Are you bored of jazz standards?
Are you bored at least of playing those songs the same way each time?
Wouldn’t it be great to have a creative way of approaching those familiar tunes?

So many songs are played the exact same way at every gig! Same tempos, same keys. It can get boring after awhile.

For touring jazz guitar master John Stowell, one of his personal approaches to keeping jazz standards fresh is by purposely creating arrangements that include modulations. It’s not just about modulating but also about considering the color and relationship between the two keys (or more) in your arrangement.

In this master class, you will see how John applies this concept to 3 beautiful compositions:

  • The Day of Wine and Roses
  • You And The Night And The Music
  • Isfahan

On the standard, The Days of Wine and Roses, watch as John goes through the chord changes and his personal voicing choices for his take on this tune. Then, discover how John plays his arrangement of this piece in two keys. He then explores the two other tunes in a similar way. Learn these wonderful pieces directly from John and add them to your repertoire today!

If you want to get your arrangements of jazz standards to be more interesting or challenging, this musical exploration of modulation will multiply your mastery. You will find out how playing songs in different keys adds a unique dimension to familiar standards.

In addition to the main lesson, you will also receive “The John Stowell Real Book”. This is a 19-page collection of John’s personal favorites, including handwritten arrangements and reharmonized changes to his favorite songs. If you’ve ever met or performed with John, you’ve probably seen at least parts of this collection before. If you haven’t met John in person, this is a treasured resource that you can use to apply the concepts covered in this master class. Learn the songs here for your own shows and also for your future jams (perhaps even with John Stowell himself!).

Suitable for intermediate and advanced guitarists, this masterclass will help you add another dimension to your arrangements immediately. This is a practical class that you can digest the concepts quickly in 28 minutes. Then, you can revisit your favorite segments to learn John’s voicings or lines on those tunes.

Get the “key” to another level of creativity and modulate now!

  • 19 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation (lead sheet style)
  • Full video is 28 minutes
Editor Revew by Az Samad

Add to Cart for $11.95 or Purchase with 1 Credit1 Credit [What's This?]

Class Content

Full Video + Download
John Stowell “Modulation as an Arranging Technique” 00:28:01
Days
Introduction – Days of Wine and Roses 00:03:43
Days of Wine and Roses in 2 Keys 00:02:45
Night
You and the Night and the Music – Original Key 00:03:29
You and the Night and the Music – With Modulations 00:03:37
Isfahan
Isfahan – Explanation 00:07:40
Isfahan – Performance 00:05:41
Closing Thoughts 00:01:16

Course Reviews

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  1. John Stowell - Modulation

    5

    I have never gone wrong with any of John’s instructional material and this is no exception. Brief but very informative class, and having been lucky enough to see him live countless times, I have seen him do modulations effortlessly. However, his explanations here make his magic quite accessible to us mere mortals.

    by james seaberry
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