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A Study in Harmonic Minor ( What is This Thing Called Love) - Essential
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Here we take a deep dive into what makes the harmonic minor scale such an important part of the jazz language, particularly in regard to bebop musicians like Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown and a host of others. A very important lesson on how to use this sound on dominant chords ...
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BGVL LIVE! 7/9/2021- The Wes Montgomery TriTone Substitution
Facebook Live event featuring a discussion of Wes's method of using the tritone substitution.
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Stablemates - Tune Based
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Chromaticism! Descending II-V's, descending dominants, ascending dominants. Fun but challenging. I walk you through the whole tune and include a full PDF with a backing track with Ulysses Owens on Drums. I've created a section where you can trade "fours" with Ulysses! Enjoy the ...
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You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To - Tune Based
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In this 40 minute lesson, I discuss this wonderful Cole Porter classic in great detail. I teach you numerous substitutions, look at minor ii-v's, talk about triadic playing and give many chordal and linear examples in both notation and tab. The 11 page PDF will guide you through...
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Chord Melody
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One of my favorite Christmas tunes. This is a wonderful arrangement that you can get under your fingers way before Christmas. Play it for friends and family. The lesson contains a full walkthrough of every chord from the intro through the ending with every chord choice explained...
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The Song is You - Tune Based
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If the diminished chord has been giving you trouble, you must check out this lesson! I show you how to use the diminished scale on diminished chords and the auxiliary diminished scale on dominants. I discuss ways of making diminished ideas sound less like patterns and more like ...
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Road Song - Tune Based
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This lesson is based on several requests to do more of a funky, groove based tune. Lot's of blues, a discussion about octaves, and some thoughts on NOT playing the changes.... Great backing track and PDF included.
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Punjab - Tune Based
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In this lesson I discuss some of the more modern aspects of jazz playing. This tune is a perfect vehicle for studying pentatonics, voicings in 4ths, triad pairs, weaving lines through unrelated key centers and of course playing over Major7 chords, Joe loved the Major7 chord:)
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Oleo - Tune Based
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This lessons covers one of the most important song forms in jazz, Along with the blues, rhythm changes is a necessity in any jazz musicians repertoire. I treat this lesson in a fundamental manner, breaking the tune down into its major components. Turnarounds, ii-v to the IV with...
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Turnaround Chordal Approaches - Topic Driven
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Taking inspiration from a recent Instagram video that I did, this lesson explores the strategy of turnarounds, enhancing your understanding of this widely-used chord progression. The detailed lesson offers clear explanations, applicable advice, and is accompanied by a thorough P...
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In Your Own Sweet Way - Tune Based
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This is one of my favorite tunes to play! I love the wide open modal section and the contrast it creates with the chord changes throughout the tune. There is so much to learn from here, secondary dominants, modal playing, voicings in 4ths and lot's more:)
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The Benny Golson Progression - Topic Driven
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I discovered this while practicing a bunch of Benny Golson tunes. He uses this progression in his tunes often but the one that got me thinking was Whisper Not. I decided to see what would happen if I took it through all keys and used it as a vehicle for practicing minor ii-V's. ...
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Weekend In LA - Tune Based
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This lesson is packed with musical ideas and practical applications. You’ll learn to play more melodically, navigate static harmony such as A–7/D, and apply expressive chordal concepts. I demonstrate how to anticipate chord changes for a more natural, less academic sound, and sh...
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Killer' Comping - Topic Driven
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I received a great email from a fellow guitar player who thought that the comping I was doing with Larry Coryell on the Have You Met Miss Jones video was killer! In this lesson I go through some of the techniques that I use when accompanying one person. Lots of information that ...
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Wayne Shorter's Footprints - Tune Based
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In this lesson I discuss modern voicing techniques as well as linear concepts such as pentatonics and the tritone substitution with -7 chords. There are great examples of all of the material discussed in both notation and tab. You will love this 30 minute lesson on some modern a...
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Daahoud - Tune Based
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Dive into the heart of hard bop with my lesson on Clifford Brown's classic tune, "Daahoud." This video focuses on unraveling the language of jazz, with a spotlight on this tune's unusual turnaround. Grammy award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens provides a stellar backing track, ens...
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BG's Favorite Chordal Movements - Topic Driven
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In this lesson, I share 20 of my favorite chordal movements drawn from both major and minor ii–V progressions. Each example is demonstrated and discussed in depth, with a focus on how to bring out the musicality behind the changes.
We’ll explore essential concepts such as chrom...
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Invitation 2021 - Tune Based
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I've had several requests to do another Invitation lesson. Well, here it is. As usual, the tune is discussed from top to bottom and includes topics such as the diminished scale, triad pairs, the Coltrane pentatonic and much more. Includes a PDF and backing track.
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Like Someone in Love - Tune Based
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Great combination chord melody and comping/improvising lesson. I show you numerous ways of navigating the tune as well as provide fantastic examples on the included PDF.
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It Might as Well be Spring - Chord Melody
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Hey jazz guitarists! Check out this new chord melody lesson on "It Might as Well be Spring". In this lesson, we'll go over harmonization techniques, solo guitar playing, and how to create an effective arrangement. Get ready to take your solo guitar playing to the next level! The...
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Minor League (Grant Green) - Tune Based
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In this lesson I take a look at Duke Pearson's tune Minor League. I love this tune, the melody is so well constructed! The lesson features 12 pages of amazing hard bop language with a fully transcribed 6 chorus solo! Great comping examples as well in this amazing PDF document. T...
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Jeannine - Tune Based
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In this lesson, we take a close look at Duke Pearson’s classic tune Jeannine. The piece presents a compelling opportunity to explore modal harmony and the expressive use of pentatonic scales, with special attention given to the unusual shift from Ab minor to Ab major. We also br...
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Nardis - Tune Based
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A deep look at Miles Davis's tune Nardis using the Bill Evans 1961 recording as a reference. This tune isn't just about phrygian, there are many more harmonic elements in the tune that are rarely touched on. I explore them all. An epic composition that will broaden your understa...
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BGVL LIVE! 1/18/2024
Another great time on Facebook Live!
