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Guitar players whinge

what is it with guitar players these days??!! always too loud and they never listen enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by superjames on 08/30/2007, 07:13

There are 28 comments, leave a comment.

i generally hate playing with guitarists. volume can be an issue, chord/comping clashes, and a lot lack very basic musicianship skills. however when you find a guitar player that knows jazz and how to work with a pianist, it can be great. in fact right now i'm playing in a quartet with a guitar player and i'm loving it.

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by Paul on 08/30/2007, 10:22

rumor has it, if you give them a chart, they'll turn down their amps :)

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by Dr. Whack on 08/30/2007, 11:39

it's pretty easy to tell if the guitar player is listening to you. i prefer players who listen to those who don't. also, when comping in a group containing keys and guitars, less is usually more. that applies to both keyboards and guitars.

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by GS_Jon on 08/30/2007, 12:30

obviously those complaining don't play with good guitarists. i love playing with good jazz guitarists, volume is never an issue, the harmonies never clash, everything fits like a glove. it's bass players and their volume that sometimes give me a headache.

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by Jazz+ on 08/30/2007, 14:38

it is not "these days" there has always been some problems learning how to best approach this particular duet.    some of the problems:
1:  both instruments play chords and may be interpreting the harmonic structure of a tune differently at any given time.
   solution:  one instument has to follow the other or lay out harmonically.
2.  most of the time pianists are intellectually superior.
    solution:  exercisize patience and try to teach also be carefull to recognize the rare guitarist who is your equal and learn.
3.   guitarists know more about electronics than us and have mastered   and have figured out how to get more volume than us.
   solution:  stop being poor sports about this single victory the guitar player has achieved.  learn from the guitar player and try to figure out how to get more volume just like we want them to figure out how to play their instruments.

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by Mike on 08/31/2007, 14:04

lol - you are the man :)

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by Dr. Whack on 08/31/2007, 16:58

since i play both piano and guitar i sometimes have conflicts when i try to play with myself.

some say you'll go to hell for doing that, but others say it's perfectly normal and even healthy.

nonetheless, i prefer it when others play with me.

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by 7 on 08/31/2007, 18:36

does anyone have any other tips about playing with guitar players?

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by superjames on 08/31/2007, 18:43

or with yourself?

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by glynn on 08/31/2007, 18:44

i worked at a music store for a while. like most music stores they relied heavily on guitar sales. so they gave me a guitar and told me to take it home and learn how to play it to help improve my sales.
i took it home for a couple of weeks then took it back to the manager and complained. " alls i can play day and night and in my dreams is "lets get retarded"... i cant keep doing this". they let let take over all the sheet music sales and help the guy that was starting up an internet division.

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by Mike on 08/31/2007, 19:55

a tip about playing with guitar players is to only play with good jazz guitarists, then you wont have problems. obviously that eliminates a large majority of the guitar players.

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by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 00:23

if i must play with hackers then i try to tuner them out of my consciousness and be as sparse as i can. i wear my musician earplugs and just try to get thru the gig and get paid.

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by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 00:25

i've played with excellent and lousy guitatists. the difference i've found is not with their ability, but with their egos! no matter how you put it, if they think they are the center of attention you will not get along, musically and/or personally.

i was at a jazz jam session last week and there were 5 guitarists amoung the other musicians. after playing a couple songs the leader of the jam, a guitarist, tells me that i'm too busy with my comping and i should only play sustained chords because i was not "jiving" with the rhythm section and was "clashing" with his comping..>:-(
i told him i'm not changing my "style". i stayed till the end of the jam, but i won't be going back again!

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by MoJazz on 09/01/2007, 02:07

i think all musicians, (and guitarists:) have different musical personalties as well as different human personalities. some will gel with you and some will not. it's not always a matter of who's good and who's not. heck some of my best friends are republicans:)

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by Dr. Whack on 09/01/2007, 09:00

it's musicianship.

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by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 10:30

well said jazz+

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by Dr. Whack on 09/02/2007, 09:10

my experiences in working/playing/jamming/rehearsing with other musicians--the most irritating ones are yes, anyone who knows practically nothing about even the basic fundamentals of musical structure--and having a snooty attitude. by far the biggest culprits of these would be a new girlfriend of a band member, ( often the leader )who both and she thinks she can sing good--and he thinks she could be in the band.

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by casparus on 09/02/2007, 19:46

lol. yah but i have not played in anything i could truly call a band in so many years. that immediatly solves so many problems. still the last band i was in was about fifteen years ago and that was really not a band in the sence that most people think of it. the band leader operated more like some one who did the booking (except i owned the restaurant we played in most of the time) and hired the players that we played with on a gig to gig bases but there were a core of players who played every gig but then there were additional players at any given gig. arrangements were dicatated for the most part on stage. we very rarely rehearsed. sometimes the band leader would get together with some player or players individually to go over some ideas. at any rate. if you do not play in "bands" you generally do have to deal with problems like a chick 9(*&^(*ing her way into the band. that is a high school and college band problem. we grow out of those problems as we become adult musicians i think.

