is quite easy to play music from various genres. Many people start in one genre before moving on to another. A good example is Bach who composed classical music the traditional way then later improvised it creating something unique for the audience to appreciate.
Playing guitar jazz is also like that. It can be improvised and/or combined with other musical genres. By listening to the notes and a little practice, the people who hear it will simply love it.
The same thing can happen when playing the guitar. A person can start by learning a certain song the way is it commonly played; then when he understands the rhythm he can determine where slight changes can be made, how it can be refined and/or turned into a jazz rendition.
Jazz music is made up of 4 beats to a measure. This is called syncopation which is very different from classical music that is made up of half beats. By learning how to play each of these notes and with a lot of practice, you will be able to get used to the rhythm.
Jazz guitars are different from traditional guitars because the wood used is a lighter material and the strings are set much lower making it faster to play. For the person to play like other guitarists, it is advisable to buy the right guitar for the part.
Another way of learning how to play jazz is by listening to some of the greatest jazz musicians. Some of the best are Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and David Benoit. By buying the albums and listening to how each of these people play and sing, you will get into the rhythm and be playing like the experts in a short time.
Since the music is quite different, practicing the various notes will help. One can start with a C note. This should be done repeatedly while the left hand is moving on the chromatic scale. For a better feel, the E flat can be added until one has reached the blue scale.
Learning how to play jazz music will take some time. The important thing to make it successful is being able to hear each part of the song. If a person is serious about switching genre's, then he must devote a lot of time and effort to get it right.
Both Shanzuguitars & Ian Williamson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Shanzuguitars has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guide Guitar, Guide Guitar. offers the latest guitar news, resources, online lessons,tools and tips for budding guitarists everywhere.. Shanzuguitars's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Ian Williamson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guide Guitar, History and Sports Car. For More Information on by Ian Williamson please visit. Ian Williamson's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.