Writing For Big Band Part 15: Guitar

[@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj]

Thank you,Maestro.⭐🌹😎🌹⭐

[@cisraels]

Beautiful and evocative examples, as always. More people should hear Steve Brown. One important detail about "Four on the Floor": the guitarist doesn't normally play full quarter notes, even as the bass player (with whom the guitarist is otherwise joined at the hip--(OK, lousy pun) plays full length notes without silent space between them, using the natural decay of the acoustic bass to produce a balance between percussion and legato,. The guitarist (listen closely to Freddie Green) actually plays quarter note triplets on each quarter note beat, with the last triplet of the quarter note used to damp the strings and move to the next position on the fretboard. The end of the guitar player's note is as rhythmic as the attack. And I couldn't be in more agreement that this is next to impossible to do effectively with an amplified guitar, although I know some who've done it well with minimal amplification, and usually with only two note chords, played with the flesh of the thumb.

[@ner1971]

This is an excellent overview David. For the most part I am in full agreement with you. I will say that there is a lot of subtlety and nuance to playing (rhythm) guitar in a big band/jazz orchestra, which both you and Chuck Israels (in the Comments here) touch upon. To that I will add, that even when players such as the great Freddie Green sounded 1-2 notes in his chords, he/they typically continued to fret full chord forms, muting adjacent strings, and effectively playing up to 5 strings with the muted strings used for percussive effect only (with some overtones of course). Again, this is next to impossible to pull off on an electric instrument. And to amplify what Chuck says, the quarter note a good rhythm guitarist plays can vary a great deal in terms of decay, attack, etc. Mechanically, there is a lot going on in the left hand to control dynamics, even while the player is holding the 4/4 beat nice and steady.

[@AlecKatz]

Very enjoyable, informative and educative as always. Great examples. Thank you David!

[@christiandancy]

Thanks David!!