PlayJazzGuitar.com Forum

[skei]

Hi there!
Being a new member of the forum I think I should introduce myself, and here I go;
I'm a freshman as regards jazz guitar playing, currently struggling to get through PWYH, which I by the way love!
I love all things jazz, but closest to my heart is John Coltrane. 'Then' -some of you might think - 'why don't you play sax?', well, I played trumpet and tuba in the school band some zillion years ago, that's as close to a sax I've ever gotten, and then some twenty years in rock and blues bands, the last of them pretty nice and close to a contract, but I met with some concrete and spent a year or so in hospital before being able to walk again, let alone play my old strat.
The years passed by, I grew, learned more music, bought 'Blue train' in Izzy's store in stockholm, and was hooked.
Now I've got only one dream, to play Coltrane on guitar, well not his tunes, but the way he played, and hopefully pwyh will bring me a bit closer to that goal.
Oh, and I think some of you might be married, so you'll understand this:
I promised several people sometime around christmas -07 that no later than christmas -08 I'd play acceptable jazz guitar...
I'll have to stick to that or else...

But certainly, I love playing more than I love life, so I'll get there in time not to be cursed by the almighty one.

If only I could get some understanding of mr Coltrane's scales and harmonies, I try to understand it, most jazz I do understand, I get the links between chords and what scale or mode is being applied, but I must be missing something, or must be incredibly simple minded, I can play almost anything by heart (or ear) be it punk, country, Led Zeppelin, heavy metal, ZZ top, classical, but Coltrane I love but can't pin down.
It makes me angry, and when angry I never give up, but it's hard to hear it, and - albeit taking it very slowly - being able to copy it, but still not get it.
It's frustrating as anything, like when I started out trying to get Hendrix Purple Haze lead, it took forever and ever to get the feeling, well i'll have to go through the same thing again, and be a 46 year old fart trying to understan the world again...

Peace
Skei (the struggling one)
_________________
Jazz is what separates me from insanity...
www.jazzmatrix.com/ulfskei

[jamester]

Welcome skei, you've come to the right place!

Good luck with Trane; learn his patterns and approach to harmony. If you're already comfortable with navigating ii-V's, start comparing Miles' Tune Up with his reharmed version Countdown. And of course, the minor third movement/approach of Giant Steps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltrane_changes

[skei]

[hanni]

hi and welcome to this place
_________________
hanni

[jazzerchick]

Welcome.

Go hang out with some really good Coltrane -type sax players and ask
questions.
If you just now learned about circle of fifths, I'd start working on
intervals, key sigs, etc, ; general theory, before I'd jump into
Coltrane. For now, do a lot of listening.

[skei]

Thanks for the welcomes,
and the good advice, I do a huge amount of listening almost every free minute of the day.

Those minutes being quite a few as I got laid off from my job at the local university due to some financial setbacks for the organisation.
Well, as a fellow forumer once said at a Douglas Adams forum I frequently visit; 'Joblessness is a prerequisite for creativity as far as I'm concerned.'
so I guess I should make use of all the spare time...

And of course I love Bebop and all other things jazz too, so I'm not without other things to study whilst getting prepared for tackling the big guy, a brilliant and knowledgeable guitar player we all know gave me a bit of sound advice concerning this, he stated the truest words ever spoken; 'Don't run before you can walk' - Those are words worthy of being carried around to lighten up ones burdens...

Peace
&
_________________
Jazz is what separates me from insanity...
www.jazzmatrix.com/ulfskei