Basically good rhythm guitar is like bay leaves, black pepper, or salt in cooking. If used right, you won't exactly know they're there, but if they're gone... you know.
This guy knows exactly what he is talking about. He's got experience, knowledge, wisdom, and facility on his instrument. I'd love to study with him one on one.
Freddie Green made it seem simple, but there was a lot going on in his playing -- far more than what most people offer by way of explanation. Thanks, James, for the insights you shared, and for another opportunity to appreciate the work of one of the masters.
I watched this video as I started my journey as rhythm guitarist for a big band and thought that there was a lot I could learn from this video. I'm back to it a few years in, and I still learn from him, and I can now appreciate what an incredible rhythm guitarist Mr. Chirillo really is. What seems to be the simplest thing - playing even notes with perfect time and good sound - is a true technical and musical achievement. His line on the blues in F he plays is as good as you'll ever hear anyone play big band rhythm guitar.
According to an article I read Freddy Green usually muted most of the strings to create percussion and just let the 3rd or 7th cut through to indicate major/minor and what kind of 7th. Part of the idea is that other instruments were filling in the chord so his role was mostly rhythmic. I think that's consistent with what Chirillo says.
Thank you for posting this. This style of playing guitar has become a lost art. I was fortunate enough to have the great Al Viola in my band for several years. You got everything right ... a very important and "essential" video. Congratulations !
This was really great, I always wondered how guitar could fit in so seamlessly in the rhythm sections of these bands. Thank you for sharing you expertise with us.
I had breakfast with James many years ago in NY in a diner on 45th and 12th. He’s a very knowledgeable man and I thoroughly enjoyed his company without ever understanding a word he said. Lovely man.
James, Your videos explain this style of guitar very well. Acoustic archtop rhythm guitar is almost a tuned drum--felt as much as hears. Two string and three string comps. HIGH action is a must.
My late father was a jazz guitarist and rhythm was his love. Seeing this brought back great memories. I love rhythm and played drums in jazz combos with dad on guitar. Thank you for sharing this.
I like this guy. What he is teaching has no relation to the music I play, but it’s great to see someone who has such a clear understanding of his role, and the knowledge of how to do it. It’s hard for us who grew up in the latter half of the 20th century to see the guitar as a minor instrument, but for the most part, in popular music before that time, it was just as he says here.
Yet he uses some aberrant system to describe concepts that the standard systems of music theory have perfectly adequate (and powerful) tools to describe*. Systems such as he uses (the "drop" terminology) are fine in specialist application (in their respective musical ghettos) but are inferior when communicating to wider audiences. I suspect (but have no concrete evidence) that these systems were originally developed by musicians untrained in conventional theory. * his "drop 2" = a second inversion chord by standard convention his "drop 3" = a first inversion chord by standard convention
@@rjlchristie I just came across your comment. I'm certainly not using some "aberrant system" to describe this part of music theory. Arrangers and orchestrators have been using these terms for most of the 20th Century to the present. A Drop 2 is NOT a first inversion chord by standard convention. Inversion simply means which note of the chord - other than the root - is in the bass. Chords are built in thirds (in traditional harmony) from the root up. In a four-note seventh chord, after the root there are the 3rd, 5th and 7th. A first inversion chord is called so because the 3rd is the first note (after the root) of the chord which can be placed in the bass. A 5th in the bass is a second inversion and the 7th in the bass gives you the third inversion. If the root is in the bass, the chord is not inverted - the root is in the bass. Voicing-wise though, it could be any number of things. A voicing tells you how the notes in a chord are spread, and/or sometimes doubled. Drop 2 is a term which describes a particular voicing. A Drop 2 voicing is created by taking a close voicing - the notes of the chord in order underneath the melody note as close together as possible - and lowering the second note down from the top melody note one octave. If the root of a seventh chord is on the top of a close voicing, the second note down is the 7th, which, when making it a Drop 2 gives you a third inversion chord. If the 3rd of the close voicing is on the top, the second note down is the root, which, when making it a Drop 2 gives you the root in the bass, a non-inverted chord. Double the lead note an octave lower, and you've a Drop 2 double-lead. Applying the Drop idea further, there are also the Drop 3 and Drop 2+4 voicings. Some people like to determine a voicing from the bottom up. Hence, beginning with a close voicing, you simply raise the second note from the bottom up one octave to have a Raised 2 voicing. With the root in the bass, the 3rd will then be on the top. A Raised 2 turns out to have the same spread as a Drop 2, in this case the Raise 2 with the root in the bass is the exact same voicing as a Drop 2 with the 3rd on top. There is also the Raised 2+3 which turns out to have the exact same spread as a Drop 3. What to call them just depends on whether one prefers to go from the bottom up or the top down. I always tell my students it's best to know them both ways - from the bass and from the melody. I've gone into all this detail so people will understand what I'm speaking of when bringing up a Drop 2 and not be confused by your inaccurate comment.
