Student Reviews
Real feedback from students learning jazz guitar with world-class musicians. 436 reviews across 162 courses.
“Useful, clear and precise”
This is a course that I've gone through several times over the years. I've actually also attended Sheryl's live workshop on the topic when I was living in California which was amazing. Experiencing it again now, I can say that this video is a real gem for those interested in getting the "flow". Sheryl Bailey shares her approach to practicing and developing strong sounding bebop lines and gives specific examples to demonstrate the concept. This is a lesson from a real performer so it's real practical application rather than just theory! Some bebop lessons that I've encountered at times tend to be dry and removed from the melodic flow and intensity of the real music. The best part for me is the accompanying PDF files that she uses as the basis for the demonstrations. It really helps me to study the ideas, pausing the video after she plays the examples so I can digest the sound and the fingerings for the lines. Sheryl refers to the handouts and this is helpful in pacing as well as creating a clear format for the class. For anyone interested in developing bebop chops, this is a good investment to help develop your skills.
“Very Well presented, really useful information”
Great foundation for anyone who wants to learn more about bebop guitar playing. Sheryl does a great job teaching this and there are excellent examples in the pdfs. To me the stuff at the end about using tritone subs in your bebop lines could probably be a separate course all by itself (since learning how to get the tension and resolution right would be so important) but that's just a suggestion, not a complaint.
“Tom Lippincott's classes...incredible!”
Tom Lippincott's classes have NEVER been anything less than incredible. This one is no exception. These are some of the most unusual sounds used in modern jazz, but Tom's progression of steps makes it accessible. The written examples alone are worth the purchase price; complete, clear, and well-explained in the video lesson. Not easy material, but for an advanced musician looking to get the sounds of the future now, you can't beat this one.
“get this class”
If you want to incorporate this modern sounding scale into your playing get this class. Tom Lippincott explains everything you need to know to practice and assimilate both the harmonic and the melodic aspects of what this scale has to offer, and he does it in a very thorough manner, easy to understand wether you're an advanced player with a good grasp of jazz theory or a beginner. Awesome class!
“Get both Parts 1 & 2. ”
Another home run! Tom’s classes are the best. The course description will give you a good of idea of what to expect. What it doesn’t convey is what a great instructor Tom is. His way of presenting the material is great. He makes things easy to understand and incorporate in your own playing. I own quite a few of his videos and have been very happy with all of them. His videos are destine to become classics! Highly recommended!!
“mel minor II”
...lots of bang for the buck!!!
“Amazing!!!”
I purchased this course (1 and 2) many month ago and they are still very useful..there are many concepts inside that can help you develop a very strong, modern and clear approach to the improvisation; one of the best course i ever purchased and one of the few that goes deep inside the language.Tom is a great teacher and he explains very well every detail , he plays fantastic and the pdf material is well done.Thanks again Tom :)))
“A course you can return to many, many times”
I have purchased many of Tom's classes and have been very happy with all of them. It is amazing how much material he can put into one class. And he does it in such an organized way that you can keep going back to different sections to improve or brush up on one particular aspect of the material without having to go looking all over the lesson to find what you need. I particularly like the scale exercises that help you resolve from the diminished scale to a major scale - this is something I have REALLY needed to work on in my own practice (that is, connecting ideas). If you really want to improve your command of a particular concept then you will be very happy with all of Tom's classes (check out his melodic minor series as well for a similar approach).
“Great.. Very great masterclass!”
If you want to learn to play Rhythm Changes and be thorough, you need to buy this class! This is a GREAT class! Tons of examples for comping and soloing. Tom explains everything very clearly and the whole lesson is very easy to follow. And much of the stuff is applicable to other tunes as well. Thank you Tom for these amazing masterclasses! Each one i've bought are just pure gold! So well organized.
“Part 2 starts where Part 1 left off”
If one is willing to go through all the exercises (preferably in all keys) shown in Part 1, the student can get a very modern sound over the blues progression. Part 2 digs even deeper, the concepts presented are not only fun, great sounding, but also highly suited for the guitar as an instrument. Tom Lippincott once again proves he is an absolute master of the instrument and jazz guitar education. He's doing some incredible work, and I'm always looking forward learning from him.
“Starts with the basics and gets intense”
Tom is a really thoughtful teacher. He paces the course to make sure you have the basics in place - which of course you need to know - before moving on to more advanced material. This isn't just a one-off youtube lesson with a guy showing you a few licks and tricks. This is the real deal and the material is rooted in the playing of the jazz masters. I especially enjoyed the section on outlining chords while retaining the basic sound of the blues. From there Tom takes you into chord scales and substitutions, melodic minor and diminished scale applications, modal concepts ala McCoy Tyner, and then into poly-rhythms, and suspended chordal ideas. Cool stuff. There's a lot here that could keep you busy for a very long time. Even if you absorb just a part of this lesson, with practice it will help you become a better player.
