James Chirillo on Set Up and Comping Technique for Classic Jazz Guitar

[@Andrea_Manconi]

I have a feeling that mr.Chirillo short videos gave me the best advices ever had in thousand of tutorials I've seen in years...

[@Trombonology]

This is just fantastic -- all anyone with aspirations to play big band rhythm guitar needs to hear/see. Mr. Chirillo's constant mention of the guitar's "thuck" stresses how in big band the instrument is often more of a felt presence than heard. Benny Goodman's Allan Reuss is -- even more so, to my mind, than Freddie Green -- a perfect example of this principle. Thanks -- just a great demonstration.

[@greenrover1]

I don't know about anybody else but I am definitely hearing the "Thuk"

[@hull_k0gan641]

@4:51

[@EssentiallyEllington]

Thanks Austin! Glad you like it - there are several other James Chirillo videos that we've just posted

[@Jodyrides]

I have been playing since 1964. I watched this video, it went right over my head

[@charliemcleod764]

Hello James, This video is worth its weight in gold. Thank you. Best wishes from Scotland.

[@Uuur10]

This series is fantastic. What a wonderful guitar player. Right hand technique is a such crucial aspect of this style that seems to be taken for granted and is hardly explained anywhere, and I thought it would have been nice if Mr. Chirillo devoted a few minutes to that, but the slow section at 7.50 is really helpful - immensely so in fact.

[@BryanDenham]

wow this is the first time i have ever heard from a good Jazz player talk about playing guitar. it sounds so very different from the way i learned to play , everything about the way he plays is different than the way i do it , i guess thats why i dont have any band mates calling me up to jam ....awwwww

[@beanabus77]

Thanks for posting this. This is first instructional video I've seen with correct big band rhythm guitar...

[@cgptony11]

Saturday night the 24th of march (2013) I chanced upon this page (James Chirillo setup and comping). I viewed many of the videos featuring Mr. Chirillo and was great;y impressed. Well the next afternoon I was scheduled to take a jazz guitar lesson from Richard Bratone here in TX. And the first thing I told Mr. Bratone was about James Chirillo, well low and behold he said I know James Chirillo, I went to school with him in the One O'clock NTU jazz band. Small world!

[@Wanderer123]

Amazing! Must be one of the best introductions to classic comping... Thanks for uploading this!

[@Impractical_Engineer]

I like the explanation on how it's one piece of a larger picture.

[@cgptony11]

Oh man, give me more!!!!! That was fantastic!!!!

[@AustinCasey]

Wow! Thanks for sharing this! Mr. Chirillo is the man! -Austin

[@MidnightOil08]

Great demostration

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I use Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing Extra Lights which have a lower tension. They make the Guitar louder by allowing the top to vibrate more freely.

[@MartyLiquori]

Thanks James terrific stuff.

[@epf1961]

I was just scatting to your "1-note rhythm changes"! Nice! I'm a sax player/vocalist who dabbles in jazz guitar, and your series had been very helpful..

[@titobattaglia7932]

"Guitar master" is a fitting description!

[@MuzoSTEIN]

Good and interesting lesson from a seasoned player.

[@AustinCasey]

Okay cool Ill check em out now. Many thanks! -Austin

[@MartinRaetzJr]

Great lesson. Thank you!

[@VitalBigras]

This is great !

[@razterizer]

Great stuff!!

[@imothy]

do you want 1/4 inch from the 12th fret, or from the fingerboard? The fret itself may be 2mm tall.

[@paulsierak6491]

Very nice and through. Just the right amount of words?

[@rjlchristie]

This showed that the instrument projects sound forward far better if NOT held the way he recommends.

[@flamencostu]

what the "THUCK"? ya get me?

[@gooshnpupp]

Why would the action be higher? To let the strings more room to vibrate?

[@sega62s]

this is crazy too high, no one has that king of height 1/4 inch? gee If he strums on the strings like a Apel no wonder he wants it high so it doesn’t buzz, but generally the lower the faster you can lead or chord change

[@grantgre]

I know that guitar but I can't think of the name of it it's by Luther out in the West Coast somewhere I think I think Raney played one of those?

[@xy9394]

I wonder if holding the guitar as advised could have an effect on a gypsy jazz players sound.