@@jameschirillo2364 Thank you for the explanation. I think it serves to reinforce that this descriptive system is indeed a non-standard approach to describing harmony. You assert that it is used by arrangers and orchestrators. I don't wish to doubt you in that it has its adherents, but I'm confident in my understanding that it is nowhere near as widely used, taught and accepted internationally as are the standard systems of harmonic analysis found in the overwhelming majority of texts and treatises, developed over the past four hundred years since pioneers of its codification such as Fux, Rameau etc. and now taught in universities, music schools, conservatoriums, music examination boards etc etc. That system describes harmony and harmonic movement from the bass upward (built on a fundamental pitch(s)). The salient point is, in forums such as this, if you are going to use a specialist system to disseminate information, you must appreciate that most of your audience will 'be expecting it delivered in a more standard system, so unless you initially spend some time explaining the system, it would be better, imo, to use a system that is understood by the greatest number of viewers. Thank you for the time you spent on the explanation, I'll file it for future possible use if I should ever run into this system again.
@@rjlchristie Fux and Gradus ad Parnassum, I know his species counterpoint well from before I was a composition major at NTSU. Given you do not specifically address any of the inaccurate terms in your statement re: Drop 2 and inversions, and the fact you use the term "musical ghettos" shows how limited, insular and compartmentalized your musical training is. As I said before, particularly in jazz, this Drop voicing terminology is, and has been in wide use in musical schools and colleges for well over 70 years. At this point in our musical development it is not a "non-standard approach to describing harmony." Berklee, Indiana Univ, NTSU and all the major music schools with any kind of jazz program (together with their classical theory) all use it. Having taught at Juilliard for the past 7 years I can attest to this. I don't want people to be led astray by your comment which betrays your prejudice and, some might argue, ignorance.
Much wisdom is shared here in knowing your lane and staying in it as an ensemble player. Also, just like in Funk Rhythm, those muted string percussion sounds add much power to that single note or double-stop.Thank you, sir, for confirming some suspicions and for the inspiration. What a great post.
Superb, thorough explanation of the rhythm guitar's role in a big band. It could be said that playing guitar in this setting is an egoless job, as it isn't flashy work -- but take it away and the listener realizes something critical is missing.
And getting the volume setting just perfect is critical too, as are the kind of strings and amp that are used. Roland or Yamaha guitar amps are just perfectly suited for that just right jazz swing sound. I'm not, however, a big fan of playing on just the one string though, but triad chord shapes are nice if you want to keep thing s simple - sort of like what James was saying about the drop 2 or drop 4. You still want to make sure that the 3 notes you are playing are the notes you want and not just 3 notes by default. Sometimes deciding which note to drop is important too if you have a specific sound in mind for your triad.. Maybe dropping 2 will sound more to your liking or dropping 4 you will like the sound of better.
@@George-rb6bv I had a swing band for 10 years (I'm actually a harmonica player 49 years) and although we were only 7-8 piece (bass, drums, piano, guitar, female vocals, harmonica, and then 1-2 horns I played lines with) we played enough Basie, Goodman, Louie Prima, Billie, Ella, etc. to book as a swing band......we were also the favorite band of the regional Lindy Hop/Swing Dance Society which counts as a good test.....) Anyway, one of our substitute guitar players had the 100W Roland Jazz Chorus Amps and he did sound good. (When we backed up Bo Diddley one New Year's Eve gig he requested one of those amps too. I have still never hear a better guitar tone that when I have let Guitarists play through one on my original 1959 Fender Tweed Bassman tube amps. I've even had one pure Jazz guitarist play through it with one of his L5's and his Johnny Hodges Jazz box....he has about 25 amps and said it's the best tone he has ever heard. The player always make the huge difference anyway but fun to hear different tones.
