Sometime in my early 20s, I started playing my girlfriend's acoustic guitar. She and my roommates asked me to take lessons or to quit, altogether. I opted to start taking lessons, and I ended up studying with a jazz guitarist who was moonlighting at a local music store in Buffalo, New York. Although I didn't know much about about jazz at that time, I was nonetheless intrigued by the chords that he played and the lines that he was able to weave.
To be honest, he was so adept that melody and harmony seemed to blend and merge. I'd never seen a guitarist who could play bass, melody, and harmony at the same time. The floodgates opened, as it were, and I decided that I want to try to learn how to play jazz guitar. I have been playing for over a decade now, and I am still attempting to learn to play this elusive music.
Over the last decade, I've saddled myself with student debt by take college courses in music theory; I've sat in at local jazz jams; I've played a few gigs; I've worked in an ensemble with young players who will one day work as professional musicians. I've accomplished all of this while holding down various full time jobs. I am currently working as a project manager, which means that I have limited time and energy to devote to jazz. Regardless, I still play, most days, and I am still enjoying the journey.
I hope that this blog enables me to organize my thoughts regarding the process of learning to play jazz guitar. A teacher once told me that jazz is a harsh mistress. It certainly is. There are times when I want to smash my guitar and be done with it, but I always come back to it, no matter how much jazz frustrates me.
No comments:
Post a Comment