Sid Jacobs

In this short soundslice lesson, a quick lesson for learning the tune "Maria" from West Side Story. Included with Your Free Account

If you’ve been playing guitar for years, but still feel a gap in your playing - this might be what you’re looking for. In “Book One Page One”, Sid Jacobs explores musical fundamentals that seem simple but are powerful. Taking a page from his friend the late great Joe Diorio, “We’re always on Book One, Page One”. You’ll discover in this Masterclass: Two essential voice leading exercises through the circle of fifths (these seem obvious, but the way Sid does it shows you how to hear and see the changes even clearer) The way you can simplify a song into melody & countermelody (and get out from the grip chord trap) See how Sid takes a single Jimmy Wyble Etude phrase & transforms it into a powerful exercise that makes your contrapuntal playing even better Great sounding voicings that you can use that incorporate open strings and fretted notes in “Moon River” More applications of fundamental music concepts in the tune “Two for the Road” by Henry Mancini See how Sid adds moving lines to make his arrangement of the Bill Evans tune, Very Early sound more orchestral (he even explains how you can outright steal certain moves that you can use in your own arrangements!) Why and how the song All The Things You Are can be a perfect vehicle to apply Bach like contrapuntal approaches and good voice leading Secrets to make you can sound more like a contrapuntal pianist rather than a typical chord melody style guitarist This is really a masterclass that will benefit you for years to come! The best part of it all is that every time you watch it, you get even more of the subtle details in Sid Jacob’s masterful playing. And, in addition to the video, you also receive 12 pages of Sid’s personal solo guitar arrangements so you can study closely his contrapuntal & harmonic approach. Ready to allow your guitar playing to level up into an even higher level? Let’s begin now with “Book One Page One”! Class Length: 203 Minutes

Follow along with Sid Jacobs as he presents ways to increase and enhance improvisation vocabulary of melodic lines in modal playing using the double-harmonic scale. This sound is a useful addition to your harmonic awareness. Though it may be foreign to some, it is a common sound in Persian and Indian music. It is also called the Byzantine scale. If you are looking to expand your harmonic sound, this class is for you. Full Class: 45 min 7 sec Sub Topics: Scale structure Fingerings Patterns Categories: Chord Voicings Harmony Modern Jazz Guitar Practicing Soloing Technique Theory

This 6-week course is part one of a multi-part exploration into the process of making music, creativity, and some of the tools we can use to play with the 12 notes we are given. This includes a dive into triad pair and slash chord vocabulary, fourth chords and lines, and counterpoint exercises. Voice-leading is the fundamental underlying principle that makes chord progressions. The ability to see the voice leading at work helps decipher the symbols we see in lead sheets, real and fake books. When we recognize some of the linear ‘moves’ that make cadences, it becomes clearer how to create meaningful single note phrases and to improvise with two voices. With these we will make solo guitar arrangements of standards in real time. The choice of standard can be at the students’ request. The chromatic scale comes from the cycle of fifths, or fourths (depending on your perspective). Five perfect fourths in a row give us the pentatonic scale. Seven perfect fourths give us the major scale. Seeing tonalities, scales diatonic and symmetrical, and modes from this perspective opens a world of intervallic lines and ideas for our vocabulary. Triad pairs are a big part of the vocabulary of modern jazz. We will be creating lines from two distinct triads, from diatonic and symmetrical scale sources. We will of course work on concepts of economical fingering that might be new, even to advanced guitarists. Though the concepts may be easy enough to grasp, they might require a new approach to technique. Getting the phrases to breathe and dance has to become part of the practice. The common reference will be standards and jazz tunes. Practical application into a recognizable context makes the information less abstract and more fun to play. Music is love. If it’s not fun you’re doing it wrong.

