1-2-3 Jazz Missing Jam Tracks?

[Marvel627]

Hey guys, I'm just getting back into guitar again after about a 2 year period of not having practiced, and am finding Mr Vignola's course an excellent way to review some essentials and have some fun. However, I find that he'll often say "call up the jam track ",while there is no link to it, or any other materials. Am I crazy, or have some links just not been added yet?

[gadlaw]

Hey there Marvel! Sorry I didn't see your post until just now, the new design sometime hides posts under the top level post of a section. Anyways, I pulled up my copy of Frank Vignola's 123 Jazz which I had downloaded when it came out. I opened it up to find the jam tracks in the files and you can see in the one picture they are there. The first one is for April Showers and they go from there. When I went to that video the option to pull up the jam tracks and the other options were there as you can see from my screen capture.
Next I went to the online version and found the video for April Showers and I can see that the options for the jam tracks are there. Clicking on the Jam button and I see that the jam track is downloading. I have downloaded the jam track and it is playing right now on my winamp player. It comes in as a 5.4meg mp3 file.
So long story short, I found the jam tracks online and on my downloaded version. I went to the April Showers 'Play-A-Long' first because it was first alphabetically in my file folder but as I review I see that the jam tracks are there for all the play-a-long lessons. So the question is whether you are with a download version, a disk version or the online version and whether or not you can find the jam tracks for the Rhythm Guitar Play-along lessons.

[Marvel627]

Oh ok , sorry about that, on my part. I havent yet gotten that far in the course, I was looking at the Swing Rhythm, Charleston Rhythm, Latin Rhythm videos/ playalongs which do not have accompanying audio files, but I guess thats just the way the course is. It seemed to me like the jam tracks (which are just one chord jams) would be available for those.

[gadlaw]

Oh ok , sorry about that, on my part. I havent yet gotten that far in the course, I was looking at the Swing Rhythm, Charleston Rhythm, Latin Rhythm videos/ playalongs which do not have accompanying audio files, but I guess thats just the way the course is. It seemed to me like the jam tracks (which are just one chord jams) would be available for those.

I haven't looked through all of the videos but on the Swing Rhythm video I'm watching now he's just playing the one G Major 7th chord and then on the second one he's playing that G Major 7th Chord with a backing track that does sound pretty low but then he's trying to get you to play the one chord in rhythm. Watching him play and following along with him does seem to be the track, and he mentions looping the video to keep playing along.
What might be a bit confusing is that there isn't a diagram for the Chord he's talking about although he does demonstrate the chord in the video. I paused the video and used my Neck Diagrams software to chart the chord he uses for you. That should get you through the Swing Rhythm part.

[gadlaw]

Okay, took a look at Frank and the chord he is using for the Charleston Rhythm - the C Dominant 9th Chord. Here is the pause where he is demonstrating the chord and here is the diagram of it using Neck Diagrams software. I also remembered to look at his fingering and included that as well - further clarification of what you can see from Frank himself.

[Marvel627]

wow, thanks for all the help Gadlaw! I did already have the fingerings down, Frank did make them pretty clear in his explanation, I was just thinking that the backing track that plays low in the background while Frank tells you to play along for those rhythms might be available on its own. I thought it might be cool to see if I could nail the rhythm/feel on my own without Frank playing along on those. I know its pretty fundamental stuff, very basic, but I'm really trying to make sure I'm right on the click, and in the pocket. For example, the Swing/Freddie Green rhythm is bonehead simple, so in order to really feel it I dont think I can play 90% on the beat, but rock solid on it, and try to be consistent and play those 4 beats with a solid feel. Its no trouble, I've been playing along with a metronome at all tempos and trying to see if I can really nail being in the pocket on all beats (I have a tendency to come in a little early on the 1 of the next measure).

[murrayatuptown]

Yeah, he does make it clear, but my fingers don't agree (yet) on the dominant 9 chord, at least down close to the nut!

If I get strings 1-4 sounding clean and try to add the 5th, I keep muting the 4th string. I can get it with all kinds of arm and wrist twisting, which I don't want to do, but it kind of encourages me that maybe the right posture, actually using the strap and maybe standing instead of having a big fat guitar in my lap might make a difference.

I figure he chose the fingerings he did for a number of reasons...like the Major 7 chord which is a lot easier than the wide-spread one he has suggested elsewhere (like workshops where he has people play along).

I figure the 4th finger is going to be called to do something later, maybe not in this course, but some altered dominant thing in Modern Method, like #9 or b13.

This is my lunchtime listening on the headphones lately.

[Marvel627]

I've had the same problem! Getting all the notes to ring loud and clear as soon as I grip the chord is definitely a bit of a challenge for me, I really need to work on getting my fingers in optimal position (e.g. keeping my second and third fingers well arched to avoid muting the strings below them). I've just been grabbing the chord every day, trying to implant it in my mind, as well as switching into and out of it at low metronome speed.

[kurtdaniel]

before i was having trouble with that too, that is why is enrolled in guitar lessons.. good thing i read this thread..