Good information. I didn't grasp it all but enough to have an understanding of that chunk chunk sound I love so much. Focus on the fourth string avoid the larger bass strings. I watch this many times to pick up on what I missed first time.
"stay out of the way of the bass player, stay out of the way of the piano player, everybody's happy" sort of depressing to hear as a guitar player, but I think you are correct.
If you listen to the Basie Band, Basie himself played extremely little during an arrangement. The guitar plays 4 to the bar throughout the whole chart. So he's not staying "out-of the-way" the guitar IS THE WAY in a Basie chart. That should have been mentioned, you're not an accessory in the Basie style, you ARE the lead in the rhythm section. And while you may only "hear" that one note stick out, he's playing chords. How do I know? Let's just say I've been where this guys been too.
i just listened to Count Basie's One o'clock Jump and the guitar is just as you described. I never paid attention to this kind of thing before. Thanks.
Brilliant approach.. I started using some of these techniques and liked the sound, I never really knew what to call them, now I know… Thanks for the great video
Does he not have his drop-2's and drop-3's mixed up? I call the voicings on 4 adjacent strings drop-3 and the one with a skipped string drop-2. Take for instance a G maj 7 chord in position III. That is from low to hight G, F#, B, D. So that is basically a 4th inversion of G maj 7 (F#, G, B, D) where you drop the second note (G) down an octave. Hence the name drop-2. How would that be a drop-3?
@@jameschirillo2364 I understand the concepts perfectly well. I was just questioning your naming of them. According to your logic you count the notes from highest to lowest. That does not make much sense. In every other music theory concept notes are always counted from lowest to highest. A major third is not called a minor sixth because you think from low note up to higher note. A major triad is thought of as 1 3 5 etc. I'm sure you can come up with more examples by yourself. So why would you go against this convention when naming these voicings?
You don't "understand the concepts perfectly well" at all. Please reread carefully. If you've ever needed to harmonize a trumpet lead melody with say, trombone, alto and tenor saxes underneath in 4-voice harmony... reread carefully. Thanks for your interest.
@@generayvandergraaf9594 Please call them anything you like. I'm not upset, I'm amazed at your determination not to learn your chords correctly. Please just don't teach or pass your terms along. This is a perfect example of why it is so difficult to counter mis and dis-information in social media forums such as this.
Do you have any music sheets of Buck Corel's(?) ? That could be iteresting too. Great video. Wish to have it few yers ago. That would easyfy my life in the beginning of Big Band guitar playing. Cheers!
Very clear and to the point. Does anyone know if James has any other lessons up on YT, teaching a jazz tune, or the basic progressions used in jazz standards?
Ah yes, Buck Corel. A great arranger in the '30s.. and he really had a great feel for jazz rhythm comping for the guitar. There was nobody like ol' Buck!
At 5.02 this gentleman plays the second drop 2 ( the first being D on fifth fret, fifth string, G fifth fret fourth string, B third fret, third string, and F sixth fret, second string ) I would expect the second drop 2 starting with D on the lower chord but I figure out a different chord, can someone could give what chord he ear ?
I ear G tenth fret 5th string, B ninth fret, 4th string, D seventh fret four string, and 4 eighth fret, second string, but I don't understand the relation (if this chord is exact )as a second drop 2, if someone could help me ? I would really appreciate.
@@guillaumefloatin91 It's a G7th with the 7th (F) on the bottom so it goes like this (top to bottom) G 2nd string 8th fret D 3rd string 7th fret B 4th string 9th fret F 5th string 8th fret Not the easiest chord to play but quite useful at times. Sorry this took five years.
Rhythm guitars job is to hold down the groove of the song. It plays the basic chord structure so that everybody else can do their job. Basically he is the guy strumming the chords laying down a pulse and a harmonic foundation for the band. Does that help a little?
It's interesting to hear a big band guitar isolated from everything else, because you can hardly ever even hear the guitar in a big band setting. I often wondered why it was even there
great lesson...thanks! If you were to harmonize the single note lines, could you harmonize with a tritone on EACH note? I know this would produce a lot of notes outside the key, but with all the movement (tensions moving to resolution), maybe it'd work? I'll try it in a band context to see what it sounds like, but just wondering if that's what you (and Freddie Green) would be doing if you were playing two note "chords".
