books you've found helpful?

[DavidParticipant]

Hi Rick (and everybody else I didnt know if you had any recommendations of books that you have found helpful? I know you have mentioned Hal Galpers’ “forward motion” book in one of your videos, do you have any others that may be beneficial to read/study?

[Rick StoneKeymaster]

I highly recommend the William G. Leavitt books; Modern Method for Guitar Complete 12&3, Melodic Rhythms for Guitar, Sight-Reading Method, etc. While not exactly “jazz” books, they’re an invaluable reference for technique, reading and general musicianship.

The good old Mickey Baker “How to Play Jazz Guitar” has been around for years, but is still an excellent source for learning rhythm section chords and some basic substitution principles.

Another great resource for chords is the Joe Pass “Guitar Chords” book. It’s just kind of a grab-bag of voicings grouped into Major, Minor and Dominant, but they all sound good and can help get you out of a rut.

Mick Goodrick’s “The Advancing Guitarist” is another one with some great ideas.

Mark Levine’s “Jazz Piano Book” and “Jazz Theory Book” answer a ton of questions that most players have.

A couple excellent books that deal more with internal processes are Jonathan Harnum’s “The Practice of Practice” and Kenny Werner’s “Effortless Mastery.” I drawn a lot of inspiration as a teacher from both of them.

I’m short on time right now, but I’ll probably come back when I think of some more.

[DavidParticipant]

Thanks very much Rick for the suggestions, I’ll have to check them out!

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