Ted Greene Walking The Bass “On Green Dolphin Street”. 11/01/99

[@daisymoses6812]

This is one hilarious human being. .....cracks me up !!! Whoever originally recorded it, thank you. And whoever decided to share on youtube, this is a treasure. THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@jamez6154]

Ah I remember that apartment! What a unique individual. I've never seen a man with so many books. I believe he read everyone! If there was one thing that Ted taught me it was even though I could play I truly didn't know SH*T ! I honestly appreciated that more than anything. He was so patient ! His knowledge of the instrument and dedication to it is rarely seen! R.I.P Ted !

[@ThomasZachary]

I took some lessons with him a long time ago... he used to have the tv playing all the time on mute... he was always recording something on his VCR. What a character. At one time he had two apartments right next to each other... one for living and the other one for giving lessons and a place for all his books and stuff.

[@Zululu-fw1ge]

@@ThomasZacharyWas he making a good living with his teaching that he could afford two apartments right next door?

[@AltoBurlapCirrus]

Man, he was so fluid. I wonder really, if his fluidity came from his wealth of knowledge, or the fire within. But probably a genuine, perfect combination of both. Man...

[@HonkyMonky]

Its about dedication. The guy has dedicated his all life and time to the instrument. No secret or short cut. If you manage to do that, and you are lucky enough to be talented, you will eventually become a genius like Ted...

[@fnord23]

I was just a kid in my young teens when I got to chill out a few times with Ted and guitars in his apt right thr across from the park, great memories and the things he taught me have always stayed with me. I remember him being soo cool when the phone rang when we were in session he explained he has to take the call but would let me sit in and listen to what he was teaching over the phone and then extended our time. He was a real good guy.

[@RoxxHunter]

That's so cool. My guitar teacher Robbie MacKay was taking lessons from him (at the same time as Lenny Breaux). He was showing me his home work, so cool. How cool your lessons must have been? Thank you for sharing...

[@fnord23]

@@RoxxHunter haha I initally went in asking him to teach me about "modes" and it was like being in the dojo with morpheus , basically asking me if this is air I think im breathing lolol fr tho, Ted taught me to think about notes and use musical physical attribute building (scales, arps,chord shape etc) as a means to gain levels of self expression, just being musical and playing freely.. Ted was a best music teacher ever.

[@RoxxHunter]

@@fnord23 That's so cool to hear. My guitar teacher speaks highly of him also. I am still attempting to get through Chord Chemistry hahaha

[@fnord23]

@@RoxxHunter thats great! chordchem is really just a copy of him writing out literally every inversion imaginable hahah , it is amazing what you retain when you write it down, helps you look at how the octaves interlock considering that theres really only a Maj chord , a minor chord a diminished chord and #augmented chord , all the extensions are just color.. like try it out , take cmaj, write out all the inversions of cmaj in 1st position and chart out the fretboard from there, then go cmaj7, then cmin, cdim,caug , by then end of it all youll literally make your own chord chem book , happy playin Roxx!

[@RoxxHunter]

@@fnord23 Very cool...and yeah I got the idea of what he was doing when I started at the beginning of that book. At the time I realized I just needed to go back and work on my theory a bit so I knew what made up my chords...I have Modern Chord Progressions too. I really wanna work on that one, as I like his substitution ideas. Plus had a few books by Don Mock, like artful arpeggios etc...So cool you are still playing. Cheers from the Yukon :)

[@sitarnut]

Ted could have headed up a Comedy Club for Guitarists.. there are already tons of hilarious tales, like the time Jim Hall followed Wes Montgomery around one afternoon, trying to shut Wes' Thumb in a Taxi door. Ted is so naturally funny and pulls from his rich memory of the styles, and all... a superior Man.

[@Cozzmos]

How does someone dislike any Ted Greene video? These are rare gems... Thank you for sharing.

[@nickstasinos]

Ignore the KZbin trolls! The thumbs down happened a minute after posting it this morning, but the video is 27 mins. long! There is no way they watched it and gave us an honest evaluation.

[@tonyjasilbrazz362]

It probably makes them feel miserable about their own playing...