“No better teacher than Tom”
Tom is not only a very inspiring player, but also a master teacher. The material he presents is very organized, his exercises and examples are rich in musical content and his explanation of the underlying principles of the blues and it's harmonic implications are very easy to grasp for players with a basic understanding of jazz. He not only shows you the door – he opens it as wide as possible. Putting trust in his methods and regular practice will take you right through it.
“Great”
Great for getting the bebop language happening
“Masterclass Harmony”
Harmonic Master!!Well explained and great feel!!Only a few have this kind of knowledge of harmony.Yeah How to put a "avoid "note in the chord!Thank you
“A lot of great information”
I'm always really impressed with how much information Tom provides in his classes, and this one is no exception. There is so much depth that you never feel as if you've learned something superficially, and he emphasizes the need to take what you've learned and keep working at it to get a deeper understanding of the material. Really looking forward to part II of this class.
“Melodic Minor Complete - Part 1”
Excellent. I especially appreciate Tom's urging to not get complacent with the introduction, but to continue to explore all that this fascinating scale has to offer.
“just what I needed”
This is a great course and fills in some of the gaps of things I had forgotten and many that I needed to review in my musical knowledge. Also a lot of really great exercises for becoming very familiar with the fretboard.
“Fantastic lesson ”
This lesson was great! I've played for many years, I picked up this course for some ideas and address some wholes in my playing. Just when you think you know something inside out, Tom comes and turns your perspective upside down. Lots of great exercises and filled with information. Plus Tom is an amazing teacher who explains everything clearly.
“Excellent course - easy to jump right in, a pleasure to watch”
I have been so impressed with Steve Herberman's style of teaching. For such an amazing and gifted player, he always comes across as being modest, down to earth, humble. The course is a good length, and no time is wasted: it is all spent demonstrating and discussing the material, which centers around shifting phrases by interval, in a musical way, to match the changing harmony over the basic progression. Even though I am familiar with the basic 'tricks' involved here, I found a lot of the material to be very fresh and it gave me some new angles from the start, Most important - Steve's way of teaching inspires us to go and play this stuff with a sense of freedom and confidence. Full marks from me!
“Excellent lesson”
Lots of examples and reiterations of examples so you can understand how to develop them and create your own. Excellent pacing throughout the video and very thorough explanations of what he is doing. One of the most valuable insights into this jazz progression I have come across. The ideas are also powerfully simple, tasteful and melodic. 200 rambling, boring, meaningless 251 licks that are tough to remember this isn't. Instead he teaches you how to build melodic phrases by combining theory and the neck of the guitar to makes the lines shift. He shows you the rules to do this, a ton of examples all accurate on PDF, and the rest is your imagination. I cant rate this lesson highly enough!
“Wow”
I only knew one aspect of 4th voicings coming into this class (what Tom has listed as 2nd inversion drop 2 voicings). I had no idea how much there still was to learn! Like Tom's other classes this one has a tremendous amount of information, very well presented. I think most of us mere mortals will need to come back to this class over a period of many years to get just some of the information presented here burned into our brains. I would suggest learning one particular group of voicings and then go to about 1:30 in the video (page 13 of the handout) to learn how to improve your fluidity with them. Excellent class.
“Another great lesson from Tom!”
I have purchased many of Tom's lessons from the website and have repeatedly found them fruitful and inspiring. I am sure to get more! Thanks Tom!
“Fantastic!”
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant concept and teaching. I love Randy's playing and concepts and teaching. He is so concise and logical in his teaching. Everything makes sense and easy to learn. I can't wait to work with this concept. I'm a semi professional player of many years, and I've never come across this concept before. Just brilliant. Highly recommended. Can't wait for the second part and more classes from Randy. He reveals these secret gems that I find enhance my knowledge and playing.
“Very helpful, taught in a relaxed, fun manner”
Randy seems like the kind of guy you could easily talk to over drinks between sets at Fellini's in Charlottesville (oh, wait - I DID do that!) This is a great lesson that teaches a concept that I wish I had learned years ago. In just a few short minutes I feel like I've learned an easy way to escape the box pattern of playing on the fretboard. Not to mention an easy way to play a diminished scale! That alone was worth the price! Really looking forward to part 2 (and beyond).
