My Favorite Things - chord solo

[0live0wire0]

nice stuff and a great blog too i like your view on music

[NAtePoo]

that "custom l-5" is starting me in the face..mocking me..... UGH!

[arniemax1]

hello, and thank you... very nice work...how does one learn the 'formulae' for inserting chords to add color and enrich the tune. this style to me.... that is the most rewarding style of playing...and allows the listener to enjoy both the melody and the chords TOGETHER. ANY SITES, BOOKS , ETC. WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED...THANKS ARNIE YOU HAVE INSPIRED ANOTHER PLAYER ...

[ZamarGeetar]

@arniemax1 Hey Arnie, its kind of like learning to cook. You use a lot of other folk's recipes and then start experimenting with your own. Everyone is different, but the road I took to get to where I could arrange a chord solo looked like this.  I learned a lot of other players chord solos, and I studied theory and how it lays on the fretboard (how to voice chords, scales, etc.). Check out my web site for resources, and Google "Guitar chord solo books". Thanks!

[ZamarGeetar]

@arniemax1 ALSO, take a look at my blog, GUITAR PLANET (the link can be found in the description of this video or on my YouTube channel page. I've written out a lot of thoughts there regarding guitar playing.

[Caveira138]

I have a chance to get the Roland jc 55 for $180, shoudl I do it?

[ArgentinaGuitar]

@Caveira138 I love that little amp - I gig with mine all the time.

[ZamarGeetar]

@Caveira138 That's a fair price. If you play it with an archtop, try setting the EQ like this to start: Bass = 0, Mids = 10, Treble = 0, and then tweak to your taste.

[Caveira138]

@ZamarGeetar deal is long gone but I do have a nice semi_hollow italia so if I see something similar I might bite

[fillieyo]

damn.... i dont have a good enough look at what hes playing.. now i cant learn it haha Great job though!!! :)

[inky960]

I'd kill one of my close relatives for that guitar.

[jesusfreakster101]

That was a thing of beauty! I'm just delving into the wonderful world of chordal solos, and this example will stay with me in my journey!

God Bless you

[Guitfiddlejase]

Your playing is wonderful.

[protocosm]

Very nice. I recorded a chord melody arrangement of this beautiful song too. Nylon string

[lollipophugo]

Dude I was very impressed with this. Your tone is very nice and your chord changes were smooth, elegant and very very fast. Props. People like you are the reason I started studying diatonic jazz voicings :(

[khalidsalaam]

beautifully played- I would like to have this in my catalogue of songs to play. I love it!!

[mysund]

very nice, but ouch!! that Am9 with indexfinger on second fret d-string, and pinky on 7'th fret e-string. I can do that, but my otherfingers are useless then. :)

Are you very tall? (and hence have longer fingers)

[ZamarGeetar]

@mysund Hey, I'm 6'1" with normal sized hands/fingers. To make that stretch I have to place my thumb very near the 1st string @ the 4th fret. Its almost like my thumb is extended straight up towards the ceiling and the neck of the guitar is resting on it at the 4th fret very close to that E string.

[MrJackanthony]

@ZamarGeetar Didn't like the pre-ending but otherwise an excellent solo. How many times did you practice ;P

[woodie62]

I just wanted to know, are you using a set finger picking style when playing this tune or a combo thereof? I stumble like crazy with finger picking so I tend to avoid it, which I hate to admit. But I won't give it up altogether of course. Just wanted to know....

[ZamarGeetar]

@woodie62 In all honesty I've been playing so long I have no idea what my right hand is doing on this tune - it just does it. I tend to use all four fingers & thumb on my picking hand.

[Omgshoes017]

@woodie62 the best way to get good at fingerpicking is to lose all your picks or put them somewhere you won't want to go get them so you will have lots of time to practice... try things like strumming down strokes with the side of your nails for a pick like strum sound, playing single note lines on different strings with your fingers,thumb etc and of course KEEP DOING IT!!