[@dcreade4793]

I could never downvote this clip, but I get why someone might- technical issues, especially the sound quality. It's frustrating to watch and hear something this enjoyable with dim lighting, no close focus on the string fingerings, and faint, noisy bootleg sound quality. I'm grateful to have it to hear, and I'm glad these clips exist. I realize that a pro-shot high quality archival audio recording was not even on the radar screen, it was obviously just recorded as just a learning aid. But it's hard for me to believe that the sound quality can't be improved by running it through some sound processing technology. And it is tougher to learn from a clip like this one when the pitch isn't standard, and there isn't a way to adjust it to match my own guitar (as opposed to doing the converse, which is a time-consuming task.) However, as for the content, it's awesome. With all due respect to all the other guitar teachers whose clips I've audited, Ted's the only guitar teacher I've found who makes a lesson as entertaining as attending a gig. Just by being himself, offhandedly hooking up the harmonic possibilities of six well-tuned strings. Like, the literal definition of "offhanded." That casual. Of course I spend much more time on the lessons of other guitar teachers, because I'm still trying to get the basics down. Most of Ted's high-level theory stuff is still getting past me. But the tiny fractions I'm able to absorb are inspiring. And as I said, I don't have to know what he's talking about to be as amazed by what's happening as if I'm watching a live stage show. I just wish the sound was better!

[@jwolf4204]

@@dcreade4793 yo this was recorded in 99, cut some slack. also it'll do you good to be able to transcribe mostly by ear

[@dcreade4793]

@@jwolf4204 I wasn't one of the people who downvoted the video. I just pointed out that they may have had a reason for doing it based onsound quality instead of content. I get that the person recording it was just doing it as a practice aid.

[@bartlebob]

What a blast seeing Ted ! "we're off to see the wizard" hahaha

[@camerons9229]

It’s wonderful seeing Ted’s joy in teaching, but I also find it wonderful to see the student’s progression from video to video

[@juliushicks4028]

Stumbled across this video…while you guys were having this session, I was celebrating my first birthday. Thank you so much for posting this gem! This is my favorite jazz standard and I’ve never heard or seen it approached this way. Stunning stuff.

[@deboeier7283]

What a genius.. if B is 2 what is 5 ? he had also a lot of patience.. realy like this vid, and how tasteful he played green dolphin street. Wow what a genius he was.

[@MrJimcarlton]

Was thinking about Green Dolphin Street just this morning, a tune in my repertoire, and how odd that Washington used the anomalous word "supplied" in a love song. It works obviously, and doesn't at all sound 'shoe-horned" but it's a strange song in the first place. It has very little, if anything, to do with the film which is set if memory serves in turn-of-the-century San Francisco. I got to know Ted as I interviewed and profiled him for a book I wrote for Mel Bay Publishing and treasure the many audio tapes I have of our conversations. But I wish the subject of GDS would have come up. :-) Btw, sincere thanks to Nick Stasinos for these excellent and fascinating posts.

[@nickstasinos]

Hi Jim, It's great to finally meet you. I've read your awesome interview with Ted and really enjoyed it. You mean there's more? When I was trying to come up with a clever title for "Green Dolphin Street" and did some research on it's background. I love the tune! Who wouldn't? Well, ... maybe the 5 'thumbs-down' dudes above didn't. I didn't even know the lyrics until just recently since I've always heard it as an instrumental. BTW, there's more postings to come! Please subscribe, if you haven't already, and you will be notified as soon as they come out. Next up: Jazz-Blues!

[@MrJimcarlton]

@@nickstasinos Nick, thanks so much for your cordial reply. And it's my pleasure to meet you. I think those five 'thumbs down' people are probably dedicated shredders or just dim bulbs who can't grasp the literature. :-) So glad you posted GDS because the tune is challenging and the changes move around so nicely. Moreover, Ted was so engaging to talk to, as you know. Even if I wasn't home, he'd leave lengthy and detailed messages on my machine that were always brimming with his philosophy. And believe me, I've kept every one. I'm sure you believe as I do that anyone who was lucky enough to enjoy a friendship with Ted was forever changed for the better. IMO, he embodied the very best of highly evolved individuals. Knowing Ted was a gift and his legacy continues certainly because of people like you who understand and appreciate his importance. I've been subscribed for a long time and am among the thousands who are truly grateful for your efforts. Thank you on behalf of all of us.

[@charlesrivera9877]

thank you so much for this. Ted was a true master; a humble servant to the music and a nice dude from what I can tell.

[@jwolf4204]

thanks for posting, these lessons are pure brilliance and should be seen by any who would benefit from them

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Thanks SO much for sharing this Nick. It's very cool that you share this stuff... there's something very special about the way Ted Greene explained music. These videos are very helpful and very much appreciated. 🎼☮☯️

Thanks for sharing your (I guess) lessons with Ted! I was attending M.I. in the early nineties, he was already a "leggend", unfortunately I didn't have a chance to meet him in person.

[@dananthony6258]

Omg am I’ve been marching this freaking time man. Lol, I love the Beatles tune jam he threw in.

[@rickroche8860]

Thank you for presenting this video. A wealth of information from a very knowledgeable teacher and player!

[@TheTwangKings]

There's nothing like those fat P90's!