How do YOU do chord melody? In this masterful 2-hour and 7-minute long guitar workshop, you find out how jazz guitar master Sid Jacobs approaches chord melody playing BEYOND standard block chords, harmonized automatic voicings and memorized arrangements. If you’ve always loved playing chord melody but feel trapped with set arrangements, discover how Sid deconstructs the basic elements of music & song to create powerful arrangements. SPOILER ALERT: It’s all about melody. From there, it goes into the importance of melody, making etudes from the musical ideas that interest you, tension resolution, guide tones, creating voicings, enharmonic voicings, voice-leading, Lenny Breau stories, Joe Pass chords, the power of dynamics and Ted Greene ideas. It’s about understanding the building blocks of music in order to create your very own strong arrangements. Soon, you too will be improvising melodies that reflect your own musical identity! Sid’s humorous and light hearted teaching style makes this session enjoyable even when he goes deep into advanced concepts like fourths, the overtone series, triad pairs, and upper structure triads. This session captures the depth of Sid’s years of musical experience and technique. He draws from what he learned from Ted Greene, Lenny Breau, Joe Pass and his own studies of the music of Bach & the jazz canon. Prepare your notebook and guitar in hand as this is one that will be worth watching again & again. If you’ve bought Sid’s other masterclasses, this clinic will give a preview of many topics that Sid covers. If you’re new to Sid’s videos, this is a value-packed way to start exploring his wealth of knowledge and increase your understanding of music and the guitar. Don’t miss out on this & let it level up your guitar skills today! Full video is 2 hours and 7 minutes.

How do you sound “outside” when you’re still playing inside the tonality? This is the question that Sid Jacobs answers in his latest master class. In this info-packed video, you’ll discover: Modern & interesting lines based on 4ths How to use triad pairs from the melodic minor & whole tone scales How to use the power of inversion to triple the melodic possibilities of your lines Sid’s personal fingering choices to allow fluid single-note line playing using these sounds If you’re interested to develop your outside playing in a creative way, this master class is for you! Although this class is best for intermediate to advanced students, players of all levels will also benefit from the concepts discussed. Full video is 24 minutes

Have you tried learning the Jimmy Wyble etudes? Maybe you’ve even gotten the play-by-play breakdown of the etudes via one of the Sid Jacobs videos... ...but perhaps you’re still wondering: “How do I apply these ideas in my own playing?” Well, you’re in luck because this latest Sid Jacobs videos shows you exactly that! We recorded hours of Sid teaching various topics from single note improvisation to his approach to solo guitar and more. We went through the footage, took notes, catalogued them & compiled this masterclass. This is an exclusive concise take on the actual application of the Wyble etudes. Master jazz guitarist Sid Jacobs will show you how he uses the lessons & techniques from those etudes on two compositions: Blue Bossa - a jam session war song Danny Boy - a beautiful melodic ballad Discover how: Sid uses the melody as the integral structure for his solo arrangement. The importance of triads and how Sid embellishes them What C.E.S.H is & how Sid applies this to create interesting harmonic movement So, if you’ve ever wanted your solo guitar playing to be more than drapped down block chords over a melody, this is the class for you. Although this class will benefit students who have worked through previous classes that cover the Jimmy Wyble etudes, this class also works as a standalone masterclass. Get it now & “Wyble” your solo guitar today! Full video is 24 minutes

Upcoming classes are usually released in a few weeks.

In this masterclass, discover Sid Jacob’s personal takeaways from exploring Jimmy Wyble’s Etude Five. Sid explains his fingerings, how the voices move to both address the harmony and how it creates strong contrapuntal melodic phrases. You’ll also get to watch as Sid stretches out on the piece using the lessons that Jimmy Wyble has embedded in the composition. Jimmy himself said that: “I think number five is my favorite because it best seems to exemplify the title - Classical/Country. It has a kind of funky country feeling for most of the piece, but one part - section B - gets a very classical sound.” By learning this etude (even in small segments), you will develop: contrapuntal (two-part) guitar technique technical facility for both hands interesting ways to outline chord changes solo guitar technique beyond standard chord melody Even if you don’t sight read, the newly tabbed version of the etude will help you navigate through your favorite sections of this piece. If you enjoy Sid’s playing or have worked on any of Jimmy’s other etudes, this is a great addition for your next practice session! 6 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation (Jimmy’s original notation of this etude). 3 Pages in standard notation & TAB (Brand new) Full video is 10 minutes Soundslice Enhanced