[cmartinjr2]

Thumbs up if you think this is simply amazing like I do...

[arpinz]

Really awesome voicings, the same goes for the guitar tone

[kraenkraen]

very nice sound! amazing!

[woodie62]

I have to say that when you play, I really think of Joe Pass. But your style still seems different from his and yet it still reminds me of him, especially this tune, one of my favorites ironically!!

[ericream2000]

it's so nice work.i like it.

[chrisfostermusic]

nice job

[Domingojazz]

Nice voicings, nice sound...

[robcachia]

This sounds absolutely beautiful. Can I ask you what strings are you using and gauge they sound like flat wounds?

[ZamarGeetar]

@robcachia Good ear!  On this video I'm using Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Swing Series Flat Wound medium gauge strings.

[Scarbacca07]

@ZamarGeetar I love Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Swings! Once I switched to those, nothing else sounded playable anymore.

[Tototwice]

Wow Man! I really love your playin.....GREAT STUFF>>> a pleasure to listen to. Thanx for posting.....SOMEONE I aspire to playin like............did I say I liked it lol..KEEPON STRUMMIN........DALLAS

[hardingronald]

This piece makes you want to play guitar.  I downloaded the music, but the fingering seems impossible. Is the song played as written? Thank you

[ZamarGeetar]

Yes, I play it as its written in the tab. Feel free to e-mail me and we can talk through the parts that seem difficult - I may be able to help you out with how to get through those passages.

[daddyfunk13]

very joe pass-esque

[thejazzman8]

you should ditch the new guitar and get a early 50's gibson.

[boyofdestiny1123]

Why did "@thejazzman8" get thumbs-downed? It was just a comment.

Great video, inspired me to to up Jazz guitar. I play classical, but this looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for posting!

[ibanezxiphos700]

@boyofdestiny1123

because its a wes montgomery custom shop...

[boyofdestiny1123]

Oh, god, I'm sorry! I thought he was saying that HE should ditch HIS own guitar!

Sorry about that, I too think that he deserves a thumbs down.

P.S. I just subscribed!

[TheDarksider2000]

@thejazzman8 Ditch the guitar? The wes mongomery custom is a legend, you have to be braindead to ditch it!

[thejazzman8]

no the L-5 is a legend...Specifically the 16'' L-5's built during the Loar era...your holding a $10,000 piece of new modern shit....anything Gibson did after 1966 is crap....you wasted a bunch of money on something that will never really be worth anything.

[fickfroeschle]

Thanks man, that's so beautiful. Unbelievable great tone. I just bought the same amp. Don't have such a nice guitar though;)

[strbt]

can you just tell me how to get that sound ?

using a multieffect here. <- poor

[wordleman]

One of the nicest treatments I've heard - very nice.

[cast390]

Wonderful,so fluid and mellow....Thanks for posting

[gemaf]

BRAVO!

[underwood1232]

AWSOME!

[Hxrryy]

yeah men

[hilikus8]

Very nice, I was asking because I've got the same amp, it sounds very nice and warm, I'll have to try flatwounds

[hilikus8]

are you playing direct to the pc? amp settings please!

[ZamarGeetar]

I plugged straight into an early 80's Roland JC-55 amp. Can't recall the amp settings - just twisted the knobs till it sounded OK. I mic'd the amp with an SM57 which plugged into a small Mackie mixer. The mixer had a Lexicon MPX-1 in the effects loop which added a touch of reverb and delay. I took the signal out of the Mackie and into Pro Tools to make the final audio.

[ZamarGeetar]

AND, I was using Thomastik flat wound strings which really added to the tone.

[IrrepressibleGuile]

@ZamarGeetar im a beginner with a guitar, how long do you think it would take a beginner to play this song the way you play it?

[ZamarGeetar]

Hey, I just saw this - sorry for the delayed response. It may take a beginner quite a while (up to a year) to get this down. However, everyone is different and it depends on how much you practice and HOW you practice.

