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This is amazing. I'm a classical guitarist and pianist (not any good, but it's very clearly the way I'm oriented). Jazz just seems to escape me, although I work

• darethas 9y ago
  Within my own self, I have a dichotomy. When I am on the piano and reading from sheet music, I feel "classical." I am a bit more deliberate and I stumble a few times. When I am on my guitar, I mostly play by ear and feel. I throw on a backing track and just improvise the entire time. Anything accidental slips I have get incorporated into what I am playing. I have tried to reverse the two (play classical guitar, and improve piano) and I simply cannot, or I look like an absolute beginner.
• dahart 9y ago
  Depends a bit on what you're trying to do, but jazz requires a lot more theory up front in order to be good at it. It might be extra difficult to approach jazz as a classical musician, to try and use the same tools and techniques. There might be ways to think about jazz that make it a lot easier for you, if you are interested. One of the things that has really helped me with jazz is going through the older standards and singing the voice line while comping the chords on the guitar. Not only is it super fun to play and sing at the same time, but it gives a much better understanding of why the chords are there and what they're trying to do.