Jake Reichbart

Learn Jake Reichbart's solo fingerstyle jazz guitar arrangement of the classic Frank Sinatra standard "I've Got You Under My Skin." Jake walks through his arrangement note by note, sharing the voicings, techniques, and musical decisions that shape his interpretation. Discover how to apply chord substitutions, voice leading, and rhythmic variations to create your own unique solo guitar performance of this timeless standard.

Some standards just feel right. "Blue Skies" has been played by everybody from Ella Fitzgerald to Willie Nelson, but there's something special about hearing it come alive from a single guitar—bass, chords, melody, and improvisation all woven together by ten fingers. In this in-depth masterclass, Jake Reichbart breaks down his solo fingerstyle jazz guitar arrangement of Irving Berlin's timeless "Blue Skies" in the key of G. Jake doesn't just show you what to play—he reveals the principles behind every decision, from why he chose this key to how he keeps the rhythm flowing without a band behind him. Whether you're looking to build your first solo jazz arrangement or add another standard to your repertoire, Jake's clear, relaxed teaching style makes even advanced concepts feel approachable.

Some songs just feel good. And when you can play them solo—bass, chords, melody, groove, all from your own two hands—they feel even better. In this comprehensive masterclass, Jake Reichbart breaks down his solo fingerstyle arrangement of Roberta Flack's timeless "Feel Like Making Love," teaching not just what to play, but how to make it groove. This isn't a note-for-note transcription exercise—it's a deep dive into the techniques and concepts that allow Jake to perform this tune night after night at his legendary 30+ year residency at The Earle, never playing it quite the same way twice. The lesson is built around three pillars: playing the melody with its harmonies, creating rhythmic feel, and improvising over the changes. Jake's approach transforms your guitar into a complete band—and he'll show you exactly how. The "Drum Kit" Concept: Jake reveals how he thinks of solo guitar as representing an entire rhythm section: Thumb = Bass drum — steady quarter notes anchoring the groove Fingernail downstroke = Snare — percussive backbeat on 2 and 4 Chord arpeggiation = Hi-hat — 16th note subdivision that keeps the engine running In this lesson you will learn: How to play melody and bass as two independent rhythmic voices—the foundation of Jake's solo guitar approach The chord arpeggiation technique that fills rhythmic gaps and maintains forward momentum in the underlying 16th-note subdivision Jake's right-hand downstroke technique using fingernails for that percussive backbeat (and why you don't need acrylic nails to do it) Multiple voicings for the Bb11 suspended sound and how to navigate between them Using the Mixolydian mode with sharp 11 for color, plus blues inflections that maintain the major quality The tritone substitution (A7#11 for Eb7) and why it works How to approach improvisation by anchoring to localized chord shapes and exploring the notes available in each region Melodic minor applications: Lydian b7 and altered scale sounds over dominant chords Practical strategies for extending a short form—vamp introductions, playing the head twice with variation, and building density through improvisation Jake works through the entire form slowly and in close-up, offering multiple fingering options for each passage and explaining the musical reasoning behind his choices. He demonstrates how small differences—a G played on one string versus another, a hammer-on borrowed from the original vocal—accumulate into a personal interpretation that honors the source while making it your own. Whether you're building your solo repertoire, looking to understand how jazz harmony applies to R&B/soul standards, or simply want to sound like a complete band when you play alone, this lesson delivers the tools and the insight to make it happen.