[ZamarGeetar]

Some hacker took down my web page (MasterGuitarists-dot-com). Until I get it back up, you can go to Lulu-dot-com to get my material. Thanks!

[ZamarGeetar]

My site is back up.

[jefferzone61]

Great arrangement! What I posted below was a response to the 'inexpensive guitar' question - btw, Dave's lesson on 7th Chord Voicings is the real deal - I learned the grips, but never knew that the grips came from running the relevant major scale up the strings - shazam! Thanks!

[TLPnega]

fuck i would kill for that equipment.

[markus180963]

Incredibly sensitive and intelligent playing. Thank you. M

[TimofeyShor]

Great Sound! L-5 its something Great!

[MentalExpansion]

Dave, you never cease to amaze me. This is probably my all time favorite of yours. Ill see you sunday at 6. :P

[mithlord]

ohh dear, i was looking for metal riff and get into this.. iam heart broken and is the most beautiful tone/ chord progression ive heard today

[goshajazz]

i would like to ask you a question what unexpencive archtop would you recomend i\m a jazz guitarist myself but i live in moildova (bet you don't even know where the hell that is) so the only thing we have here are expencive ibanez and shity sx (italian brand) guitars there are not worth buying, thank you a lot ..... love your playing peace!

[ZamarGeetar]

this may sound crazy, but there have been times when I had very cheap instruments - to play. I found that if I shut my eyes and imagined I was getting glorious tone out of them, then I would start to get inspired - start to make MUSIC - and the vibe would be there - on a cheap guitar.

[guitaralbert0]

a cheap ibanez is good; that's what i have for jazz

[JederLacht1]

Get a decently priced jazz-box, a good set of flatwound strings and spend money on a good setup. Your instrument will play and sound better than you'd think.

[jefferzone61]

I have a Samick JZ4 - single pickup, which are harder to find than doubles - go for the antique finish, very solid, articualte guitar - was about $400. delivered - ebay. Samick makes a very solid guitar.

[zombiesarebad67]

incredible

[MerDeNat]

wow, I'm trying to write a chord melody for this myself right now and its not going over so well. Yours is BEAUTIFUL! I hope my comes out half as good as yours.

[bluestravelingking]

Beautiful song. Beautiful arrangement. Awesome tone!

[rabmusic]

That TONE! I love the L-5...

[drj602]

One of the finest tunes ever written .

[carvetop01]

I liked your arrangement so much I thought I would play with it some. I hope you don't mind. I purchased your arrangement from your website.

[ZamarGeetar]

Very nice! Great playing too.

[carvetop01]

You did a great job arranging that tune. I have always maintained that in chord solo playing that open strings are a guitar's secret weapon. You made great use of them.

Thanks for the kind words,

allen

[blownglasslide]

How do you like your L-5? I've always wondered about the new ones. Gorgeous arrangement!

[ZamarGeetar]

I really like mine. It plays so easily, has a tone I love, and most importantly, it has a great jazz vibe that inspires my playing.

Gibsons can be inconsistent in their quality, but this is a great one.

[blownglasslide]

Awesome, thank you. I got to play a 70's one once, and I really loved it.

[ewotmark]

Very nice indeed. I'm learning to play this tune for my kids 'cos they like it. But I'd like to learn to play your version for myself (cos I like it). Some tab on your site would be great. =)

[ZamarGeetar]

Thanks!

The TAB for this arrangement is available. If you look at the upper right on this YouTube page, you'll see a link in the "More Info" section. That link will take you to a site where you can get the TAB.

[dimlocator44]

Nice & reflective version of a timeless classic

[dillybop28]

All i can say is beautiful peice, nice guitar and sound.

[1LHPrincess]

Heart Just melted through my fingers....

[jbtsbmx]

seriously the most beautiful thing I've ever heard...:-s

[1funky1]

awsome :)

[AlwinsJam]

Well Done.

