Singing Guide: Wes Montgomery
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Wes Montgomery is widely considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time. He was hugely influential in shaping the sound of jazz guitar and his technique and style continue to inspire new generations of musicians to this day.
One of the most unique aspects of Montgomery's playing was his use of the thumb instead of the traditional pick or finger-style technique. This gave his playing a warm, rounded sound that was instantly recognizable.
If you're interested in learning to play guitar like Wes Montgomery, there are a number of things you can do to start incorporating some of his techniques into your playing. Here are a few tips and exercises to get you started:
- Focus on thumb technique: One of the most distinctive aspects of Montgomery's playing was his use of the thumb to pluck the strings. Spend some time experimenting with this technique and practicing playing scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions using your thumb.
- Listen to recordings: To truly capture the essence of Montgomery's playing, it's important to spend time listening to his recordings. Pay close attention to his phrasing, dynamics, and use of harmony and try to emulate these things in your own playing.
- Practice chord melody: Another hallmark of Montgomery's playing was his ability to create complex chord melodies that highlighted the melody and harmony of a song. Spend some time practicing this technique by learning some of your favorite standards and experimenting with different chord voicings and inversions.
- Focus on improvisation: Montgomery was an incredible improviser and his solos were often masterclasses in melody, harmony, and rhythm. Spend some time practicing improvisation over jazz standards using Montgomery's techniques as a guide.
If you're looking for additional resources to help you learn to play guitar like Wes Montgomery, Singing Carrots offers a number of tools that can be useful in your practice. The Vocal Pitch Monitor can help you refine your intonation and the Pitch Training game can help you develop your sense of pitch and harmony. Additionally, the educational singing course can help you develop your overall musicianship and understanding of music theory.
Overall, becoming a great jazz guitarist like Wes Montgomery takes a lot of time, effort, and practice, but by focusing on his unique techniques and incorporating them into your playing, you can start to develop your own voice and style.