Does guitar jam well with a piano?

[synthpenguin]

I posed the question to Jazz Padd. My assumption re: your teenager was that he is still deciding what he likes and wants to play most.

There's no need to feel ashamed. There are many musical universes out there, and nobody can be expected to have explored, let alone mastered, all of them. Big band music can be quite simple, BTW. Depends on the band, the tune, and the arranger. Here's a 12-bar blues in a big band format:

If you're interested in learning about the historical progression from big band/swing to rock 'n' roll, look up "jump blues" on youtube. Be forwarned, it's a rabbit hole.

It's a contraction of the word, "accompanying." It can mean as little as strumming chords and as much as composing countermelodies in real time.

haha same page at the same time

 

[bukowski]

I posed the question to Jazz Padd. My assumption re: your teenager was that he is still deciding what he likes and wants to play most.

There's no need to feel ashamed. There are many musical universes out there, and nobody can be expected to have explored, let alone mastered, all of them. Big band music can be quite simple, BTW. Depends on the band, the tune, and the arranger. Here's a 12-bar blues in a big band format:

If you're interested in learning about the historical progression from big band/swing to rock 'n' roll, look up "jump blues" on youtube. Be forewarned, it's a rabbit hole.

It's a contraction of the word, "accompanying." It can mean as little as strumming chords and as much as composing countermelodies in real time.

Love it and I know my son will too !!! Thanks for the explanation of comping too.. I get it--

Lol....I'm bopping my head listening now---- I'm more of a depressing, dark, doom and gloom listener-- But I'm open minded in my old age and am intersted in my kids musical taste...


HOLY )#*$)((#)$()(#)$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still listening now and its playing "I'm just a gigolo"..... Stupid me, I thought Lee Roth wrote this. Holy crap ! All these years I had no idea.....

 

[bukowski]

You might look into some videos on jump blues guitar. Depending on what sort of big band he's into, that could create some good common ground between that and your rock leanings :) (if you're not familiar, jump blues was sort of a smaller band format that came out of the swing era, and ended up influencing and overlapping with what became rock and r&b)

Alternatively, you could just take a straight up, much simpler swing rhythm guitar approach to give him some room to get comfortable.

Dam, I've been in a little slump lately looking to try something new....Maybe I'll learn from this too ! This is amazing advice ! I'm all over it ! Thank you.

Who is the guitarist with the white hair, tatooes, and t shirt sleeves rolled up? Its not coming to me...(tip of my tongue) He is the only modern guitarist I think of when it comes to swing or big band...

There are a lot of great YouTube videos for both!

If you can get the names of some of the compositions he likes, you can probably find lead sheets to learn the chords. If you're not comfortable with extensions and stuff they might have, you can just play the basic triads to rhythm and it'll work (especially in this context)... or just fifths (power chords) on those roots even.

Thanks, I've got some new direction. This is great, right on time...

But also, yeah, a lot of swing stuff is at least loosely following a blues structure anyway. There are plenty of variations, but even then you can simplify it down too.

Though for something that isn't in a blues... "Flying Home" could be a really cool thing to learn. Easy to play on guitar, with enough meat for someone interested, but an easy-to-remember chord progression that can even just be played with fifths. Check out the earlier version with Charlie Christian on guitar, and the later Lionel Hampton jump blues versions (listen to the contrast in guitar between the two approaches for some ideas).

 

[synthpenguin]

I'm more of a depressing, dark, doom and gloom listener

A little later than the other stuff, but I present to you Mingus's big band work...



Chords are pretty easy too (on guitar or in general).

Example of how you might approach the rhythm and then the lead in more of a rock-friendly way:



A lot of the bluesier side of things (see also: some of the Count Basie Orchestra stuff) is going to lend itself to darker vibes, and tbh be easier to get into for a guitarist who isn't super familiar with this style (even if the original recordings didn't have prominent guitar because of guitar's role in these bands)

Also, maybe if you get to playing with your son more and he's comfortable jamming together, pull out some 25 Or 6 To 4 haha

 

[scole]

Umm…

 

[jay mitchell]

I'm more of a depressing, dark, doom and gloom listener--

Try this:


Here's another take on the same song, with just piano and guitar:

 

[bukowski]

Umm…

Head slap !!!! Please kick me..

 

[bukowski]

Try this:


Here's another take on the same song, with just piano and guitar:

Dam, I've got to get this on Vinyl though a pair of 300b's (a kind of tube I use to listen to music)... This is great stuff, listening now..Want to listen again in my listening room...

What's up with this forum? Its really weird, there are good people around that actually help... So rare on the internet...

 

[bukowski]

Killing me to figure out the guitarist that plays big band (or swing-ish) type music. He's got tatooes, spikey white hair, suede shoes and looks straight from the 50's with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his t shirt sleeves..

Its killing me, I cant remember... Please help.. He is well known too, I even tried AI....

 

[synthpenguin]

Killing me to figure out the guitarist that plays big band (or swing-ish) type music. He's got tatooes, spikey white hair, suede shoes and looks straight from the 50's with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his t shirt sleeves..

Its killing me, I cant remember... Please help.. He is well known too, I even tried AI....

Hmm more of a pompadour than spikes, but Brian Setzer meets the rest of the criteria!

 

[bukowski]

Hmm more of a pompadour than spikes, but Brian Setzer meets the rest of the criteria!

You nailed it !!!! Funny too, the band Stray Cats came to my mind when I wasn't thinking too hard about it... I was just about to google Stray Cats but you beat me to it.

Good stuff, thanks...Your right about the hair too----I think Billy Idol/Brian Setzer images where blending for me in my memory...