Whispering, Part 1: Chord Melody

from: Roots of Jazz Guitar with Matt Munisteri

This lesson is part of the course Roots of Jazz Guitar with Matt Munisteri.

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About This Course

Learn to play the 1920s and ’30s chord melody and rhythm guitar styles of Eddie Lang, Nick Lucas, Freddie Green, Carl Kress, and other early jazz greats. With chord melody solos to popular swing melodies, advanced rhythm guitar techniques, and acoustic jazz picking techniques.

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Chord Melody Basics, Part 1: Triad Inversions

In this lesson, you’ll learn some of the essential chord voicings you’ll need to know to start playing 1920s-style chord melody. Matt starts by showing you the three major triad voicings on the top three strings, explaining the difference between root position, first inversion, and third inversion. He also shows you how to turn major triads into minor triads and gives you some ideas about fingering the shapes so that you can move through the voicings with the least amount of finger movement, changing your fingerings so you have a guide finger between chords depending on where you’re going and where you’re coming from.

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The Roots of Jazz Guitar Subscription Includes:

67 extensive early jazz guitar video lessons
In-depth rhythm guitar lessons based on the styles of Eddie Lang, Freddie Green, Carl Kress, and more
45 complete songs and/or solos, including classic jazz guitar showpieces from Nick Lucas and Eddie Lang
Detailed notation and tablature for every lesson
Extensive chord melody lessons, with examples from the playing of Eddie Lang, Dick McDonough, Bucky Pizzarelli, and more
High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see closeups of both hands in action
New lessons added every month

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Whispering

Whispering, Part 1: Chord Melody

Whispering, Part 2: Variations

Whispering, Part 1: Chord Melody

The jazz standard “Whispering,” first published (and recorded by Paul Whiteman) in 1920 has a very 1920s sound, with some characteristic harmonic movement. You’ll learn a chord melody version of “Whispering” in the key of C in this lesson. Matt starts by playing though his arrangement and then goes through the chord voicings you’ll use to play it. He shows you the arrangement phrase by phrase, giving you advice on fingering to make the changes as smooth as you can. “Whispering” has a 32-bar form and the second half is exactly the same as the first half except for the last four bars.

"Whispering" (Available to subscribers)

Previous Lesson

← Bye Bye Blues, Part 2

Next Lesson

Whispering, Part 2: Variations →

Previous Lesson

← Bye Bye Blues, Part 2

Next Lesson

Whispering, Part 2: Variations →

Previous Lesson

← Bye Bye Blues, Part 2

Next Lesson

Whispering, Part 2: Variations →

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