“Years of learning packed into another great class from Steve”
This class, just like the contents of every of the several Mike's Masterclasses of Steve's which I have the privilege to own and to be able to study, demonstrates Steve's 100% commitment to revealing his own personal musical devices which he clearly uses in his own playing and performances. All one has to do is watch and listen to some of Steve's YouTube solo guitar performances and group performances on the internet, such as Almost Like Being in Love, with a vocalist and bassist, and you will have proof positive that Steve generous offerings reveal what he has spent years researching and developing in order to create his own singular voice on the guitar. I finally have come to the conclusion that Steve's selfless goal has always been to honestly and generously reveal what he knows best - the music that has made him a singular voice in today's music world, and to share that NOT with the hopes that people will necessarily just copy this material by rote, but rather to help spark an opportunity in others to also create their own polyphonic and poly rhythmic voice on their own instrument. In the July 2006 issue of Down Beat, yes, 2006, there was a transcription of Jimmy Raney solo'. The article's title "Harmonic, Rhythmic Tension Propel Jimmy Raney's 'Motion' Solo." There is a discussion in that article about the precise rhythmic ideas that Jimmy inserted into this solo These rhythmic ideas in Jimmy's solo are the exact same magical rhythmic mechanisms that Lester Young made a career out of and which Steve shared (and made quite understandable) in his MMC titled Jazz Guitar Phrasing, Part 1. In the DownBeat article, discussing this wonderful 3/4 over 4/4 is quoted and described "Players who did not utilize this thinking as being flat-footed." The Mike's Masterclasses which Steve has authored will allow you to not be flat footed. The true impact of Steve's generous offerings on one's development of their own voice is awaiting you in each of his Masterclasses. There is not a clam in the bunch.
“Excellent Class - looking forward to the rest of the series!”
This is very important information for those of us (like me) who tend to just run a stream of eighth notes when they solo. Here Steve starts soloing with just one note, but since he is playing a very interesting rhythm (the hemiola) it sounds much more musical and melodic than you would expect. I really learned a lot from this class and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
“The life vest 1”
It is a practical and very interesting lesson. The teacher is very competent and the video is of good quality as well as the attached material. It is probably a review of known music “rules” but straight to the point, well done and with lot of examples.
“Life Vest Arpeggio Master classes”
This series of classes about the "Life Vest Arpeggio" are wonderful classes that match with the Sheryl Bailey's classes "Be Bop Flow" they are the same concept but in this case concentrated in the maj7 arpeggio and its variants.
“Great Course”
This is an excellent course which is systematically organised. The price is cheap compared to the information contained within. The most useful part for me was when certain colour tones can be added/replaced to the exisiting half-diminished chord to give a beautiful sound. This course is certainly one to have in your arsenal.
by Randy Johnston
“This incredible lesson should be called the Secret of Jazz Soloing!!”
I probably have encountered at least 1000 lessons on the Internet and otherwise, and this is the best one ever. This is the real deal.!!!! I am applying this lesson to all the songs that I am working on and having fantastic results! Thank you so much for having the insight and sharing this incredible key to single line soloing!! Hi Randy, please finish the Confirmation lesson B Section And depending on what you think, how about doing a similar lesson on 5ths and 7ts, and roots, etc etc Bob B
“Mastering fast moving changes”
Randy hits another one outta da park. I never miss an opportunity to learn from this master. Teaches with a conversational style. Check out Randy's Confirmation solo on the recording "Remembering Eddie Jefferson." Among other elements touched on in this lesson, the first two notes illustrate his "one can eliminate the ii chord" perfectly. So musical. Simply great, lyrical bebop.
“Great explanation & great playing”
An icredible broad subject is here boiled down to a good sounding system. A fantastic course of reference and inspiration.
“Fantastic course”
Randy always gives a well thought out and logical presentation in easy to digest chunks of information. I was especially impressed by this course. This is certainly one of the best presentations on a soloing concept I have heard in a long time. A great practice tool, and I'll be practicing this concept everyday. I can see where it forces one to learn the neck and helps to create a cohesive solo. Highly recommended.
“Playing Changes in One Octave is INCREDIBLE!”
Another home run Randy!! I started watching it yesterday and Could not put down my guitar. This Is by far The most effective Exercise and way to practice I have ever heard of! This is the "Secret" I have been looking for To make my solos Sound good. This is going to be My Go-To Method of practicing every jazz standard that I am working on........ Thanks so much for sharing this valuable concept With us !!!!
“Connect the islands of your knowledge of applied jazz theory”
Jamie’s course is a tour de force of pedagogical brilliance. He focuses upon the harmonic aspects of jazz guitar comping (not much about rhythm here) which he approaches from a good number of interrelated angles. Some or many of these angles may already be familiar to the student. What is so magnificent in this course is Jamie’s insightful explanation and reasoning about basic matters, and then his exciting demonstration of techniques for extending and interconnecting the basic principles of the topics that he covers. Those topics include: shell voicings, different voicing strategies according to whether a bass player is involved, bass line comping (on guitar), chord cognates (same fingering yielding different chords depending on choice of root), drop 2 voicings, the chameleon nature of diminished and half diminished chord voicings and how they can be leveraged to form chord substitutions in an applied context, basics of chord melody and voice leading. You have likely visited and possibly concentrated upon a good many of these topics. But Jamie’s masterful presentation is bound to get your harmonic thinking and feeling flowing in new ways; new synapses will form, islands of familiarity will become connected by new causeways, and your archipelago of knowledge and skills risks becoming... a continent. Thank you, Jamie, for this treasure chest!
