Jay Umble

Jay Umble works through two classic compositions — Out of Nowhere and Solar — showing how he combines and connects voicing types: chromatic embellishments, standard jazz voicings, quartal harmony, and tasteful intervallic voicings. You get three full choruses of comping for each tune, shot with close-ups of the fretboard so you can see every chord in detail, all explained bar by bar. What's covered Expanding your chord vocabulary by placing a chord every two beats instead of sitting on one voicing per measure Quartal harmony and modern chord systems for an open, contemporary sound Two-note voicings that imply the essence of a chord without the full grip The "parent minor" substitution (playing Bbm over Eb7) and moving altered dominants in minor thirds up and down the neck Pedal tones, contrary motion, polarity points, and delayed resolutions Creating melody with the top note of each chord so your comping forms cohesive phrases Unlike a typical jazz chords class, this one is all about application — you learn the voicings and the logic behind the choices, so the vocabulary transfers to many similar tunes. If you're stuck playing the same Drop-2 and shell voicings on standards, or struggle to connect one voicing to the next, this masterclass is for you. Includes 9 pages of PDF materials with chord diagrams. Full video is 1 hour 15 minutes.

Technical difficulties means a win for those tuning in live. Although we would have loved to ask questions with Jay live, we instead broadcast his class on Modern Harmony & Harmonic Concepts. Jay joined in the chat room to answer some questions while students watched the class together. It doesn't beat a live Q&A, but this offers some very practical concepts. Jay Umble has studied with world-renowned guitarists Pat Martino and Joe Diorio and has released two recordings which incorporate straight ahead and modern jazz styles. He is currently finishing a recording project with international percussionist, Jamey Haddad from the Paul Simon Group. Jay is on the faculty of Bucknell University and Susquehanna University where he teaches guitar mechanics, harmony, theory and fretboard integration in addition to general guitar playing. He has several instructional books published through Mel Bay Publications with endorsements from such jazz greats as Steve Kahn, Pat Martino, Paul Bollenback, Joe Diorio, Barry Greene, Sid Jacobs and Rene Stefano. Jay's latest book, "Payin' Your Dues With The Blues", is due out in the Fall of 2007. He serves as a jazz guitar clinician for the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz organization and also writes a monthly guitar column for their newsletter. Jay performs throughout Central Pennsylvania with his Jazz Standards Trio, Duo and his modern trio, STRING THEORY. Latest Class Psychology, Philosophy & Methodology for the Jazz Guitarist - I

Jay Umble demonstrates his approach to soloing over the classic ii–V7–I progression, working in the key of G major (Am7–D7–Gmaj7). The class takes a global, concept-driven view of improvisation rather than overly detailed explanations — Jay's core idea is to gravitate from the ii minor toward the I major and let the dominant chord take care of itself. What's covered The key center concept : how the G major scale plus rhythm covers the whole progression Intervallic concepts and using 4ths Simplicity vs. complexity in line construction Gravitational concepts — resolving up or down the neck into nearby Gmaj7 positions Stacking arpeggios Ignoring the ii–V7 part of the progression Chromaticism , including a simple half-step hand shift that drops you into altered-dominant territory (and side-slipping ideas like Abmaj7 resolving into G) For intermediate improvisers who want to play over this all-important progression with confidence — built on a few flexible concepts you can apply in any key.

In his first Mike's Master Class, guitarist Jay Umble shares his ideas on modern harmony — parallel chordal systems, modern comping for the blues, and the harmonic set-ups that give great jazz playing its depth. A centerpiece of the class is approaching the ii-V-I from a parallel perspective: take your ii minor chord, move it up a minor third to function as the V, then down a half step for the I. Jay demonstrates this simple but modern-sounding device in several keys and applies it to Sonny Rollins' "Pent-Up House" , working with rootless triads and chord partials so the parallelism stays clean. What's covered Modern harmonic systems: the C Dorian harmonized scale and major/minor parallel chordal systems Blurring the harmonic nature of chords A bossa nova rhythm concept applied to a standard tune Parallel voicing concepts for ii-V7-I progressions Modern comping with the blues: keeping a common tone on top for an entire chorus, pianistic voicings, a 12-bar example, and the Altered Dominant Matrix System Modern ii-V7-I progressions Harmonic set-ups — using chordal harmony to target chords from a half step above and below, demonstrated on a Bb blues Jay presents each concept with clear rules you can apply to any key, making this a practical introduction to contemporary harmonic thinking on the guitar.

