The Devices of Charlie Christian Seen Throughout the Lineage of Jazz Guitar

Using Christian's solos on "Stompin' at the Savoy" (recorded live at Minton's Playhouse in 1941) and "I Found a New Baby" (with Benny Goodman) as source material, Benno breaks down the techniques that made Christian the first guitarist who could truly hold his own with the horn players—and shows you exactly how to incorporate them into your own improvisation. Devices covered in this masterclass: • Linear Lines — How Christian played long streams of eighth notes, weaving through changes like a saxophonist, and exercises to develop this facility • Harmonic Anticipation — The secret to Christian's forward motion: starting lines on beat four of the previous bar to create momentum • Accent Implied Through Pitch — Using intervallic leaps to create dynamic punch within your lines, rather than relying on volume • Double Stops — Not isolated licks, but textural moments woven into flowing single-note phrases • Octaves — Christian's sparse but effective use of octaves—the seed that became Wes Montgomery's signature sound • Building a Solo Like Christian — His architecture of saving intensity for the B sections while playing melodically on the A's • Downstroke Picking — Eddie Durham taught Christian to play 90% downstrokes for a horn-like attack; hear the difference and learn to use it