Every person has a style that works with the style of a teacher. I appreciate this style of teaching. It works well for my playing. Seem like a good person
Nice discussion, supremely clear. Reducing chords to shell basics has really cleaned things up for me and helped me move forward, adding notes as needed. As a related benefit, the simplicity helps one learn the fingerboard locations of all the notes.
Hi Paul. Yours is going to be the only other video I comment on, the first was from "Sound Guitar Lessons" dealing with this same topic. As I said there, I grew up playing in the era of rock. And just like thousands of other self taught players, what and all I knew about chords were the shapes of bar chords and the ninth shape, that's pretty much it. After playing for what is now over 50 years, the most challenging part of jazz or latin or even accompanying a vocalist or instrumentalist is "unlearning" what we know. It's hard because that's what we have always relied on. It's hard to know you have to go from G to C without just laying your hands over the entire neck and strumming all the strings, making way too much noise. My teacher is all about the Zen of a single note, played beautifully and with expression. Shell voicings are the logical extension of that concept. There is a truth in the concept of "less is more." So Thank You from all of us who recognize the need but are struggling with the implementation!
...good info. The real benefit for the student is showing how the chord shapes are constructed. This is a video a beginner can watch repeatedly until the techniques are engrained. Thanks much. Subscribed.
Thanks very interesting and helpful, I’m not a jazz musician but I love playing lead along to jazz chords , I’m more blues based with very little theory ... this has been very useful thank you again
jakemf1 good idea, thanks! I was just doing this as a one video thing but seeing that it was helpful I am going to make it into an extended series so I will certainly be doing that.
Hey great video! So I guess now I'm wondering how I can sort of contextualize these voicings into something to practice in chord scales. Like to me as of now (someone whos been playing for years, but relatively new to focusing on shell voicings) based on your video it seems there are 2 kinds of shell voicings. (1) R 3 7 and (2) R 7 3. This causes the spacing so there's a string skip right? I guess then I just wonder do you practice inversions with these too? As in then 7 3 R and whatnot. I'd just like to get these in a form where I can go up and down and learn all the inversions and practice them in songs the same way I did with drop2 and drop3 chords. Also - what voicing do you use for 7sus4 chords or sus2 chords? Would you just do R 4 7 ? and R 2 7?
Are there any good standards that you think are particularly good to practice this material on? Most people say Autumn Leaves but do you have any other recommendations that you think would be good? Thanks!
The ones Jens mentioned are good. Usually the tunes I have students start with are ones that don’t change keys or don’t change much. That is one reason why Autumn Leaves is suggested so often since it stays in the key center going between relative major and minor through the song. But if you are only doing chords then you can choose anything just to practice finding where to play the shell voicings. A good one to really get into shell voicings all over the neck is All The Things You Are. It would be challenging to improvise over as a beginner because of the key changes but in terms of playing these voicings it is great. Some other good ones could be Summertime, There Will Never Be Another You, Blue Bossa (or any bossa like Wave, How Insensitive, etc), I’ll Remember April, any blues, any rhythm changes (like Oleo, Dexterity). Basically you will see many common chord progressions between jazz standards so the main goal will be playing enough chord changes that you can find what to play and where to play them reliably (which is basically being comfortable with these voicings and where the notes are on the 5th and 6th strings so that you can place them where they should go)
Sandro Elbers you can’t do beginner videos without talking. In an actual lesson it is not one sided but in a teaching video there's no way around needing to explain things thoroughly.
Every person has a style that works with the style of a teacher. I appreciate this style of teaching. It works well for my playing. Seem like a good person
Nice discussion, supremely clear. Reducing chords to shell basics has really cleaned things up for me and helped me move forward, adding notes as needed. As a related benefit, the simplicity helps one learn the fingerboard locations of all the notes.
Hi Paul. Yours is going to be the only other video I comment on, the first was from "Sound Guitar Lessons" dealing with this same topic. As I said there, I grew up playing in the era of rock. And just like thousands of other self taught players, what and all I knew about chords were the shapes of bar chords and the ninth shape, that's pretty much it. After playing for what is now over 50 years, the most challenging part of jazz or latin or even accompanying a vocalist or instrumentalist is "unlearning" what we know. It's hard because that's what we have always relied on. It's hard to know you have to go from G to C without just laying your hands over the entire neck and strumming all the strings, making way too much noise. My teacher is all about the Zen of a single note, played beautifully and with expression. Shell voicings are the logical extension of that concept. There is a truth in the concept of "less is more." So Thank You from all of us who recognize the need but are struggling with the implementation!
