Hi! I don't usually post, but I'm willing to state my case on
guidetones. I don't think they are the most valuable tool at your
disposal, but I still think they should be given some some consideration.
Just speaking melodically, many jazz melodies consist almost entirely of
3rds and 7ths(All The Things You Are) or have 3rds and 7ths on the
downbeat(Autumn Leaves). Therefore, it is usually considered safe to
center improvisations around guidetones. The problem is when this is
used as the sole means of improvisation, and people leave their ear out
of the equation entirely. I had a friend who would just try to hit a 3
and a 7 in every measure because he had read about guidetones. This will
obviously fail. However, it is not necessarily a bad thing for beginners
to know, and use with some discretion.
Mark L. Jenkins
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