Hi Jazzy Players!
This is a questions and answers page. If you have any questions about the Jazzy Ukulele books or music in general please go to my "contact me page" and send me an email. I'll Answer it personally as soon as I can. Sometimes it takes a few days. If I think others might have a similar question I will post it here. Thanks, Glen
Q: Glen, Is your Jazzy Ukulele book available in print form, or only as an ebook? And what songs are in it? Thanks! Jon
A: Hi Jon, I don't mail out hard copies anymore but you can get one easily enough. I costs about $3-5 more. When you buy the book(s) on line take the PDF file on a flash drive to Kinkos, Staples, or the like, in your area. They will print a copy, give it a nice cover and bind a book for you for $3-5 to for the printing costs. Tell them to print it in booklet form on 11x17 paper. Print in B&W for an inexpensive book. A color print will cost more.
Q: What songs are in the Ukulele books?
The Jazzy Ukulele books aren't actual songbooks but jazz chord-pattern studies. You'll find that the patterns fit many parts of many jazz standards. The songs used for study are as follows. All songs are the same in the tenor (GCEA tuning) and baritone books (DGBE tuning)
Workbook 1 :Autumn Leaves, Mac the Knife, Fly Me to the Moon, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Love Letters, L-O-V-E.
Workbook 2: Satin Doll, Honey Suckle Rose, Don't Blame Me, Ghost of a Chance, I'm in the Mood For Love
Bossa Nova Book: Girl From Ipanema, Dindi, Corcovado, Watch What Happens, Meditation, Wave, The Look of Love, So That's a Samba, Day in the Life of a Fool.
Q: Hi Glen, are the video lessons compatible for Mac computers?
A: Yes, now all the videos are in MP4 format. If you get a video that is still in the old WMV format please let me know and I will send you the updated MP4 video file
Q. Do you recommend Aquila GCEA string sets for Baritone ukes? I ran across these on ebay, but have not found concert ones for baritone length as mentioned in your video. I currently play a Kala tenor, and am shopping for a baritone due to your influence.......Jim
A: Down load the “playing with a low G string” info sheet on my web site. Here’s what I use for my baritone ukulele when I use GCEA tuning:
For my YouTube videos I’m playing a baritone ukulele, but one strung with extra-long concert tuned strings (GCEA ). The bari body gives more depth in sound for jazz, but the GCEA tuning allows me to play along with smaller ukes. I rearrange the order in their order of thickness so I create a low G out of the set. In this instance, though it’s important to get the extra-long strings to accommodate the size of the baritone. You can order these special length strings online from various sources. One source I’ve used is www.elderly.com ( look for: Aquila nylgut baritone uke set-C tuning)
Baris can be a great addition to your uke collection. I keep some tuned GCEA and some with traditional DGBE tuning.
ALSO...Click here for a link to Southcoast Ukes. They make sets of low G strings for tenor ukes and baris tunes GCEA. They call them "Linear Strings" They have an amazing number of other special string sets. If you prefer re-entrant A-D-F#-B tuning they offer a low A set as well.
Q: I just downloaded your book. After closing it I tried to open it again and it and it is nowhere on the computer. Do a search for all PDF files. .....Scott ?
A: It probably is in your downloads folder. It should have saved itself automatically and planted itself there. The automated server allows a few downloads so if it was less than a week ago you can just go back to your mails inbox and re-download it .If by some chance it didn't save itself and you letrive and you have it foreve a week or so go by you may not be able to re-download it. Let me know if that happens. The links expire after a week or so. When you order something be sure to open the link for the book or video within the first week, then it will be on your hard dr.
Q: Is there a way to record our Skype lessons?
A: I have one student who records Skype lessons with the program and he says it works well.
http://www.supertintin.com/
Just do a google search for ,"record Skype video" and you will see lots of options.
Q: I am studying the melodies and trying to spot patterns. You say patterns always begun with minor chords (or just major patterns?)....Bruno
A: The answer to the general question about jazz patterns always beginning with some sort of minor chord....that is correct. The way I define them in the book, the major patterns always start with minor chords. ( whether they are 2-chord patterns or 3-chord patterns) The minor patterns will always begin with m7b5 chords. ( whether they are 2-chord patterns or 3-chord patterns)
- The jazz patterns in the book are actually what jazz players call ii-V-I patterns ( 2-5-1) or ii-V patterns (2-5).
