Outside Sounds and Subtitutions for Modern Jazz Guitar

Since the arrival on the jazz scene of the mercurial John Coltrane, more and more jazz guitarists are looking to saxophonists for inspiration in terms of linear soloing concepts. As improvisers, saxophonists and all woodwind players have a certain advantage in that the keys on their instruments are arranged linearly with one or two chromatic pitches associated with each finger. Compared to the sax, the note locations on the guitar fretboard are much less intuitive. It seems a natural process then, for guitarists to gain fluency in improvisation by studying saxophone lines and articulation techniques.

Kevin Miller has studied with several stellar teachers including Vic Juris and Rodney Jones. His knowledge of jazz history and the linear and harmonic techniques of non-guitarist giants of jazz like McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane is truly impressive. He is also very adept at transcribing and analyzing the chords and modal scales used in saxophone solos and making them palatable to guitarists in notation and tablature.

Miller brings it all to bear in this book, focusing on scales and patterns that venture “outside” of a tune’s harmonic structure for at least part of the time, but usually settle back into the harmonic and rhythmic groove. Not only is the information made accessible through numerous transcriptions of saxophone lines and techniques, Miller provides ways to internalize this material so it can be used “without having to think about it or force it” in spontaneous improvisation.