“Lyrical, chromatic and flowing lines!”
This is my first Jay Umble master class purchase and I'm extremely impressed and inspired. There's a lot of good stuff here and I particularly like how Jay gives so many musical examples throughout the entire video. There's a lot of interesting concepts that he introduces in between the main points including 'setups' and various ways to add chromatic ideas into the lines. There are also 40 different lines (within funk and swing rhythmic context) that is included in the PDFs that I'll be checking out to understand more about his approach as well. Thank Jay & Mike's Masterclasses for making such an awesome video.
“Very useful”
Thanks, Jay, for an insightful group of lessons on this challenging tune! I have always been a bit baffled by it and you helped me understand some new approaches to playing it.
“Simplifying Jazz by Randy Johnston”
This is a phenomenally good Lesson! Actually it is like eight lessons in one........Don't overlook this because the video resolution Isn't the greatest. The guitar Fretboard Can be clearly seen........and the sound is good enough. Randy starts off With a solo guitar version Of My favorite things. Next Is some incredible Solo guitar For Stella by starlight. Several choruses Of great playing with Interesting changes! I'm transcribing that now I like it so much! Randy then goes into a great discussion and demonstration of tetrachord scales Which is very informative. Next It's a discussionAnd demonstration of the different ways to approach A minor 251 Really good stuff here also! Then As if this all wasn't enough already, Randy finishes off With some excellent G Blues Solo guitar. This one is next on my list to transcribe! There is a real Lot of Material Here. Good Material! I highly recommend this Lesson. RAY KING
“Excellent class!”
I love the concepts and how Sheryl delivers the info...so upbeat! I hope she continues to put classes up. She mentions about 10 possible classes which all would be great! The fam of four is a very simple concept with far reaching possibilities. How it all relates to altered chords is great too! Once you develop your language you can recycle it over altered chords...Very Cool! Really fun to play.
“A must!! This lesson will open doors if you're struggling with ii V I's and jazz vocabulary.”
It's a systematic way to navigate through changes that are the backbone of most jazz standards. At first glance, it seems complicated, but upon reflection it's quite easy to grasp I look forward to future lessons with SB. BTW, at @ 4:30 - 4:31 of the video, Sheryl contorts her fingers in a way that's impossible for me to do. Anyone notice this?
“Lots of great information here”
Steve Herberman is an outstanding musician (I've had the good fortune of seeing him live many times) and an excellent teacher. I really like the way this class is set up: starting with the basics (scales, chords, arpeggios) and then building from there. I like the way the licks he uses incorporates just some of the altered notes at one time (as opposed to throwing everything at you all at once). He also encourages you to use your ears to get used to (for example) adding flat and sharp ninths at first, then moving on from there. The examples are really good but also allow you to build ideas yourself. I am very happy with this course and I think any intermediate jazz guitarist will benefit from it.
“Blues Part 1 Call and Response”
This class is just what I was looking for, some great ideas to add to my blues and jazz vocabulary. The call and response concept makes these ideas perfect for playing with a bass player. But many of the lines are punctuated with chord "hits" enabling the combination of single note and chord punctuation to stand alone. The lines are tasty, bluesy, and authentic. The focus is mainly on the key of F and Bb, which gives the student the opportunity to see cool ideas in different positions. The accompanying tab is accurate and the course is laid out with easier ideas first and then moving to more challenging phrases involving syncopation, triplets, chordal movement, thirds, sixths, octaves, etc. Steve is a wonderful teacher. He moves the class along at a good pace with thorough explanations. Lots of great material in this course! Thank you Steve!
“Great”
I liked a lot this course. A bunch of examples that includes many concepts.
“This is incredible stuff.”
Wow! This is certainly incredible. Many jazz lovers agree that Cannonball Adderley was one of the great alto players. I know that some folks prefer bebop over the "hard bop" that happened in the 1960; however, Cannonball really does extend, amend, and carry on the bebop contribution that began with Charlie Parker. Mike has obviously studied Cannonball's music in great detail. One can really sense Mike's love for and devotion to this music in this video. In "The Inprov Style of Cannonball Adderley for Guitar" Mike shows all of the details of a faithful guitar version of 12 licks from Cannonball's music. This is just over one hour of intense instruction. Some students might absorb all of this material quickly, but, I must admit, that it is going to take me many hours of study to get all of the amazing details of a few of these licks under my fingers. I highly recommend this instructional video. Thank you, Mike.