- The major patterns ( ii-V-I ) derive from the major scale. The minor patterns (iib5b7- V7b9 - im ) derive from the harmonic minor scale.
If you see a minor 7 chord or minor 7b5 chord in a jazz chart it's generally the beginning of a jazz pattern. Sometimes it's not clear because of extra chord inserted in between the basic chords. A good professional fake book will help because they don't add too many extra chords.
I don't get into these theory explanations in the books because they only lead to more complex questions that require understanding music fundamental to explain them correctly. I find that students can enjoy working with jazz patterns without having to understand the theory behind them.
Q: I recently downloaded your jazzy ukulele book and I am really enjoying working through that. I am using mainly my concert uke to practice on and fitted a low "G" string as your recommendation. It does sound different. On page 26 you talk about "fake books" and wondered just what you meant by that? - Martin
A: Hi Martyn,
A fake book is a professional musicians term originally but now is part of the common parlance of music shops and customers in music stores. It is a big collection of popular songs with melody, words and chords only. No written piano arrangements like one finds when buying a single song sheet. The meaning of "fake" is to create or fake an instant arrangement using the chord symbols as your guide. The more experienced a player is the more smooth is the faked , spontaneous arrangement.
Not all fake books are good for serious players and students. I recommend the best known and purchasable books in the jazzy workbook. There are a preponderance of lousy fake books publishers put out that have bad and wrong chords. Why? We don't know but that's the reality.
Professional Musicians still have their own, non available to the public, jazz fake books they share with each other and use on gigs.
I always recommend the "Real Book" by Hal Leonard for a good fake book. The charts are written by jazz players and keep the chord progressions very clear so you can spot the jazz patterns a little more easily.
Look on the front, HOME page of the web site on the bottom and you will see a large photo of 106 Fake Books. Click on it to get linked to a web site that offers an incredible deal on digital jazz fake books. It's an astounding resource. You get many fake books on their DVD package.The 76 books collection has all the Real Books and the Blue Book, two of my favorites. You can order their bigger packages for even more books. Click here to go directly to their site: http://nwpianogallery.com/PLSheetMusic.html
Or buy the vocal version - has lyrics too:
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Vocal-Book-voice--Second/dp/0634060805/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312730446&sr=8-1
There are a lot of them offered by Hal Leonard. you can view the contents page when you google the books.They include a lot of real jazz tunes that non jazz players don't know. So it's good to look at the contents pages to see what you want.
Q: I have the bossa nova book. It seems to me that tuning for Girl from Ipanema are different than on the videos....Jean
A: There are two different videos for Ipanema on YouTube and both are in different keys but both tunes GCEA.
The Ipanema version in the book matched the vocal YouTube version in the key of F.
Link to YouTube at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWZFnL0QPBA
There is another instrumental version in the key of Bb. No singing on that one. I attached the music for that version for you in case you don't already have it. Here's the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r74KEYABacI
I am playing with a low G on my ukulele as I always do when playing jazz.
Q: When are you going to produce a book with all of the old standards words and chords. I had difficulty following your original books but eventually worked them out, Duggo?
A: Hi Duggo,I do wish I could include melody and lyrics in the Jazzy ukulele Books but my lawyer has informed I would be in copyright violation without the publishers consent and the publishers will not grant digital rights to anyone at this point. So all the books are chord studies and the chords happen to apply to many jazz standards.
Q: Is the Advanced Jazz Chords video difficult?
A: The "advanced" chords are actually easy to make. I designed it that way. no weird hand stretches.
They all develop out of the "A shape patterns" and you can get started with the Advanced Video after you get comfortable with those shapes. It's all about changing the middle chord in the pattern ever so slightly to get the groovy jazz sound. It's the same on piano or guitar too. Really very little needs to be done to create the exciting jazz chord sound.
Q: Hi Glen, Autumn Leaves is in the key of B/b. I went to the Jazz Standards Fake Book and changed it to the key of G. I followed your same chord progression, Am7, D9, Gmaj7, Cmaj7 etc., and it sounds great. However the chord structures are not moveable. So, for different keys do I just follow the chord progressions that you have set out and identified in your book?.
