Top 5 Jazz Books That I learned a lot from! Maps for the Jazz guitar Journey

"What jazz guitar books or methods do you recommend for learning jazz" is one of the questions that I get all the time on my videos and on social media.
In this video I'll list 5 of the jazz books I learned the most from (and one bonus or honourable mention!)
I usually don't really answer the question because for me guitar books have been one of many ways I have studied and I have never worked through a method from cover to cover. There are many aspects of learning jazz and absorbing the information, and taking it from a jazz guitar book is only one way and not the path you can use for learning a lot of things.
That said there are of course guitar books that I have had a lot of fun with and learned a lot from. In this video, I will try to talk about some of them and also talk about what I have learned and how I have used them. This way of approaching the usefulness of a book is often overlooked in my opinion.
You can also check out my two books:
Modern Jazz Guitar Concepts: geni.us/Y69J4
Advanced Jazz Guitar Concepts: geni.us/AdvJazzGuit
What is your favorite book?
- The Advancing Guitarist geni.us/Ht5H4y
- Joe Pass Style geni.us/nTYWH
- Ted Greene geni.us/xoLK
- Kreutzer Etudes geni.us/92fUueT
- Charlie Parker Omnibook geni.us/F6iNG9u
The Bonus book!: geni.us/2iBeP
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My name is Jens Larsen, Danish Jazz Guitarist, and Educator. The videos on this channel will help you explore and enjoy Jazz. Some of it is how to play jazz guitar, but other videos are more on Music Theory like Jazz Chords or advice on how to practice and learn Jazz, on guitar or any other instrument.
The videos are mostly jazz guitar lessons, but also music theory, analysis of songs and videos on jazz guitars.
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[@MegaDusso]

To tell the truth, watching your vids for the past couple of months has made my guitar playing (and understanding) skyrocket, not that I’m any good yet, but it has given me a whole new interest in getting there. This form of music instruction may very well surpass books in it’s ability to convey ideas, watching and hearing you run riffs and your tabs, and verbal coaching of course !!! Thanx bro.

[@peterbutler5597]

Thanks so much for the Kreutzer recommendation Jens! I have been playing for 55 years and finally it has helped me make serious progress with sight reading and keyboard knowledge. Love your videos.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much, Peter 🙂 Glad to hear that

[@Apuravsingh88]

Jens i'd like to thank you for the incredible videos you've been sharing with us. You are my go to teacher as a beginner jazz player. I've just started ted greene and my mind is exploding. Keep educating!

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome! I am glad you find them useful 🙂

[@danielnaimowicz9397]

Agree

[@jimbee8915]

Thanks Jens! i will be ordering two books for now and more later. I appreciate your videos!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Jim! Glad you like the video!

[@MatthiasWinkler]

Hey jens, really appreciate your videos and unbiased attitude towards jazz and music in general! Great selection of study material! I use them all myself :)

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Matthias! Keep at it! You're solos etc are really good!

[@urbachd]

Definitely would like the lesson you mentioned. Thanks again for all you do

[@JensLarsen]

+Dan Urbach You're very welcome Dan! I will make a lesson like that soon! 😊

[@jimyoung9262]

Advancing guitarist is a great choice. I owned it like 25 years ago and still think about some of the concepts in there.

[@terrybanks5063]

i just bought your advanced jazz book today and i csnt wait to get it!

[@fretfulguitar1]

Thanks Jens, enjoying your videos. They are really useful.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like them!

[@toolisacommitment2429]

Hi! i have "The advancing guitarist" by Mick Goodrick and it helped me SO much! I'm really thankful I discovered this book

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, it is an amazing book :)

[@PhilEmanS]

Violin Sonatas & Partitas from Grandmaster J.S. Bach. Challenging and wonderful for guitar

[@JensLarsen]

They are indeed also nice :)

[@rieske2000]

As are the cello and lute suites of course. Extremely hard but beautiful. I have a book from a guy who transcribed The Goldberg Variations.

[@Paljk299]

Nice recommendations! The Advancing Guitarist is a book I liked a lot too. I got a lot out of the book Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony by Bert Ligon. The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine is alright too, learned a lot from that book.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Paul! I never hear of the Bery Ligon book. Might just look that up some time! 🙂

[@markrollinger5366]

Hi Jens, I agree with your choices. The Joe Pass Guitar Styles is great, can't go wrong spending time with this. The Mick Goodrick is fabulous. I've owned it for 20 years & keep coming back to it as I've grown in my playing. Enough material for a lifetime. I like that he puts the approach on you the player, which it always comes down to. No silver bullets to learning jazz. If I only owned one book about guitar/jazz theory, this would be it. Also thanks for your own 2 great books !

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Mark, on both counts :)

[@andyokus4930]

Concerning a great classical book; get " OF BERBIGUIER Eighteen Exercises or Etudes for the Flute". This book will build your chops in arpeggios and chromatic runs and also how to play giant intervallic sweeps. In the orchestra the flute has the hardest and highest lines next to the violin!

[@JensLarsen]

Interesting! I will try to look that up 🙂

[@frankhemphill1264]

Good info, I am getting the Kruetzer Etudes book and the Joe Pass bonus book. I already had the Charlie Parker Omni Book and the Ted Greene Modern Chord Progressions which I purchased about 40 years ago.

[@JensLarsen]

Great! I hope you get something out of them!

[@patrickkelsch2723]

Affirmative on the proposed Parker Omnibook lesson! That sounds like a great idea.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Patrick I'll keep that in mind! :)

[@Moneyxsharks]

I had a jazz teacher that recommended to learn a Parker head every other month

[@antonlindstrom8373]

I got one of those Charlie Parker omnibooks as well. I got it recently when my school was cleaning out an old storage room they were giving away a bunch of old books and broken keyboards etc and this was one of the few things left in the book pile by the time I knew what was going on and got there. But it was definitely a thing I appreciate having, much more than if I were to have an old broken synthesizer.