Sid Jacobs is a master of solo guitar playing! This time, he dissects the Gershwin tune, "It Ain't Necessarily So". This classic from the musical Porgy and Bess is beautifully constructed melodically, harmonically and even rhythmically. Sid shows us the subtle nuances in the melody and slowly builds the arrangement from the ground up. Typical chord melody arrangements tend to simply put a chord voicing on top of a melody. Although this works, it is not as elegant as what Sid does. Sid Jacobs is attentive of the bass motion, guide tones and the melody harmony relationship. You will not only learn his arrangement but also discover his solo guitar interpretation skills and arranging techniques. This 20-min masterclass will teach you: When (and when not to) harmonize every note of the melody How to use open strings to connect phrases Creative ways to make your solo guitar arrangements flow Beautiful ways to combine clusters, shell voicings and fills In addition, you’ll also hear Sid’s humorous musical jokes that the Hendrix chord, the Jim Hall chord and even what the Sid Jacob chord might be. If you want to improve your solo guitar arranging skills, this is a great masterclass to get today. Full video is 20 minutes Soundslice Included

" You Stepped Out of a Dream ", after being written in 1940 became not only one of the most popular jazz standards, but also the theme song of actress Lana Turner, often played when she made a dramatic entrance to a nightclub. Sid Jacobs makes his dramatic entrance with his characteristic humor as he describes his “rolling chords” solo guitar approach. He shows how he uses his right hand to create beautiful-sounding arpeggios. Sid describes a ‘gift from the guitar’ – something that happens when the guitarist combines fretted notes with open strings. This creates two timbres. He further demonstrates these ‘mini-orchestrations’, as he describes them, through the use of clusters, for example when an F note is played simultaneously with an E note. This creates wonderful textures and a hauntingly beautiful style that will lead to creating new chord melodies. Sid talks about building arrangements starting with shell voicings (root, third and seventh) and then moves on to incorporating chord extensions. Sid's philosophy about soloing is to emphasize the melody. He feels that whole point is to ‘serve the music’, as opposed to being over-preoccupied with what scale to play over a chord. He describes melody as “something to hang some feelings onto…” saying that “the chord symbols don’t exist without the melody”. Other topics covered by Sid include: Voice leading Melodies, chords and fills as arranging tools Altered chord tones This video is beautifully filmed and lit and Sid’s humor and skillful playing provide a wonderful way to learn this important jazz standard. 3 Pages in standard notation & TAB Full video is 32 minutes Soundslice Enhanced

Let’s continue to develop your skills to sound like two (awesome) guitarists playing at the same time! Jimmy Wyble’s two-part playing has influenced many guitarists over the years. John Stowell has mentioned Jimmy’s influence on his playing in interviews (and even his Mike’s Master Classes videos). Adam Levy, David Oakes and of course Sid Jacobs have cited Jimmy’s influence in their playing as well. We are blessed to have the legacy of Jimmy’s legendary Etudes that document his thinking and process. This masterclass continues what Sid Jacobs started in the first video where he covered Etude #1 . In Etude #2 by Jimmy Wyble, you will learn how Sid Jacobs takes apart each measure of this 14 bar masterpiece. Watch Sid transform each bar into contrapuntal vocabulary that you can apply to other pieces. Sid also demonstrates some cool rhythmic variations that add spice to Jimmy’s etude. You will not only learn how to play the piece (with specific left and right hand fingerings) but also be able to apply the concepts to other common jazz chord progressions. This masterclass will provide you with the tools to develop your ears, hands and harmonic vocabulary into the next level. Just like in the previous etude, (for the first time ever) you will be able to use the Soundslice enhanced notation of Etude #2 so you can loop, slowdown and study each measure alongside Sid’s world class performance of the piece. You will learn a lot from Sid’s musical interpretation of the piece. Master the fundamentals of contrapuntal playing with Sid Jacobs today! 4 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation Soundslice Included Full video is 36 minutes

What if you could sound like two (awesome) guitarists playing at the same time? The contrapuntal sounds of Jimmy Wyble’s two-part playing have influenced many guitarists. Greats like Howard Alden, Larry Koonse, Steve Lukather, John Stowell, Adam Levy, David Oakes, and of course Sid Jacobs (among many others) have cited Jimmy’s influence in their playing. We are fortunate to have the legacy of Jimmy’s legendary Etudes that document his thinking and process. In this masterclass, discover how Sid Jacobs uses Etude #1 by Jimmy Wyble as a launchpad into different harmonic & contrapuntal possibilities. You will not only learn how to play the piece (with specific left and right hand fingerings) but also be able to apply the concepts to other jazz standards like Stella By Starlight. This masterclass will provide you with the tools to develop your ears, hands and harmonic vocabulary into the next level. For the first time as well, you will be able to use the Soundslice enhanced notation of Etude #1 so you can loop, slowdown and study each measure alongside Sid’s world class performance of the piece. 2 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation Full video is 17 minutes

