Your letters to the Guitarist editor. Drop us a line at guitarist@futurenet.com

The late Chick Corea stressed the importance of making deliberate choices within your music

Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns

STAR LETTER

ALL THAT JAZZ…

Re Jamie’s editorial (issue 469). After many years of playing and listening to jazz I agree that a decent amount of theory can be helpful, but don’t allow yourself to get hung up on it. Major and minor scales are good to know, but don’t get trapped into playing them in solos, even more so with modes, which some players seem to think are an end in themselves. They’re just tools, not rules written in stone to be followed regardless of their suitability to the music at hand.

Don’t just listen to guitar players, either – many of my favourite musicians are saxophonists, pianists or trumpeters. Most important of all: listen. It takes a long time for the sound of jazz to become embedded, but it’s worth it. Find players who are better than you to jam with. You’ll never get rich, but most musos will tell you that the ability to play jazz is its own reward. Ian Andrew, via email

Many thanks for those valuable perspectives, Ian. When jazz giant Chick Corea died recently a hand-typed list of musical tips, which was attributed to him, did the rounds of the internet. Entitled CheapButGoodAdviceOnPlayingMusic InABand, the document contained some simple but powerful ideas, including this excellent one: “Don’t make any of your music mechanically or just through patterns or habit. Create each sound, phrase or piece with choice – deliberately.”