[@JensLarsen]

It is indeed a great book to have in your library when you are exploring jazz!

[@JensLarsen]

Since I am working on my Patreon Page right now, leave me a comment if you want to be among the first to check it out!

[@UlliMueller]

As I mentioned in my email, I'd be happy to beta test. :-)

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you so much Ulli! I will send you an e-mail!

[@guillotinedeath]

Jens Larsen ill love to check it out

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Chito! I know you on facebook as well right?

[@guillotinedeath]

Jens Larsen yea thats correct

[@AzSamad]

Yes to the Parker line idea!

[@JensLarsen]

Thansk for checking out my video Az! I will make that lesson soon! :)

[@freddygildersleeve1012]

Top notch! I just ordered the violin studies on ebay. Need to brush up on my sight reading! Again, valuable info in your tutorials. Thank you!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Great! Glad you like it!

[@SRB3ll]

Well there is this one other book, Modern Jazz Guitar Concepts by this guy called Jens Larsen… you may have heard of it 😉

[@JensLarsen]

Haha! Thank you :) I hadn't written that when I made this video :)

[@jwolf4204]

Kreutzer! Didn't expect that. Lifelong violinist here, recently started picking up guitar -- I agree, the crossover is more significant than I'd expected. Having the basic impulse of "left hand pitch, right hand articulation" built in goes a long way, leaves you free to follow your ear. If you're interested in mining deeper into violin repertoire, the Paganini caprices are a more advanced collection of etudes -- some will be impossible on guitar without significant reinterpretation, but many I imagine would be useful. Also -- solo Bach, of course.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, pretty similar I have indeed also been checking out some Bach and a little Paganini :)

[@thormusique]

This is excellent, thank you! All those books are my personal favourites as well, except for the Joe Pass books, which I wasn't aware of. Thanks for the tip; I will pick these up! When I was young I picked up the Omnibook, thinking that all I had to do was learn to play the Parker solos and I'd be able to improvise like a master. It was a humbling experience. For some reason, I never actually learned even a single solo all the way through from that book. I just found it daunting in some weird way. However, over time I did learn a lot from studying melodic motifs and the way Parker outlined and embellished chords, in particular. I also still use certain books just to read through material, play different combinations of intervals, etc. For example, I love playing through the Bärenreiter Urtext edition of the Bach sonatas & partitas, which are so beautiful. There are some great Wolfahrt studies for violin as well. There's also a great, classic book of saxophone studies that I use quite a bit, which I find help me when I feel I'm in a bit of a rut in my playing and just need a jumpstart. Finally, there's Slonimsky's Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns, which I've heard that players like John McLaughlin and Frank Zappa used (though I didn't know that till recently). I once heard Slonimsky (who was mostly a musicologist and arranger) talk about how he began to compile his Thesaurus as a kind of joke but got so into it that he had to see it through. This was in the late 40s. Consequently, there were many great jazz players, in particular, who really found the book very inspiring for approaching melodic ideas in novel and interesting ways. Great book!

[@JensLarsen]

Haha! Been there done that with the Parker book :) I might have learned one or two solos, but then you end up having to check them against the record and you might as well transcribe them as well. I don't know those Bach sonatas, and a lot of people are mentioning the Wolfahrt studies. I will investigate that! I have the slonimsky book but never used it a lot. Most of the stuff is atonal and I always found my self on the tonal part of the spectrum most of the time (until now at least, but who knows....)

[@maxwellshammer5283]

I was just using the Charlie Parker book before I watched this video. It’s really helped, especially when I run into changes that I have trouble constructing decent sounding lines over. One of the tunes I’m having some trouble with, Dexterity, is not in the book, though. I don’t copy the licks directly but will sometimes modify one to use. I have the Joe Pass chord solo book also, but I need to find it so I can start using it again.😂 I also plan on ordering the other book. I’ll probably get the Ted Green book also. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@jdfight]

Pat Martino's "Creative Force I" dramatically increased my chord vocabulary within in the first chapter about deriving V7 chords from parental diminished chords. It is a challenging book and I am still studying it, but that first chapter was a huge help to me in organizing the fretboard.

[@JensLarsen]

Thats great! I am not familiar with it 🙂

[@aberhan]

The one thing that has helped my playing the most was learning to read music. Difficult for me because I was already about 30 yr. and had been playing by ear for some time. Still not an expert but the knowledge of basic music theory I consider indispensable.

[@markrollinger5366]

Hi Jens, both you & Mikko Hilden have been my main sources for online jazz instruction/inspiration. Love the short posts you do! You show me some " simple" concept that I somehow missed along the way. ( 71 yrs old) keep up the great work. What is it about Scandinavian jazz players? Must be something in the water. 😂 Thanks, M

[@Mrius86]

Mick Goodrick is just phenomenal. I also learned a lot from Wayne's An Improviser's OS.

[@JensLarsen]

+Mrius86 Indeed! I never checked out Wayne's books.

[@Mrius86]

It's a comprehensive book, lot of information, I have had it for years. Had to buy a new one after my Icelandic friend peed on my bookshelf... I'm thinking of doing a video series about OS, how to practice scales, simple subgroups, functional analysis etc.

[@charlescamiel7082]

Jens, Thanks for a great channel! These are the books that I have found to be very useful to me in no particular order: Jazz Guitar Chords & Accompaniment by Yoichi Arakawa Joe Pass Guitar Chords Chords and Progressions for Jazz & Popular Guitar by Arnie Berle Patterns, Scales & Modes for Jazz Guitar by Arnie Berle The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher

[@JensLarsen]

Great! I am actually not familiar with any of those books 🙂

[@JamesFlemingIreland]

As regards other repertoire like Kreutzer's etudes for violin - Bach's 2-part inventions are also excellent for sight reading and technique on guitar, and I know a lot of jazz guitarists study them.

