Video Review: It Ain’t Necessarily So (Sid’s Arrangement) by Sid Jacobs

In this latest masterclass by Sid Jacobs, we get to see his take on the Gershwin classic, “It Ain’t Necessarily So”. The video is concise at just over 20 minutes but there’s a lot of concepts covered. Of course, someone could just get the transcription (which is included) but the real benefit of learning an arrangement direct from Sid is the chance to understand his thought process.

From listening to him talk about the quarter note triplet opening melody to his reasoning of when (and when not) to harmonize every melody note, this is clearly a master explaining his creative process.

I got a lot out of just casually watching the video and got even more out of the video as I rewatched it. Sid’s sense of humor makes the video fun too! He talks about his idea of what the Sid Jacobs chord would be compared to the Jimi Hendrix chord or the Jim Hall chord.

The coolest thing about a Sid Jacobs video is how much knowledge is packed in a single session. I feel that I could rewatch certain segments (like about 1 minute of each) and get a lot of ideas for my own arrangements. My fave concept is the whole idea of when (and when not) to harmonise every note of a melody. This is something that I’ve thought about and experimented quite a bit. Seeing Sid show when he uses it was very helpful.

All in all, this is a great new video for solo guitar fans. Very practical stuff in a digestible package.

Pros: Great concepts explained within a musical context.
Cons: Video may seem short for some, but actually is just enough for this topic.
TLDR: If you want to learn a new solo guitar arrangement and get new ideas for your own arrangements, this is a cool class to get.