A: Yes, use the same same chord shapes in the books for all standards you want to play in all keys.
The way to go about it for instance with your transposing Autumn Leaves is to refer to the back of the book where you all see all the chords listed in the context of the Major Patterns and Minor Patterns.
One of the standard keys musicians play Autumn Leaves in is G, by the way , so it's a typical one.
So go to the charts on pg 24 and 25. The first major pattern in Autumn Leaves is the major pattern beginning with the Am7 chord, which I think you must have already sussed out.
You will see the corresponding pattern beginning one fret 5 in the second column. Voila!
For the minor pattern go to page 25 and look for the minor pattern beginning with the F#m7b5, it's also on fret 5 in the first column.
You only then have one chord left, the Cmaj7. Just search around the chord diagrams for the major patterns till you spot it. You will
on fret 5 in the first column of chords. You can choose between the Maj7 and the 6/9.
But...
I think you will find the chords will sound better if you get them down from where they are in this key to a lower part of the neck . you will want Workbook Two to accomplish this. Again, look for the major patterns ( page 42) beginning with Am7. It's on the first column beginning on fret 3. Viola!
Then look for the F#m7b5 in the minor patterns (page 43). You will find it in the second column. Voila!
Find the Cmaj7 chord and you will have all you need. Fret 1, second column of major patterns.
This is the method you will need for figuring all tunes. you will generally have to pull out a good number of individual chords just as you do for the Cmaj7 chord here.
Q: I've found your video very helpful in addition to the book. Thanks! However, I've been using an Oscar Schmidt baritone uke strung GCEA with a low G and have run into a problem just recently. The A string broke recently and when I have restrung it, two new strings have snapped before I'm finished tuning. I'm using the Aquila baritone set of strings. Have you run into this or do you know of others who have had this problem? The strings did not break at the nut or bridge, but along the fret board where there is no contact with anything.
A: Hi George,
My guess is that the new strings you are trying to put on the bari and tune to GCEA are normal bari DGBE strings. Their tensions are made to be correct at DGBE and when you try to tune them a 4th higher they are being stretched beyond their breaking point.
If you are tuning GCDA you need to use bari "concert tuning" strings. They are longer than small uke strings are the tensions are made for bari for this higher tuning. Their is no Low G set. Just rearrange the strings in their order of thickness like I describe in the tuning section of the workbook.
Not every music store has them. If yours doesn't look on line .
elderlymusic.com
AQUILA 23U BARITONE UKE SET
NYLGUT - C tuning (GCEA, "bass" side to treble side), all plain strings. Or try
southwestmusic.com
They have a Low G bari set and refer to them as Linear Sets.
Q: Can you give me any guidelines for jazzy melody chording....or does that come instinctively after a while?
A: Hi Gerry,
When you have all 4 sets of chord shapes for the major patterns and learn each chord separately in 4 different positions ( inversions) then the melody can always be found in one of those chord positions. Practice each chord in 4 places on the neck. Start with just mastering the minor chords. Then move on to the others the same way. If you learn the minor 7 in 4 places up the neck and you know your major patterns then each minor chord will give you the first chord of every major pattern. Every major pattern begins with the minor 7 chord.
The goal is to be able to create all the chords in 4 places on the neck. The melodies always somewhere in one of the positions. We try to keep the melody on the highest strings through out if possible.
Q: Glen. Your teaching method is the best I've seen. I bought your book and have thoroughly enjoyed your approach of learning combinations of chords rather than memorizing the names of chords and shapes. I was wondering if you have any recommendations for learning jazzy guitar the same way. Thanks, Mike
A: Mike,
Thanks for writing. I'm happy to hear you enjoy the approach and that it adds to your playing.
I do have a guitar book based on the exact same concepts. I actually wrote it first and then modeled the
ukulele books after it. Here's a link: www.gatewaytojazz.com
Q: Glen, The blues is nice to play, not every note seems like it has to be in the right place :)..Rob?
A: LOL! You've got that right.
Thats one of the beautiful things about the blues isn't it? The blues scales them selves violate all the nice and orderly rules of music with all their bending of notes and use of both a major and minor 3rd in the scales. It's more about the feel than any sort of accuracy...Glen
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