Do you REALLY know your triads on the guitar? You may think you do… but wait till you see what Sid Jacobs has in store in this latest master class! Sit in as Sid Jacobs demonstrates how he uses triad pairs to create strong dramatic intervallic lines. Sid shows how he uses these on an original blues composition, Stella By Starlight (Victor Young) and Peace (Horace Silver). You will see Sid play these lines over these 3 compositions and get many ideas for your own lines. In addition to learning how to improvise using these sounds, Sid also shares left hand fingering tips, posture, ideas he learned from Lenny Breau, muscle memory and other insights from his years of experience. This class is great for any guitarist looking to develop a strong personal melodic vocabulary and style. 2 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation. Full video is 66 minutes Soundsliced versions of the transcription (standard notation with adjustable tempo, looping for effective practice and study)

Are your jazz lines becoming predictable? Are you bored of playing scalar or bebop phrases? Come and join Sid Jacobs as he shares his approach to intervallic soloing using 4ths! You will discover how to easily express beautiful modal sounds. Find out how to play these amazing lines that will fit many situations. The best part of the master class is to be able to see how Sid plays these lines fluidly using specific left hand and right hand fingerings. You will be able to hear how Sid phrases these lines as well as study selected examples in the accompanying PDF. Understand and apply these modern ideas to: Modes of the major scale (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian) Melodic Minor modes (Melodic Minor, Dorian b2, Lydian Augmented, Mixolydian b6, Locrian ♮2 and Altered) In addition to learning how to improvise using these sounds, Sid also shares concepts on groove, how to practice and how to create variations on the lines he demonstrates. This is a great class for any guitarist who would like to get out from playing standard scalar, bebop or arpeggio based soloing. 2 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation. Full video is 117 minutes

Brush up on your Christmas songs with a Master Class from Sid Jacobs. This is part II of Sid's discussion on Christmas tunes. He touches on 7 more Christmas tunes and then further instructs using well-known Beatles songs. Sid's love of music is infectious. His approach is simple yet not easy. His teaching at times will cause you to actually laugh-out-loud. This relaxed session is time well-spent hearing from a Master guitarist with a wealth of musical knowledge. Sid is a fan of teaching less academically , and more by demonstrating with music...advanced lessons that anybody can understand. Prep For Your Holiday Gigs! Expand Your Xmas Repertoire Enhance Your Song Understanding Side Dose of Guitar Instruction & Theory Impress your friends :) Enjoy an up-close 1 hr 37 Masterclass with Sid Jacobs "...It's one of those things where you can say...it's incredibly simple, but it's not easy!...Your fingers are like mules, they resist when you are telling them to do something that they haven't done before." ~Sid Jacobs

A timely yet timeless masterclass with Sid Jacobs discussing well-known Christmas songs. 8 songs are used to demonstrate musical concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. Sid's mixture of having a wealth of knowledge yet down-to-earth method of explaining gives an enjoyable...often humorous...class for all guitarists and musicians alike. Follow along with Master guitarist Sid Jacobs as he discusses melodies, voice leading, chord/melody , and much more! A class for Intermediate Guitarists or anyone wanting to play their Christmas songs with more confidence. Have a Holiday gig coming up, want to add to your repertoire or enhance what you already know about Christmas tunes? Take a look into the mind of Sid in how he approaches songs...focusing first on melody, adding counter melodies, and playing what the ear is guiding you to play. "I played it different this time, and I’ll likely play it different next time as well.” ~ Sid Jacobs Prep For Your Holiday Gigs! Expand Your Xmas Repertoire Enhance Your Song Understanding Side Dose of Guitar Instruction & Theory Impress your friends :) Over 2 hours of Master guitar instruction by Sid. Read Editor Az Samad's Review of this Class