[@johngstyle1]

Thanks for the recommendations, Jens. The Goodrick book is great, I think. Worth reading cover to cover, I agree. He makes it clear though that some of his ideas only pay off after time is invested, like his idea of practising on one string. He also has an interesting newer book, with Tim Millar, about an approach to chordal playing which is also very interesting. It reminded me of Jerry Bergonzi's books on improvisation - I think they are from the same epoch at Berklee, so they both end encouraging you to produce quite a 'modern' sound. There are two books that I really enjoy: one is Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas, similar uses as the Kreutzer book you mentioned, I imagine. You can get pdf versions of old editions off the internet easily. The other book is probably a bit outside your remit, in terms of jazz guitar in fairly 'conventional' styles, if you don't mind me saying it like that. I'm referring to Wayne Krantz's 'An Improviser's OS'. Although, if applied, it leads one to break away from thinking in terms of traditional scales and arpeggios etc in radically different ways, I think its philosophy, and the commitment to creativity it represents is really challenging. I also find it very well written, pithy, humorous and no-nonsense. Whether you work with his numerical 'formulas' to make music or not, which may sometimes end up sounding quite atonal, there's also a lot of great advice about getting to know the neck thoroughly, developing your ear, taping and listening to yourself and then using what you discover to create exercises to develop your skills. I find it inspiring, and worth returning to again and again. Thanks - I enjoyed your video, as I have all your others.

[@JensLarsen]

+John Style Thank you John! I do indeed know and like most of these books except the Wayne Krantz one. Guess it came out after I was looking to books for ideas ☺️ Glad you like the videos!

[@LarsBauer74]

very cool! about the etudes: I like the Bach 2-part Inventions, also good practice for reading bass clef. I will check out the Kreutzer etudes as well. Thanks for this video!

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome Lars! I did do some of the Bach 2-part inventions with one of my students. That was indeed great fun and good for bass clef reading! :)

[@LarsBauer74]

and they sound fantastic when played in duo (2 guitars or guitar and bass).

[@RealJosephJaho]

thanks for this knowledge...

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome!

[@frankhemphill1264]

Yes it does. Thanks a lot.

[@JensLarsen]

Great! Good luck practicing :)

[@koiwiederfisch6368]

Books that i find quit usefull where, Mark Voelpells Charly Parker for Guitar and Ramon Rickers Pentatonic scales for Jazz improvisation. Great Video, like allways.

[@JensLarsen]

Interesting! I have heard about the Ramon Ricker book but never checked it out! :) Thanks!

[@guillotinedeath]

7:13 smile of satisfaction.. great pieces definitly interested in checking out that book

[@JensLarsen]

Hahaha! No, it's like "Plays Huge mistake and desperately tries to laugh it off" :D You should check out that book, it's a great exercise collection and it's like 5-6 USD to download..

[@markrollinger5366]

Hi Jens, these books helped me alot. Joe Pass book is a gem. 2 books, I wish I had when starting Jazz, " Guitarists introduction to Jazz" by Randy Vincent. For more harmonically advanced, I think "Expansions" by Gary Campbell ( one of authors , Patterns for Jazz) Only 46 pages, a lifetime of possibilities . You have to do the work. Thanks.

[@markrollinger5366]

Use both your books frequently!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad it was helpful 🙂

[@simonhofstettermusic]

Thank you!

[@JensLarsen]

You're welcome Simon!

[@alessandrograsso8570]

Finally i have Discovered the Nicolas Slonimsky book,was important for Martino and Jaco...very interesting

[@franksaunders9914]

Thank you

[@ericvanrees5382]

Two nice sheet music books I´ve used are "Neshamah" by Tim Sparks and "Timeless: The Music of John Abercrombie" because of all the extra information about the voicings and how the pieces are performed live. The "Neshamah" book is music from an album that combines klezmer, jazz, flamenco and fingerpicking with odd rhythms found in folk music. The Abercrombie book contains notes from Abercrombie himself explaining how the pieces different were put together and how he sometimes combined 2-5-1 with modern chord progressions, as well as his extensive use of minor flat six chords.

[@elgabytrastornado5993]

Exelent video jens Larsen!!! I have a great books in my library!! ! I think the first most important is Understanding the concepts !! Don Mocks,Joe diorio,Ted Green,Pat Martino,Joe pass... Exelents books to learn !!! I apreciate your videos!! You are exelent teacher!!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much! Glad you like the videos and come back to chech new ones as well! 👍🙂

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

There are also incredible studies for guitar by Leo Brouwer which definitely have something to offer a modern jazz guitarists. Lots of challenging melody and harmonies as well as interesting rhythms. He calls them 'simple' studies though they are anything but. If you've seen any of the studies that Julian Lage made, they are very similar.

[@JensLarsen]

+TheCompleteGuitarist The Leo Brouwer etudes are indeed very good! The ones I remember where not that suited for jazz guitar technique though ☺️

[@markrollinger5366]

Leo Brower, incredible composer & also player.... I love the open string Guitar sound in his writing. That's a sound we all know. It's " never about the notes".

[@anthonydemitre9392]

I have all 6 but never use music books start to finish, just pick and choose what to work on today type of thing, great and useful video Jens thanks

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Anthony! I am glad you like it! And as you can tell I have exactly the same approach to learning from books!

[@anthonydemitre9392]

picking and doing a bit of this and that forces one to make their own connections and maybe make you sound like yourself, of course, I must play more with people to apply myself, I share an apartment with Glenn T. tell him we must jam more Jens lol

[@JensLarsen]

That must be a guitar heavy environment! You should indeed jam more! I really think that I have learned the most from playing with other people!

[@anthonydemitre9392]

I was not implying you need to jam more Jens, I need the jamming time, it's fun and when it clicks that experience can be the best one on earth better than almost anything

[@JensLarsen]

I didn't think you were! Just pointed out my own experience with learning from playing with other people!