You can do whatever you want, it’s about effect. In this case, you would be playing quite out and it would be quite noticeable. It would be much more common practice to harmonize using thirds and 7ths from the chord,l. Sometimes a tritone, sometimes a p5.
I wonder if this accent we do on 2 and 4 nowadays is not really what they used to to. I'm going to do more research, but when I watch Freddie and listen, he's hitting all four beats equally. The 2 and 4 jump out because the bass is in 2. Anybody else have thoughts on this? or recommended vids to check? I like the 2 & 4 slap, but it may be a modern affectation. Thoughts? EDIT: I just watched Bucky Pizzarrelli and he does the 2 and 4 accent. So, there's one source. EDIT 2: Oscar Moore with Nat King Cole Trio too.
You are absolutely correct re: your initial sentences. To clarify your edit: first, Bucky was a master at playing rhythm. He liked taking charge of 2 and 4. I wouldn't call it an accent as much as taking charge of 2+4 even when the bass walks in 4. It depends on what kind of feeling and groove you prefer to give the band. Even when playing in '2', Freddie (and Bucky) still hit 1+3 though shorter than what they did on 2+4. It depended on the tune, the tempo, and his conception whether Freddie played an even 4 or in 2. Every tune is going to be a little different.
Basically good rhythm guitar is like bay leaves, black pepper, or salt in cooking. If used right, you won't exactly know they're there, but if they're gone... you know.
Good analogy
Every band member should always play to make everyone else sound good.
When I use black pepper I want to know 😂 but point still taken
@@chesneytube1 Yeah I like a lot of pepper, too, but in a lot of dishes it's working more as a flavor enhancer rather than a front flavor.
bay leaf sure, pepper maybe but salt is much less subtle
This guy knows exactly what he is talking about. He's got experience, knowledge, wisdom, and facility on his instrument. I'd love to study with him one on one.
You must be as boring as he is.
Yeah, I like the guy. Nice shoes, too.
@@spooky3120 Ha!|
~This guy really knows music....but I must learn more guitar to understand at his level....love music.😊
@@Redheadedlady55 I studied with him for about six months, and he really helped me.
James was one of my classmates and fellow guitarists at North Texas. Great for me to know many years on he’s still at it. All the best old pal.
Shadows of Knight Jerry McGeorge?
@@YeTi2055 Yep
Freddie Green made it seem simple, but there was a lot going on in his playing -- far more than what most people offer by way of explanation. Thanks, James, for the insights you shared, and for another opportunity to appreciate the work of one of the masters.
I watched this video as I started my journey as rhythm guitarist for a big band and thought that there was a lot I could learn from this video. I'm back to it a few years in, and I still learn from him, and I can now appreciate what an incredible rhythm guitarist Mr. Chirillo really is. What seems to be the simplest thing - playing even notes with perfect time and good sound - is a true technical and musical achievement. His line on the blues in F he plays is as good as you'll ever hear anyone play big band rhythm guitar.
0:12, I thought he was gonna say some curse words or something lol
What the function...hahahahaha
xactly!
Kozmoteam Lol :)
What the F....ucktion! :)))
😂
According to an article I read Freddy Green usually muted most of the strings to create percussion and just let the 3rd or 7th cut through to indicate major/minor and what kind of 7th. Part of the idea is that other instruments were filling in the chord so his role was mostly rhythmic. I think that's consistent with what Chirillo says.
Yup, I believe they're called shell voicings
Thank you for posting this. This style of playing guitar has become a lost art. I was fortunate enough to have the great Al Viola in my band for several years. You got everything right ... a very important and "essential" video. Congratulations !
This was really great, I always wondered how guitar could fit in so seamlessly in the rhythm sections of these bands. Thank you for sharing you expertise with us.
This is an incredible lesson. Thank you very much.
I can tell you as a piano player most guitarists nowadays couldn't hold a tempo like you do for more than 2 bars! Brilliant Masterclass-Thank You Sir!
Most keyboard players I've played with over the past 40 odd years never know when to shut up. Touché 😄
We play all of the piano parts with guitars. 😂
post a video of yourself playing, dick head
I had breakfast with James many years ago in NY in a diner on 45th and 12th. He’s a very knowledgeable man and I thoroughly enjoyed his company without ever understanding a word he said. Lovely man.
What a wonderful session. Now I wan to see everything else from James Chirillo.
Best explanation of this style of playing I've seen. Those interested should also check out Charlton Johnson's book on this style.
