Exploring Original Creations [Non-Diatonic]

Exploring Original Creations.....WOW!! 5

I have followed John Stowell for quite a few years, been lucky enough to hear him live and play with him, and he is one of the most creative, original, supportive, and enthusiastic musicians anywhere. This class shows what a masterful creator and teacher he is. Beautifully organized, clearly taught, and thoroughly original approaches to the music of today and tomorrow. Highly, highly recommended. (say Hey to Lou for me)

Exploring Original Creations [Non-Diatonic]

A non-diatonic composition course - finally! 5

I've been waiting for a course exactly like this - thanks John. The main thing I like about the course is there are lots of short examples of different compositional offerings. John's offerings are cliche-free and he offers loads of approaches that are helping me with my own efforts. Very highly recommended.

Blues: A Modern Jazz Guitar Approach – Part I

Starts with the basics and gets intense 5

Tom is a really thoughtful teacher. He paces the course to make sure you have the basics in place - which of course you need to know - before moving on to more advanced material. This isn't just a one-off youtube lesson with a guy showing you a few licks and tricks. This is the real deal and the material is rooted in the playing of the jazz masters. I especially enjoyed the section on outlining chords while retaining the basic sound of the blues. From there Tom takes you into chord scales and substitutions, melodic minor and diminished scale applications, modal concepts ala McCoy Tyner, and then into poly-rhythms, and suspended chordal ideas. Cool stuff. There's a lot here that could keep you busy for a very long time. Even if you absorb just a part of this lesson, with practice it will help you become a better player.

Melodic Minor Complete – Part I: Theory

Melodic Minor Complete - Part 1 5

Excellent. I especially appreciate Tom's urging to not get complacent with the introduction, but to continue to explore all that this fascinating scale has to offer.

Jazz Guitar Finger-Style Technique

Great course, looking forward to a follow up course 5

This was a great course and having Tom answer my questions so quickly was the icing on the cake. With that said, I would love to see a video of Tom doing some "real world" playing and then breaking down what he is doing. Perhaps a video just playing 4-5 bebop heads with solos? If the music/fingerings were included it would be a "must buy" course. This course really got me off the ground using my fingers.

The Half Diminished Sound

Great Course 5

This is an excellent course which is systematically organised. The price is cheap compared to the information contained within. The most useful part for me was when certain colour tones can be added/replaced to the exisiting half-diminished chord to give a beautiful sound. This course is certainly one to have in your arsenal.

Beautiful Love

Thanks for all your help and advice with showing us a pathway through this beautiful tune. 5

Randy presents an easily playable, but harmonically challenging arrangement of Beautiful Love. Throughout the lesson he demonstrates a variety of Harmonic Textures by restructuring the original underlying harmony of the song. This was a big help in making several of the passages very playable on the guitar. What's really great, is that Randy provides a methodology for analyzing the content, he breaks down his solo into logical, 8-bar sections, then specifically addresses what takes place over each chord. His method is instantly transferrable to other tunes. Randy, presents the jazz improviser with new avenues of expression via traditional forms of this standard tune. The power and depth of his compositions (chord melody) has been an inspiration to me both as an improviser and a guitarist. An added benefit is this tune, it introduced me to artist that I haven't spent that much time with: Anita O'Day, Hank Jones and Kenny Barron. Plus musicians that I know very well - played great renditions of this tune: Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Bill Evans, etc.. I hope everyone will give Beautiful Love a try, you will not regret it.

Advanced Jazz Guitar Harmony: 4-Part-4ths

Wow 5

I only knew one aspect of 4th voicings coming into this class (what Tom has listed as 2nd inversion drop 2 voicings). I had no idea how much there still was to learn! Like Tom's other classes this one has a tremendous amount of information, very well presented. I think most of us mere mortals will need to come back to this class over a period of many years to get just some of the information presented here burned into our brains. I would suggest learning one particular group of voicings and then go to about 1:30 in the video (page 13 of the handout) to learn how to improve your fluidity with them. Excellent class.

Open String Concepts for Chords and Single Note Lines

Really Eye Opening 5

I always enjoy Tom's lessons. They are packed full of information (that you will be able to go back to again and again) but still everything is very well explained. I've already utilized several of the ideas he presents here in live situations and it has definitely made my comping much more interesting. I highly recommend this course.

Jazz Phrasing Part 2 (For All Instruments)

Wow really good material here!! 5

Wow really good material here. I can feel my rhythmic sense changing as I was going through the materials the first time! Really fun stuff to practice :) Also at the end Steve gives us some blues applications and I think the feel of things to come in the 3rd class with 16th notes. Very fun stuff thank you Steve for taking the time to put this material together :))