“Incredible amount of information!”
Mike is not only an incredible musician but has a down to earth and very direct way of explaining these examples so people can understand them. I purchased this lesson and have been learning a tremendous amount with these licks from the master Cannonball.
“Big Band chord riffs and shout choruses”
I took my time with this course. After the first two or three examples, I realized that this is fundamental material that was missing in my playing. These choruses give the student the knowledge and ability to play bluesy chordal riffs that sound very sophisticated. The chords used are pretty basic but the syncopation and voice leading produce a sound that is hip, musical, and can stand on its own as a chord solo or sound great with a bass player. The ideas presented are in various keys. They are explained well and demonstrated accurately. The ideas are written out completely. I am not a great music reader but I did not find it difficult to learn these phrases. It definitely does not hurt to challenge oneself in the skill of reading music. Thanks Steve, for a great course. You have given me some super cool ideas to take on the bandstand.
“excellent course but I wish it had tab”
overall there is great info in this but i found it largely inaccessible due to my lack of ability to read standard notation. I realise that this is actually my problem, not the fault of the course, (it is afterall a MASTERclass). Parts 2 and 3 include tab so I'm going to jump right into those.
“Creating Motion in My Solo Lines and Comping”
I added Phil Robson’s Harmonic Rhythm to my playlist because I was looking for other approaches for improvising and comping to complement what I am already doing. Harmonic Rhythm details the techniques of playing chord changes (ii-V-I-VI) in advance (anticipation) or behind (delay) of where they are written. Also, important is Phil’s discussion on phrase placement in relation to the beat and bar-line as a way of making some phrases standout from the rest in your improvisation and/or connect your melodic fragments to one another. Phil talks about how to change the feel of any phrase by setting it to different parts of bar. I am also using his methods (note placement and note duration) to embellish the written melody of a tune. There may be some instructional material out there that mentions this approach, but Phil’s workshop goes into a detailed step-by-step approach to retraining your hearing to hear an idea in motion towards future rhythmic and harmonic resolution targets. But at the end of the day, what Phil offers in this lesson is another process/method of creating single-note and chord motion across the bar-line (to create tension and release within a phrases). The ultimate goal for me is to be able to play anything anywhere; and create rhythmic and melodic freedom during my solos and comping. Phil’s lesson gets me one step closer to this destination. Thanks Phil, Guy
“Excellent Concepts!”
Nicely laid out and demonstrated! Phil (I have never heard of him) is an excellent player! Wow what control! I really like his ideas. This video deserves multiple viewings because there is so much info imparted. This class is a must have! Thx Phil!
“Contrapuntal Improvisation I”
I'm always amazed by the so clear way Steve explains complex concepts, shown with great examples and with such a high level of musicianship on the demonstrations!
“Advanced Harmony for Jazz Guitarist”
I've had this class for a long time, but just recently noticed that I never reviewed it, so I re-watched it, and was amazed at how much great material there is. It is delivered clearly, thoroughly, and with a very complete PDF guide to go by. Outstanding all around.
“Beautiful Chords (Finger Busters:)”
Thx Roni! Very cool sounds. This is the next stage past knowing all of your 7th chord inversions. It really does give you some colorful and tense sounding chords...especially on the guitar. I think there are several years of study in this course alone!!!
“Doing More With Less”
I really enjoyed this course because Paul took just a few chord shapes and worked his way around "Speak Low" in a very methodical fashion. This class shows you how to play some really good lines without knowing 500 scales and 800 positions on the neck. Highly recommended.
“Fabulous and practical lesson!”
From a simple chord mapping of the tune springs much light depth and wisdom! What more could you want! Thanks Paul for sharing your humble humorous approach with Just the right balance of freedom and organization.
“Invaluable and Highly recommended”
Jay’s approach to improvising over the ii-V-I progression-the most common chord progression in standard jazz tunes-is very accessible to all levels of experience. Every player must be able to hear and negotiate this chord progression in order to improvise well. Some of the things that I really like about Jay’s masterclass are: 1) Key center approach, taking the well-known major scale and breaking it up rhythmically and melodically to sound musical and always be aware of the resolution to the home chord (G major in this lesson), 2) Efficient hand motion, shifting up one fret (Ab major) towards the home key (G major) to get some really nice alterations/tension on the V chord (D7), 3) Use of arpeggios-to get some really nice inside sounds and “a good way to begin improvising,” 4) Position and Shape based movement on the fretboard-gives you better insight into using chord shapes, intervals and triads to build your improvisation, and 5) Use of chromaticism and fourths-to fill your lines out and sound more modern (respectively). Regardless of your level, Jay’s approach will help you see what you already know a little differently and bring new approaches to improvising into view. More importantly, it will help you understand how to better utilize the fretboard. Even without trying to memorize each lick or pattern, I really enjoyed playing around with the concepts presented in the Masterclass to build my own phrases.