In this 2006 masterclass, you’ll learn how to start using counterpoint in your playing. Sid Jacobs shares insights and tips he has discovered from studying the music of Bach, Bird and Bill Evans. You’ll see how seemingly simple ideas like embellishing guide tones can develop into two-part playing that evokes both classical music and jazz sensibilities. Sid uses examples of tunes including "Yesterday" , "Darn That Dream" , "Autumn Leaves" , "All The Things You Are" and "You Stepped Out of A Dream" to show how the same concepts work on different chord progressions. Along with 18 pages of notated examples, you will have a lot of material to dig into and incorporate into your playing immediately. This class will help jazz guitarists looking into spicing up their solo guitar arrangements as well as create more sophisticated textures for duo and trio playing situations. Get out from playing chord-melody and start using a melody-chord approach to arranging and improvising. With the newly segmented videos, you’ll be able to locate specific examples easier for repeated study and analysis when needed. 18 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation and TAB. Counterpoint Concepts Examples and Exercises “You Stepped Out of A Dream” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs Full video is 1 hour 10 mins.

In this 2006 masterclass, watch Sid Jacobs demonstrate the real depth and importance of guide tones for building strong solo guitar arrangements, counterpoint, comping and improvising melodically strong single note melodies. Sid Jacobs shows the connection between Bach and Charlie Parker’s sense of harmony while taking notes from Bill Evans and Lenny Breau. Discover how to use lush voicings and to get beyond using drop-2 or drop-3 voicings. Sid shares his insights after studying and arranging music over many years so that you too can stop thinking like a human capo. You will see how to start combining a musical view of voicings, guitar friendly counterpoint and a melody chord approach that uses guide tones to create beautiful voicings. This masterclass will provide much food for thought as well as plenty of musical examples that you will able to dig into. There’s a wealth of knowledge from Sid Jacobs in the entire session. This masterclass is well suited for intermediate and advanced jazz guitarists who know about guide tones but may have not fully examined the depth of it all. With the newly segmented videos, you’ll be able to locate specific examples easier for repeated study and analysis when needed. 13 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation and TAB. Notes on Guide Tones for jazz lines, comping and chord melody “Waltz For Debbie” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs “Very Early” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs “My Bells” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs “Frankie and Johnny” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs

This class deals with lines and phrases from this modern vocabulary and is designed to allow you to hear harmony in a new way. In this jazz guitar class, Sid Jacobs leads in a discussion of how to make and use symmetrical scales. As Nicolas Slonimsky clearly laid out in his famous Thesaurus the chromatic scale of 12 semitones can be equally divided into two, three, four, and six parts. From these divisions are built the symmetrical scales used in modern atonal music. Jazz musicians have found a home for these sounds in the tonal world of chord changes as well as in more abstract free jazz . Fourths and Symmetrical scales are the basis of the Inside/Outside style of playing. 40 Pages of PDF Materials Included Running Time: 1Hour 33 Min.

Discover the connection between jazz pianist Bill Evans and the playing of guitar greats like Lenny Breau, Jimmy Wyble, John Stowell and Sid Jacobs! In this enhanced version of the 2006 masterclass from Sid Jacobs, you will get to see how understanding guide tones, voice leading, counterpoint, melody and using open strings can create a unique sound for your jazz guitar playing. Sid Jacobs shares his insights studying and dissecting important aspects of pianistic playing as applied to guitar. We've also included newly segmented videos which will allow you to revisit your favorite parts of this video quicker. The new Soundsliced versions of Sid's arrangements will also help you work on his arrangements easier as you can slow down the audio, loop sections and even see fretboard visualizations of the notation and tablature. Song examples includes classics from Bill Evans like My Bells, Waltz for Debbie and Very Early. In addition to seeing how Sid has translated Bill's approach to guitar, you will also get to see the approach applied to other jazz guitar essentials like All The Things You Are, Stella By Starlight and the beautiful ballad Chelsea Bridge. Sid also shares tips on how to maximise your practice time for his book, The Bill Evans Guitar Book which is becoming a modern classic for jazz guitarists interested in modernising their chord vocabulary. Prepare your guitar for new sounds you'll be delighted to play and get this masterclass today! Includes Soundsliced versions of “Very Early” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs “My Bells” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs “Turn Out the Stars” – arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs Includes 15 Pages of PDF materials in standard notation and TAB. "Waltz for Debbie" - arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs "Very Early" - arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs "Turn Out the Stars" - arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs Rootless voicings - a brief discussion with Sid Jacobs "My Bells" - arranged for guitar by Sid Jacobs Full video is 1 hour 38 min.