Modern Guitar Styles: Guitar Book & CD

This book cuts through the usual abstractions of jazz instruction by grounding every concept in actual guitar voicings, rhythmic feels, and harmonic movement. The inclusion of stereo-separated tracks lets players isolate the rhythm section or melody line, creating genuine play-along scenarios rather than just passive listening. It's rare to find a resource that covers this much stylistic ground (Blues, Bossa Nova, Samba, Swing, Salsa, Fusion, and Modern Jazz) while maintaining pedagogical clarity about what makes each style distinctive.

Working through these pieces offers the satisfaction of watching abstract jazz concepts take tangible form under your fingers. The recorded examples bring immediacy and authenticity to the page; you hear how swing feels different from bossa nova, how salsa demands a distinct comping approach, and how fusion blurs stylistic boundaries.

This book serves intermediate to advanced jazz guitarists who want to move beyond single-style vocabulary and build fluency across multiple jazz-related idioms. It's also valuable for guitar teachers seeking a structured resource that demonstrates how different rhythmic and harmonic approaches define individual styles.

• Use the balance control to isolate the rhythm guitar parts when you're first learning a piece; this reveals how comping patterns anchor each style's rhythmic character.
• Study the notation examples and chord diagrams alongside the recorded versions to see exactly how the composer voices changes and moves within phrases.
• Take advantage of the alternate mixes (guitar-free tracks) to simulate ensemble playing and develop your ability to respond to the rhythm section's timekeeping and groove.
• Focus on one style at a time rather than cycling through all of them; the harmonic and rhythmic logic within each genre deserves sustained practice before moving on.

Use this as a core resource in a jazz guitar elective or studio curriculum, assigning one style per week or month depending on the semester length. The portfolio of eleven compositions and their stylistic variety makes this ideal for building student awareness of jazz's breadth while maintaining focus on guitar-specific technique and voicing.

• Recognizing and executing rhythmic feels across Blues (major and minor), Bossa Nova, Samba, Swing, Salsa, Fusion, and Modern Jazz
• Voicing jazz chords and understanding how harmonic movement differs by style
• Comping patterns and rhythm guitar accompaniment appropriate to each idiom
• Melodic phrasing and call-and-response with recorded ensembles
• Improvisation within stylistically appropriate harmonic and rhythmic frameworks
• Listening and transcription skills through detailed notation and stereo-separated recording mixes