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Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian is a guitarist
of immeasurable importance. The effect of his art and influence is inescapable
and carries far-reaching implications. Historically, Christian was the
first to play the electric guitar in the way we now associate with modern
players—he was the first player to develop a style indigenous to the electric
guitar and was the first important improviser on the instrument. He was
the first electric guitarist to formalize the jazz language on his instrument.
Charlie Christian was also the first to
make a meaningful impact on both the popular and jazz music of the time.
No guitarist before and few since have matched or surpassed Christian in
his tremendous sense of swing, his feeling for the blues in jazz, his long
flowing single-note lines, or any other of the basic components of his
style.
Stylistically, Charlie Christian was a
jazz musician and an adept improviser. Like all important improvisers,
he developed a "bag of tricks," a personal repertoire of melodic formulas
that were used as source materials in the course of his improvisation.
These consisted of well-practiced melodic patterns which allowed him to
approach his improvisations with a precomposed coherency. He discovered
countless ways to transform, combine and phrase his source materials so
that no two choruses were exactly alike yet they shared an ingratiating
familiarity.
What were those patterns?
Read on...but don't leave your guitar
behind.
GUITARLAND LESSONS: THE CHARLIE CHRISTIAN GUITAR STYLE
You can hear the licks, learn the techniques in depth and find out much more about the Charlie Christian guitar style...
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