Chord Melody

Decided to go back to a tried method that has worked for me with regards to chord melody guitar: Robert Conti’s “Assembly Line” material. Today I worked on the various chord shapes for the dominant chords. 

Would really like to be able to do a performance of songs where I can play the melody as well as improvise over my friend playing bass. Also, he could do some soloing as I play the chords.

Almost forgot to add that I’m working again out of Jamie Aebersold’s Book 1 for guitar. Just about finished with the major scales. Selling myself short in that before I even started again, I’m telling myself that the other scales and exercises will be too difficult.

Chord Melody (notes)

1) Find a (major, minor, dominant) chord shape that has the degree of the note in question as the highest note in the chord.

2) DOMINANTS

A) dominant =natural tensions that don't sharpen or flatten the tensions = 9, 13, 11, etc 

B) altered = #9, b13, b9, etc

C) When an "altered dominant" is seen (like B7b9), play only the altered chord type.

D) When a "dominant" is seen (like B7) you can play either:

a) the dominant (9, 11, 13, etc.) OR an altered dominant  (#9, b13, b9, etc.).

3) Less is more. 

4) Sometimes just a bass note sounds good.

Ted Greene / Chord Melody

Branching into another direction. Getting into chord melody guitar again. This time, I'm using a different book: A Guide to Chord-Melody Jazz Guitar," by Toby Wine.

In the past, I tried to memorize chord melody chords in a weird way that just didn't work. I'm getting the idea now that a good way of remembering them is not only by their function (major, minor, dominant, etc.), but also by the scale degree of the note being harmonized. We'll see how this goes!

Probably not giving up on the jazz guitar improvisation course, but my heart really isn't in it (that much) at this time. It concludes in August.

I'm getting really interested in Ted Greene. He seems to have been a very nice man, and a great guitarist. Look him up on YouTube playing "Send in the Clowns" as well as "Over the Rainbow."

When I was much younger, I bought one of his books about chord progressions. I was young and didn't know  of the author, and just bought the book. It looked good. I never did too much with it, but I do remember sitting on the bed playing (or trying to play) one of the progressions. It sounded nice, I think, but I had no idea how to use the information.

Fast forward forty years, and here I am really interested in the man's life. I recently ordered two books: his "Chord Chemistry" book as well as a book by his parter about her life with him.

He seems like a kind man who wanted to spread the word about how to beautify the world with music.