Jazz

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Jazz is a difficult genre to define, as it combines numerous existing styles as well as having many sub-genres each with their own unique arrangements and "sound". It has been around for over a century and continues to evolve. It can be said to combine elements of Blues and Classical into a Pop style. It takes this further by using complex harmonies including extended chords, polyrhythms and syncopation, improvisation, modulation, and swing-feel rhythms.

Guitar Tone

Guitar tone in jazz is typically dark and undistorted. This allows complex chords to sound more consonant, as the fundamental frequencies alone from each note form complex harmonies; additional overtones from a brighter sound (especially a distorted one) are more likely to clash (by rapidly increasing the number of dissonant intervals) and turn the chord sound into a noise-like dissonance. The tone also follows the often "mellow" mood of many Jazz styles.

The dark tone is often achieved by using electric guitar with a neck-position humbucker. On many guitars dedicated to Jazz, this is the only pickup installed. The humbucker-style pickup's higher impedance prevents higher frequencies from being transduced as they would in a single-coil pickup. The neck position is also darker and fatter than a middle or bridge position. Jazz guitarists often augment this by turning down the Tone knob on the guitar, further filtering out high frequencies. Even further, the use of finger-picking can create a darker tone rather than using a plectrum.

Lead tones are often clean as well, although sometimes they feature mild distortion. The lead tone can be a bit brighter than a rhythm tone, as it often uses more single notes rather than chords; however, this would not be the case if the guitarist were using chord solo's.

Electric guitar has a somewhat compressed sound, which can help sustain the harmonies of chords without having to repeatedly strum the notes. While Jazz can have a rhythmic, dance-oriented sound at times, the guitar is primarily concerned with harmony over rhythm, unlike other genres where strumming patterns are equally important as the notes played. The compression also helps sustain notes for undistorted lead guitar. If more compression is needed, the guitarist can use more amplifier gain or use a compressor.

Sub-Genres

• Bebop
• Cool Jazz
• Free Jazz
• Fusion
• Gypsy Jazz
• Hard Bop
• Kansas City Jazz
• New Orleans Jazz
• Modal Jazz
• Smooth Jazz

Smaller Sub-Genres

• Acid Jazz
• Afro-Cuban Jazz
• Avant-Garde Jazz
• Chamber Jazz
• Ethno Jazz
• Indo Jazz
• Jazz Funk
• Jazz Rap
• Latin Jazz
• Loft Jazz
• M-Base
• Nu Jazz
• Punk Jazz
• Ska Jazz
• Soul Jazz
• West Coast Jazz