Great book. Love it.
This man has a wonderful feel!
Feels good hearin' him!
That was excellent. Thanks from Sandy (a pal of Warren Vaches' in Scotland) Best wishes for 2023
The best possible advice, masterfully explained and demonstrated
James,
Your videos explain this style of guitar very well. Acoustic archtop rhythm guitar is almost a tuned drum--felt as much as hears. Two string and three string comps. HIGH action is a must.
"You play the thirds and sevenths and I play the roots and the fifths" - Jimmy Woode when I had the honour to play with him 😅
My late father was a jazz guitarist and rhythm was his love. Seeing this brought back great memories. I love rhythm and played drums in jazz combos with dad on guitar. Thank you for sharing this.
Awesome! Thank you for posting this.
I like this guy. What he is teaching has no relation to the music I play, but it’s great to see someone who has such a clear understanding of his role, and the knowledge of how to do it. It’s hard for us who grew up in the latter half of the 20th century to see the guitar as a minor instrument, but for the most part, in popular music before that time, it was just as he says here.
"What he is teaching has no relation to the music I play". Do not be so sure. EVERYTHING must come from somewhere.
Yet he uses some aberrant system to describe concepts that the standard systems of music theory have perfectly adequate (and powerful) tools to describe*. Systems such as he uses (the "drop" terminology) are fine in specialist application (in their respective musical ghettos) but are inferior when communicating to wider audiences.
I suspect (but have no concrete evidence) that these systems were originally developed by musicians untrained in conventional theory.
* his "drop 2" = a second inversion chord by standard convention
his "drop 3" = a first inversion chord by standard convention
@@rjlchristie I just came across your comment. I'm certainly not using some "aberrant system" to describe this part of music theory. Arrangers and orchestrators have been using these terms for most of the 20th Century to the present.
A Drop 2 is NOT a first inversion chord by standard convention. Inversion simply means which note of the chord - other than the root - is in the bass. Chords are built in thirds (in traditional harmony) from the root up. In a four-note seventh chord, after the root there are the 3rd, 5th and 7th. A first inversion chord is called so because the 3rd is the first note (after the root) of the chord which can be placed in the bass. A 5th in the bass is a second inversion and the 7th in the bass gives you the third inversion. If the root is in the bass, the chord is not inverted - the root is in the bass. Voicing-wise though, it could be any number of things.
A voicing tells you how the notes in a chord are spread, and/or sometimes doubled. Drop 2 is a term which describes a particular voicing. A Drop 2 voicing is created by taking a close voicing - the notes of the chord in order underneath the melody note as close together as possible - and lowering the second note down from the top melody note one octave. If the root of a seventh chord is on the top of a close voicing, the second note down is the 7th, which, when making it a Drop 2 gives you a third inversion chord. If the 3rd of the close voicing is on the top, the second note down is the root, which, when making it a Drop 2 gives you the root in the bass, a non-inverted chord. Double the lead note an octave lower, and you've a Drop 2 double-lead.
Applying the Drop idea further, there are also the Drop 3 and Drop 2+4 voicings.
Some people like to determine a voicing from the bottom up. Hence, beginning with a close voicing, you simply raise the second note from the bottom up one octave to have a Raised 2 voicing. With the root in the bass, the 3rd will then be on the top. A Raised 2 turns out to have the same spread as a Drop 2, in this case the Raise 2 with the root in the bass is the exact same voicing as a Drop 2 with the 3rd on top. There is also the Raised 2+3 which turns out to have the exact same spread as a Drop 3. What to call them just depends on whether one prefers to go from the bottom up or the top down. I always tell my students it's best to know them both ways - from the bass and from the melody.
I've gone into all this detail so people will understand what I'm speaking of when bringing up a Drop 2 and not be confused by your inaccurate comment.
@@jameschirillo2364 Thank you for the explanation.
I think it serves to reinforce that this descriptive system is indeed a non-standard approach to describing harmony. You assert that it is used by arrangers and orchestrators. I don't wish to doubt you in that it has its adherents, but I'm confident in my understanding that it is nowhere near as widely used, taught and accepted internationally as are the standard systems of harmonic analysis found in the overwhelming majority of texts and treatises, developed over the past four hundred years since pioneers of its codification such as Fux, Rameau etc. and now taught in universities, music schools, conservatoriums, music examination boards etc etc. That system describes harmony and harmonic movement from the bass upward (built on a fundamental pitch(s)).
