One of the most important yet relatively unknown guitarists, Ted Greene occupied a unique space as both guitarist and educator, revered by a large number of guitarists from many styles of music. What becomes evident from listening to him is that his guitar playing is unmatched in its use of voice leading, amounting to an almost flawless sense of harmonic progression. Even though his commercially available recording catalog is limited, the existence of Internet materials, mostly videos, give us a clearer picture of what he could do musically, which is not as present on his recordings. He is most well-known for the four books on guitar playing, the most well-known probably being Chord Chemistry​. However even these great books do not give the full picture about Greene’s musicality. A much fuller picture can be constructed from the more informal things like lesson videos and interviews, which also hint at the possibility that perhaps Greene was at his best in low-pressure, informal situations. This document serves not to give an overview of Greene’s work and career, but to focus on analyzing several specific items that clearly illustrate the essence of him music.

Ted Greene: Sound, time, and unlimited possibility