Blue Bossa solo example

[estufa88]

PERFECT!

[riseoffspring]

@aceoffspades1 so suck it

[riseoffspring]

@aceoffspades1 by saying C aoelian, you are saying essentialy saying C minor but that is a failed attempt at trying to sound smart because nearly half the chords don't fit that key

[superduperryane]

beautiful

[ThatWasMyPoptart]

I'm getting a guitar instructor soon cause i couldn't seem to teach myself jazz. It's like the rocket science of music I swear. lol But i just wanted to know, when soloing in jazz, is most of it really just listening the chords that are being played and being quick to choose the right scale to play over it? Someone reply please! Thank you!

[jzgtr100]

@ThatWasMyPoptart .. I think a very experienced musician can hear some changes and just blow, but guys with less experience have to build a vocabulary of licks and know how to uses it against a series of changes ex. what to play over blues, what to play over a 2-5-1  Dm. G7. Cmaj ; or 1-6-2-5 Cmaj, A7#9, Dm, G7; or minor 2-5-1 Am7b5, D7b9, Gm, etc. This comes from learning tunes in the Real Book and practicing and stealing licks and practicing and practicing. You can't depend scales only

[aceoffspades1]

It isn't that hard.. just play around the c Aolian

[niggerfuckshitreborn]

@aceoffspades1 haha alright buddy.. you really know what ur talking about.

[alonsivanmusic]

Hi Matt and all, and thanks for that increible demonstration.

?What does it take to learn this solo? is it a complete proffesional level as a guitarist

[TruthResearchChannel]

Wonderful!  Such a rich sound. :-)

[mgr001]

i loved it.

.

[LLeia]

delicious jazz

[skatoman9]

by any chance could you tell me what model is your epiphone?

[ENPECOL]

calidad ,me gusta este tema,la musica el estilo y la ejecucion...saludos desde Barquisimeto Venezuela...enders peñaloza

[mikeg888]

Nice lesson! Thanks!

[djbot]

the chords and the head dont match. either some timings off. or your rhythms are clashing

[vertigonick]

@djbot i think jazz is supposed to be like that. slightly off rhythm, and a couple of dissonant sounds thrown in :p

[jazzadellic]

@djbot that's the way a jazz artist plays the head to any jazz standard. In other words, they never play it exactly as written, but they are creative with it, and add their own ideas / personality to it.

[djbot]

@jazzadellic its all good when rhythms or notes dont clash badly; im not saying this is bad

[Surfister]

@djbot U need to understand jazz b4 u comment..

[djbot]

@Surfister the same goes for you

[guitarraplayer12]

man my heart subscribed to your channel

[skater247247]

this is one of the best versions of this solo

great job

[CoolParkourName]

exellent... ¬.¬`  these chord/melody combos really speak to me.

[76ishmael]

Thank you so much from Spain. Really useful for learners. Helps to see how theory is applied. Also thanks for the link with tabs and notation! Beautiful and smokey evenings studying your interpretations. Salud Mattotten!

[musicianscotland]

Spot on! Really enjoyed this.

[thegreatgarry]

matt ... I've visited your home page and I found so many wonderful videos and lessons....

this is one of my favorite ...

[sa007ak]

Great Note Manipulation! He only uses one scale form this Entire thing pretty much!

[Lumidar]

How'd I know it was going to be Blue Bossa.

You should do some Girl From Ipanema next, uses a lot of good alterations that people could learn from.

[paulbrownAD]

such a fantastic player with a beautiful feel. Thanks for the tabs.

[yakywilly]

To mattotten: are you soloing using arpeggios, modes, or both?

[2chancE05]

do you know where i can learn/listen to the riff playing in the backround??Would greatly appreciate it.

[timmylai]

Good stuff Matt.keep it up!

[NaSaKeX]

My previous comment was not directed at the video owner.

It was at this guy with a funny username, can't remember what it was though...

[zivmeiri]

what guitar is that?

[JamaisMEC]

Being familiar with Matt Otten's preferences, I'd bet that it's either an Epiphone Broadway or Regent.

[MehosPhace]

@JamaisMEC Looks like a Sheraton to me.

[xpacev2]

Wonderful! the jazz is in your fingers. How do you get that typical jazz-tone? what is the key(to that tone)?

[jdidrobo93]

@xpacev2 It is in Cm...then it turns to Db mayor...an again returns do Cm...at least that is how i'm learning it xD

[ruffles272]

hollow body guitar if possible, neck humbucker pickup mids and bass up treble down, if your amp is bright role the tone on the guitar down, oh and use fingerpicking as well as normal picking, it gives a darker tone if you can do it right

[xpacev2]

@ruffles272 thank you! Im gonna try that as soon as i get my hands on the new ac15 c1

[318825768]

@xpacev2 A hollow Body guitar ;) And humbuckers and the right amp :)

[Zagabry]

@xpacev2

turn off the tone of the guitar....and know some typical jazz scales...but is really hard ;-D

[dreamtheaterisbetter]

@xpacev2 His tone is made (I believe) by lack of highs, and strong lows and mids. You'll have to tweak with your amp and guitar (as that will be a huge factor), but "knob-wise", that's where he is at.