The salient point is, in forums such as this, if you are going to use a specialist system to disseminate information, you must appreciate that most of your audience will 'be expecting it delivered in a more standard system, so unless you initially spend some time explaining the system, it would be better, imo, to use a system that is understood by the greatest number of viewers.
Thank you for the time you spent on the explanation, I'll file it for future possible use if I should ever run into this system again.
@@rjlchristie Fux and Gradus ad Parnassum, I know his species counterpoint well from before I was a composition major at NTSU.
Given you do not specifically address any of the inaccurate terms in your statement re: Drop 2 and inversions, and the fact you use the term "musical ghettos" shows how limited, insular and compartmentalized your musical training is. As I said before, particularly in jazz, this Drop voicing terminology is, and has been in wide use in musical schools and colleges for well over 70 years. At this point in our musical development it is not a "non-standard approach to describing harmony." Berklee, Indiana Univ, NTSU and all the major music schools with any kind of jazz program (together with their classical theory) all use it. Having taught at Juilliard for the past 7 years I can attest to this. I don't want people to be led astray by your comment which betrays your prejudice and, some might argue, ignorance.
Much wisdom is shared here in knowing your lane and staying in it as an ensemble player. Also, just like in Funk Rhythm, those muted string percussion sounds add much power to that single note or double-stop.Thank you, sir, for confirming some suspicions and for the inspiration. What a great post.
This is the best class ever
Good Ideas, thank you for the time sharing
~Enjoyed this but over my head...hope to see more😊
The fact that Freddie possibly checked out and was influenced by Bach chorales (as mentioned in the last minute or so of the video) is fascinating.
Excellent explanation, excellent teacher.
Superb, thorough explanation of the rhythm guitar's role in a big band. It could be said that playing guitar in this setting is an egoless job, as it isn't flashy work -- but take it away and the listener realizes something critical is missing.
And getting the volume setting just perfect is critical too, as are the kind of strings and amp that are used. Roland or Yamaha guitar amps are just perfectly suited for that just right jazz swing sound. I'm not, however, a big fan of playing on just the one string though, but triad chord shapes are nice if you want to keep thing s simple - sort of like what James was saying about the drop 2 or drop 4. You still want to make sure that the 3 notes you are playing are the notes you want and not just 3 notes by default. Sometimes deciding which note to drop is important too if you have a specific sound in mind for your triad.. Maybe dropping 2 will sound more to your liking or dropping 4 you will like the sound of better.
@@George-rb6bv I had a swing band for 10 years (I'm actually a harmonica player 49 years) and although we were only 7-8 piece (bass, drums, piano, guitar, female vocals, harmonica, and then 1-2 horns I played lines with) we played enough Basie, Goodman, Louie Prima, Billie, Ella, etc. to book as a swing band......we were also the favorite band of the regional Lindy Hop/Swing Dance Society which counts as a good test.....) Anyway, one of our substitute guitar players had the 100W Roland Jazz Chorus Amps and he did sound good. (When we backed up Bo Diddley one New Year's Eve gig he requested one of those amps too. I have still never hear a better guitar tone that when I have let Guitarists play through one on my original 1959 Fender Tweed Bassman tube amps. I've even had one pure Jazz guitarist play through it with one of his L5's and his Johnny Hodges Jazz box....he has about 25 amps and said it's the best tone he has ever heard. The player always make the huge difference anyway but fun to hear different tones.
You are a true musician! Although I play many styles, big band music has always been my favorite even from the time I was a child.
I just learned a LOT.
When I first heard about not playing the tonic I was aghast but it's starting to make more sense.
Good information. I didn't grasp it all but enough to have an understanding of that chunk chunk sound I love so much. Focus on the fourth string avoid the larger bass strings. I watch this many times to pick up on what I missed first time.
"stay out of the way of the bass player, stay out of the way of the piano player, everybody's happy"
sort of depressing to hear as a guitar player, but I think you are correct.
Yeah but when you do that, the bass player and drummer sound better! You make them sound better.