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by Mike on 09/02/2007, 21:23

i avoid "student" jazz guitarists at all costs. wow , can those amateur level jazz guitarist mess it up.

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by Jazz+ on 09/04/2007, 20:10

everyone has to learn somewhere.

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by ziggysane on 09/05/2007, 00:19

wow. i remember a "student" some years ago who was trying to play flamenco style on a strat at full volume! we all avoided that child like the plague. i wonder sometimes where he ended up.

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by jmkarns on 09/05/2007, 07:57

wow, last time i checked, the name of this joint was "learnjazzpiano". not "prosonlyplease".

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by CynBad on 09/05/2007, 09:10

yes this is learn jazz piano.com not learn jazz guitar. jazz piano students should aim to play with good guitarists was my point. when i was a student it was best when i avoided student guitarists because they just wrecked everything i tried to play.

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by Jazz+ on 09/05/2007, 10:14

i guess it depends on how good the student is, or the amateur, and not that they are students or amateurs.
and really, we should all be students for life...

jazz guitar has become one of my favorite instruments over the past several years. i learn from guitarists and transcribe from them.
a lot.

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by CynBad on 09/05/2007, 14:20

a little ot here:
i've heard over the years that lenny breau was considered by a few musicians (chet atkins, for one) as the greatest guitarist. so, i wanted to see for myself at youtube and wow!
outstanding player.

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by MoJazz on 09/05/2007, 17:28

i currently play in a duo with a guitar. the biggest thing i had to learn (after years of solo playing) was to listen.

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by alhaynes on 09/06/2007, 08:56

so the volume issue is something separate. most of us here are not playing stadium rock. another fine guitarist imho is bill frissell.
he uses his instrument in such a sweet way, and his whole ensemble creates such unique harmonies.

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by jmkarns on 09/06/2007, 11:00

joe pass: the triple threat. melody, chords, bass.

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by ziggysane on 09/06/2007, 13:08

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Guitar players whinge

There are 28 comments, leave a comment.

by Paul on 08/30/2007, 10:22

by Dr. Whack on 08/30/2007, 11:39

by GS_Jon on 08/30/2007, 12:30

by Jazz+ on 08/30/2007, 14:38

by Mike on 08/31/2007, 14:04

by Dr. Whack on 08/31/2007, 16:58

by 7 on 08/31/2007, 18:36

by superjames on 08/31/2007, 18:43

by glynn on 08/31/2007, 18:44

by Mike on 08/31/2007, 19:55

by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 00:23

by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 00:25

by MoJazz on 09/01/2007, 02:07

by Dr. Whack on 09/01/2007, 09:00

by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 10:30

by Dr. Whack on 09/02/2007, 09:10

by casparus on 09/02/2007, 19:46

by Mike on 09/02/2007, 21:23

by Jazz+ on 09/04/2007, 20:10

by ziggysane on 09/05/2007, 00:19

by jmkarns on 09/05/2007, 07:57

by CynBad on 09/05/2007, 09:10

by Jazz+ on 09/05/2007, 10:14

by CynBad on 09/05/2007, 14:20

by MoJazz on 09/05/2007, 17:28

by alhaynes on 09/06/2007, 08:56

by jmkarns on 09/06/2007, 11:00

by ziggysane on 09/06/2007, 13:08

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Guitar players whinge

There are 28 comments, leave a comment.

by Paul on 08/30/2007, 10:22

by Dr. Whack on 08/30/2007, 11:39

by GS_Jon on 08/30/2007, 12:30

by Jazz+ on 08/30/2007, 14:38

by Mike on 08/31/2007, 14:04

by Dr. Whack on 08/31/2007, 16:58

by 7 on 08/31/2007, 18:36

by superjames on 08/31/2007, 18:43

by glynn on 08/31/2007, 18:44

by Mike on 08/31/2007, 19:55

by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 00:23

by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 00:25

by MoJazz on 09/01/2007, 02:07

by Dr. Whack on 09/01/2007, 09:00

by Jazz+ on 09/01/2007, 10:30

by Dr. Whack on 09/02/2007, 09:10

by casparus on 09/02/2007, 19:46

by Mike on 09/02/2007, 21:23

by Jazz+ on 09/04/2007, 20:10

by ziggysane on 09/05/2007, 00:19

by jmkarns on 09/05/2007, 07:57

by CynBad on 09/05/2007, 09:10

by Jazz+ on 09/05/2007, 10:14

by CynBad on 09/05/2007, 14:20

by MoJazz on 09/05/2007, 17:28

by alhaynes on 09/06/2007, 08:56

by jmkarns on 09/06/2007, 11:00

by ziggysane on 09/06/2007, 13:08

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In