[Adamshredsify]

@xpacev2 clean tone, then its all in the fingers

[boxtrap21]

@xpacev2 go on the clean channel and roll back your guitars tone knob= YOU'RE DONE!

[muzikant94]

@xpacev2

[willlifighter]

u'r amazing man!

[2UIROGA]

i want an ES so bad! :S or maybe a flyin-V

[lilez0518]

Sure you can learn this solo, but its not your own stuff. A music teacher of mine told me that if you can sing it, then you can play it. Therefore, it is good to listen to recordings to understand the forms and the language, then you get to the point where you can create your own ideas, sing them, and play them on your instrument. That is truly becoming a master of your instrument.

[NickyTong]

I Agree, but some licks are useful too~=]

[Josephers]

Amen! :)

[xarisMetallicA]

@lilez0518 my teacher told me the exact thing and i thing it s the most important thing in music!you need talented ears,to get better and better!

[xarisMetallicA]

@xarisMetallicA i think *

[djbot]

@lilez0518 thats exactlyh how i feel. i love listening to music and soaking up the song

[Swiftkillah1300]

@lilez0518 This is one of the most meaningful things i have ever heard about mastering an instrument and it is something that i will keep with me

[MusicMan7gk]

@lilez0518 Right on the mark! Listen, practice, then take it in your own direction! That's where music really comes from!

[victorvents]

@lilez0518 Yyou say don't learn this solo, but your teacher says to listen to recordings - IRONY! This IS a recording. There's not one video of you playing an instrument on your page, you are not even a musician. Stop spouting musical knowledge because you have none, you are wrong and your teacher sucks. Rote (not wrote) learning is a foundation to understanding the harder theory and technique that follows. Don't criticize this FINE jazz guitarist unless you can outplay him, U jealous loser.

[fadyyosuif]

@lilez0518 you are right my friend but simply every great jazz musician out there has done a massive amount of solo transcriptions and that's why they are great,,, most of the great guitar players have mentioned that :)

[AltruisticPervert]

nice tone. good slow pace for starting out. listeners, if you're interested in stepping it up, work on robert contis soloing after you get a feel for this.

[NaSaKeX]

At first I thought, huh that seems like a good way to go, this guy is a pretty good guy.

Then I looked at your username...

[LinkBulletBill]

I just improvise for the solo, let what I feel come out... And it's easy the scale, basically, but not all the time, it changes 2 times the scale, but the basically the normal improv scale for this song is F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, and Eb... These are basically the main notes to improv...

[kieta9]

listen

to the music rather than learning this solo

[LuXguitaR]

what scale?

[danalves]

C minor

[kpoehlke]

as well as Db major for a section

[nepnyy12321]

c minor and Db major are the same thing

[kpoehlke]

they are not the same thing. They may share some notes but they do not sound the same at all.

[joefc87]

@nepnyy12321 i thought it was eb major and c minor that are the same. 3 half steps down is the relative minor to each major key. but then again im not strong in theory, im pretty sure though

[joefc87]

@nepnyy12321 i thought it was eb major and c minor. 3 half steps down from the major root note is its relative minor

[zivmeiri]

C minor and D sharp major... (which is also Eb)

[Taste4Life]

Hi Matt!

Thanks for all your great videos and lessons! You inspired me to have a go at jazz soloing. I havent played guitar for very long (2 years) so I liked the concept of an increasingly difficult solo over a simple jazz standard. I got through the whole exersice so I decided to post a video response. Please comment if you have time, any suggestion is valuable.

[mudywaters1]

your playing nice but man loosen up! Too stiff. Jazz is exploring you are too redimented

[VinnyM87]

Demais!!!

Beautiful!!!

[stonepolismusic]

Damn...the lick at 1:51 over the ii/v ABSOLUTELY KILLS! Learn it...live it...love it!

[sk8er4Jah]

Matt Otten knows what he is doing.

(this isn't a response from what anyone else has written.

[sk8er4Jah]

I think you should add that the true players that hear it get there in two ways - they either are born with it or they get there with lots and lots of hard work. Mozart was a born prodigy, born genius. Beethoven wasn't. He wasn't born a prodigy and he wasn't born a genius. But he became a genius and became one of the greatest composers of all time due to lots of hard work and perseverance.

That being said, one either is born a "true player" or becomes a "true player."