[@DanielSchorr]

I love Mick Goodrick's book, too. It's a lot more zen than nuts and bolts excercises . Suggesting a path, not so literal. But It's not a collection of his Guitar Player articles. I still have all the old issues, none of his columns are recreated. I like the dedication - "This book is dedicated to Pat, who never needed it". I can only assume he means Metheny.

[@JensLarsen]

I am sure he does mean Methen. I actually thought the last part was coming from articles, but I might be wrong :)

[@jwright123456789]

Or Martino!!

[@ziccuj]

He definitely refers to Metheny. The two actually both played in Gary Burton's band at the same time back in '74-75 before Pat's first solo record, Bright Size Life. Great book and two great players.

[@ShredTraining]

I've worked on a few of the Czerny piano books. They are very cheap and offer hundreds of very difficult finger and site reading exercises. The most useful one I have found is OP 740 The Art Of Finger Dexterity.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Interesting! I have heard of them for piano, but never hear of guitar players who played them :)

[@ShredTraining]

Have you played through Pat Metheny - Guitar Etudes? I was thinking of working through that book next but have read very mixed reviews.

[@JensLarsen]

I haven't I did spend a lot of time creating similar exercises for myself after seeing a video of him warming up though. I think it isn't a book meant for sight reading. I suspect he does not do the same exercises but rather improvises a lot as well?

[@ShredTraining]

Interesting. What kind of exercises did you write for yourself? Perhaps you could do a lesson on some advanced warmups that cover inversions/sequences etc. I might get his book anyway with the hope that I can one day play 0.4% as well as Pat Metheny.

[@VezoPuro]

Thanks for the advice Jens, great channel.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much Vezo! 🙂

[@MegaGuitarplayer92]

My old teacher wrote a theory book that has helped me out allot called the guitar explained.he was actually good friends with Larry Coryell and I got to meet him one of the coolest days of my life.

[@JensLarsen]

Great! Must have been fun to meet Larry Coryell 🙂

[@robertvanhousen1015]

Saw Larry play some straightahead jazz at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago back in the 90's. He could really burn.

[@HristoVelev]

Great, I'll check out the Joe Pass books, love his playing most of the time :)

[@JensLarsen]

Go for it! they work really well for both me and my students!

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Hey Jens, I completely understand why you use books the way you do. Also, I find many books have a couple of new ideas or concepts, but the rest is just repetition of so many other books. Some favourite books in my library would be Joe Diorio's Right Brain Guitarist Series which include Jazz Structures for the New Millennium, Intervallic Designs, Jazz Blues Styles, etc. Of course Mr. Goodrick's "The Advancing Guitarist" is a mainstay which I go back to every now & then. A book which I find similar in approach to this is"The Guitarist's Guide to Composing and Improvising" by Jon Damian. Yet certainly w/ unique concepts. (Lenny Stern equated his lessons to that of a mind expanding acid trip! lol). For anyone interested in fingerstyle Ralph Towner's "Improvisation and Performance Techniques for classical & Acoustic Guitar" has great rhythmic ideas & independence for the right hand . Although not obvious in the title, it is based on much jazz harmony and improvisational ideas. One more... as a great reference book of all things Jazz - The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine. Sorry for rambling, but I do think players could benefit from any or all of these suggestions. (Of course I own the Omnibook, Ted Greene's books, and the Joe Pass you've mentioned and an alternative volume for Kreutzer etudes.

[@JensLarsen]

No worries! Glad to hear you contributions! I have little experience with the Joe Diorio stuff but I have heard good things about that and about the Jon Damian book. I have heard Jon play some things on KZbin which was really great!

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Thanks Jens, Joe Diorio's been a big influence for me with both his instructional stuff and his recordings. Also in the 1st book I had there was a suggested reading list in the back... it not only had music books but books on spirituality like Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda and The Mustard Seed by Osho. Reading this back in the 70's when I was a teenager made a big impact on my life... and still does! -Glenn

[@SonicArchives]

All of Joe's Diorio books are very good, So is a Teds book on Single Note Soloing esp (Volume 1) I agree that Modern Chord Progressions are way better than Chord Chemestry. Ralph Towner's "Improvisation and Performance Techniques for classical & Acoustic Guitar" is one of the best guitar books ever written. Goodrick's Almanac of Guitar Voice-Leading is way better than The Advancing Guitarist. I also feel the Creative Chordal Harmony for Guitar (Goodrick) is better than The Advancing Guitarist. Pat Martino's book is pretty awesome (Linear Expressions) so are Barry Galbraith's. (Guitar Comping is my fav) The Advancing Guitarist is sort of like Chord Chemestry - it's not the best book by the author. Even though it's his most famous book.

[@DanielSchorr]

One last comment. I would like to see you take apart a line from the omnibook and show how to use it. I have the omnibook for a few years but never got anything practical out of it.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Daniel! Given the feedback, I will do that sometime soon!

[@dphidt]

A technique book that I've found useful is "Classical Studies for Pick Style Guitar" by William Leavitt. It contains classical pieces arranged for guitar w/ picking notations for certain sections. The composers covered are Sor, Carulli, Kreutzer, Bach, Paganini, and Carcassi. Most are single note pieces, but some are chordal studies. Another set of classical studies that are useful and fun to play are Leo Brouwer's "Estudios Sencillios (1-3)" There are 20 or so in the set, but the first are some of the best.

[@JensLarsen]

The Brouwer stuff is not with a pick though (if I remember correctly at least..?) That's interesting I never came across that Leavitt. A few of my friends did some of his books with teachers and it does seem quite solid stuff!

[@dphidt]

Jens Larsen The first study can be played with hybrid picking (pick and fingers) or mostly with a pick. Same w the third. I used to use them as warmup exercises. Same with some of the pieces in the Leavitt book. I'm lucky enough to study w a teacher that had Bill Leavitt for a teacher in the 1970s.