What if the secret to great solo jazz guitar isn't learning more voicings—but learning what to do between the notes? In this deeply personal masterclass, Jake Reichbart takes you inside his solo fingerstyle arrangement of the Gershwin classic "A Foggy Day"—one of the very first chord melody arrangements he ever attempted, dating back 35 years to when he first discovered Joe Pass. The remarkable lesson here? The foundational chord shapes Jake uses today are largely the same ones he learned in the mid-80s. What's transformed his playing into the polished, professional sound heard at his legendary 30+ year residency at The Earle isn't what he plays—it's how he plays it. As Jake puts it, the difference lies in "a thousand different means of articulation, added like seasoning into food." This isn't just a note-for-note breakdown of an arrangement. It's a window into how a working solo guitarist thinks, breathes, and brings a standard to life night after night. In this lesson you will learn: • Jake's essential technique of playing melody and bass as two independent rhythmic voices—a method that requires zero theory knowledge and sounds great immediately • How to use chord arpeggiation in the underlying subdivision to create forward momentum (and turn your fingers into your own metronome) • The art of sustaining notes while moving to new chord shapes, creating rich, harp-like textures • Practical voicings including drop 2 and drop 3 shapes, and how to selectively pick out the notes you want rather than strumming everything • Creative chord substitutions: secondary dominants, tritone subs, and approach chords that add harmonic interest • Jake's approach to the introduction and ending, built on a dreamy C sus/C11 pedal tone with bass notes falling on beats 2 and 4 • Walking bass techniques with a subtle backbeat using thumb strokes and palm muting • How to improvise using "islands" along the neck—practical regions where chord shapes spawn melodic phrases • Bebop phrasing fundamentals: approach notes, passing tones, targeting chord tones, and the classic eighth-note-to-triplet figure • Integrating blues phrases for color, even over major 7th chords Jake's teaching style is conversational and immediate. He demonstrates passages slowly and in close-up, explaining not just what to play but why—and encouraging you to develop your own variations. No tablature is offered because Jake improvises his arrangements fresh each performance; instead, you'll learn the concepts and tools to do the same. Whether you're looking to add this beautiful standard to your solo repertoire or seeking to understand what separates a competent chord melody from a truly musical performance, this lesson delivers decades of hard-won insight in a single sitting.

Renowned fingerstyle jazz guitarist Jake Reichbart presents a comprehensive lesson on his solo guitar arrangement of the jazz standard “Someday My Prince Will Come.” In this in-depth masterclass, Jake breaks down his unique approach to chord-melody playing, right-hand technique, and harmonic choices that bring this classic tune to life on solo guitar. This lesson is designed for intermediate to advanced jazz guitarists looking to expand their solo repertoire and develop a deeper understanding of arranging standards for solo guitar. Jake’s clear explanations, slow breakdowns, and detailed demonstrations ensure that you not only learn the arrangement but also absorb the concepts behind it—helping you apply these ideas to other tunes in your repertoire.

Jake Reichbart has produced a brand new solo jazz guitar arrangement of the classic "After You've Gone" . To go with it, he also produced a 75 minute long video lesson teaching every one of the many aspects and techniques he use for this performance; how to execute the melody and "head", chord substitutions, walking bass, improvisation, right hand fingerstyle and so much more. Elevate your jazz guitar prowess today with Jake Reichbart as your mentor. Intermediate / Advanced Running time: 1hr 15minutes

In this solo guitar arrangement lesson of In a Mellow Tone, taught by Jake Reichbart, you'll find all you need as a gateway into style of solo guitar, or chord melody, as pioneered by Joe Pass and others. Categories: Chord Melody Chord Voicings Harmony Standards Technique Theory Intermediate / Advanced Running time: 1hr 56minutes

