Ah jazz, the final frontier. if you want to know how to learn jazz guitar, you’re in for a treat. If you have an interest in jazz, you likely have many questions.
you’ll want to know where to start and where to go. With jazz it can be quite cumbersome to learn, if you aren’t already around jazz musicians.
Learning jazz guitar, without previous knowledge in the genre is going to take some time. There’s a reason it’s called the “final frontier of music”.
While it isn’t rocket science, it also isn’t simple. Jazz guitar is going to have you apply a combination of practical and theoretical skills in order to make the stringy thing sounds good.
I’ve dabbled in jazz guitar just a touch, and can honestly say that learning jazz guitar won’t just make you a better guitarist, it will make you a better all around musician.
Is jazz guitar hard to learn
Jazz guitar is often remarked as the hardest guitar style to learn. Learning jazz guitar will be easier if you already have previous knowledge of jazz and some basic guitar skills.
Learning jazz guitar as your first step into playing any instrument, will be more difficult than other genres. This doesn’t mean it is impossible, or that it isn’t worthwhile.
Jazz guitar playing, just like any other genre will take time to master. Those who have mastered jazz guitar will likely find it easy to slide into other genres of guitar. However, the opposite is not necessarily true at all.
Can a beginner play jazz guitar
Yes a beginner can start learning the guitar by learning jazz guitar. While it may be more difficult than learning to strum along to pop songs, you will certainly develop as a well rounded guitarist and musician, if you can master jazz guitar.
One thing I should mention is to ensure you have material you are able to play. You won’t enjoy playing or practicing if you’re never able to play anything you like. Making sure you have appropriately challenging material to play through is key to learning any instrument.
Can you teach yourself jazz guitar
Yes, many Jazz guitarists are self taught. Those entirely new to playing music and guitar may want to seek out a good guitar teacher initially, but more than enough resources exist online to teach yourself for free!
If you are not an already established musician, I would encourage you to find an online crash course on jazz. It’s a complex genre and a few pointers in the right direction to start with will do wonders.
There are few things worse than aimlessly trying to find a direction to go with music.
How do I start learning jazz guitar
Start by listening to some jazz standards, that is, classic pieces that most jazz musicians hold in their repertoire. These jazz standards will provide you with a good foundation to get started, and give you a idea of what type of jazz you’re drawn to.
Once you’ve gotten a feel for the genre start working on some basic jazz chord progressions.
Noodle around for a little bit, find fun riffs and progressions on youtube and learn how to play them.
If you’re already a guitarist, jazz guitar won’t be much different than learning another style of guitar such as classical or bluegrass, but you will probably find jazz a little more complex.
Is it too late to learn jazz guitar?
Nope, it is never too late to learn jazz guitar. Anyone at any age or skill level can start learning jazz guitar.
If you’re a guitarist who’s been playing for over a decade, you have a huge advantage to learning jazz guitar. If you play any instrument, really, you have an advantage.
If you’re already proficient in jazz on another instrument you’re a “shoo in”
Even if you’re an “old soul” and have never play an instrument, you can still learn. Learning jazz guitar comes down to desire to play.
Beginner jazz guitar doesn’t have to be difficult, it will only take some time and practice.
What should I learn before jazz guitar?
You don’t have to learn anything before you start learning jazz guitar. While a background in music or guitar will be helpful, you can start from scratch and begin learning jazz guitar.
A couple of things that will be helpful for you to learn jazz guitar will be:
- Ability to read sheet music
- Background knowledge of jazz vocabulary and terminology
- Previous skills on the guitar
While obviously these will help you become a jazz guitarist, you certainly don’t need them to start learning.
Should you learn blues before jazz guitar
If you’re objective is to learn jazz, you can start learning jazz immediately. Blues is a wonderful genre to learn, however, it isn’t a prerequisite for learning jazz.
I would recommend starting to play whatever type of music you want to end up playing. Yes, blues will hep you become well-rounded, but you can say that about every genre.
Jazz guitar students should start with what you like and are drawn to, because if you don’t you may get burntout before you get there.
Do you need to read music to play jazz guitar
You do not explicitly need to know how to read sheet music to play jazz guitar, but it will help immensely.
You can easily enough start learning to read sheet music, as you begin to learn jazz guitar. Learning both will compliment the other and help you develop faster.
I would not recommend planning on “never learning to read sheet music” as many guitarists can sneakily get away with (you know who you are).
If you ever find yourself in a jazz jam, you’ll find yourself outed quickly.
Can you play jazz guitar on acoustic
Yes, any guitar can be used to play jazz music, and many jazz musicians do use an acoustic guitar (often with a pickup). Although, most jazz performers you see will be using an electric guitar (semi-hollow bodies are common).
How long does it take to play jazz guitar
Trick question! You’ll never finish learning jazz, but you can expect to be able to hold your own in a jam session within the first couple years of playing jazz guitar.
It is upto you to decide how long it takes. What level you want to reach and how much time you can regularly dedicate to it will give you an idea of how long it will take to get there.
It will take most people at least a full year to be comfortable noodling around on jazz guitar.