[@JensLarsen]

dphidt Cool! Yeah I guess you could hybrid pick all classical pieces :)

[@JiriPrajzner]

advancing guitarist is amazing

[@JensLarsen]

It certainly is!

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

Some of my favourite books: Chord Connection by Dave Eastlee (REH) Artful Arpeggios by Don Mock (REH) Inner Jazz by Les Wise (REH) Hot Licks by Don Mock (REH) The Scale Book by Leigh Powers (PMP) A Reference for Jazz Theory by Michael Morangelli (online somewhere) Lots of transcription books by Scofield, Holdsworth etc. I wish REH were still in operation; I'm still looking for Diorio's Intervallic Designs.

[@JensLarsen]

Ok! I think I might have had some copies from the Les Wise book 20 years ago as homework from a teacher. For the rest I have never heard of any of those :)

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

I also have more recent books, e.g. Doug Munro's Bebop and Beyond, Holdsworth's Just for the Curious and Reaching for the Uncommon Chord, Annotated Scofield transcriptions, lots of guitar magazine jazz specials . . . Not to mention several hundred copies of the American magazine Guitar Player, the whole run of MIDI guitarist . . .

[@JensLarsen]

Great! I have some real books, the 5 I talk about in the video and maybe 10 more of which some are for classical 🙂

[@MrROTD]

I got my basic knowlege of nusic theory and guitar from one of his real basic books (guitar Method) at 16 ,Its flooding back now, I understand about 50 percent of what was taught in the book 35 years later haha for real he was a great player and his book was more than a good start for a beginner had some really good theory and aproach and techniques

[@freddecker2407]

Jens analyzes the Charlie Parker Omnibook correctly in my opinion. Parker's solos are difficult to play on guitar, not just because of Parker's technical ability, but also because of the way Parker bends the time, which is difficult to notate. But the Charlie Parker Omnibook is useful as a reference to study Parker.

[@stringnavigator9509]

Every jazz musician's first book should be Jerry Coker's "Improvising Jazz". A small book. Ask for it and take a look. Keep it in your case and read it on the train. I've had my copy for nearly 50 years.Still a reference. I see all newer jazz books as having less information in larger books. They're all very good at describing the water while you're drowning. I enjoyed this video, especialy about Ted Greene's book, but I'm looking for a video that points out $30 books to stay clear of... subscribed!

[@jakemf1]

Highly recommend Wohlfahrt studies easier then the Kreutzer they are great you can even find one with a CD play along with I use in transcribe to slow down and then work up to speed

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Jake! That's a good idea! I have to check out those!

[@robertmiller6308]

A great great book for sight reading with very interesting pieces with numerous double stops is Telemans 12 Fantasies for Violin. Very melodic, very good for sight reading exercises.

[@JensLarsen]

That's very interesting! I had never heard of those!

[@winstonsmith8240]

Rather late to the party, but you sound a bit 'under the weather,' hope you're okay now... Thanks Jens. There's always something.

[@GetUpTheMountains]

+1 for "The Advancing Guitarist". My teacher turned me on to that shit in like 1995.

[@franksaunders9914]

I work with chord tones alot I think this one is very good Chord Tone improvisation licks by Alexander Dr Sanctis. Also Joseph Alexander chord tones soloing,the simplification creates space for creativity and freedom of applications

[@HallwayMusic91]

Hi Jens, The lowest note on the violin is a G (which was mentioned @ 8:14 in this video). Basically, it's the same G as the 3rd string on the guitar.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, but we need to play it an octave lower :)

[@HallwayMusic91]

Absolutely!

[@luvkayakn]

There are several modern violins with 5, 6, and 7 strings. Traditional classical instruction hasn't caught up, and most of my music theory learning comes from great KZbin teachers like Lars. 👍

[@JimmyJames714]

Thanks, Jens! I'm going to check out the Kreutzer and Ted Greene books. Just to let you know, your Ted Greene link actually points to Chord Chemistry and not the one I think you intended.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! I have fixed the link in the description! Ironic that it points to the book that I thought I had studied :)

[@colinmacaulay5988]

Mickey Baker's Complete Course for Jazz Guitar are really great. Two books written in the 50's. Great for those just starting to learn jazz chords and such. Love your videos. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@JensLarsen]

That's good to hear! And of course! Thank you for checking out my videos! I am glad you find them useful!

[@dreadnought45]

I started out thirty-five years ago with the Mickey Baker books volumes 1 and 2. That's where I first learned jazz chords and how to use them. I also studied with a teacher using the Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt and have all three volumes. And many other jazz method books. Ken, Toronto

[@JensLarsen]

Ken Rowan Great! So I guess you like them?

[@jansen_music]

Thank you for all your very informative videos! Would love to hear your opinion on the Berklee Modern Method for guitar books. I'm ready to dive into books 2 and 3 wondering if you think it's worth it..⛺️🛠

[@JensLarsen]

I don't really know them to be honest and I have (as far as I know) studied or played stuff from them. My impression was that they were more about reading?

[@ThomasVammenJensen]

I use the Joe Pass books all the time:-) The Blues in Bb flat was the first one my teacher at the conservatory made me play. That one and the "days of wine and roses" arrangement.

[@JensLarsen]

Haha! Who was your teacher? He has good taste!

[@ThomasVammenJensen]

A Danish jazzguitarist- Morten Kargaard from Copenhagen. He also made me play some Bach pieces like the Invention No.13.

[@JensLarsen]

Thomas Vammen Jensen Morten gave that blues to me as well! :D Didn't get any Bach though. Where did you study? In Odense?

[@ThomasVammenJensen]

No- Det Nordjyske Musikkonservatorium i Aalborg. Now it is just called "Det jyske musikkonservatorium". Aalborg and Århus Merged. Morten used to fly in in think 2 days a week. I was lucky enough to have him as my main teacher for a couple of years. I think it was around 2003-2004 perhaps.