There’s no doubt that Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest composers in pop music. And there’s no doubt that his songs are a must-have in any musician’s repertoire. Just imagine playing those beautiful arrangements all by the guitar itself. Well, that’s possible and in this course you can learn how. Jake Reichbart is a solo jazz guitarist holding a remarkable record of a 30 year (and going!) weekly gig at the famous The Earle restaurant in Ann Arbor, performing there every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He won WEMU-FM’s Emily Remler scholarship for best guitarist. And appears in countless recordings and jingles. While Jake’s musical philosophy is always rooted in jazz, he has realized over the many decades of performing at The Earle and elsewhere that in order to engage an audience and keep their interest, you must perform tunes from a wide variety of repertoires from all eras and styles. Having Stevie’s songs as an obvious choice. In this package of 5 lessons, Mr. Reichbart teaches his arrangements of some of Wonder’s most popular songs. Throughout the course you will learn not only how to play them, but also how they were thought musically and therefore how you can do something similar by yourself! The arrangements are a very close to the original version for fingerstyle playing . You will be playing chord melodies as a translation of the so particular style of Stevie Wonder’s singing. Learning various possibilities to a nice and interesting performance...including many chord variants, melody contrasts and textural possibilities. In addition to that, learn an impressive way to enhance the bass and the melody. Each video will include a presentation of each song with Reichbart demonstrating close up insights to the arrangements. He will analyze the chord progressions, teach how to correctly play the main melody and then how to improvise through the theme. You will learn the importance of rhythm in a performance, for what he will give 3 ideas on rhythm for improvisation. Reichbart teaches us when and why to get close to original. And also, what kind of changes are needed to be made. Besides, you’ll be able to translate to the guitar the unique voicings that Steve used. With a demonstration of the many variations that can be made for the chords that compose the song. Each of these songs have a particular character, with different difficulties which demand different technics. In order to conquer the best of the expressivity of the guitar, it’s important to cover all of its possibilities. Because the approach depends on the very nature of each song. The full performance of each song is included at the end of each video lesson. What will you learn? How to create personalized arrangements. Improvisation with a theme. Improve your fingerstyle playing. Different ways to enhance the bass and the melody Create interest in a performance. Learn how to translate Stevie Wonder’s style to the guitar. Play with flow and rhythm. Learn different colors, effects, and textures. Improvisation with a theme. Tricks with the guitar for interesting sounds. How to sustain the discourse. Songs included: My Cherie Amour You Are the Sunshine of My Life Isn’t She Lovely As Overjoyed Running time: 7 hrs 15 minutes

Mas Que Nada, written and originally performed in 1963 by Jorge Ben and later made into a hit by Sérgio Mendes, is one of Brazil's most famous themes of the Bossa Nova era, nearly as recognizable as The Girl From Ipanema , yet not nearly as often performed. In his arrangement, Jake Reichbart takes on this classic and adapts it to the solo jazz guitar format. In the accompanying one hour and 40 minute lesson, Mr. Reichbart not only breaks down the arrangement note for note and shows every chord slowly and in closeup, but he goes in great detail into the right hand technique enabling this to be performed with high energy as shown. Nevertheless, as he emphasizes, the arrangement is playable in any tempo and it's up to the performer to find his/her own feel. In the lesson Mr. Reichbart also takes on the harmony and explores multiple ways to add/insert chord substitutions to create countless variations. Skill Level: Intermediate Duration: 1hr 40 Minutes

In this follow-up to his " The Girl From Ipanema " lesson, Jake Reichbart next dives into a gorgeous but also one of the most misunderstood Bossa Nova standards : " Waters of March "! While we all love this great tune, it is one that is rarely played in casual gigs and settings as the form has eluded most of us... With his arrangement and near 90 minute lesson, Jake demonstrates how he breaks down the tune's components into several logical 4-measure units to create a "head" while moving on to demonstrate how to use these units to create chord substitutions and improvisation, thus enabling us, finally to include this tune in our setlist! In the dedicated 20 minute introduction Jake Reichbart discusses the right hand and rhythm, demonstrating his 3 main pillars of solo guitar arranging 1- the bass and melody only method 2- rhythmic chord arpeggiation and 3- the right hand “backbeat” which you can choose to incorporate or leave out. As these three pillars are applicable to all solo guitar arranging, and since the lesson includes countless ideas and techniques that apply to all music, you will come away from this lesson having learned much more than just one arrangement! Running time: 90 minutes

