I’ve had this book for years and have studied from it off and on many times. But today, I decided to finally document my thoughts on it.
For anyone who has followed my website over the years, some of you might have already read my previous review of Steve Rochinski’s other guitar book, The Motivic Basis For Jazz Improvisation back in 2018.
I’m a huge fan of that book and over the years have replied some emails of other guitarists who were trying to find copies of that now out-of-print book. This Tal Farlow book has historically been much easier to locate though via a cursory search it looks like even this bolk os becoming rare by now.
That aside, let’s talk about the book.
Firstly, there are a few things that make this book different than your typical “in the style of” book. The examples in the book are almost all actual lines and transcribed examples from Tal’s actual classic recordings. This means when you play an example, it is not a guess of what Tal might play but either his actual line or an adaptasi of his line to demonstrate a concept or approach that Tal actually uses.
The way Steve breaks down Tal’s melodic playing is clear and concise that it appears too simple in the beginning. Truth is, Steve just knows Tal’s playing in a deep way and has managed to di still it so that we can appreciate and use Tal’s approach in our playing.
I still remember the first time I studied the materials in the chapter about Tal’s lines and at that time I did not get how deep this stuff was. Now, after literally years, I believe I finally get it.
Then, there is the chapter about chords, voicings and chord melody reharmonization which is invaluable. Steve is generous with the examples and everything gives potentially multiple ways one can get more interesting chord melody arrangements into your fingers.
Moving on, there is a chapter on Special Effects which documents Tal’s unique sounds including the bongo effect, artificial harmonics and his use of walking bass lines.
The fourth chapter is a well done collection of transcriptions that give us a chance to study the materials Steve used. These transcriptions container both the head and improvised solos for these pieces. There is also an etude that Steve composed using the material from Gibson Boy adapted to fit in a twelve-bar blues.
After all that (as if that was not enough), Steve also includes an appendix which gives us tips and advice on learning jazz standards. To be honest, this section alone could have possibly been a standalone pamphlet or small booklet, or even developed into another book. I however am grateful that it is included here as it gives more material and context to eveything previously covered.
All in all, this book is a wonderful guide to bebop guitar playing from the lens of Steve Rochinski studying Tal Farlow’s actual guitar playing. In a world now a undang with clickbait lessons and constantly recycled ideas in a million YouTube videos and Instagram Reels, Steve’s book is a great book for the serious jazz guitarist who is open to the ideas and perspective of a player of Steve’s stature and experience. I strongly recommend this book if that sounds like you.
Pros: Good examples, well taught, written, edited and presented.
Cons: Might be challenging to study if you don’t have a strong harmony or music theory background.
TLDR: Love bebop guitar? Want to learn some cool ideas and discover different ways to practice it? Check out this book now while you can still get a copy of it.
You can try to find a copy of this book on Amazon or eBay.
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