[rakelly94]

even though it wasnt the original, it was still beautiful.

[ezra2662]

Love the voicings you use at 1:00 - great stuff. Your other vids are awesome too. I wish you were my teacher

[ReverendNovember]

What kind of amp, sir?

[ZamarGeetar]

Early 80s Roland JC-55

[YOUYOU47]

May I congratulate you with your respectful way of asking your question. I have been very astonished of the total lack of simple courtesy between the different "Youtubers" Best regards, yours sincerly (lol), YOUYOU47

[misteredwino]

From one jazz guitarist to another, well done friend. Lovely.

[Roukangas]

werry nice tune :)

[exeterallstar]

Its so peacefull nice job

[rbgtr]

Pretty damned good.

[neo19k]

I cant play that good. Im 10 and were taking lessons in class. Best I can do is Captin Leemo and jingle bells :S

[Joviron]

great!

why using A- instead of C in the firs change?

***** for you

[ZamarGeetar]

I like the sound of the Am. With this arrangement it is not difficult to put a CM7 in that spot - just put the index finger on the 3rd fret - A string, fret the D & G strings at the 5th fret, and play the melody notes with the little finger on the 7th frets of the B & E strings. Its a bit of a stretch, but its not too bad.

[ZamarGeetar]

BTW, thank you!

[DoomsdayMB]

I love your GUitar so much! And normaly i play Death-Metal-ESP-7-String guitar... buts she is so nice :)

[DangerousBastard]

Really sweet, you're awesome! I love Coltrane's version too :-)

[gretscher]

Great tone and playing. Do you use flatwound or roundwound strings?

[ZamarGeetar]

Thanks you.

I'm using Thomastik-Infield flat wounds.

[gretscher]

Flatwounds are great aren't they? I have Pyramid Golds on my Fender Jazzmaster and Gretsch Country Club (Dynasonic model altho on my FilterTron model I have rounds). I like Thomastiks also they are great strings but bought some Pyramids and was even more impressed but some people don't like them. D'Addario Chromes I don't care for tho.

[JamaisMEC]

Gretscher, I am in agreement with you 1000% about the sound of flatwounds over D'Addario Chromes! I thought it was just my guitar setup, but since I have two jazz boxes I've altered between flatwounds and the chromes and other roundwounds, I'm only left to conclude that if one desires that classically "gritty" jazz sound, flatwounds are the surest way of reproducing them. I'm playing Ibanez and Fenders mostly and the difference is clearly noticeable. I have a suggestion for you: S-I-T brand.

[ReverendNovember]

sit is the truth

[van3kar]

NOTHING sounds like an L-5 ... what a tone. And some good playing doesnt hurt either :)

Thanks !

[Alejandro4891]

wow this is really good. thanks for the inspiration.

[jcbak]

It doesn't get much better than that....Thanks for the inspiration.

[markus180963]

SUPERB!

[Earthwormvid]

Very, very nice. Mmmmm.

What was the amp, if I may ask?

[ZamarGeetar]

The amp was a Roland JC-55 from the 1980s.  Very small and light, but a tone monster.

[themax316]

beautiful..wish i could play like that. Feel like i'm lying in a green field with my eyes closed listening to the grass grow before i smoke it. thank you.

[illudrial]

What is the neck pickup its is not a 57 humbucker paf?

[illudrial]

What is the difference between a switchmaster and an L-5 (besides the extra pickup)?

[godles45]

Beauty version and sound. Very nice harmony.

[Chordwayze]

Oh yes... Very nice. I really must get my L5 a couple of new frets! Thanks for this. I like your inversions, and I think I'll look at this song again. John

[636lover]

Aww I want to learn to play this now

[BenvB1]

Very nice!!!

[MauricioGuitar]

Parabens Muito bom !!!!!

[noglories]

helal olsun kardeşim.

great performance!!!

[robbiesoho]

sounds beautiful

[Patsik]

Man what a guitar and what a sound!

Great playing!