In addition to being a beautiful and sophisticated tune, it is also among the most requested, if not THE most requested on the gig, so you'll want to have this on your set list! In this solo guitar arrangement, the version of which you can view in full at the beginning of this nearly 2-hour lesson, Jake Reichbart covers everything: A full-sounding chord melody with multiple variations on the melody, countless chord substitutions, bebop improvisation and it's lesser-known "sister", filling (or as Mr. Reichbart calls it "micro improvisation") and much more. In the dedicated 20 minute introduction Jake Reichbart discusses the right hand and rhythm, demonstrating his 3 main pillars of solo guitar arranging the bass and melody only method rhythmic chord arpeggiation and the right hand "backbeat" which you can choose to incorporate or leave out. As these three pillars are applicable to all solo guitar arranging, and since the lesson includes countless ideas and techniques that apply to all music , you will come away from this lesson having learned much more than just one arrangement ! Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes

We all know the value of 4-note "drop" chords as some of the most accessible fingerings for jazz guitar. Further, inverting these chords can quadruple the number of variations, thereby giving us more textures for accompaniment as well as additional tools for chord melody since each inversion puts a different note at the top of the voicing. The problem is the limited scope of types of chords that can be derived from scales. The diatonic system (major scale) offers us Maj7, 7, -7 and -7b5. The melodic minor scale adds -Maj7 and Maj7#5, and that's pretty much it. What if there was a way to discover many dozens of new types (values) of chords based on drop chords? In the "slot" system shown in this lesson, you will see how each of the 4 notes can be viewed as a slot to play ANY note, stepping away from the idea that we are playing a 1,3,5,7 of a particular scale. As such, the 3 can be a 3, -3, 9, b9, 11 or #11. The 5 can be a 5, #5, 13, b5, 4 or even a 3 (!). The 7 can be Maj7, b7, 13, b13, or even a b9 and a 9. Even the 1 doesn't have to remain a 1 as it can be replaced by a b9 or 9. By the time you apply this to drop 2, drop 3, drop 2&3 and drop 2&4, on all groups of strings AND their inversions, you will walk away from this lesson with, potentially, hundreds of great new voicings you'd never have arrived at by any other system. Watch the full video to learn how. Skill Level: Intermediate / Advanced

In this lesson Jake Reichbart demonstrates in the clearest of terms how to invert ANY voicing on the guitar. And why do we use the words "any voicing" rather than "any chord"? Because not any group of notes necessarily spell a chord. A stack of fourths E, A, D and G, for example, played against a C might reasonably be called a C 6/9. But the same exact group of notes can also be played against an F creating an F Major 13, or a G 6/9, or an A7 SUS... Similarly the notes E, Bb, D# and G against a C indeed sound like a C7#9 but can also sound like many other chords if related to different roots. Nevertheless, the precise system demonstrated in this lesson applies to any group of notes, and the lesson progressively moves from the simplest closed voicing triads to open voicing triads to 4 note "drop" chords, on to quartal voicings and beyond. Why invert chords at all? If you found a group of notes (i.e. a voicing) that sound good against a chord symbol you read in a chart and were told you could quadruple your options to express the same notes, every time offering a differently nuanced version, and also making it so you didn't have to play the same voicing over and over, wouldn't you jump at the opportunity? Inversions offer you the opportunity to rotate all the notes in the chord at the top of the voicing, a must have skill if you attempt any chord melodies at all

Jake Reichbart has established himself as a master solo guitar arranger, drawing equally from jazz and pop standards to create a virtually bottomless reservoir of tunes to accommodate any gig. While equally adept at complex harmony as well as the bebop language (check out his popular diminished harmony lesson on this site), in this 3-part lesson, Mr. Reichbart focuses on three basic techniques he uses on almost any song he arranges and which focus on the most basic stumbling block to playing solo guitar - how to move any arrangement forward rhythmically thereby taking the melody, harmony and bass, turning them into a smoothly flowing arrangement. The three parts of this lesson are: Bass and melody only - making sure to play the melody as it needs to be played (or an improvised line) while also playing a credible/sufficient bass line to create the foundation for the arrangement. Performing these two lines, each with its own rhythm is at the core of solo guitar arranging. Chord arpeggiation - once the melody and bass have been established and chord notes added, playing arpegiated chord notes in spaces where there is is no melody, or a long sustained melody note, in order to create an audible rhythmic grid, helping the listener along to hear the rhythm as well as helping the player to keep time. The famous "backbeat stroke" - a signature sound from Mr. Reichbart, explained in detail.