[@JensLarsen]

He is a really great teacher! I really learned a lot from him! I only had lessons with him for about 6 months. He left because he got the job in Ålborg. Then I had lessons with Bjarne Roupé.

[@LarrySiden]

Jens, I had Joe Pass's book when I started playing, but gave it away after I realized that the material was too dense for me (or seemed so at the time). I recall that the first half is mostly theory, and then the second half contains examples. What do you find most valuable in it? How do you use it as a teaching tool?

[@JensLarsen]

I just play the solos in the back of the book. That's what is really great! I think Sco said he used it like that as well :)

[@jimicunningable]

WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE MOST OF THIS STUFF ONLINE FOR FREE. WOW. TY for the tips & channel.

[@philip.guitarra]

I can recommend Howard Roberts Guitar Compendium Vol 3. Got some great ideas on arpeggios that are broken down nicely. Also Vic Juris' Advanced Harmony has some nice ideas on intervallic structures and modal chords. For buying online: The Book Depository, free delivery worldwide, Abe books, you can find second hand stuff there, often the delivery will cost more than the book which can cost a pittance !!

[@JensLarsen]

I think I once looked at some of those Howard Roberts books, but didn't really like them that much, didn't really check them out anyway. I'd imagine Vic Juris has something to say. I really like his cd's :)

[@philip.guitarra]

i found them by chance in the library in the Hague which has a thousand music methods, was never out of the place. Libraries are magic!

[@JensLarsen]

Ah, you are in the Hague as well? Libraries are indeed magic, that's how I discovered Jazz :)

[@philip.guitarra]

Studied in Rotterdam, was in DH for 10 years, now in Seville for 7. Still back now and again, though. Cheers

[@JensLarsen]

***** Ah ok! Let me know if you are in the Hague!

[@rocklover41]

Definitely check out anything by Barry Galbraith. Great lines in his fingerboard workout book, and his comping book is great too! I highly recommend it!

[@JensLarsen]

Ok. Never read that! Thanks!

[@franksaunders9914]

Just got soon slonimsky for guitar.extensive melodic patterns

[@jackiechon5625]

i don t know if you can find it in english but i highly recommend " la partition intérieure " de JACQUES SIRON , it is a MONUMENT of concentrated knowledge .

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Jackie! Never heard of it, and if it's only in French I would probably have a hard time learning from it :D (but that of course says more about me...)

[@sidneyrichard5319]

No Slonimsky's Thesaurus of scales and melodic patterns? I heard Miles got a lot out of it, so I picked it up. QUITE intimidating... but I found it really helpful, both in terms of having a new framework to analyse melodic fragments, but also really helpful with getting to use the diminished scale. Because of the way it's laid out, you have to figure out which patterns fit - you don't get told - but you can immediately hear certain licks that are absolutely part of bebop vocabulary. Coltrane clearly nicked stuff from it. I say "clearly": it COULD have been coincidence, but the book was a source for the big boys of bop and beyond. Love the Goodrick book, and at some stage want to get "Looking for Mr. Goodchord".... I have both Modern Chord Progressions and Chord Chemistry, and personally prefer the latter, because of the fantastic section at the back which gave me my first steps into the wonderful world of blues in all its stunning variety. There's a book I've seen by George Van Eps that looks amazing, but I can't quite rationalise getting it because I have so little time these days... Thanks for the great content, Jens.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Sidney! I actually have the Slonimsky book, but never really found it that useful for my playing. Coltrane used it for sure around the Blue Train period there are few places... I am not so sure about Miles though. I guess I should read Chord Chemistry. I do have it but didn't really get into it. A few friends of mine are going through the George Van Eps books. I have vol 1 but it didn't really appeal to me.

[@sidneyrichard5319]

I can hear it in Coltrane's playing for sure, but I agree it doesn't seem obvious to me with Miles. I am pretty sure I first heard it in connection with Miles, though... but it was a long time ago now... I feel the same way about Modern Chord Preogressions as you do about Chord Chemistry lol! It's all so much more accessible these days than when I started learning back in the 70s. Kids - they have no idea how lucky they are in some ways. With the Slonimsky, it did take a lot of work, quite painstaking for someone just trying to get a handle on the diminished scale - but there are diminished licks in there I'm pretty sure are waiting to be broken out, particularly based on the larger interval gaps. I'm just too old and knackered to find them these days! Thanks again for great info and ideas on your channel.

[@frankhemphill1264]

Hi Jens, in The Joe Pass Chord Solos Book measure 33 the bottom E note of the C7+9 chord is natural so is the E above it in the same chord a natural or flat, and the same for the following E sixteenth note. Does a sharp or flat only apply throughout the measure to the same stem ups or downs or does it apply throughout the measure regardless if it is stem up or down.

[@JensLarsen]

Didn't I answer this already? "The squiggly line is an arpegiation, so you play the notes 1 at a time really fast. For the rest the basic two shapes in that bar are: G7: 3 x 3 4 (3) 3 and C7: x 3 2 3 1 4"

[@aryotaheri7421]

Hi Jens, thanks for the great videos. I'm an experienced rock player starting out on Jazz and have got myself a few method books. Do you think it's more beneficial to invest my time in these type of books or is it more efficient to get a teacher? I understand every person is different and learns differently, I just want to know what you think :)

[@JensLarsen]

That's very easy! A good teacher is going to be better at giving you the material that fits your interests and needs compared to taking the chance on a book. Notice how most of the books I talk about were introduced in lessons!

[@alessandrograsso8570]

Jens your work on the yt is very great, congratulations!!.. I have studied a lot on goodrick book and there's an intelligent progression and method.... Now i need a sort of Bible of jazz harmony... Lots of musicians advice me the Mark Levine book, he is a pianist and anyway is not a real problem for me but i think is much better if i know an harmony book for a guitar player(just i am curious) thanks a lot!!!

