This 32-page book is the latest release from guitarist Kevin Miller. If you’ve been following me from the start, you might have seen my review of Kevin’s first book, which also happens to be the first book I ever reviewed on this site!
Then I reviewed the version of that same book which was adapted for publication by Mel Bay, and the most recent book, Unlocking the Neck: A Comprehensive Approach Using One Major Scale by Kevin Miller reviewed earlier this year.
This new book is divided into 7 chapters, and is basically a heavy concept based book. What that means is that Kevin gives us a lof of different kinds of exercises we can use, and not necessarily expounding on each concept as detailed as you might if the chapters were standalone books.
The chapters are:
- Building Lines From Melody Guide Tones
- Voice Leading
- Building Exercises
- Sound and Phrasing
- Rhythm
- Internal Processes
- An Introduction to Free Improvisation
In the first chapter, Kevin introduces different ideas that you can play when using specific melody guide tones. This is something that I already do but it’s interesting to see how Kevin demonstrated it.
In the second chapter, Kevin explores a bunch of voiceled chords that are derived from different voiceleading concepts.
In the third chapter. Building Exercises, Kevin demonstrates the core thinking behind how he turns concepts into exercises, regardless of chord quality. This chapter to be honest is really like a mini-masterclass in coming up with musical exercises for etudes that you might see in published books or (perhaps a more current context) YouTube videos.
In chapter four, Sound and Phrasing, Kevin shares various ways to vary and shape your sound using melodic fragments, scales and long tones. The exercise and parameters he suggested with long tones reminds me of similar ideas that I learned from Jon Damian’s book, The Guitarist’s Guide to Composing and Improvising. That being said, Kevin brings up some interesting ideas here that I feel is rarely (if ever) discussed on guitar.
Moving on to the fifth chapter, Rhythm, it starts getting even more involved with concepts that are really not that commonly taught for guitar (except in more geeky rhythm guitar + polyrhythm interested circles). This chapter in particular is super interesting. The only thing is that I believe this chapter could really benefit with supporting backing tracks and demonstrations of the examples. That would help out anyone who might be new to the topic (even if they are advanced in other areas of their guitar playing).
In chapter six, Ear Training/Voice Leading Exercises, these really feel like “heavy” exercises that I used to get from my teachers during my time as a music college student. These are kind of open ended, and the value of the exercise is not easily measurable in the short run. That being said, it makes perfect sense to have these kinds of exercises since the book is, in fact, an advanced book.
Closing the book, is the final chapter, An Introduction to Free Improvisation. This is a topic that I love since I have spend much of my musical development exploring free improvisation as a means of developing my compositional and improvisational sense. Kevin’s introduction is both concise and helpful. I wish I had this when I started exploring free improvisation. It would have helped a lot!
All in all, this is a book for late intermediate or advanced jazz guitarists. If you’re only starting to play jazz guitar, I would really recommend checking out a website like Chase’s Guitar Academy (reviewed here) to build a strong foundation. This book is for those who have already their basics down but want to develop their skills more creatively.
For the right kind of person, this book would be the kind of book you leave on your music stand, open 1 or 2 pages, find a concept to work on, and then explore that for 10, 20, 30, 50, 90 minutes… until you decide to check out something else. If you are already at that stage of your playing development, or if you are generally a driven person with immense focus, then this book might be for you.
If not, you might end up complaining about how open the book is, or that it doesn’t give spoon fed steps, or it is too little at 32 pages…. and although you might be correct, you would miss out the value of the book, since what it really means is that you are not ready for the book. You dig?
Pros: Cool book for serious jazz guitarists. Lots of useful exercises, but very DIY in that sense.
Cons: None.
TLDR: If you’re looking for more creative ways to develop your jazz guitar skills, this book might be for you (but only if you already have your fundamentals down pat).
Get your copy here:
[Mel Bay]
[Paperback and Kindle]
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