“Jay Umble II-V-I Masterclass”
First of all, Jay Umble is a name that should be as well known as any in the jazz world. not only is he an open and approachable guy, he is a first-rate musician and teacher. His prior classes and written books are all outstanding. This class is no exception. There is an endless amount of information on the Net about II-V-I approaches by Experts and "experts", all promising a "new" and "novel" way, but Jay's ideas here are ones I can truly say are different and personal. This class, just over an hour of jam-packed info is totally accessible to those of you with modest or growing abilities as well as for those looking to get more jazz influences in their playing coming from other areas. Jay plays all examples over a backing track, giving context to everything, and sets out a simple approach of getting to G Major from A Minor not by fancy scales or convoluted theory, but by simple hand position shifting! This makes all kinds of Altered or "outside" ideas quite simple. That's the basis from which countless ideas flow. Great, great class, and highly recommended for those who are not yet pros but would not mind getting there. Good camera work, great organization, great content.
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“Excellent course”
Thanks Randy for your valuable insights on this difficult jazz blues waltz from the master Wes Montgomery! I learned some new approaches and found the material instructive.
“Great course”
Just what I needed as I'm playing this with my band. Many thanks for your insights Randy!
“Diatonic Triads Complete, Parts I-V”
Congratulations Tom on the excellent Diatonic Triads Complete series of courses. Along with listening and rhythm, triads, arpeggios and harmonized scales form the basis of my understanding of music. From the previews to this five part course I could tell, now was the time to acquire the package and Tom would expand my knowledge. As with all his courses, Tom's sound quality and presentation have resulted in a learning experience that will require years of practice, yet after just the first day on Part I, I am already challenged into new ways of thinking about the basic concepts that I can immediately apply to my playing. Thank you Tom, looking forward to the work.
“Diatonic Triads pt.1”
Another great class from Tom. Knowing how methodical and thorough Tom's teaching style is, I clearly found this was more than just a review of triads; it is the necessary base for the Good Stuff to come. That being said, this class has a lot of great material in and of itself. 5 stars is the minimum for this whole series.
“Lenny Breau: Comping/Solo (Steve Herberman)”
I just worked through this lesson a couple of times. It's terrific. I hear Lenny Breau and think how could anyone do that?! Then you get this lesson from Steve Herberman who is rare in that he can communicate difficult ideas and concepts in clear ways. This does not mean he makes things easy, as this lesson has challenges he notes. Steve is just great at helping to break things up into manageable portions, and then demonstrate possibilities for approachingthe challenging aspects. Once through this, even in a rough way a couple of times, I can hear the beauty in my playing that I associate with Lenny's. That's rewarding in itself, but knowing I can go back and have Steve walk me through wherever I want is what makes this a great lesson—that, and Steve's approach to teaching which I see as guiding the player to find his/her voice, and offering encouragement in the process.
“Exceptional!!!”
An exceptional more than useful course. Thank you very much Jamie.
by Randy Johnston
“Another spectacular lesson!”
I’ve been a fan of Randy Johnston for decades. How can you go wrong by listening to this master guitarist explain his thought process for developing lines? You can’t! His discography speaks for itself! The video is right to the point, and covers all the elements of putting a solo together! I love this platform! Adrian L
“learn to solo on Solar!”
if you want to learn how to solo over the changes of Solar, this new masterclass by Randy Johnston gives you a good approach to do exactly that.
“Great Instructor”
Explains things clearly, very helpful, entertaining and make theory understandable. Good sense of humor, nice guy.
“Absolute Joy and Treasure of a Workshop From Master Sid Jacobs ”
Another Awesome Lesson With The Master Sid Jacobs , Thanks Again!
“I hope this class doesn’t get lost in the shuffle because of the absolute importance of The subject matter ”
Hey Steve, There’s so much to say about the expressive qualities you bring up here— The heart of phrasing is expression and ornamentation. . I think many guitarists don’t really focus as much as they need to on it. For those of us who aspire to play (lap) piano style guitar, what you talk about here is everything the guitar can provide as a string instrument that the piano cannot. The obvious corollaries are to European classical music and Indian classical music.. Ironically, everything that you speak of here, especially with regard to the glissando and slides, Jack C was the absolute master of, I referred to him often as the Johnny Hodges of the guitar. Interestingly, he would grease his fingers on the left hand, which Indian classical musicians do, especially on guitar and mandolin (Eg, the late great maestro U. Srinivas). The Use of bends versus slides and glissando is actually a very critical one. There is a truly great local musician who is probably the best all-around guitar player I can think of (Who is, incidentally, a dead ringer for my brother, except my brother was like a foot taller :-) ) who I heard playing Indian classical music using a lot of Bends. I think that comes across as more B.B. King than Indian classical music.. I don’t know if this is the right word, lyricism is a product expression and ornamentation. We can learn a lot from Indian classical musicians in this regard. I’m going to go meet with a South Indian friend of mine who is studying Carnatic guitar — His mother was a Carnatic classical singer. We’re going to do a trade off: I’m going to teach him about harmony and chords in the fingerboard then he’s going to teach me about ornamentation, which is principally slides, slurs and so forth. I think you got the critical components exactly right. This is an important subject matter, and a lot of jazz players tend to neglect it. Ultimately, lyricism is a function of expression and ornamentation. Looking forward to part 2!