[@JensLarsen]

I would probably recommend Frans Elsen's harmony books, but they are not specifically for guitar

[@alessandrograsso8570]

@@JensLarsen thanks a lot... Very very beautiful your channel!!!

[@douglasthompson7464]

The Complete Course in Jazz Guitar by Mickey Baker volumes 1 and 2 changed my life for real

[@robertvavra414]

Yes! I foolishly loaned my copy of vol.1 , along with "Joe Pass Style" years ago. Never got them back.

[@geraldjensen9399]

Hej Jens, Did you know Doug Raney? I interviewed him about 20 years ago in København, I was visiting a cousin, the article was published in Just Jazz Guitar.

[@JensLarsen]

No, I didn't know him. I did hear him play a few times at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival

[@girishumar6313]

Hey,I have Joe Pass Guitar Style & Ted Greene's chord chemistry.Right now,I am constructing chords but since there are so much variation in Ted Greene's book,I don't know where to stop.Can you please help me!

[@JensLarsen]

Just stop now and start using it on songs. You can always return to the book if you get bored 🙂

[@lollipophugo]

What do you think of Mark Levine's Jazz Theory book? I read that it focuses too hard on superimposing modes onto ideas that werent necessarily modal in construction, but from a prog background and having learned modes very thoroughly and very early I thought it might be a good way for me to transfer my knowledge to a new genre. Now I'm reading a lot of critical threads on reddit about the book and wondering if working through it might be a mistake. Picked up the Ted Greene book to cover the many gaps in my chord vocabulary, seems like a good launching point. Also Mick Goodricks book, which was also recommended by Adam Neely. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@JensLarsen]

I haven't read it, but some of the things I have heard about it makes me think it is not a good resource at all. The Berklee harmony book might be a better option.

[@lollipophugo]

@@JensLarsen I'd suspected as much. It's ok, I'll work through these 2; I have a pretty solid understanding of functional harmony already, I'll start with these other 2 and mostly work on learning standards and using my ear for the time being. I'd rather have wasted my money than my time. Thanks!

[@stevenrosenberg9195]

Jens, I have two questions for you: What do you think of getting the Charlie Parker Omnibook in the key of Eb? It might make some of those solos fall "easier" under the fingers. Also, did you ever use "Joe Pass Guitar Chords"? I'm working with that one -- it's like a super-abberviated version of Ted Greene's "Chord Chemistry."

[@JensLarsen]

I don't think Charlie Parker book in Eb will be easier than concert. The guitar is fairly flexible when it comes to keys anyway. I think if you were to compare Bb and Eb saxophones that might be another story. I don't know Joe Pass guitar chords, so I can't say anything about it :)

[@scribblertheband]

Want the Omni book now

[@JensLarsen]

Go for it, it's not a huge investment is it?

[@franksaunders9914]

Spent slot of time with berklee 1,2,3, I don't think you can go wrong with these books,especially for foundation on guitar.

[@musik102]

There are a couple of great jazz books produced by the "Fundamental Changes " people by someone called Jens Larsen. There are both great.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! They were not published (or even written) when I made this video :)

[@musik102]

@@JensLarsen I knew that. Just trying to be witty!

[@JensLarsen]

@@musik102 no worries. Just not sure if you realized 🙂

[@milaortiz]

We most bear in mind that some of the transcription books like the Omnibook used to have some misakes. The audio is the principal source!

[@JensLarsen]

Yes certainly! And the Joe Pass Guitar style is analyzed by somebody who doesn't know their chords too well, so you are better off using your ear there as well! 😄

[@davidvardeh]

Thank you for the information. Which book should be the first one to learn from these 6 books?

[@JensLarsen]

That depends on what you want to learn, they are not really on the same topic 🙂

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Hello Jens. We have some cross over in our faves for sure. Advancing Guitarist was recommended to me back in the day by Indiana based studio musician and professor, Sandy Williams. I've wrestled with the Parker Omnibook for almost as long. Anyhow, with a stupidly large library of pedagogical materials, I'd offer the following titles as gems that continue on in heavy rotation in one way or another. In no particluar order... - Mel Bay's Complete Book of Harmony Theory & Voicing by Bret Willmott (and its sequel) was my first introduction to drop 2 voicings and served as a rosetta stone for relating common guitar chords and some of the Holdsworthian moves. Don't let the "Mel Bay" scare anyone off. And with respect to the other author, I far prefer it to the other chord related volume in your list, preferring ingredients that point the way to everything else, versus everything written out. "Teach a person to fish..." - Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony by Bert Ligon, as well as the related theory book series. Fabulously practical. - Forward Motion by Hal Galper because swing. ;-) - Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner Lots of other wonderful tomes, but these came to mind after watching your video and checking out the ones I didn't already have. :) May someone get something out of these lists. Peace and best wishes, Daniel p.s. And no person in their right mind would ignore the work done by Troy Grady and his team with "Cracking the Code" and "Masters in Mechanics." Cheers.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Oh, along the lines of the Kreutzer, Bartok's complete violin duets... A couple of famous prog guitarists used to play them together, and I've enjoyed them as well. Thanks for doing the video.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

And I'd be remiss for not mentioning Nettles and Graf's, The Chord Scale Theory & Jazz Harmony from Berklee via Advance Music.

[@JensLarsen]

That's a lot of stuff! I don't even have that many guitar books :D I actually learned a lot from the forward motion stuff, but it came from an Article by Hal Galper and my teacher telling me to play towards notes. I think you are right that the Troy Grady stuff is really good even if it is very technique specific.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Some of us chose the long way to finding Nirvana. ;-) Do check them out? They're all seminal works, the content of which is perhaps more common to encounter today, but in some ways, easily overlooked. Enjoy! :)

[@JensLarsen]

RockStarJazzCat Thanks! I will try to check some of them out for sure!