[@gharrison04]

I would very much like to know what kind of guitar Mr. Chirillo is using. Any help would be much appreciated.

[@coreybartos125]

i'm also interested in this. I would also like to know, assuming that his guitar is prohibitively expensive for my budget, what would be the best option for an entry level guitar for someone interested in this particular style of acoustic, archtop, big band, rhythm guitar?

[@foobargorch]

Corey Bartos unfortunately due to the construction of archtops (the arch is carved out of a slab of wood) they are much more expensive (more material, more labour)... this is further complicated by the fact that there's nothing to really cut costs on, since these guitars contain fewer parts you can compromise on... the entry level guitars pretty start at couple thousand dollars and keep going up as far as the imagination will go =(

[@epf1961]

foobargorch Not true: Gretsch (ex: G9550, G100CE), Godin (ex: 5th Avenue), Washburn (ex: HB15C), Loar (ex: LH300, LH309, LH350), Dean (ex: Palomino), Ibanez (ex: Artcore AF series) and others all offer archtop jazz guitars (both acoustic and acoustic-electric) for WELL under $1,000. If you scour eBay you can find great deals on older guitars that are very well made, for as low as $400-500. For example, if you look hard, you can find an old American-made Kay from the 1950's or '60s for a great deal. As with anything else, if you use your brain you can save money and still end up with a quality product. The key is (in my opinion) to not get caught up in brand-name snobbery: "If it's not a Gibson, Guild, D'Angelico, or some esoteric boutique brand by a limited production luthier, then it can't be any good." Some fabulous imported guitars were/are made at the Peerless factory in Korea, and many guitarists find they perform as well as their American-made counterparts. Especially for a beginning or casual guitarist, it's silly to spend thousands. If you're a gigging pro with lots of income from your craft, that's a different story-- But even plenty of seasoned pro's (to whom money is no object) play import/mass produced guitars simply because they like them, and they can use the money they save to buy other cool gear!

[@foobargorch]

hmm i thought those were hollow body not carved arch top, I guess I was overgeneralizing update: i'd like to clarify that my original comment was in only reference to carved archtops. I thought the OP was asking only about those, but I think I was wrong, and much more importantly, there are great sounding laminated archtops or flat hollowbodies out there. However, gotta nitpick, not all of those models you mentioned are "true" archtop (ibanez are laminated, some are flat front, but e.g. the Loar ones explicitly say "hand carved archtop"...), so if someone who reads this cares one way or the other, make sure you read the fine print, and even that is secondary compared to how it sounds/plays =)

[@epf1961]

foobargorch I agree with everything you say, ESPECIALLY that the bottom line is how a particular guitar plays. So actually, I should add my own caveat: Beware of buying a guitar without first trying it out, such as on eBay or Amazon. Perhaps the best approach would be to visit several "brick-and-mortar" music stores, "test drive" a whole range of guitars, and decide on a specific brand/model that you like the best. (Hopefully the kid sitting next to you trying out the Strat isn't making too much noise!)....THEN look on eBay for that exact model and see if you can get a better deal than in the stores! (Most "real" stores can't compete with eBay sellers pricewise, and plus you save the sales tax!) In any case, once you buy, you should have it set up by a pro (or do it yourself if you're handy... I did that: There's lots of setup tutorials out there that make it easy).

[@arttheboy]

it whats out at ya??????????

[@2760ade]

Now I know how to get a better 'thuck' out of my instrument. Thanks James!

[@ghairraigh]

You can really tell how loud the guitar is. The guy doing the video had to turn the volume down when James started playing, so much that it is hard to hear his speaking voice afterwards.

[@anthonyflanders1347]

Flat wound or round wound

[@Uuur10]

And a true New Yorker to boot.

[@jaredward8935]

Thuck

[@paulsierak6491]

Thorough rather than through, sorry.

[@Oghiesan]

bored.. you talk too much..

[@mismos00]

Ogi Ichsan Is he supposed to play to explain how to set up a guitar?

[@asolarasolarasolar]

Fuck off.

[@svenhartmann268]

taz field yayaya

[@RyanSmithization]

This blokes hair is comically fake, is he a comedian?