Jake Reichbart has delighted audiences for the past 30+ years with his unique solo guitar arrangements, performing around 300 live gigs annually. A big part of his staying power has been his ability to successfully incorporate countless pop tunes into his repertoire thereby connecting with all generations. In this lesson, through the lesson on his arrangement of Kid Charlemagne, you will be afforded a window not only into the world of Steely Dan as interpreted for solo jazz guitar, but also into countless ideas and concepts that can be applied to any pop song. Once you dive in, you will see that, voicing and fingering wise, you are likely already half way there as the vast majority of these voicings are classic drop 2, drop 3, closed voicing triads and other straight forward harmony. In this one hour and 25 minute lesson, with the creative use of rhythm and melody you will learn how to use the tools you already have. In the lesson, Jake Reichbart starts out with a rhythm and right hand introduction, teaching and demonstrating how to play bass and melody only, each with it's own unique rhythm, chord note arpeggiation in the underlying subdivision to help the rhythm move forward and finally, his right hand downstroke, creating his famous backbeat. He then proceeds in great detail to outline the entire arrangement slowly and in closeup while also discussing countless additional ideas and techniques that will make any solo guitar arrangement come alive: Dynamics, articulation, the use of open strings, etc.

Too many videos teach techniques out of context! If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by getting too much information but not been able to apply it, Jake’s latest masterclass might be just be what you’ve been looking for. Using the Beatles classic composition, Something - Jake distills his years of solo guitar arranging experience into this powerful insight-packed masterclass. In this master class you will discover how to: Use jazz ideas in a pop song arrangement Create arrangements that groove Use logical fingerings that make your arrangement sing and flow If you want to boost your chord melody & solo guitar chops, get this video now. Full video is 1 hour 25 minutes

The Shadow of Your Smile: Solo Guitar Arranging Master Class In this latest master class by Jake Reichbart, you will discover how he uses 3 specific techniques to create distinctive arrangements. Via the beautiful piece, The Shadow of Your Smile, Jake shows you: How to create grooving solo guitar arrangements Practical ways to fill up spaces between melody How to use open strings to maximize your arrangement Interesting reharmonization that add tasty harmonic flavor His logical fingering choices that allow everything to flow In addition to guiding you through his entire arrangement note by note, you will learn valuable tips & techniques that you will be able to apply to other songs. Not only will you be able to play the song but these insights will help you beyond just this song! This class is recommended for any guitarists who want to develop fuller solo guitar arrangements. If you’ve been mostly stuck with disconnected chord melody arrangements, Jake’s masterclass will give you ideas to get out of your solo guitar arranging rut. Get this today & start grooving away! The full class is 1 hour and 41 minutes.

As we all know, the diminished scale is unique in its symmetry, we have all moved the diminished chord up and down the neck in minor thirds as a substitute for a 7b9 chord. But what if there was a method to be able to add countless, literally hundreds or even thousands of great sounding diminished voicings to you vocabulary? This lesson will show you how. The diminished scale, starting with the half step, (i.e. a Bb against a root of a A in the context of A7, as an example) will produce the 1, b9, #9, 3, #4, 5, 13 and 7, NONE of these being an avoid note. It stands to reason, then, that practically any random combination of these notes - with the variables being how many notes in the voicing, which of the 8 notes are included and on which strings - will produce a viable "correct" voicing for a 7th chord with a diminished scale flavor, the only limitation being your taste, whether you like the sound of the voicing... Put in those terms, coming up with a method to organize and learn such voicings could be daunting. This lesson will put you on this path by offering a clear, methodical and logical way to produce an initial voicing, to then move it in minor thirds, demonstrating the often neglected "in-between" voicings, thereby created a complete series of 8 scale-chords, then move on to INVERTING the initial voicing, creating three additional new fingerings of the same chord type, then moving THOSE new shapes in minor thirds along with THEIR in-between voicings, and repeat... Virtually limitless. Regardless of your level, you will come away from this lesson with new chord voicings you can use right away!