“Secrets of tasteful melody playing”
As in all his classes, Steve does a masterful job of demonstrating the secrets of playing beautifully, in this case with single-note song melodies. He goes into the various subtleties of tone, articulation, phrasing, and register. There are no transcribed examples, but I didn't find it necessary because it's really about the creative art of taking a melody and making it sing, not about memorizing a particular example. His playing is very clear and easy to follow, as always, and he talks through what he's doing as he's doing it. He includes a very handy list of concepts to consider and he explains all of them in the video. If you envy the way a horn player or a singer can make a melody sound beautiful and want to be able to do that on the guitar, this class is for you. I'm looking forward to part 2!
“Putting what you learn to good use”
I enjoyed this class very much. It addresses an important issue: what do you do with all the chords you've learned? Are you really using all the voicings, or are you just sticking to certain ones all the time (guilty). Are you aware of all the possible substitutions that you can use (really important, since rootless voicings keep the bass player happy). Do you play drop 3 chords starting from the 5th string? (some, not enough). Finally, do you ever use drop 2&4 or something besides drop 2 or drop 3? I will definitely use these ideas when learning tunes (and maybe even try something like comping the whole tune within the first 4 frets, then frets 5-8, etc. forcing me to not always go to the "typical" chords I use). Highly recommended.
“Putting chords to work”
Hello Tom, I really love the way you laid all this out. An immense amount of work I'm sure. What I really love is the concept of working on chord inversions while all the while being inside a really good song. The old idea of two birds with one stone. Also the included charts of associated chords for color are invaluable. Thank you very much for this course. Robert Gannon
by Jake Reichbart
“Excellent information”
This is a really interesting class showing possibilities with diminished chords. Jake gives a well presented and organized class. It gives me some very interesting and modern sounding chords and a system I can use to come up with my own application of his concept. I'll be working on this concept for daily. Just what I was looking for to expand my harmonic sound.
“Diminished Harmony Secrets”
Beautiful sounds! A side benefit is the voice leading...very cool :) The video got cut off at the end...whats up with that?
“Really Eye Opening”
I always enjoy Tom's lessons. They are packed full of information (that you will be able to go back to again and again) but still everything is very well explained. I've already utilized several of the ideas he presents here in live situations and it has definitely made my comping much more interesting. I highly recommend this course.
“Tremendous Course on Tremendous Tune!!!!”
I first heard this tune about 1970. About 20 years later, my teacher helped me develop a chord melody (in E rather than Eb). It was close but she gets it more precisely. I never could figure how to solo after the first chorus. Now I have a number of options. Perhaps THE most important thing for Me is to listen to the chord and play the different scales and arps absorbing the emotional aspects and sounds. And keep doing it to get to the next level. For Me, this course was both Practical, as well as DEEP!!! Thanks Sheryl!!! Hope you'll be coming to Cleveland when some normalacy and safety returns.
“Amazing Course!”
This course is so deep and interesting! One should definitely have at least some understanding of modal harmony and know Stella already to get the most out of Genil's lesson. He's an amazing player. Like Genil, I was also impacted deeply by Joe Diorio and Lenny Breau when I attended GIT in 1980. I was always drawn to Joe's comping work and solo guitar playing. Lots of work ahead but your knowledge and discovery will be expanded by the things Genil discusses. Highly recommeded!
“Incredible arrangement”
I have several videos about Stella by starlight Genil's options to harmonize the melody are brilliant I like that he shows so many different options in detail including his own arrangement You will definitely learn a lot of cool voicings and ideas from this lessons For advanced and flexible players
“This is how it's done , with fun, with 10ths!!!!!! GVE approved ”
It is very difficult to define musical instruction in words. We've all heard the axiom that talking about music is like dancing about architecture (or perhaps marine biology). Whatever words I choose to say about this Masterful Steve Herberman Master class, they will never have the richness of the emotion or energy that the materials inside this course contain and may very well help you to convey with your own guitars and fingers. In other words, it is my $0.02 that every note found in this Master class holds the intensity of actual feelings. I almost wish I was the only person in the world who had this Master Class. But alas, I am not. And if you become a person who also checks out this masterclass you will hopefully understand what I am trying to say. Also, if you ever opened up any section of George Van Eps' 3 volume treatise Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar and perused the sections on 10ths, you'll learn that Steve has clearly learned from Mr. Van Eps, and yet has grown, cultured and nurtured his own voice in 10th land while remaining respectful to GVE. I am only speculating when I say that you may also be able to develop your own voice in 10th land should you take the plunge and get this Masterclass.
