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Gary Guth
- Rochester, NY
- United States
- Blog Posts
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- Photos (4)
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Welcome to Gary Guth's Page
Profile Information
- First Name
- Gary
- AIM/Yahoo/MSN
- garyjg
- I am here for:
- Gigs, Educational Purposes, Meet Players, Networking
- Employment Status
- Employed
- Occupation:
- Music Teacher/String Instrument Specialist
- Employer:
- School District in Suburban Rochester, NY
- About Me:
- Both Classical Music and Jazz Music backgrounds. Experience performing and teaching quite an additional variety of different types of music. I am currently a Director of school orchestras. I teach applied lessons on violin, viola, cello, and string bass.
Waaaaay back in the 1980's, at the college/university level, I also taught applied guitar, class guitar, applied violin and viola, and directed string ensemble and chamber orchestra. (I loved the experience! However, in my current position, I enjoy much greater job security ----and better pay!!!)
Violin and guitar are my primary performing instruments.
When I play jazz on violin, I am very much influenced by the style/phrasing of sax and trumpet players --- even more so than the "violinistic styles" of jazz violin greats like Stefan Grapelli, Joe Venuti, Eddie South, Regina Carter, among many others – – – all of which I do greatly admire, by the way!!! For example, I have been very fortunate to have been able to do some jazz violin study with three gentlemen who have helped me a great deal, but are TRUMPET players! They are Paul Smoker (Nazareth College), Clay Jenkins (jazz trumpet instructor at the Eastman School of Music), and Mike Kaupa (Eastman Community School).
Sax players also especially influence my jazz violin playing (I really love all those old Parker recordings, among many others). There can be some very real similarities in timbre, phrasing components, etc., between sax and violin... – especially AMPLIFIED violin. And I just really like the ways that sax players express themselves while playing, which I find can often transfer very well to violin.
Also, I am probably even very influenced (in my violin approach), by jazz GUITAR playing styles. One interesting thing that I often do, is practice on my mandolin, which is in a sense, half way between a guitar and a violin. (Mandolin is tuned exactly the same as violin, so my fingers play the notes in the same fingerboard locations on BOTH instruments, however, instead of playing with a bow, mandolins are normally played with a flat-pick, as commonly done on guitar, and also has frets, like guitar.) I find that practicing things like scales, and ii/V/I exercises, as well as playing "changes" exercises, can be especially beneficial on mandolin. For one thing, I am certain that, since mandolin playing technique is more like guitar, some "guitaristic" ideas are likely to find their way into my violin playing in this way.
So my jazz VIOLIN approach has an "enriching variety" of influences.
In terms of my jazz GUITAR playing, I have so many great influences, it seems silly to even start to mention names. (This list would include so many tremendous jazz guitar artists, but also classical guitar players and composers, blues guitarists, rock guitarists...)
I need to first mention that I gained sooooo much both technically and musically from a fantastic classical guitarist, Anne Waller, currently Guitar Instructor at Northwestern University. Her guidance provided such an enriching foundation that has contributed greatly to both my classical guitar development, as well as setting me up in many ways to help me in my jazz guitar "journey." Another quite noteworthy classical guitar "guru" for me was William Carter (currently performing extensively in England and Europe, with a specialty in baroque guitar, lute and theorbo, and teacher at The Guildhall School in London).
However, two jazz guitarists in particular, have been extremely helpful to me as I began my "journey" from classical guitar (and also from my blues/rock background) to JAZZ guitar. They are Bob Sneider, jazz guitar instructor at the Eastman School, and Steve Brown, who has just recently retired from teaching at Ithaca College, after teaching for..., well FOREVER!!!
I've also recently started some study with bassist Jeff Campbell (Eastman School of Music) who is helping me learn how to "walk."
These folks have all given me extremely valuable guidance.
- Musical Background & Experience:
- Undergraduate Degree in Music Education, with strings emphasis.
Masters Degree in Violin Performance.
Much additional private study in both jazz and classical areas (including both guitar and violin, as well as other instruments). Extremely varied performance experience and background.
Currently I can be found playing in all of the below types of gigs...
- Jazz "combos" (violin and guitar)
- Big band (mostly guitar, but a little violin)
- Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras (violin/viola)
- Solo and small ensemble classical performances (classical guitar, violin, viola, etc.)
- Website:
- http://www.facebook.com
Recorded sample above in MY MUSIC - - - Electric Violin with wah-wah and Pitch Shifter Effects
In my quartet we do lots of classic, straight-ahead jazz. When performing VIOLIN, I choose between either a fairly thick, full, "round" tone on my solid body Yamaha violin, or a more "standard" violin sound on an acoustic violin, depending on the chart being played, and the effect I want to achieve.
However the recorded example found in the My Music box above (and on the left of this page), demonstrates a "funky" jazz/rock style. This example highlights some of the options we have when performing on amplified, electronic instruments. For this sample, my Yamaha electric violin is enhanced with an electronic "wah-wah" effect and pitch-shifter effect (which subtly supplies a simultaneous lower octave to my violin sound).
Approximately the first 10 seconds is completely solo violin, but it sounds a little bit like a keyboard synthesizer with a funky/jazzy 70's flavor. The main melody, and the first improvised solo also sound a bit like a synth, but are just me having some fun with my violin. I was going for a "funky/bluesy/SASSY" approach --- "with ATTITUDE." However, Paul Hammerick, our drummer, may have a better description. He says parts of my violin solo remind him of a CAT FIGHT!
You can decide for yourself...
However the recorded example found in the My Music box above (and on the left of this page), demonstrates a "funky" jazz/rock style. This example highlights some of the options we have when performing on amplified, electronic instruments. For this sample, my Yamaha electric violin is enhanced with an electronic "wah-wah" effect and pitch-shifter effect (which subtly supplies a simultaneous lower octave to my violin sound).
Approximately the first 10 seconds is completely solo violin, but it sounds a little bit like a keyboard synthesizer with a funky/jazzy 70's flavor. The main melody, and the first improvised solo also sound a bit like a synth, but are just me having some fun with my violin. I was going for a "funky/bluesy/SASSY" approach --- "with ATTITUDE." However, Paul Hammerick, our drummer, may have a better description. He says parts of my violin solo remind him of a CAT FIGHT!
You can decide for yourself...
Gary Guth's Photos
Blog Posts
The State of Jazz Today
Posted by Walt B on June 2, 2009 at 1:24pm — 5 Comments
Sonny Stitt Transcription
Posted by Jeff Rzepiela on July 22, 2010 at 9:55am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzdW_l0FiP8
Posted by Mihail Parushev on November 28, 2011 at 9:38pm
Jazz CD Reviews
Forum
Improvisation and MUSIC FLUENCY
Started by John Cooper Jan 20.
Lyrics Request for D'javan song - Amazon Farewall - PRIORITY:HIGH
Started by Ralph Falzarano May 26, 2011.
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Good day,
How is everything with you, I picked interest on you, after going through your
short profile and deemed it necessary to write you immediately. I have something
very vital to diclose to you, but I found it difficult to express myself here,
since it's a public site.Could you please get back to me My E-mail address
(sotia_teneh2@hotmail.com) for the full details.
Have a nice day.
thanks
Sotia Teneh.
There are so many Pittsburgh folks on the network because we are quite jazzy here in the 'Burgh... : ) So you have been to Pittsburgh. Fortunately for us, we don't ALL talk that way! Have a nice holiday!