Jay Umble explains his unique approach to improvising over altered dominant chords: the Altered Dominant Matrix System . The system builds on the discovery that altered dominant sounds move in minor thirds — so once you learn a line or voicing in one position, the same fingering transfers up the neck automatically. Know 25 altered dominant lines and you effectively know 100, and the whole fretboard unifies into one connected unit. What's covered The three altered dominant matrices that organize the entire system (e.g. the E matrix: E, G, B-flat, D-flat) How the minor-third relationship lets lines, fingerings, and chord forms duplicate across positions Treating altered dominants as one all-inclusive family of sound — #5, b5, b9, #9 all interchangeable Triad groupings within the systems Common and less common altered dominant voicings Repeatable, sequential, and poly-rhythmic concepts Playing off the chord and random altered dominant concepts The concept applies to any genre, and as usual Jay provides plenty of material to work from — 12 pages of handouts including TAB .

In this masterclass, Jay Umble connects the entire guitar neck from the dominant 7th perspective, working through the key of C7 (C7, C9, C11, C13) position by position. He covers five positions in depth — around the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, and 13th frets, roughly 15 minutes each — so you're not stuck soloing in your favorite spots. What's covered The ii minor perspective — using the "parent minor" (G minor against C7) for inside lines Major triad up a step and down a step, including the B-over-C sus/11 sound Stacking and flip-flopping triads (B and C) up the neck for strong melodic statements Playing off the chord and targeting chord tones, with visualization techniques The importance of intervals in building lines Inside / outside ideas, plus implying progressions (C7 – Dm – G7 – C) within a static dominant chord Symmetrical ideas By the end, you'll have dominant-line vocabulary in every region of the fingerboard and a clearer mental map of how the positions connect.

Jay Umble shares his approach to soloing over major chords, working from the chord form itself rather than running scales. Using G major 7 as the home base, he maps the chord across five positions of the neck (3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, and 12th frets) and shows how small "micro" ideas in each position connect into a "macro" picture for whole-neck soloing. What's covered Viewing major 7 chords as interconnected positions rather than isolated shapes Subsystems for line-building: fourth intervals , minor 7th intervals, fifths, and compound tenths Translating each idea through all five neck positions so it works everywhere When to use the natural 4 versus the sharp 4 over a major 7 chord A Jaco-inspired bass line concept adapted to guitar Chromatic tension and release — moving outside the key center and resolving If your major-chord soloing feels boxed into one scale shape, this class offers a chord-form visualization method for a more open, spacious, modern sound across the whole fretboard.

Jay Umble continues his exploration of quartal harmony and modern chord voicings, expanding on the C Dorian harmonized scale introduced in Part I of this series. The focus is on breaking those fourth-stack voicings into practical, playable fragments and putting them to work on real tunes. What's covered Reviewing the C Dorian harmonized scale in quartal ("chordal") harmony and how the stacks relate to familiar shapes like Cm7, Ebmaj7, Eb6/9, and F13 Breaking the voicings into three-string groupings — top group (strings 4-3-2) and bottom group — and treating each as an independent vocabulary Staggering the groupings for new textures Adding chromatic passing harmony between on-target scale points, just as you would with single lines Transferring the form to the top four strings so you can splice the harmony together anywhere on the neck Applying the scale to C minor modal tunes such as Equinox , Softly As In A Morning Sunrise , and Stolen Moments , replacing plain seventh chords with quartal stacks Jay works through accompanying PDF pages and encourages practicing every idea ascending and descending across the whole neck. A good fit for players who have the basics of quartal harmony under their fingers and want spacious, modern voicings they can use when comping on modal tunes.