There's nothing worse than 2 or more instruments trying to be a rockstar at the same time lol
If you listen to the Basie Band, Basie himself played extremely little during an arrangement. The guitar plays 4 to the bar throughout the whole chart. So he's not staying "out-of the-way" the guitar IS THE WAY in a Basie chart. That should have been mentioned, you're not an accessory in the Basie style, you ARE the lead in the rhythm section. And while you may only "hear" that one note stick out, he's playing chords. How do I know? Let's just say I've been where this guys been too.
I'll just hug it then hang it out.
Been doing this for many years, nice to hear James articulate it so well, thanks.
Amazing all encompassing musical analysis thank you sir!
That is a fascinating lesson.
i just listened to Count Basie's One o'clock Jump and the guitar is just as you described. I never paid attention to this kind of thing before. Thanks.
Great instructions. Brilliant. Thanks a lot.
I could learn so much from your experience!
Excellent video!
GREAT information. 👍
Im a rhythm guitar player too....its an essential piece of any ensemble!! Too many guys want to play screaming lead! 🎶🎵🎶
how could i've missed this channel!
I loved the lesson. Thank you.
Thanks so much for a look into a facet of playing most don't talk about. People forget guitar is a rhythm instrument. Freddie Green should get his do.
Great video. Thanks. From Ireland
Thanks a lot - it reallöner opened my eyes
Thanks i really liked this lesson and it just gave me an apiphony for something im working on
Excellent! Thanks, James.
Perfectly nailed
superb video, thanks.
Very cool with the one note rhythm, wow.
Wow! Thank you.
Love it. Thanks so much. Shally
I come across this by accident , much more advanced than my level , but have to say very well done !
So would you only use drop 2's with dominant 7 chords or with any chord
An awesome video. Thanks, much.
Brilliant approach.. I started using some of these techniques and liked the sound, I never really knew what to call them, now I know… Thanks for the great video
Holy moly this is way over my head
Thanks for the awesone lesson. Does anyone else thinks he looks like Howard from Big Bang Theory?
Really great lesson!
Does he not have his drop-2's and drop-3's mixed up? I call the voicings on 4 adjacent strings drop-3 and the one with a skipped string drop-2.
Take for instance a G maj 7 chord in position III. That is from low to hight G, F#, B, D. So that is basically a 4th inversion of G maj 7 (F#, G, B, D) where you drop the second note (G) down an octave. Hence the name drop-2. How would that be a drop-3?
Please see my comment above to rjlchristie. It should clarify your question and get you understanding about inversions/voicings.
@@jameschirillo2364 I understand the concepts perfectly well. I was just questioning your naming of them. According to your logic you count the notes from highest to lowest. That does not make much sense. In every other music theory concept notes are always counted from lowest to highest. A major third is not called a minor sixth because you think from low note up to higher note. A major triad is thought of as 1 3 5 etc. I'm sure you can come up with more examples by yourself. So why would you go against this convention when naming these voicings?
You don't "understand the concepts perfectly well" at all. Please reread carefully. If you've ever needed to harmonize a trumpet lead melody with say, trombone, alto and tenor saxes underneath in 4-voice harmony... reread carefully. Thanks for your interest.
@@jameschirillo2364 It's ok. Don't get upset. You can call them drop-2 and I'll be calling them drop-3. It's just a name.
@@generayvandergraaf9594 Please call them anything you like. I'm not upset, I'm amazed at your determination not to learn your chords correctly. Please just don't teach or pass your terms along. This is a perfect example of why it is so difficult to counter mis and dis-information in social media forums such as this.
Do you have any music sheets of Buck Corel's(?) ? That could be iteresting too. Great video. Wish to have it few yers ago. That would easyfy my life in the beginning of Big Band guitar playing. Cheers!
So damn good!
Very clear and to the point.
Does anyone know if James has any other lessons up on YT, teaching a jazz tune, or the basic progressions used in jazz standards?
You can find more of his work on Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz Academy TH-cam channel
Hey James... Salute!
What's the second guitar for ? He's not playing enough.
Only when he plays i like the guy. Look for Barney Kessel's guitar lessons. It's a blessing.
Good to see you since Maussane. Keep swinging
Thanks man great lesson!
Welp, I guess I’ve been playing jazz guitar as wrong as possible (I come from a rock/blues background, so I play full barre/open chords)
Ah yes, Buck Corel. A great arranger in the '30s.. and he really had a great feel for jazz rhythm comping for the guitar. There was nobody like ol' Buck!
Nice lesson. A second camera focused on the fingerboard would be helpful.
such an insight! thank you!
