One phenomenon that I have watched over and over again when helping people transition into Jazz, is that they lack a new “guitar hero”. 

A new guitar hero that will inspire and guide them to follow through when practicing Jazz guitar. An example that provides a measurable goal to strive towards and gives a clear vision of what is actually possible on the instrument.

Do you remember your teenage years when you first discovered music? 

Think back to the time, when you just developed your first own interest in a certain rock band, particular song, or the sound of a specific music genre. We all do have these personal musical memories. Back then you also developed a tendency on what you like and what you don’t like. Bands that you adored and bands that you couldn’t stand at all. That decision came to you subconsciously and only some years later you maybe were able to describe in actual words, why you did like this and didn't like that. You developed a taste early on, a musical compass, and a personal filter. 

That same process of liking something applies when entering the territory of Jazz.

A rocker getting into Jazz might get overwhelmed with impressions that are new to him. There are just too many unwritten rules and X factors when starting to listen to Jazz. Although Jazz might sound interesting to the Rocker, the enjoyment and listening experience doesn't come as easy to him as it was during his teenage years though. Not only for Rockers but also for a lot of other people, the experience of getting into Jazz can get very academic in the beginning. One can easily get intimidated by the perceived sophistication of Jazz music.

That is the reason why a lot of guitarists have that strange pressure of needing to like everything because they can't decide and judge yet what their actual preferences in Jazz are. 

Left and right they are going to hear “Man, you have to listen to this record!” or “There is no way around that artist! What, you don’t know that scale yet? You have to learn this and that!” and the pressure grows and grows. 

I have seen people almost lose their interest in pursuing improvisation on the guitar because they subconsciously feel pressured to like everything, just like a “real Jazz fan” would do right? A real Jazz fan knows more than you and every scale under the sun, correct? No, get that out of your head.

I assume that back in the day, you decided on your favorite bands by instinct and not by group pressure. You didn't feel any pressure of needing to like every band or sub-genre of Rock and Metal. Some people love Metallica but hate Megadeth. Some people like Anthrax and Megadeth but don't like Metallica. Maybe you like the Beatles but not The Eagles, but that's just the way it goes.

Good and patient students want to learn as much as possible, but weirdly sometimes start having too much respect when getting into Jazz. It is almost like attending your first semester at a new college or school and you are highly motivated to start a new path. You want to get the best grades in all classes, but you will soon discover that it will be just impossible to do everything. Now please don’t get me wrong, it is never bad to have too much respect for something in this world, especially when you are learning a new skill, but there is a huge dichotomy here that could potentially block your progress.

Don't get intimidated by the perceived sophistication of Jazz. Don't put everything on a pedestal just because you don’t feel like understanding Jazz yet. There's nothing wrong with not liking something instinctively when your musical compass doesn't resonate with something at all, regardless if you understand the music intellectually or not. Jazz can appear like a very closed community, but Jazz doesn't mean Jazz all the time. The reality is that there are a lot of different kinds and subgenres to Jazz, the same as in the Rock world. From 70's Rock, Grunge, Punk, Rock'n'Roll, Thrash Metal, and Alternative Rock to Grindcore and Contemporary Pop/Rock… I think you get the idea. The choices are seemingly endless and the same goes for the Jazz world and its sub-genres. 

So why do we need to find a new guitar hero?

As I mentioned earlier, getting into Jazz and improvisation can get very academic and that is the reason why you should never lose that initial, almost childlike fascination with your instrument. In order to not lose this feeling, a new guitar hero will make sure to keep the fire alive inside of you, especially in the beginning when the learning curve is quite high.

Let me get back one more time to your teenage years, did you have a favorite guitarist back then? A guitar player that you admired so much that made you decide to pick up the guitar or copy your first Rock solo?  

Anybody coming from the Rock, Metal, or Pop genre usually has one or two of these personal heroes that sparked the initial interest for a deeper study of the guitar. We all have them. Again, same as when you were a teenager, some people prefer Jimi Hendrix over Brian May, and some folks like John Mayer more than Eric Clapton, but whoever that original idolized guitarist of yours was… 

It is time for you to find a new hero when getting into Jazz.

When learning Jazz, you will encounter a lot of non-guitar instruments like trumpets, saxophones, or the piano. You will have to listen to and copy a lot of music that has different aesthetics and might lack that initial spark that you experienced as a teenager picking up a guitar.

As a guitarist coming from Rock, you will feel that something is missing after a while. It's so subtle, you won't even recognize it. I have seen enough people getting lost in their Jazz practices and giving up because they hadn't picked their new Jazz guitar hero yet. It's crucial to have a pillar of strength at that moment, your personal favorite Jazz guitarist that will be your port in a storm. A guitarist that you can look at and think “Yeah, this is how it's done!”. Someone, you can measure your progress to and also realize what can be actually done on the guitar.

Make sure to check out my Jazz guitar online guitar courses:

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