[600lbsofSin]

Whats Happenin' Folks?

Names Tommy Wormwood. Im near Los Angeles. I just got addicted to Jerry solos this year (I dont know what took so long). Been usin' the Rukind site for last six months along with some other sources and I am happy to say, it has been a most enjoyable musical journey. I have a pretty wide range of tastes from bands like Broken Social Scene to Phish, but I have yet to encounter anything like tackling Garcia. It has really made me a way better player in a short time.

So, Im lookin forward to takin it much further and meetin all you heads out there.

JG

[strumminsix]

Yo, welcome aboard!

[vwjodyme]

Hey Welcome!
I'm in the same boat. Tackling a jerry solo takes me forever, but now when i go back to another artist's solo i am like "that's it"

[tcsned]

Welcome aboard! This site is a great resource

[hippieguy1954]

Enjoy your journey!

[600lbsofSin]

Thank you all

Every day is an adventure. The RC-20 loop station has been key for practicing.

I've been working on improvising around Peggy-O, Jack-A-Roe and Promised Land with the loop station, to name a few.

As for songs, I can play a bunch of tunes acoustic from memory, and that is always fun, but now I really want to develop my lead skills. I have been learning my scales, and I'm starting to get a grip on modulating as well as chromaticism and chord voicing.

Any tips, comments, thoughts would be much appreciated?

[GeneralGoldilocks]

Hey now,

I, too, use the boss rc-20 loop station to practice jerry solos, very handy tool. look up jdarks website. He has a lot of the solos tabbed out. some of them aren't perfect, but pretty close. he also has some vids on youtube with good instruction. he has a pretty good grasp on jerry and his tabs are extensive. i like his "ragged but right" vid on you tube and tabs. it really explores jerry's use of the diminished scale to get those cowboy jazz licks that are so unique. half django, half merl haggards tele player. jerry uses the same scales in deal. basically, when you go to the 4, a diminished scale is substituted, and creates a killer lick that no pentatonic rock guitar player who is just wanking out one five note scale over a whole solo is going to get. jerry's was more of a country jazz approach. you change scales at every chord change in the progression. hope this helps. I also saw an exercise in a bass instruction book where you practice each scale going up by thirds, and then descending. it has also helped with the jerry style for me.

[600lbsofSin]

Thanks Goldilocks!

Yes, I have been using JDarks for awhile. Great Stuff.

Im working on my diatonic 3rds now and also gonna give that diminished scale over a IV a whirl. I totally appreciate you taking time to pass this knowledge down.

[Cmnaround]

Hey now... i like his "ragged but right" vid on you tube and tabs. it really explores jerry's use of the diminished scale to get those cowboy jazz licks that are so unique. half django, half merl haggards tele player. jerry uses the same scales in deal. basically, when you go to the 4, a diminished scale is substituted, and creates a killer lick that no pentatonic rock guitar player who is just wanking out one five note scale over a whole solo is going to get. jerry's was more of a country jazz approach. you change scales at every chord change in the progression...

This totally caught my attention - so I get the part about playing notes from a specific scale over each chord as the chords change, when you mention substituting a diminished scale over the 4, is that just that in a I IV V progression, during the IV you would play notes from a corresponding diminished scale - like in C F G I would play notes from the C maj scale while over the C, the F diminished scale while over F and the G maj scale while over G? Or play a C maj scale during the whole song and use C diminished while over the 4th chord in the progression?

Finally started learning real basic gypsy swing and it opened up my eyes to just playing notes from the scale of the chord you are over vs playing one scale throughout the whole song based on the key - at least I think it works because it sounds right with all the minor scales - maybe that's the point that chords that work together all share the same scale, well der, but for getting at that country/jazz fusion mentioned above, this kinda works.

[Dwarf Rat]

I am fascinated with the ascension of Jerry to the same heights as Coltrane, Bird, and Django.

I used to think it was counterproductive to play Jerry's lines, but I just now got it. Seriously. In this moment, it all makes sense.

[WilliamC]

I used to think it was counterproductive to play Jerry's lines, but I just now got it. Seriously. In this moment, it all makes sense.

Yep. In the Django/Gypsy Jazz tradition it's expected & normal to learn hundreds of Django's solos note for note. Sometimes you'll even catch one of the "elder statesmen" rip right through Django's solo and then play Grappelli's as a little "in joke".