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Witchcraft - Tune Based
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In this lesson I walk you through the tune and discuss all of the harmony as well as some potential reharmonizations. Topics include the biii diminished chord, the I diminished chord, chromatic II-V's, turnarounds and much more. The fully notated PDF comes with great chordal and...
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How Insensitive - Tune Based
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In this lesson I break down all of the harmony section by section. I discuss the bIII and bII diminished chords in detail and give you 12 pages of transcribed lines to practice. Other topics include triad pairs and the tri-tone substitution. Another information packed lesson!
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Somewhere - Chord Melody
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We all know "Somewhere" from the musical West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein has done such a clever job weaving through tonal centers and constantly lifting the composition through unexpected melodic statements. I had a great time working through this composition using some of my...
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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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We'll Be Together Again - Chord Melody
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I love chord melody lessons! I discuss in great detail the entire arrangement and describe many techniques used to create memorable performances. Topics include independence, chromaticism and much more. The full arrangement is presented on the PDF in notation and tab.
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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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Yardbird Suite - Tune Based
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Bebop time! If you've wanted to improve your bebop playing, this lesson is for you. I have come up with a method for navigating chord changes that has worked incredibly well for me. I share it with you in this lesson on Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite. Let's get to work! PDF and...
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Bolivia - Tune Based
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What an amazing tune! You have a wide open modal section and then a fairly complex set of chord changes to navigate. Cedar does an incredible job of connecting key centers using diminished based tritone substitutions. This was a fun one to put together, enjoy! Superb playing on ...
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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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Stella By Starlight - Chord Melody
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I have taken a slightly different approach in this chord melody arrangement. As usual I discuss in great depth the harmonization choices I've made, but also present several options on the included PDF. As you've come to expect, I have provided a fully transcribed arrangement, bu...
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Groovin' High (Dizzy Gillespie) - Tune Based
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An amazing lesson. Turnarounds, the I diminished, chromatic II-V's, tons of linear and chordal examples. You will love the 50 minute lesson on Dizzy Gillespie's Groovin' High.
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Here's That Rainy Day - Chord Melody
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In this lesson, we’ll break down the solo guitar arrangement of Here’s That Rainy Day by Jimmy Van Heusen. I’ll walk you through the techniques I used, from chromatic movement to dominant approaches, and show how tritone substitutions can really open up the harmony. Full PDF inc...
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Solo Construction - Essential
In this lesson I discuss ways of "story telling" in regards to building an interesting solo.
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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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Sunny (Pat Martino) - Tune Based
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One of my favorite Pat Martino tracks! This lesson is all about 16th notes and the challenge of creating lengthy compelling lines on a very basic chord progression. Included are fantastic notated examples for you to practice and learn from. I describe how guitarists like Pat and...
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Line Connections (Moments Notice) - Essential
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In this lesson I discuss my methods of connecting lines through chord changes. I show you how I visualize the linear material over chord forms and how I see the connections from one position to another. After laying the groundwork for these concepts, I use the John Coltrane tune...
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There is No Greater Love - Tune Based
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This is a great lesson on dominant chord functions especially in regard to cycle patterns like the bridge of Rhythm Changes. 16 pages of great examples for you to practice!
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You Go To My Head - Tune Based
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In this lesson, I take a deep dive into the classic standard You Go to My Head. The focus is evenly split between chord melody and improvisational concepts, giving you a complete approach to playing the tune both as a solo guitarist and in a small-group setting.
This lesson al...
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Black Orpheus - Tune Based
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Black Orpheus: A Guitarist’s Guide to Harmonic Minor 🎸
Luiz Bonfá’s Black Orpheus is a beautifully simple tune that serves as a perfect introduction to the harmonic minor scale in jazz. This lesson explores how the tune’s changes highlight ii-V progressions in both major and mi...
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Polka Dots and Moonbeams - Chord Melody
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In this video lesson, I present my chord melody arrangement of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” We will explore the harmonic choices behind the arrangement, designed to be both accessible and musically captivating. A PDF of the complete arrangement is included for ...
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Major II-V's - Essential
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In this essential lesson, I discuss the major II-V utilizing both chordal and linear examples. I have provided the exercises that gave me a great foundation during my earlier years. This material became apparent to me during the period of my life when I was transcribing a lot of...
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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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My Romance - Chord Melody
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In this chord melody lesson you will be introduced to several methods of harmonization including the chromatic approach, constant structure and counterpoint. A beautiful, playable arrangement on one of my favorite Rogers and Hart compositions. Full arrangement included on the PD...
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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 ...