This guy's swag is what im trying to be on
It's a shame the camera is too far away to see anything on the fretboard.
Perfect lesson for guitar. Do what is needed to move the song forward. It's not all about you!
Malcolm had that big stereo white falcon
Real music thats great...Benny Goodman was a genious as well as his musicians...excellent info.
hey james! i love your confetti rug man. how much do you want for it?
At 5.02 this gentleman plays the second drop 2 ( the first being D on fifth fret, fifth string, G fifth fret fourth string, B third fret, third string, and F sixth fret, second string ) I would expect the second drop 2 starting with D on the lower chord but I figure out a different chord, can someone could give what chord he ear ?
I ear G tenth fret 5th string, B ninth fret, 4th string, D seventh fret four string, and 4 eighth fret, second string, but I don't understand the relation (if this chord is exact )as a second drop 2, if someone could help me ? I would really appreciate.
@@guillaumefloatin91 It's a G7th with the 7th (F) on the bottom so it goes like this (top to bottom)
G 2nd string 8th fret
D 3rd string 7th fret
B 4th string 9th fret
F 5th string 8th fret
Not the easiest chord to play but quite useful at times. Sorry this took five years.
Agree with you! :-)
Bravo James!
Good lesson. Silly comments.
Can someone tell me what it means to play rhythm guitar please.
you are basically playing the rhythm on the guitar
MrSupercracker1
Thank you sir.
yeah.. i hope it wasn't a smart ass answer but I'm just not sure how else to answer it..
MrSupercracker1 I wasn't I never know what the role rhythm guitar was.
Rhythm guitars job is to hold down the groove of the song. It plays the basic chord structure so that everybody else can do their job. Basically he is the guy strumming the chords laying down a pulse and a harmonic foundation for the band. Does that help a little?
I play in an 8 piece band where the primary music we play is soul / R&B. Do you suggest the same rhythm philosophy for that style of music?
It's interesting to hear a big band guitar isolated from everything else, because you can hardly ever even hear the guitar in a big band setting. I often wondered why it was even there
very well.
Dude you know your stuff. I have been playing my entire life and couldn't keep up with what you were saying--LOL
A fantastic combination of chords, socks and shoes.
great lesson...thanks! If you were to harmonize the single note lines, could you harmonize with a tritone on EACH note? I know this would produce a lot of notes outside the key, but with all the movement (tensions moving to resolution), maybe it'd work? I'll try it in a band context to see what it sounds like, but just wondering if that's what you (and Freddie Green) would be doing if you were playing two note "chords".
You can do whatever you want, it’s about effect. In this case, you would be playing quite out and it would be quite noticeable. It would be much more common practice to harmonize using thirds and 7ths from the chord,l. Sometimes a tritone, sometimes a p5.
Thank you
Awesome Sauce
Nice shoes, what are they?
I wonder if this accent we do on 2 and 4 nowadays is not really what they used to to. I'm going to do more research, but when I watch Freddie and listen, he's hitting all four beats equally. The 2 and 4 jump out because the bass is in 2. Anybody else have thoughts on this? or recommended vids to check? I like the 2 & 4 slap, but it may be a modern affectation. Thoughts? EDIT: I just watched Bucky Pizzarrelli and he does the 2 and 4 accent. So, there's one source. EDIT 2: Oscar Moore with Nat King Cole Trio too.
You are absolutely correct re: your initial sentences. To clarify your edit: first, Bucky was a master at playing rhythm. He liked taking charge of 2 and 4. I wouldn't call it an accent as much as taking charge of 2+4 even when the bass walks in 4. It depends on what kind of feeling and groove you prefer to give the band. Even when playing in '2', Freddie (and Bucky) still hit 1+3 though shorter than what they did on 2+4. It depended on the tune, the tempo, and his conception whether Freddie played an even 4 or in 2. Every tune is going to be a little different.
@@jameschirillo2364 Taking charge of 2 and 4. I love it! Well said. Grazie.
any book to study?? recomend?
sammy nestico book for young jazz enselble
Nice what are those chords you're playing?
My friend has a guitar like that Guild, exactly the same.
Great lesson. This stuff is really pushing the envelope for me.
What's ur gear?
didn't he have a album called bad temper cleaver,' or somethin?
He said… what the “funkkk-ction” of the rhythm guitar.
This guy looks like a jazz guitarist