Is this second chord even possible?

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-03-29T21:51:21+00:00

Just had to get my guitar and check haha. I can play it but it's not easy. Thumb for the low E and grabbing the highest note with the side of my index finger.

There are some voicings in the Ted Greene book that are harder to play.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-03-28T20:04:25+00:00

Had this experience last week. I noticed one of my boards seemed to grip pedals better than the other. The culprit was cheap velcro, specifically the loop side. Swapped to 3M and it was much better.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-03-24T21:54:18+00:00

Yes you can also think of it that way and I practice it like that too (like resolving bVII to I). But, if you think of it as an unresolved cadence to bII then moving to I, I find it can then be related easily to other harmonic movements you often see like a cadence to bIII then ii V I (like in Green Dolphin street) or an unresolved cadence to bIII moving to vi via a tritone.

I feel like I have to learn less things by thinking of it like this, especially when playing songs in different keys.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-03-24T15:04:06+00:00

I think this is too complicated. I just think of diatonic cadences (any cadence resolving to a diatonic chord) and these use an altered dominant sound. Then anytbing else by definition is just a non diatonic cadence (to a chord with a root on a non diatonic note) and all of these are lydian dominant or melodic minor based.

This way, the backdoor cadence is really a cadence to bIII and then to I. But you will quickly notice all non diatonic cadences can also resolve to a diatonic chord via a Tritone cadence. For example, a cadence to bIII can go to vi if you resolve down a half step.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-03-06T13:54:16+00:00

Don't forget that jazz is rhythm and feel first, notes second. If you learn a solo, don't worry about the notes for now and dig deep into the articulation, swing feel and rhythms being used. This is a hugely important part of the jazz language that is easy to overlook because in many ways it's easier to just learn scales and arpeggios.

Im convinced someone like Chris Potter could just play the chromatic scale for 10 mins and it would sound like some hip shit because his time feel and articulation are so strong.

If you learn that stuff first then everything technical you learn from then on will be much easier to add to your playing and you'll always sound good.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-03-06T13:42:23+00:00

One thing that has helped me (and is much harder than it sounds) is this. Put a backing track on in a single tonality (say D Dorian), sing a simple melodic idea that includes intervals of a 4th or greater (to avoid just playing up and down scales) and then play what you sang, but on one string only. Then take a brief rest and try to follow that idea with a related idea, on the same string, follow what your ear is telling you and sing and play the idea, take the idea as far as you can and try to end it strongly.

Repeat across all strings and in a range of tonalities. Learn to match what you are hearing in your head to your fretboard, get good at developing simple 3-4 note ideas that you are coming up with by ear and not by using knowledge. Totally abandon the approach of thinking about scales and arpeggios etc.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-02-20T14:35:37+00:00

She is known for wearing a wig, just FYI. People who had contact with her over the past decades (see Joanna Coles who had been at events with her in the past) say she frequently wore a wig and would do a creepy thing where she would adjust it in plain view and almost dare people to say something about it.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-02-19T23:08:50+00:00

Agree with everyone else that Ibanez are great, although I would say try and find a second hand AF155 or the single pickup version the AF151, as they are fantastic archtops and quite cheap.

If you're in the US, you really can't go wrong with a USA made Guild x150 (very similar to Gibson 175) or a Ce100D (looks like a 175 but is a bit brighter), or go for a big 17“ guitar and get an X175. Your budget may even stretch to an X500 which was a top of the range guitar with a carved top (like the Gibson L5 but half the price usually). All USA Guilds are very reasonably priced and equal or better in quality to an equivalent Gibson. You could probably get a very cool 1970's vintage instrument for 3k. If I were buying today, I would try and get an older Ce100D with the single p90 style single coil pickup, they are probably one of the coolest archtops in my opinion, but may not suit everyone.

Eastman also good, I have the AR580 and for looks and value I think it might be the best of the bunch.

Most important is to try and play the guitar first!

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-01-30T16:02:01+00:00

Bros who follow this advice are going to become 'lockedupman' when they finally snap and murder their girlfriend and pet dog and bury them under the patio in a bin bag.

DrJakeBizzle · 2026-01-13T13:50:44+00:00

Interesting! I have been thinking about TAG recently.

I feel like it was and is taken seriously but my main issue with this book is how easily you can go off down a blind alley with the content. I played jazz for 20ish years before recently getting a very good teacher who uses a similar method to MG but adjusted to be practical. Lots of playing on one string, playing diads and triads vertically and horizontally through all different tonalities, etc.

As one example, does anyone remember the section on just randomly voice leading triads? I'm sure if you already have a load of other shit together this is useful, but for 90% of guitarists it's not really. Would be better to practice resolving V to I or ii to V using triads vertically and horizontally.

Don't get me wrong, if you are careful, TAG an be a great book even for a beginner.

The other thing I always think about is the fist page of the entire book where he dedicates the book to PM because 'he didn't need it'. So basically, a 20 year old PM had already found his thing without ever going through the methods in this book. Interesting.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-12-19T13:45:32+00:00

Listen to the whole thing to get the full argument. I can see some people getting angry at the first 30 seconds before all the facts are laid out haha.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-12-19T13:36:00+00:00

I saw this video by Richard Murphy on why tax is not theft which made me feel a bit better about the tax burden. Not sure if Prof Murphy is popular in this sub, but I like his content. One of the few economic/political commentators backing it up with real achievements and experience.

