Reharmonization Strategies/ Conversation with John Stowell and Micky Lee/Part 1

John Stowell (Portland) and Micky Lee (Vienna) use the well-known standard Have You Met Miss Jones to demonstrate important concepts in comping, soloing, and reharmonizing the song's basic diatonic harmony. The class opens with the two guitarists trading choruses on the tune, then settles into an informal conversation where they react to each other's playing and unpack the ideas behind it.

What's covered

• Deconstructing chords into smaller shapes — double stops and triads — for full-sounding accompaniment with voice leading
• Using small chord shapes as templates on the neck for solo ideas, and for moving smoothly between chords and single lines
• Contrapuntal playing: combining two lines instead of alternating single notes and block chords (with a nod to Jimmy Wyble's approach)
• Specific rhythmic values for developing comping skills
• The importance of space, compositional intention, and using the melody to internalize the form
• Basic reharmonization of diatonic progressions

An advanced class for players who want to develop new skills in comping, soloing, and reharmonization through watching two distinct voices work the same tune. Full class video includes a download.