Why is jazz guitar the hardest style to play?

MDB Says:
9. September 2011 at 9:51 am

Because it generally require that you know what you are doing, and have some real knowledge of music, not this tab crap, real music. Most guitar players these days don’t bother to learn what they are doing, just play the monkey see monkey do stuff, ie: Tab

ryan_johnston435 Says:
9. September 2011 at 9:51 am

Because you need to understand your theory to the point you don’t have to think anymore. Your ears have to be very good so that if you lose your place, you can pick it up quickly. You also need to understand, by ear, how the chords flow together because in a higher level setting, you won’t have a chart in front of you.

Then again, it’s a matter of practice. Many things are far less difficult that people make them out to be. Many pros mess up, you just can’t tell. They ‘paint their way out of a corner’ to paraphrase Joe Pass.

Sometimes even they have no idea what’s going on. They just play with such authority that you would swear it was always that way. You have to ‘own the song’, as Ray Brown said.

Steve R Says:
9. September 2011 at 9:51 am

because jazz music has an incredible ammount of changes in it

Bijon S Says:
9. September 2011 at 9:51 am

I wouldn’t honestly consider it the hardest style to play, but it is a hard style to master. For in Jazz, you have to learn music theory to be able to play it, you have to learn chords, scales, and just a lot of theory that most guitarists that play Metal or, I don’t know, Rock would never learn. You also have to learn comping to solos and on general songs, it’s tedious but worth it in the end.