[@MegaDusso]

“IMPROVISING JAZZ” by Jerry Coker, with forwards by Stan Kenton and Gunther Schuller also “JAZZ IS” by Nat Hentoff

[@robertvavra414]

I bought the book “IMPROVISING JAZZ” by Jerry Coker in the Seventies. I need to find it in my storage 'cause haven't looked at it in many years

[@luvkayakn]

Although the violin is traditionally not fretted, the positions on the fingerboard are similar to guitar. As a violinist learning jazz and improvisation theory, I learn a lot from teachers like yourself. The violin technique books are useful, but quite dull 😀

[@JensLarsen]

Interesting! A violin is tuned in 5ths, right? I would imagine that would give you some very different scale fingerings, to be honest. 🙂 But I am super happy that you can use the videos!!

[@luvkayakn]

Jens Larsen the essential theory applies to all instruments. Yes violin is tuned in 5ths. 😀

[@JensLarsen]

Of course, the theory is the same. My son played the cello for a time, and for thinking in that tuning was not easy :D (but probably healthy)

[@Lornespapertowel]

I love the intro tune! Did you write it?

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Dex! Yes, it's the first tune off the Træben album: Looking at The Storm. You can check it out on Spotify if you want to! 🙂

[@robertvanhousen1015]

Hey Jens, I don't think Joe actually did the transcription for his chord melody book. There are just a few areas where it seemed like a non guitarist worked on it. Love that other Pass book. Lots of theory.

[@JensLarsen]

Joe Pass didn't read music so he also didn't transcribe it. I am pretty sure it was written out by a guitarist since most of the fingerings are really easy to play and there is a lot of information in that

[@Beulzabob]

Perhaps you didn't work on the same songs because you stated that you only played a few. Anyway, I think I recall that the problem wasn't the fingering as much as redundant flatting in the transcription in new bars, where that note was already flat in the key signature. I wish they noted what recording version was used.

[@JensLarsen]

@@Beulzabob it is unlikely that the pieces I played where written out by someone who doesn't play guitar and equally unlikely that they had more people doing such a short book. But if you are convinced that the transcriptions were made by a horn player then, sure. let us just not agree on that 😁

[@robertvanhousen1015]

Because they play guitar, does not mean they play it well, or that it is their main instrument. Not trying to be difficult, but look at the example of the silliness of which I speak. In Misty on the seventh bar, the A note in the B13 (written B7) could be confused as a double flatted B (A, and why not just notate that as a natural A) or looking at the key, it could be read as a triple flatted B or A flat, because there is already a Bb in the key (Bbbb). Wish I could post a pic in comments. It's just annoying when publishers in music allow transcriptions to be published in an unvetted fashion, especially from a fine guitarist like Joe.

[@JensLarsen]

@@robertvanhousen1015 I know misty from that book :) Actually it is just the chord symbol that is wrong, it is a Cb chord. if you want to get the theory right. You can never make stuff like that easy to read AND correct, but he clearly thought about it and made a choice, I think that deserves some respect.

[@kenkarsh]

I bought your books.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! I hope they were useful :)

[@guitarplayerfactorychannel]

Ted Greene.. and the George Van Eps "Harmonic Mechanisms" series, I, II, III.

[@Ronno4691]

Can I put a good word in for Progressive Jazz Guitar by Steve Sutton and Gary Turner? For a Jazz newbie, it's basic and uncluttered - I've had it since 1994 and it's taught me the basic Jazz chords in the Root 6, 5 and 4 positions, Scale Tone Chords and comes with an accompanying CD (No groans, please! Us beginners need all the help we can get). No lead guitar material, just chord progressions including Blues Progressions with chord substitutions. I can't afford private lessons, I have learning difficulties and can only absorb minuscule amounts of information at a sub-glacial pace so books and KZbin​ videos are the only way I can learn!

[@JensLarsen]

That's great! I don't know it so I can't really add to that :)

[@Ronno4691]

@@JensLarsenPublished by Koala Books of Australia. They have a number of technique books aimed at beginners and intermediate players. I'm going to get their Jazz Guitar Manual volume for my Xmas. I was going to get some books of Jazz licks instead but that's not the best way to learn Jazz!

[@RandyResnick]

Jens, are any of these available as Kindle or PDF for tablets? Recall I mentioned the other Ted Greene book, Chord Chemistry is, I have it on my (almost useless) Nexus 7. IU'ml guessing the same publisher made the one you mention available as well.

[@JensLarsen]

I have it on my Samsung tablet for kindle. The links are to to Kindle versions for all of the books if I remember correctly?

[@RandyResnick]

Sorry, my friend, I didn't look as I am not looking for books. At any rate, this is a great thing, because who needs all the paper! (ANd you can probably print a page or two of exercises if need be.

[@JensLarsen]

Very true! That's also how I have 4 of the 6 books :) And yes there is no need for paper these days! It used to be that my teachers all had a photo-copier in their house to copy stuff for students. Luckily we can save that space for other things (more guitars?)

[@philjudd3473]

You can also find them all available at Scribd. I just checked and they all there. I use it for music material a lot. You can subscribe and get them, and then suspend your account and monthly payment if you wish. I do it all the time and there is a million of these books on there easy access as PDF. But for hard copies Amazon is the best.

[@steveyastrowandcompany]

Jens do you know Barry Galbraith’s comping book. It’s awesome.

[@jodyguilbeaux8225]

i like to also reharmonize a melody of a song , i have tried sheet music but i find some errors in them. so most fake books only have about 2 or 3 songs that i would learn, so i will not use a fake book. i think any song i will try to learn in the future, i will transcribe playing in the chord melody style. i do have a library of jazz guitar techniques books like most guitarist have that i have collected over the past 30 years. we love our books .right ?

[@earthpart3]

What are some good modern jazz guitar albums

[@Ghadene]

What study of Kreutzer Etudes do you play on 06:55?

[@JensLarsen]

no 6 in the book :)