Jay Umble teaches a set of practical jazz composition techniques built on a simple idea: instead of waiting for inspiration, give yourself a small creative parameter and let it guide the writing. Each technique follows the same workflow — compose a series of chords, determine the tune's structure and style, write a melody (some techniques build the melody into the chords themselves), then add intros and endings. What's covered Alphabetic Junction — mapping a scale to the alphabet, choosing a word, and generating the tones each chord must contain Single Tone Variation , Multiple Tone Variation , and Single Chord Variation techniques Numerical Junction for generating fresh harmonic material Building chord sequences by ear — each chord simply has to sound good moving to the next Demonstrations using Jay's original compositions Orange to Grey and Infinite Staircase Finishing touches: structure, melody, intros, and endings These aren't rigid formulas — each method just gives you a direction, leaving the artistic choices to you. Best suited to players who understand jazz harmony and voicings and want reliable tools for writing original tunes on demand.

Jay Umble opens his class series on the psychological, philosophical, and methodological side of jazz guitar, sharing insights drawn from 30 years in the music arena. Unlike the standard masterclass approach (put your finger here, play this chord), this is a discussion about the artistic side of music — covering topics that are rarely, if ever, discussed. Topics include Being professional Preparing mentally and physically for the gig Finding your own voice Characteristics of pro players Believe in what you do If you want to be a good player Tightening up jazz standards How to work with study materials For guitarists who want perspective on how to prepare, perform, and grow as a musician — the kind of class that leaves you thinking "why didn't I know this 20 years ago!"

Jay Umble continues his class series on the psychological, philosophical, and methodological side of jazz guitar, sharing insights drawn from 30 years in the music arena. Unlike the standard masterclass approach (put your finger here, play this chord), this is a discussion about the artistic side of music — covering topics that are rarely, if ever, discussed. Topics include Right-hand technique The making of a good player Dealing with less-than-ideal circumstances How to structure practice time Methodology and sight reading Tablature "I hear sound" and chord substitution The journey For guitarists who want perspective on how to think, practice, and grow as a musician — the kind of class that leaves you thinking "why didn't I know this 20 years ago!"

Jay Umble's third class on the psychological, philosophical, and methodological side of jazz guitar, drawing on his 30 years in the music arena. Rather than the standard masterclass approach (put this finger here, play this chord), this series is a discussion about the artistic side of music, covering topics that are rarely, if ever, discussed. Topics include Balancing energy One of the big secrets to improvisation Polarity Giant Steps Go to school without going to school Hearing, and expanding your awareness Improv substitutions The most important thing For guitarists who want perspective on how to think, listen, and grow as a musician — the kind of class that leaves you thinking "why didn't I know this 20 years ago!"

Jay Umble offers a comprehensive study of " Giant Steps ," John Coltrane's elusive jazz classic. Jay moves through the class at a relaxed pace, giving ample time to grasp each concept — for example, understanding the intervallic structure of the melody so you can create on the fly with confidence. In the solo section, he demonstrates his key to unlocking the Coltrane Matrix , often speaking in artistic terms such as primary colors and impressionism. Class includes General form Melody considerations Walking bass Comping options Chord melody Soloing approach 9 pages of written materials in standard notation and in TAB Jazz tips are woven throughout: learn one tune really well and you advance your musicianship to another level, carrying that expertise and expectation to every tune you play. The next time someone calls Giant Steps on a gig, you'll simply nod and say, no problem.

Jay Umble teaches an arsenal of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic approaches for building minor lines, using G minor 7 as the recurring tonality throughout. His stated aim: "become a sculptor of sound to create any effect you want." Jay begins by viewing the entire fretboard as one chord, identifying the areas guitarists tend to avoid when soloing over a Gm7 and building the confidence to create solos seamlessly across the neck. He emphasizes targeting chord tones so you can play effortlessly both inside and outside, using what he calls random points of entry — starting a line diatonically or non-diatonically at will. He also contrasts scalar playing (easier for the listener to follow) with intervallic playing (which the ear tracks less accurately), showing where wilder, more outside tonalities can be created — and how to get away with the occasional "avoid" note. What's covered Approach setups — short and long Altered dominant ideas Viewing chord shapes across the neck for greater fluidity Fifths harmony for ultra-modern sounds Single-string soloing ideas Knowing intervals in relation to the root in every position Gaining control over randomness to build more interesting lines Jay's approach is friendly and relaxed, and these concepts are presented in a way players can easily adapt to their own style. Includes 10 pages of written materials in standard notation and TAB . Running time: 83 minutes.