In this 90+ minute video lesson, Jake Reichbart starts with a complete solo-guitar performance of the tune in the key of Eb, including a full head, improvisation, modulation up to the key of E and out. He then breaks down the performances into the many elements comprising it. The first discussion shows the many ways you can connect the very first two melody notes, Eb to a high Eb, "squeezing in" scale and bebop notes, adding chord substitutions, intervals, fills (micro improvisation) and more. From there he continues to break down the entire arrangement note for note, chord for chord, but always keeping in mind that any given passage can be played in multiple ways and encouraging the student to create their own versions. The lesson is jam packed with chord substitutions, melodic passages, the use of intervals, bass movement, blended voicings with open strings, essentially all the tools used to create a modern chord-melody jazz guitar arrangement.

In this lesson, using "Out of Nowhere" as a learning vehicle, Jake Reichbart offers a straight forward approach to performing solo jazz guitar. While every aspect of jazz guitar is covered, from bebop phrasing through countless chord substitutions to walking bass, the most important message in this lesson is "keep the rhythm going". The lesson is not intended to offer a specific "method", such as drop chords or inversions. Instead, the student is encouraged to start performing with whatever chordal and melodic vocabulary they already have! Jake Reichbart's approach is accessible and done in a light conversational style that will immediately engage the student. Jake creates one of the most in-depth song workshops available anywhere for solo guitar in this video. " Out of Nowhere " is a popular song composed by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman first recorded in 1931 by Bing Crosby and later the same year by Al Bowlly. The chord progression has been used in several later songs, such as Alexander Courage's "Theme from Star Trek", Tadd Dameron's "Casbah", Fats Navarro's "Nostalgia" Gigi Gryce's "Sans Souci" and Lennie Tristano's "317 East 32nd Street.” “Out of Nowhere” has been recorded by artists ranging from singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra, to instrumentalists such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Django Reinhart and John Coltrane. Jake is a prolific recording and YouTube guitarist with a vast repertoire of fingerstyle instruction tunes available online. In this video he explores a range of approaches applicable to any song, including: Melodies + basslines = harmony Polyphony Rhythmic ideas Intervallic ideas Fills between lines (‘micro-improvisations’, as he calls them.) Arrangement approaches. No tablatures are offered as Jake improvises arrangements each time he plays. He takes a different, more functional approach – showing you how to play melodies using specific voices to get through the tune. He introduces rhythmic tool simply by playing a simple root notes bassline against the song’s melody. This creates an instant basic fingerstyle arrangement. To expand, he demonstrates setting up pre-planned, arpeggiated basslines that can be used over any song. Jake suggests having about six to a dozen pre-planned bassline patterns. This idea provides the player with countless variations to play any song multiple times without ever sounding the same. This is an invaluable advice that enables the guitarist with fresh arrangement ideas for each chorus. Jake demonstrates many good thumb / finger independent exercises to provide arranging ideas using two melodic lines. Harmonically, he demonstrates how combining two simple parts can give the illusion of something complex happening. This approach can also be useful for generating harmonies, as Jake explains that notes played closely together can create harmony over time – as opposed to stacked-note (vertical) harmony. Another rhythmic idea is setting up a mental grid so you commit to a rhythm for the song. Jake also describes different intervallic approaches that will help the viewer to generate their own arrangements. He does this while minimising unnecessary music theory, which makes his ideas immediately accessible. Jake offers a wealth of playing approaches that can help each player generate many variations within any given song. ‘Out of Nowhere’ is a beautiful song to work with, but this video is actually a masterclass in solo fingerstyle playing as well as tune arranging. Highly recommended.