> My problem is that for the last 2 years it seems that my practicing has
> lead me no where. My recent teachers have not been able to answer this
> question. I am interested in the styles of Tuck Andress and Joe Pass.
> Does anyone have a systematic approach to practicing that would help me
> achieve this style?
>
> I also should add that I have not been able to find an artist in straight
> ahead Jazz or fusion that I like. i.e. Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker.
> this has caused a problem because I have no one to transcribe.
>
> I have instruction videos by Tuck Andress and Joe Pass and they both
> mention that when comping they have a melody line in their mind that they
> are using to play through the changes. I realize the importance of
> melodic playing, but since I have not found a straight ahead player to
> copy I am having trouble learning the style that interests me.
I find some of this very odd. Others have already stated the obvious
that you can get to work copying Andress and Pass, but I also wonder
why no other players have interested you. It's certainly a big world
of music and players out there, and none of us are qualified to tell
you who you "should" like, but one suggestion is to broaden your tastes
a little. Players such as Andress and Pass are an amalgam of a lifetime
of listening to all kinds of players and music; they didn't just pick
one or two players to learn from and then shut their ears to anything
else. I don't mean to critisize you, but what you have stated comes
off sounding as though you haven't given the jazz greats much of a
chance.
Joe Pass wrote a book called "The Joe Pass Guitar Style" (with a student
of his named Bill Thrasher) which I consider to be one of the
quintessential jazz books available. If you are looking to learn more
about melody playing the 2nd half of the book is mostly lines and
solos the way Joe played them, based on familiar chord patterns, with
just enough theory to get the point across without clouding things up.
IMHO it's much more informative than his video, which in true Hot
Licks fashion was a pretty haphazard affair. The book is now published
and available from Mel Bay Publications.
Clay Moore