Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Bb & F are very common in Jazz.
Horns. Sax, Trumplet...

I love key of Eb for blues!

Tomo

Do you ever tune down a 1/2 step to Eb?
That used to really mess me up when I tried to play along with people that do that when all I knew were the cowboy chords :-)
Kurt

Thank you Kurt.... Lightnin' Hopkins feel... between Eb & D.... Fun!

Tomo

When I started to study jazz, I noticed that there are more F blues or Bb Blues so horns prefered those keys(?) I understand those keys are very popular among jazz tunes.

I wish I could ask these songs composers! Straight No Chaser...

why is b flat major so popular the reason specifically bb became common because a lot of band music also orchestra pitched in keys which tend to have easier fingerings and are read with those instruments. c trumpets though clarinets other stuff still very orchestra.

jazz is commonly played in flat keys like b-flat e-flat and f because these are more comfortable for horn players who central to jazz music.

Tomo

So was Charlie Christian the first guitar player to use the guitar as a solo instrument in Jazz?
Everyone else before him was just playing rhythm?

Thank you Rich! I think so. Guitar was rhythm instrument back then.

I am sure that there a few others did same time or even earlier.... but Charlie Christian is very famous. His solo on Rose Room is amazing! I often use this song's chord progression for practicing R 3 7 & his solo with alternate picking. I taught this solo to John Mayer!

Tomo

Wow, that is cool to think about Charlie Christian and peers integrating the guitar into jazz.

You also mentioned Wes listened to Charlie Christian a lot.
All connected.
Charlie—>Wes…?…Joe—>you—>John.
Very cool!

Thank you Suni! Burrell, Kessel, Hall, Wes, many got influece from CC!

Yes! My chord tone playing is pretty much from CC! I love Joe Pass!

Tomo