“Fun With 10ths ”
As always, Steve shows a bunch of cool stuff to practice, providing a different perspective of the instrument and our approach to it. And he's so right: IT'S FUN!!!
“Going Outside with the Melodic Minor #5”
Very interesting and useful way of thinking about playing outside. Moving between two key centers plus the diminished quality of the lines gives lots of options. Now to get it under my fingers!
“going outside with melodic minor”
Fantastic 2-clas series!!!! ideas I never had been exposed to. Highly recommended.
“Amazing Lessons”
Sid Jacobs is a Treasury of Fretboard Insight and Nuance.. made my whole new year with inspiration and new found possibilities, Thank You
“You should have showed us the stove in Let's Burn One!”
I had the good fortune of attending a jazz camp in Maryland a few years ago and Paul was the guitar guru. He commented that my picking was very stiff, and I never got the chance to ask him for advice on how to make things better. I am therefore very glad that put out these two picking courses to help me improve my picking.
“Very useful”
I found this course very useful and helpful in my own playing and have incorporated much of Paul’s suggestions into my daily practice. Developing and maintaining good picking technique is an ongoing process and requires a regular return to basics. Thanks a Paul!
“Jazz Phrasing part 2”
This introduction to triplet rhythms and other asymmetrical patterns shows the student a way to build lines that float over the chord changes. The course uses There Will Never Be Another You as a vehicle to demonstrate these concepts. Steve's examples flow over the chord changes and I found myself presented with a whole new way to think about soloing. The examples are tabbed out and broken down into 4 and 8 bar sections to facilitate learning. Steve puts all the sections together at the end and the result is a beautiful etude that shows the concepts perfectly. I'm already experimenting with these concepts on other songs and beginning to see the unlimited possibilities of playing more freely using these rhythmic concepts. Thanks Steve for an insight into this very cool way of phrasing.
“Wow really good material here!!”
Wow really good material here. I can feel my rhythmic sense changing as I was going through the materials the first time! Really fun stuff to practice :) Also at the end Steve gives us some blues applications and I think the feel of things to come in the 3rd class with 16th notes. Very fun stuff thank you Steve for taking the time to put this material together :))
“Very good lesson ”
I’m impressed by this lesson. I’m also a jazz guitar teacher and I’m learning a lot from Profesor Roni Ben-Hur. He understands what students need to learn a topic. Thank you.
“AUDIO PROBLEM SOLVED”
What I do is download the lesson and play it inside VLC Player, which has a compressor in it, which brings John's spoken word and music closer together.
“Many ways to attack the problem”
I like this video because there isn't just one quick, easy solution presented here that is the one answer for everyone. Far from it. First of all, this will take time (of course I always thought everyone except me was born with the ability to play fast!) and working on this daily is key. It could be your picking hand and/or your fretting hand. It could be how well you move around the fretboard. All possibilities are addressed here. I like the idea of incorporating jazz language into your playing as well (take an idea or 3 that you like and work on incorporating those ideas wherever you can). All in all a lot of important information and advice packed into a fairly short video.
“So much good stuff here”
There’s a lifetime’s worth of great advice here on improving your jazz playing! Not just improving your speed, but improving your phrasing, your technique and the effectiveness of your practicing. Thank you Paul!
“Comping Concepts Part Two: Ballads and Jazz Waltz | by Steve Herberman”
Excellent as always. Steve's a wealth of knowledge.
“Great course, looking forward to a follow up course”
This was a great course and having Tom answer my questions so quickly was the icing on the cake. With that said, I would love to see a video of Tom doing some "real world" playing and then breaking down what he is doing. Perhaps a video just playing 4-5 bebop heads with solos? If the music/fingerings were included it would be a "must buy" course. This course really got me off the ground using my fingers.
“Insightful is an understatement!!!!”
Thank you, Jamie, for the wonderful course! Everything is done very well and your explanations and teachings are beyond my expectations! You gave me the very best analysis of Donna Lee that I have ever learned --and, sad to say, I have been playing that song for over 40 years. Your course demonstrates your expertise in musical understanding and performance; however, it is also a clear demonstration of your tremendous teaching ability. Thanks again!
“Essential viewing ”
Superb. Hard to know what else to say. This guy is just a great teacher. Get this lesson.
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