Ted Greene
About Ted Greene
Theodore “Ted” Greene (September 26, 1946 – July 23, 2005) was an American fingerstyle guitarist, columnist, session musician, and educator, renowned for his profound understanding of harmony and music theory as applied to the guitar.
While often considered a jazz musician, Greene played many musical styles, from blues to baroque, and integrated his knowledge into every context. He was particularly skilled in counterpoint, able to improvise in various styles and create the effect of two simultaneous guitarists thanks to his vast array of chord voicings.
Greene dedicated much of his life to teaching, and was highly sought after for his intuitive and in-depth gifts in this field. His educational activities included private lessons, seminars at the Guitar Institute of Technology, and columns for “Guitar Player” magazine. He authored highly influential instructional books on harmony, chord melody, and single-note soloing, with the most famous being “Chord Chemistry” and “Modern Chord Progressions.”
Ted Greene – A tribute to
Discography of Ted Greene
Despite his immense influence as a teacher and theorist, Ted Greene had a very limited discography. However, many of his live performances, often from personal recordings, are lovingly collected and preserved by an active fan community on the official Ted Greene Archives YouTube channel, offering a treasure trove of his incredible playing.:
- Solo Guitar (1977) – This is his only recorded solo album, highly regarded by fingerstyle jazz guitarists.
- The American Metaphysical Circus (1968) – by Joe Byrd and The Field Hippies (Ted Greene is credited as a guitarist on the album).
- Jazz (1977) – by Ry Cooder (Ted contributed to the arrangements).
- The Dumplings (1977-78?) – an unreleased project with Shelley Manne (drums) and Chuck Berghoffer (bass).
- Art City: Simplicity DVD (2002) – featuring an original soundtrack by Ted Greene, composed of excerpts from “Ted Greene Solo Guitar Improvisations.”
- Richard Tuttle – Never Not An Artist (DVD) (2005) – soundtrack by Ted Greene.
- John Pisano’s Guitar Night 2 CD Set (2007) – Ted Greene appears on one track (“When Sunny Gets Blue”).
- “Ted Greene Remembered” (2007) – A tribute CD featuring tracks by other artists.
- “Never Forgotten” DVD/CD (2014) – Cathy Segal-Garcia & Ted Greene, which includes live recordings.
- Andrzej Kurylewicz (1)
- Astor Piazzolla (1)
- Baden Powell (1)
- Barry Mann (1)
- Burt Bacharach (1)
- Chet Atkins (3)
- Cynthia Weil (1)
- Don McLean (1)
- George Michael (1)
- Jerry Reed (1)
- Joe Pass (1)
- Johann Sebastian Bach (1)
- John Knowles (1)
- Joseph Kosma (1)
- Kotaro Oshio (1)
- Leigh Harline (1)
- Pat Metheny (3)
- Per-Olov Kindgren (1)
- Richard Rodgers (1)
- Richard Smith (1)
- Roland Dyens (1)
- Scott Joplin (2)
- Ted Greene (1)
- The Beatles (1)
- Tom Jobim (1)
- Tommy Emmanuel (3)
