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I found some of my earlier info on another forum. Enjoy!


Hi all. Chord melody on the guitar has been a life long journey, and continues to provide me with need therapy in this crazy world. At any rate, I got started in this genre some 25 years ago by trying to copy from Joe Pass and others. I'd copy their arrangements as close to the original as possible. I have a good ear and could snag most of the chords and some solo lines. But I always felt something was missing; that something was me. It was then that I decided to take the bold move of arranging something myself. At first the chords I used made me sound like a bad imitation of Joe Pass. I even sold my Gibson ES-175 because I couldn't stand the comparison.

So fast forward 15 years or so. I began to collect a huge array of licks that I could use as filler between chord passages. I learned scales and use some of the jazz theory from Jamey Abersold and others as to where lines could be utilized. I had chords down, and just had to focus on creating interesting lines to add to the solo pieces.

Present day: When I want to harmonize a song I look in fake books or other such sites for what are known as "head sheets." The melody is best suited if it fits on the 1st and 2nd strings, preferably with not too many notes reaching beyond the 15th fret. I like to play songs in their original keys (from the Real books), but on occasion it isn't feasible on the guitar. Beginners are advised to use ballads initially.

Just about any song can be harmonized. I play jazz, pop, and even country tunes via a chord melody format. The process is simply playing the chords that are indicated over the melody line in a position that will accomodate the melody. That tunes over at acoustic fingerstyle are only "shells" in that they provide basic information. www.acousticfingerstyle.com/midifil8.htm And you're right, they are played there via midi not on a guitar, but on a computer driven device which is why they sound stilted and mechanical. When played on a guitar, the intent is to employ rubato and expression, not the sterile sounding midi as presented.

As far as how I would teach this, I would encourage one if they are interested to find a melody from a fake book, a real book, or from the site I mentioned. From there it's a matter of taking it one bar at a time. I currently use tabledit and powertab programs.

Let me know if you wish to pursue this further. I have lots of time on my hands and would love to help someone get into this style. Also, start listening to folks who use this: Joe Pass, Tuck Andress, or anyone playing solo jazz guitar. Best of luck and hope to hear from you soon.

Hi headace. You are correct, that guitar primer site is not working for some reason. I have many, many charts that I can provide to folks though, including all the real books (some 1200 songs) and a few others. I would ask that those interested in a tune that they can't find to send me a PM and I can email the chart (jpeg) to them if I have it.