Christopher Woitach

As guitarists, an important part of our learning process is playing arrangements and transcriptions of standards and jazz tunes by great guitarists like Joe Pass, George Van Eps, Barney Kessel, Ted Greene, and many others, and then writing our own arrangements. It’s important to do this to learn about voicings, substitutions, common practice, and simply to feel what it’s like to play great jazz music - hopefully, we’ll continue to do this as part of our learning process, as there’s always something new to discover from them. When it’s time to play, however, jazz gives us the freedom to play the tunes however we feel in the moment, or in any way suggested by our bandmates. To be able to be flexible, and not just play a specific arrangement we’ve either learned or written ourselves, we have to truly internalize the music - know the melody and harmony well enough that we can freely make choices in the moment, while still staying true to the tune. Beyond the Arrangement takes a well known standard and goes through all the steps necessary to have this freedom. We learn how to take the melody from a lead sheet and play it like a jazz musician, with several Soundslice examples to try, examine the harmony in a way that makes it possible to internalize it, learn several ways to accompany the melody, including a Soundslice of an “off the cuff” version that demonstrates several different approaches. We also learn the common practice introduction which often is called for in a playing situation. At the end of the course, there are two complete “off the cuff” performances of the tune, in completely different styles, to demonstrate all the principles learned in the course. Categories: Chord Melody Comping Level: Basic Intermediate Duration: 40+ Minutes

One of the most useful skills for a guitarist to acquire is the ability to accompany a single line instrument, such as a horn or a voice, in a duo setting, to “be the band”. “Being the Band” is a course that covers the skills necessary to do an introduction and accompany a melody instrument effectively. It includes 4 intros in Soundslice that you can use as springboards for your own ideas, and a performance example with a top notch horn player. By the time you’ve finished the course you’ll have a basic understanding of how to approach “being the band”, whether you’re accompanying a singer, horn player, violinist, or any single line instrument. These skills are easily transferred to other situations as well. Note: a useful companion piece to this course is Christopher Woitach’s “Environments” , also on Mike’s Masterclasses. Look for upcoming deeper dives on some of the subjects covered here in the future! Categories: Chord Melody Comping Level: Basic Intermediate Duration: 60 Minutes

If you are looking for a way to add new orchestrations to both arrangements and improvisations using techniques you already have , then this is the course for you. Unlock improvisations that you may already possess. This class is an exploration into different ways to orchestrate our improvisations and arrangements. I like to call these orchestrations “environments”, since they create the musical environment in which our improvisations and arrangements exist. More Insights from this Course In this course, Christopher, a jazz guitarist and educator from Portland, Oregon, discusses the concept of "environments for jazz guitar." He explains how different orchestrations or environments can influence the way musicians improvise and arrange their music. These environments are not just settings but are integral to the musical piece, affecting the improvisation process. Christopher emphasizes the guitar's versatility, highlighting its roles as a rhythm instrument in jazz bands and in other genres like pop and funk, as well as its capability as a lead instrument in styles like blues and bluegrass. He introduces the idea of "self-accompanied guitar," which applies to both solo performances and small ensemble settings, where the guitarist uses various techniques to create a full musical texture. He uses "Autumn Leaves" as a demonstration piece to illustrate his points, given its familiarity and the mix of major and minor chords it contains. Christopher showcases different guitar playing techniques that contribute to creating unique musical environments, such as folk-style picking, emulating the sounds of other instruments or musical styles (e.g., big band shout choruses, Latin rhythms), and employing different feels like stride or shuffle. The overarching theme is the importance of imagination and creativity in jazz, encouraging musicians to draw upon a wide range of influences and techniques to enrich their playing . Christopher advocates for experimenting with different sounds and styles, even those outside traditional jazz guitar, to discover new ways to express musical ideas and create engaging environments for improvisation and arrangement. This course reveals Christopher's approach to teaching and playing jazz guitar, focusing on versatility, experimentation, and the integration of diverse musical elements to craft unique and expressive performances. Sub-topic 1: Using techniques you already possess in new ways Sub-topic 2: Emulation of sounds and styles outside of typical jazz guitar approaches Sub-topic 3: Self accompanying techniques and concepts Categories: Chord Melody Comping Mindfulness Modern Jazz Guitar Soloing Level: Intermediate Advanced Duration: 1 Hour 5 Minutes