Thank you so much Paul. I’m facing the normal overwhelm! Jens Larsen, from Denmark, is also a very good instructor.
Excellent lesson. I’ve been playing 20 years but only just started theory. This helped a lot 🤙
...good info. The real benefit for the student is showing how the chord shapes are constructed. This is a video a beginner can watch repeatedly until the techniques are engrained. Thanks much. Subscribed.
Just discovered. Very grateful for this super insightful lesson. Best wishes from India.
Thanks very interesting and helpful, I’m not a jazz musician but I love playing lead along to jazz chords , I’m more blues based with very little theory ... this has been very useful thank you again
Great video Paul! 👍🙂
Jens Larsen thanks Jens! On the last video and this one I’ve been trying really hard not to “umm” 😂
Haha! You can always edit your videos as well :)
thanks Paul, found your video looking for shell chords. good lesson
Very clear and helpful Paul
12:26 spooky diminished progression woke the cat up!
Paul, very nice and clear definition of shell chords. Thanks, I have subscribed.
Excellent info. Thanks very much.
great video! thank you.
Thank you, was really good to see that.
Great beginner video, Paul.
Michael Brendzel thanks!
Great stuff, looking forward to more.
Thank you great
Great performance, Thx a lot
How about comp through a standard so we can see your choices for voicing and connections, how about to work this into a chord melody for a tune
jakemf1 good idea, thanks! I was just doing this as a one video thing but seeing that it was helpful I am going to make it into an extended series so I will certainly be doing that.
Hey great video! So I guess now I'm wondering how I can sort of contextualize these voicings into something to practice in chord scales. Like to me as of now (someone whos been playing for years, but relatively new to focusing on shell voicings) based on your video it seems there are 2 kinds of shell voicings. (1) R 3 7 and (2) R 7 3. This causes the spacing so there's a string skip right? I guess then I just wonder do you practice inversions with these too? As in then 7 3 R and whatnot. I'd just like to get these in a form where I can go up and down and learn all the inversions and practice them in songs the same way I did with drop2 and drop3 chords.
Also - what voicing do you use for 7sus4 chords or sus2 chords? Would you just do R 4 7 ? and R 2 7?
I think you can just make up whatever you con conjure up. The notes are right there.
Are there any good standards that you think are particularly good to practice this material on? Most people say Autumn Leaves but do you have any other recommendations that you think would be good? Thanks!
You can do it with most tunes. Try All The Things You Are, Fly Me To the Moon and Satin Doll 🙂
The ones Jens mentioned are good. Usually the tunes I have students start with are ones that don’t change keys or don’t change much. That is one reason why Autumn Leaves is suggested so often since it stays in the key center going between relative major and minor through the song. But if you are only doing chords then you can choose anything just to practice finding where to play the shell voicings. A good one to really get into shell voicings all over the neck is All The Things You Are. It would be challenging to improvise over as a beginner because of the key changes but in terms of playing these voicings it is great. Some other good ones could be Summertime, There Will Never Be Another You, Blue Bossa (or any bossa like Wave, How Insensitive, etc), I’ll Remember April, any blues, any rhythm changes (like Oleo, Dexterity). Basically you will see many common chord progressions between jazz standards so the main goal will be playing enough chord changes that you can find what to play and where to play them reliably (which is basically being comfortable with these voicings and where the notes are on the 5th and 6th strings so that you can place them where they should go)
Great explanation. Thanks!
Hi Paul - thanks - another good one! Q. re .: the dim7 shell voicing. Couldn't that also function as a min6 chord?
Hello Paul, would you consider doing lessons on Skype? Thanks, Fred
my man
Geezus, someone please explain to me how this is a beginners video!!!
Talk talk talk talk talk 😿
Sandro Elbers you can’t do beginner videos without talking. In an actual lesson it is not one sided but in a teaching video there's no way around needing to explain things thoroughly.