Jazz and the Classical Guitar

Book excerpt: This book is designed to familiarize classical guitarists with the musical vocabulary of jazz, and to encourage jazz guitarists to explore the beautiful sonorities and limitless expressive potential of the classical guitar. the first half of the book contains theoretical explanations focused on harmonic analysis of the types of chord changes and song forms one routinely encounters in the jazz repertoire, as it demonstrates the application of all twelve notes of the chromatic scale to any chord in any situation. the second half of the book is comprised of Ken Hatfield's original compositions and transcriptions of his improvised solos. Both the tunes and the transcribed solos demonstrate how the theoretical material in the first half of the book can be artfully applied within the context of compositions representing three musical genres that have served as wellsprings of renewal throughout jazz's deep and illustrious history: blues, rhythm changes, and standards. the 14-track companion CD includes all the music from the second half of the book. the music is recorded in a variety of contexts, including solo, duo, trio, and quartets of differing strumentations. Two of the songs are designed so that the student can play along with the rhythm section. Twelve songs feature Ken playing the heads and the solos. Ten of these are transcribed in their entirety, while two leave the solos for the student to transcribe (in total or in part) as ear training exercises.