Grant Green (1935-1979)
Nov 16, 2014Grant Green is one of the most underrated jazz guitarists in history.
His signature sound - dry, and mostly bluesy single note lines - became a fixture on the Blue Note record label in 1960s.
These recordings had a widespread impact on the future of jazz, soul and funk guitar playing.
Playing Style
Green's playing was heavily influenced by guitarist Charlie Christian, as well as horn players including Miles Davis and Joe Henderson.
Some critics have described his approach as "horn-like", due to his emphasis on melodic lines and use of space.
Like Christian, Green played with a pick. He was not a virtuoso guitarist, instead opting for simple melodies with groovy rhythms.
Coming from a soul/gospel background, the feel was always more important.
In Green's solos, we hear mostly eighth-notes, triplets and some very occasional double-time arpeggios that he played by sweep-picking. See the transcription below!
Gear
Throughout his career, Green favoured hollow body or semi-hollow guitars:
- Gibson ES-330
- Gibson L7
- Epiphone Emperor
- D'Aquisto (Custom Built)
Top 5 Grant Green Albums
Don’t know where to start listening to the great Grant Green? Here are 5 essential albums!
Solo Transcription
Dig what you've heard so far? Then check out this great solo 👇
Click here to get a transcription of Grant Green's solo!
Feel free to use any of these lines when you're feeling green ;)
Rare Footage
Don't miss this - it's one of the only existing videos of Grant Green!
Brush up on some more history with "The Who's Who of Jazz Guitar"!
From the Editor: This page was last edited on August 16, 2019 to touch up grammar/syntax, replace images, add button, add video, and edit meta tags.
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