[@SotirisChoutos]

Thanks for sharing these Ted Greene treasures!

[@nickstasinos]

You're welcome!

[@chrisrymaszewski5277]

absolutely fantastic. it's going to take me a long time to digest this!

[@davidallemang1241]

Another great lesson! Thank you for sharing.

[@rallypojken]

A Master, is a master, is a master.

[@doitnowvideosyeah5841]

Thank you for sharing lessons

[@frankrogers4386]

I appreciate this so much! Thank you!!!

[@ConstanceWhenever]

I'd like to see Ted play with Chet if he doesn't like staccato bass haha.

[@garcdonald]

Thanks Nick. This is invaluable.

[@chaokana0627]

thank you for sharing this man~

[@DugerNick]

Really, really good. Thanks so much for sharing!!

[@arsofe]

Thank you.

[@hollywoodjoe123]

At 4:28 to 4:35 listen up as our main man TED GREENE shows us where the great sir Paul McCartney got an idea for his own song as we all have got to know as Penny Lane - !

[@farleygranger]

off to see the wizard....wtf? just whips it out...

[@sitarnut]

Pure, unadulterated GENIUS, with an encyclopedic memory and FUNNY.

[@danielbarry5547]

Wow perfect timing, I just started studying this tune..been tryna find some good sheet music!

[@nickstasinos]

Hey Dan, All you need is a lead sheet for it like you would find in a fake book. I saw a play-a-long with the written chords here on KZbin. Did I mention the one in the key of A found on tedgreene.com?

[@danielbarry5547]

@@nickstasinos Yea I just found the ted Greene one last night, using his voicing is definitely gon take some time on top of that playing in the key of A instead of C or F, thank you soo much for the content. Really inspirational!

[@LowKeyTired-q7d]

Awesome dude ...

[@GlennInLaguna]

Nick, would you mind sharing what a lesson with Ted would cost back then?

[@nickstasinos]

In 1999, it was $23 an hour and when Ted had to raise his lesson price by $3 from $20 an hour, he apologized profusely. Lol! Ted's philosophy was to make his teaching available to those eager students who could not afford to pay very much as long as he was able to pay his bills. Obviously, it wasn't for the money, he could have charge much, much more. Ted loved teaching!

[@tripp8833]

What a badass

[@jarrilaurila]

Thanks Nick. Im curious. On what level you play today? I assume you have played quite long time now. You still play jazz or something else? I just got into Ted´s playing few weeks ago and can´t get enough. I think its going to take a lifetime to play just a fracture of what Greene does, but i have time.

[@nickstasinos]

Oh, Jarri! What can I say? Not as good as some, better than others? My time spent with this genius guitar master does not measure up on where I think I should be today. BUT, I am still much better off from it. AND, Ted's love for music, so many aspects of it, have rubbed off on me. I am forever grateful to him for that! Embodied in each lesson is a lifetime of learning. Enjoy the journey!

[@jarrilaurila]

@@nickstasinos Thans i sure Will!

[@terrykorsmo3586]

Thanks for sharing

[@mightynathaniel5355]

fascinating! also, what is that pile of things behind him ?

[@claymationwaves]

Ted really had alot of patience to make some money to keep playing guitar all the time.. what a nightmare if you ask me.... But I'm super grateful for this brilliant comedy

[@poyete]

Not sure he considers it a nightmare, some people enjoy being a teacher, see the progress on their students and have the assurance of making somebody else's life better

[@cnrbsmth]

We've all been in a lesson that gets derailed by the wizard of oz

[@wblynch]

Great video but KZbin is getting greedy with the ads every minute and a half. Kind of disgusting of them

[@mateolopez4611]

Basically an almost unknow Maestro meanwhile some dudes called clapton a god ....

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Lol, the tribe.

[@overtonesnteatime198]

Man you must've been young... You had no intention of listening and all intention of hearing lol. Imagine, sitting in front of a legend and being that pushy.. Ted even mentions how fast you are playing. Take notes not just on the masters work but also the master's attitude and characteristics. The only thing you did right here was recording the moment and for that am very thankful because of how munch I have learned in such a short time from these video's. Obviously you were young but I am young now and would give almost anything to have a mentor like this. The dreams you were given were not your alone. just some words from a loving heart not an aching head.

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Everytime he'd speak I'd immediately stop playing. Smh

[@wigglyworm1203]

Imagine criticizing someone nice enough to upload this footage for how they acted in a lesson 20 years ago

[@objectpdfmov]

“Do they let you play it if you’re white?” 😂🪦

[@diminishedthicc]

whats the name of that tip toe song

[@nickstasinos]

At 6:12, we have all heard this one, like in cartoon music as a kid, but I don't have a title for you. Maybe someone watching this video does?