Mike's Master Classes

Useful Voicings

Paul Bollenback·
5.0 (1 review)·ADVANCED·Chord Voicings·1 lesson
$9.95
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Have you ever been working on developing your chord vocabulary and just gotten frustrated at the shear number of possibilities of note combinations? Ever wonder how you can go from the world of exploring voicings, to actively using good sounding voicings that fit well on the guitar? This course does an excellent job of shortening the learning curve for guitarists. Master jazz guitarist Paul Bollenback teaches the student by using Victor Young’s standard "Stella By Starlight", the major Blues progression, stock 2-5-1 and 3-6-2-5-1 progressions as vehicles to demonstrate how to get the most mileage out of using just a few shapes (chord voicings) on the guitar. The useful voicings course is a masterful study of the application of a concept and doing a lot with a small amount of information.

This Class Includes:

  • Five pages of notes in a downloadable PDF file
  • Boils down years of Paul’s in-depth explorations of harmony to shorten the learning curve and get great results right away
  • Focusing mostly on 3 note voicing on strings 2,3, and 4
  • Voicings for Tritone Substitutions
  • Practicing in Cycle of Fourths/ Circle of Fifths
  • String set conversions
  • Shell Voicings
  • Rootless Voicings
  • Four Note Voicings primarily on the second set of four strings (B,G,D, and A strings)
  • practice routine suggestions
  • Tritone plus Perfect fourth interval voicing used as Dominant 13th, Minor 6/9, Dominant 7 #9, and min 11 flat 5 voicings all depending on the root note.
  • Moving the Augmented 4th + Perfect Fourth voicing moving down chromatically on a 3-6-2-5-1 progression
  • Applications of these voicing in common jazz settings such as major and minor 2-5-1 progressions, 3-6-2-5-1, and applying them in a blues context.
  • Great for comping, chord melody, chord soloing and generally getting away from harmony based in voicings containing the root as the lowest note.
All this with a straightforward and no nonsense delivery of these very advanced concepts. All this and he ends with the greatest words of wisdom: Go Practice!
  • Intermediate-Advanced level.
  • 5 pages of written material in standard notation and TAB
  • Running time: 90 minutes

Course Content

Lessons

  • Useful Voicings5340

Reviews & Ratings

5.0
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Clint Perron
Verified Purchase
12/5/2018

"Great Course! Highly recommended!"

This class was so easily assimilated and Paul explains the material clearly. I was familiar with all the chord shapes but Paul goes over the applications, substitutions and I was able to use them immediately in my playing. I would say this class is pretty much essential. I also would highly recommend Paul's recordings as I downloaded many of them on iTunes after watching this class and I am now a big fan of his playing! 5 stars! Can't wait to get the others as well!

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About the instructor

Paul Bollenback →
Paul Bollenback is not only a masterful performer, but a down-to-earth instructor. His approach to jazz is both inspiring yet attainable. Guitar master George Benson, a long-time supporter, has described Bollenback’s work as ". . .bona-fide playing, unambiguous, up-front and powerful," calling him “a versatile dynamo on guitar. His approach to jazz and blues has a uniqueness unto itself . . ..”. That comment has special resonance in that Bollenback counts Benson high among his wide range of influences; these also include Carlos Santana, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, John McLaughlin, Johnny Winter, and Jimi Hendrix (among guitarists), as well as such giants of improvisation and composition as pianists Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane.