Mike's Master Classes

"West Coast Blues" [Guitar Masterclass]

Randy Johnston·
5.0 (3 reviews)·INTERMEDIATE·Blues·19 lessons
$12.95
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In this master class, discover how Randy Johnston takes this Wes Montgomery classic and puts his own twist on it. You will learn not only learn the chord changes but also Randy's own personal strategies for soloing on it. Navigate through this tune with more confidence at your next gig or jam session. Randy will show you: • Ideas for simplifying II-V single note lines • Minor Vs. Dominant Vs. Blues Ideas • Visualisation techniques for playing Wes style octave solos • Wes Block Chord Style Soloing Basics • Which Chord Fingerings Work Better (and Why) • Two Arrangers' Techniques to Imitate The Big Band Sound If you finally want to master this tune, this masterclass will give you actionable ideas you can use immediately. As with all of Randy's classes, there is no filler material! This is the stuff he uses when he plays and these ideas sound good!
  • 3 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation.
  • Full video is 1 hour.

Course Content

Lessons

  • Full Class + Download3620
  • 2nd Performance209
  • About The Song & Wes Montgomery397
  • Conclusion and Outro Solo124
  • Diminished Chords175
  • Dominant Ideas and Using The Solo Changes186
  • Intro Performance139
  • Minor Whole Tone Ideas and Block Chord Solo Example129
  • Octave Solo Examples131
  • Replacement with Upper Partials232
  • Single Note Lines Strategies265
  • The Benefits of Certain String Sets82
  • The Melody Chord Changes and The Solo Chord Changes476
  • The Riff Up An Octave86
  • Two Arrangers' Techniques146
  • Using Dorian and Tetrachord Ideas80
  • Using Slides34
  • Wes Block Chord Style Soloing376
  • Wes Montgomery Octave Solo Tips363

Reviews & Ratings

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Michael Bryant
Verified Purchase
1/22/2023

"Great course"

Just what I needed as I'm playing this with my band. Many thanks for your insights Randy!

John Duncan
Verified Purchase
6/24/2019

"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.

Dave Silhanek
Verified Purchase
12/1/2018

"An inspiring goldmine ! Thank you, Randy"

This gets it steaming all together: inversions, diminished, voiceleading .. Great Jazz!

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About the instructor

Randy Johnston →
Randy Johnston makes learning jazz guitar fun. He takes an approach to teaching jazz in it's simplest form. Each class will improve your abilities and get you ready to perform. Randy Johnston is one of the most widely recorded and prolific guitarists of his generation. He has released 12 albums as a leader for the Muse, Highnote, J Curve, Mel Bay, and Random Act labels and has appeared on dozens of recordings with other top recording artists. In addition to his recording career, Randy has toured and played with some of the most acclaimed names in jazz, including Lionel Hampton, Houston Person and Etta Jones, Lonnie Smith, and has played for 17 years as a regular member of the Lou Donaldson Quartet. He has traveled the world concertizing, both as a bandleader and side musician, performing at the top clubs and festivals all over the United States, Europe, Japan, Thailand, and South America.