[duketronix]

They all become "true players" Mozart's dad was the top violin instructor in Europe at the time and wrote the text people still use to this day on how to play. He was supposedly extremely regimented with his students and forced both his kids to practice ridiculous amounts. Mozart's sister was also a child prodigy, under the same regime.

Mozart was not "born a true player" he just got a lot of his shaping form a master at a very impressionable age.

[nowayjayjay]

This guy is not playing over the changes or hearing the changes. He is just putting his fingers down. Jazz is all about the ear and telling a story not just playing scales. Check out some Joe Pass. Watch his videos.

If you want to learn how to play be able to "Play what you sing." You won't sing bullshit but you will play bullshit with just scales. Scales are a method of opening up your ears to different tensions. Listen to the real players.

[sk8er4Jah]

I believe your wrong. The guy is hitting the changes. If you go to his website and look at the music notation you'll see that he's always hitting the chord tones (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and sometimes the 11 and 13). So he is hitting the changes.

You did make a good point about how it's all about hitting the changes and making your solo tell a story. Although sometimes you purposefully want to miss some of the changes, usually when things go real dynamic. Joe Pass does it.

[sk8er4Jah]

I think Matt Otten is a great resource for inspiring jazz guitarists. He may not be Joe Pass, but he still is a good resource and a good player. One should still study the greats, but when you're dying to learn and get better, you want all the help you can get, and this helps. Thanks Matt Otten for the resource and for showing some smooth jazz influence to the standards. Smooth jazz is great and traditional jazz is great, they are just different.

[nowayjayjay]

One can argue any tone is relative to any chord or progression. In fact if you want to dig deep we can. Technically there are only two keys not twelve and everything moves in two five one. Since everything is relative it is any two notes half step apart or a semi tones or an enharmonic take your pick played as a whole tone. I am only one degree of separation from Joe Pass. The musician I study with very Monday night for the past 20 years was great friends with Joe Pass and one of his students

[nowayjayjay]

With that said I have been exposed to a lot of Joe Pass methods and theories. You never want to miss a change in fact you always want to know where you are in a song. There are many mechanical approaches to playing inside and outside. The true players hear it. The key is to create tension and resolution. If you listen and really listen to this guy he is putting his fingers down.

[sk8er4Jah]

I think it's great you study with someone who new Joe Pass and you've been playing for 20 years. Great job. I'm sure you've achieved a great level of playing jazz guitar. Since your one degree from Joe Pass does that mean you can improvise stuff that Pass would?

[nowayjayjay]

I am lucky to have met my mentor. I don't play like Joe Pass and chances are I won't because I am not Joe Pass. What I can do is take his advice which is sing my solos and create my own voice on the spot instead of working things out or putting my fingers down. You are right some people got it some don't and have to work for it. Which brings me to my point. Learn to sing and use your ear as a tool to stop just putting your fingers down and playing BS.

[sk8er4Jah]

Thanks. You're obviously learning from the best (Joe Pass, or definitely one of the best of all time). I have a Joe Pass jazz improvisation book and I can see how he would start with a tension like a 9th, then resolve on a 3rd or 5th, and vise versa. So I understand resolving and tensions, but I don't understand how this guy is just putting his fingers down. Is he playing to scalular and less melodic? It seems he's doing tensions and resolving. Isn't dynamic not supposed to be melodic?

[nowayjayjay]

Thanks, that is very kind of you. Most people can't have a conversation about these types of things.Think about it this way. How do you have a conversation?It has meaning and cadence and depth.Playing is the same way. This guy is better than most out there but to me he is clearly more technical because of the note selection and seems to play in calculated scale patterns.Try this yourself. Take a chord and vamp on it. play a line. Then sing a line and play the one you sing. See the diff?

[sk8er4Jah]

And can you please explain the whole thing about there technically is only two keys and not twelve and how everything is relative and revolves around the 2-5-1?

What makes this guy just putting his fingers down? I'm not arguing with you or challenging you, I'm just curious and want to know. You obviously are at a way higher level than I am. I've been doing jazz guitar for 2 years and you've been doing jazz guitar for like 20 years.

[nowayjayjay]

Whole tones are every other note. That covers 6 notes in one key if you consider one whole tone scale a key. Move a half step either way and play another whole tone scale and you cover the rest of the 6 notes = 12 keys in two half steps. Don't get wrapped up in it to much. It is just a very out there concept since everything is relative. If you take every chord in the progression and break it down it all comes back to a 2-5-1 progression.

[Skargos]

I'm a heavy metal fan but hey....this is relaxing....:)

[robibm2003]

Join the club, dude.

