Most Helpful Exercises For Jazz

[Chris Templeton]

What do you consider jazz? The C6 neck?
In Buddy's C6th course this picking excercise was my favorite:
Thumb- Middle finger (some people favor the first) T-T-M-M-T-T-M-M-T-T- etc.

[Dale Rottacker]

What do you consider jazz? The C6 neck?
In Buddy's C6th course this picking excercise was my favorite:
Thumb- Middle finger (some people favor the first) T-T-M-M-T-T-M-M-T-T- etc.

I play a LOT of Jazz, not because I understand it, but because I hit a lot of notes I didn't intend on hitting.

I prefer T M too, but when I watch video of me playing I used my index finger more than I realize.

Something else I never developed, is the TT as a successive fingering thing ... I have no trouble with hitting more than one string with my thumb if I'm playing 4 note chords, but successive notes with my thumb as part of a lick I apparently have not worked on enough as I find it really difficult, especially if there's any speed involved and anything over 60bpm is what I consider speed picking

[Fred Treece]

I could be mistaken, Dale, but I think that TTMM exercise is just that - meant to get you used to using those two digits and building up the muscle control. Watching videos of Buddy play, I don’t see him doing consecutive hits with thumb or middle when doing fast single 8th or 16th notes - it’s always TM alternating, unless it’s a rake. When playing slower melodies, I often see him use thumb-only single note strikes.

[Tim Toberer]

What do you consider jazz? The C6 neck?

Jazz is as much an approach as a style of music I guess. Anything can be played as a jazz tune. Like from Time Changes Everything "rearrange it and make it swing". I am really just looking to expand my application of theory, expand my repertoire into the standards and get some more density in my playing. I suppose with exercises I am trying to improve my dexterity and muscle memory around more complex chord movements.

In Buddy's C6th course this picking excercise was my favorite:
Thumb- Middle finger (some people favor the first) T-T-M-M-T-T-M-M-T-T- etc.

Thanks for this exercise! I have comparatively odd approach to picking because I don't usually wear picks and I use T-I-M-R fingers, the same way I do on guitar. I know of at least a few other steel players who have done this. As of now I am mostly just a chord melody player, and I play a lot of 3 and 4 note chords. I want to learn more scales and learn how to do single note solos. An exercise like this will certainly help with single note playing.

[Tim Toberer]

Watching videos of Buddy play, I don’t see him doing consecutive hits with thumb or middle when doing fast single 8th or 16th notes - it’s always TM alternating, unless it’s a rake. When playing slower melodies, I often see him use thumb-only single note strikes.

How is he blocking in between these faster runs? Is he just palm muting? I probably am developing tons of bad habits in the picking area.

[Dale Rottacker]

Watching videos of Buddy play, I don’t see him doing consecutive hits with thumb or middle when doing fast single 8th or 16th notes - it’s always TM alternating, unless it’s a rake. When playing slower melodies, I often see him use thumb-only single note strikes.

How is he blocking in between these faster runs? Is he just palm muting? I probably am developing tons of bad habits in the picking area.

Seems to me I read that Buddy once said when talking about blocking, that he uses whatever is readily available. Picks, palm, thumb, thumb by the bar, pulling bar back ... I've seen Buddy even pick the bar up at times, which I was always told was a no no when I was starting. Someone forgot to tell Buddy.