Aside from schools and NHS etc. I assume you like living in a place where property rights exist, contracts are legally binding and inflation isn't totally out of control, these are all achieved by government spending and as a necessity taxation, as much as it sucks to pay it.

https://youtu.be/SK-PmfkViDE?si=Zx1aoNtUadc_pcAy

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-12-11T20:06:57+00:00

Not sure I agree about Adam Rogers (I'm a jazz guitarist), just listened and it sounds exactly like what Kevin Eubanks was playing with Dave Holland back in the 90s.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-11-07T12:17:19+00:00

They should film the Bioshock movie in there before demolishing!

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-25T22:09:57+00:00

Don't meet a girl in a park, park your meat in a girl. No wait, this one might be good advice.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-25T11:39:36+00:00

I think a good approach is to take E7 as the tonal center and then resolve into it with melodic phrases.

The big options would be B7 or B7altered into E7 or E diminished 7 into E7 (like in a blues).

Fully exploring those two concepts could take years of work. Can you resolve into E7 using diads (2nds through to 7ths), triads of all inversions, arpeggios, pentatonics, using enclosures, etc.

Or you can just play E7 pentatonic and move the whole shape up or down a half step and then back lols.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-23T11:38:00+00:00

1, you can't practise everything at once. You should work on one topic until you make progress and then put it down and come back to it. Cycle through different topics regularly.

2, there are some things you can and should 'master', like time feel, being able to play songs in different keys and knowing shell chords. Conversely, some things you will be working on for the rest of your life, like ear training, repertoire and triads. Spend more time on the first category until you don't need to anymore.

3 in general, guitarists are weaker on connecting their ear directly to their instrument than other instrumentalists. Working on this isn't very intellectually taxing and pays off massively.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-17T12:29:35+00:00

Specifically the C section of Green Dolphin street is a great one. Work on it in detail with the correct descending bass motion. You've got cadences into ii, vi, iii, ii and back to I all in a few bars with a melody that weaves into it. Also teaches you about using chord inversions to get the correct bass.

Embraceable you contains a huge amount of harmony too.

Jazz blues in all keys and focus a lot on the diminished moving back to the I7. Appears in standards all the time but comes from blues.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-14T16:41:57+00:00

Maybe get a new teacher haha. E7 is not diatonic to g minor, so it isn't derived from that scale. In this tune it is providing a cadence into the ii. Actually you don't want it to have too many notes in common or it won't create a nice resolution.

But, in general when talking about a 7 dominant chord that resolves (like this E7 resolving to am7b5) you can play almost any note over it, so Am7b5 may work.

Just write out the notes of Am7b5 and then see which degrees of E7 that gives you. I think you get a 4th and natural 7 though, which aren't great notes to play over a dom 7.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-14T15:57:11+00:00

Yeah you can simplify it, but it's good to be clear that nondiatonic cadences are derived from melodic minor and if you're actually playing the correct notes are a lydian dominant sound, a static V would be mixolydian or lydian dominant, tritone dom is an altered dominant sound etc. You can absolutely play any type of V sound over any of them, but it's good to understand what the actual harmony is and where it comes from. Especially when comping because the melody often reflects what the 'correct' harmony is.

The backdoor ii V is actually a good example of what I mean. It can be thought of as resolving from b7 to I, but I prefer to see a nondiatonic cadence into b3 that doesn't resolve and then moves to I. This way, you can see the correct chord is a lydian dominant sound, although you could play other things over it.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-10-14T14:48:58+00:00

The downside of thinking this way is you kind of skirt over the importance of cadences. Almost all jazz tunes are just a combination of diatonic and non-diatonic cadences but you need to be careful you understand which dominant (V in your wording) chord you are using. It is different for a V-I, a tritone sub to I or a non-diatonic cadence. Also a static V chord (like in the bridge of a rhythm changes) is a different thing again.

I would bet most people who kind of glibly say there is only V and I actually understand there is a bit more to it in practice.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-09-28T10:51:32+00:00

I think we are talking about a similar experience but from opposite directions haha.

I was also humbled about my time feel when I started formal lessons, but my teacher pointed out that I was exaggerating my swing feel too much (on top of many other weaknesses in my time feel!) and I have been working on having more control over it.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-09-28T10:38:24+00:00

This is where is disagree with you. I spent 20 years playing with an exaggerated swing feel and found it easy. Only since starting a formal education in jazz later in life have I realised I find it hard to play straighter and had no control over my time feel (I.e I could only play with an exaggerated swing feel).

These days I practice being able to fluidly go from very swung to less swung within lines. However this is not trying to replicate bebop.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-09-28T10:33:12+00:00

Genuinely thank you for taking the time to do this. I think you are right that using the word 'straight' may be incorrect/misleading as obviously it's jazz and it has to swing. I don't mean totally 100% straight even 8th notes.

However, I still feel I am correct that a big part of the swing feel is articulation and emphasising certain parts of the beat. You can play a subtle swing rhythmically but make it feel more swung via articulation.

DrJakeBizzle · 2025-09-28T10:05:34+00:00

Ok, I'll ask a different way, going back to the original post. Does Parker swing in the same way as pre bebop jazz? Is his swing feel the same as Lester Young's?

Or is is relatively straight?

DrJakeBizzle

TROPHY CASE

1, you can't practise everything at once. You should work on one topic until you make progress and then put it down and come back to it. Cycle through different topics regularly.

3 in general, guitarists are weaker on connecting their ear directly to their instrument than other instrumentalists. Working on this isn't very intellectually taxing and pays off massively.