I grew up playing almost exclusively what is now called classic rock and blues, but I always wished I had the time to study jazz, classical and country, too. Jazz players have such a clean, round tone. It is just so elegant. Listen to stuff by The Great Guitars, Grant Green, Joe Pass or Emily Remler for more stuff in this vein. Green is one of the great guitar monsters of all time and yet never received the recognition he deserved.

[gennnnnnnnnn]

what's the name of this tune?

[DEFkon001]

Blue Bossa. by Kenny Dorham. It's a Jazz standard. If your into this sort of stuff you might want to consider picking up a fake book, or a real book. If your a beginner I'd highly suggest "The new real book" as gives you sample chords diagrams and suggested scales to play etc.

[DEFkon001]

Correction - It's "The Real Easy Book" that has the sample chords and scales.

[gethingriffiths]

ok please don't think i'm stupid but how do you get that sound?? it's lovely

[DEFkon001]

For me the best jazz types of tones come from semi hollow body guitars.. but in general you can try switching to your neck pickup and backing off your tone and volume controls. Clean channel on your amp obviously, i usually opt for a tiny bit of reverb, and the rest is just fooling around with your EQ till your happy.

[gethingriffiths]

ok thanks

[anakid123]

that's real nice

[guitarD92]

Wrong key my friend... but still nice

[kraz1kil1a]

there is no such thing as a wrong key

;)

[be4user]

is trasposing songs something new to you?

[pyrofiliac]

umm... C is the right key

awesome playing mate

[KGB1222]

yeah he messed up the hydraulic 9th chords in it too..

[petzaman1]

lol WTF is a "hydraulic" 9th?

[KGB1222]

I was being sarcastic.. buddy said he was playing it in the wrong key..

[florit95]

beutifull song

[fanaqueen]

muy lindo y relajante

segui asi

salu2

[betiniliux]

hermoso!!!!!!! me encanta es completamente exquisito el sonido.

[connor550]

niceeeeeee

[Hinata4a]

joli tres simple et tres beau.

[Soucha93]

Muy Bien, mi amigo! Bravo!

[chunkybongo]

At first it seemed like you were a beginner, and then slowly it got more and more awesome - loved it!

[fendercenter]

i love how jazz has like a french feel to it... its like walking down the streets of paris at night...beautiful

[SteezfulE]

Ahh.. yes!

[blackdog435]

He's playing bits and peices of the melody from 'Fly me to the Moon'. Which is cool, but c'mon, I can't be the only one to hear it.

[duketronix]

that's because Fly me to the moon is almost totally based on stepwise motion through a major scale (the melody I mean). This guy is using descending patterns that are similar and timing as well so yes you're right, but it's hard not to quote a major scale a LITTLE bit once in a while.

Whenever I heard ii-v-1s at first I always wanted to sing the Mash theme song... Similar situation to what youre talking about.. kinda....

[2doorsdown]

@fendercenter Gary Moore Parisienne Walkways

[curiniul]

@fendercenter I would have said Brazil

[whitevipe309]

@fendercenter not all jazz is like that. but this is.

[puddleduck8051]

@fendercenter There are multiple sub-genres of jazz. This is just one of many, but this arrangement of Blue Bossa certainly does give me that mental image too.

[rhokz02]

hahah

i love the sounds ..

it's like it's

going 2make me

cry ..

[xis333]

very nice tone!

[XiaoNoodles]

it sounds like two guitars are playing !

[Yunty131]

Because there are two guitars playing. The background guitar was recorded first, then he played the lead part after.

[malauw]

DOH?

he is playing solo over the melody

[XiaoNoodles]

ooh. its awesome.

[RLadurner]

I love the way you play, the sound is perfect!

[mdluffy113]

excellent keep up the good work plz

[eeiiiikamouse]

echt super mooi=)

[HendrikBass]

Matt jonge...

Je speelt erg mooi gitaar.

[tomsam89]

Really Nice. Use Your Talents For GOD Alone!

[moltenslag]

Yes thanks for the pious heads up but most prefer to use their talents for truthful purposes

[steelguitar7]

Hi..muito bom, ótimo guitarrista voce, parabéns. (congratulations) Marcelo..Brasil

[billychung1967]

WoW ! Cool sounds. It' amazing.

[RonenHalsadi]

Thanks for sending solo over standards with TABS!

Thanks!!!

[VideoGuitarLessons]

great lesson thanks

[guitaress1]

Thanks! I just heard this and it's great. I really appreciate the lesson and your tone is so lovely--inspiring!

[slowmoejazz]

nice man always smooth.

[localpm]

Thanks Matt, so good I just bought your download course!

Regards Paul.

[MiticoBule]

Very good swing and style...

[tecaster]

you is nom swing it is latin

[unoclam]

nice, really smooth sound and playing

[daryl152]

nice i love ur music!! the song is so beautiful