Description
Chord Melody Made Easy
Tuesdays, 6:00 PM ET (3:00 PM PT)
May 7 – June 11 (via Zoom)
All sessions will be video recorded & made available immediately following class so if you are unable to attend live, you can watch the class videos and submit questions via email for the following session.
Cost: $270 for 6 live on-line classes
“Chord Melody” is the art and science of simultaneously playing chords and melody on the guitar – a practice that can be utilized in almost any genre. This class was the inspiration from which Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s “Chords Melody Made Easy-ish” book (by Greg Ruby) was published. Over the six weeks, Greg will walk you through a process that will solidify your understanding of chords, their inversions and their application of supporting a melody. Using a simple, concise method, the class will unlock the fretboard while applying the techniques directly to repertoire.
Each song will develop a new concept so you will develop conceptual ideas while applying them directly to repertoire. The songs will include: “Lover Come Back to Me,” “J’attendrai,” “Sleepwalk,” “Do you Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans,” and “After You’ve Gone.” Also, plan to develop your own chord-melody from a lead sheet using the tools from this class.
Topics covered will be:
- Decoding jazz chord names with an immediate application to the fretboard
- How to create chord inversions
- Chord scales
- Single string melody playing
- Chord soloing
- Passing chords
- Mapping the fretboard – learning all the notes on the fretboard through a simple formula that over time will free you from the habitual shapes and patterns
- Practice routines
All handouts will be in standard notation, tablature and chord diagrams so note reading is not required. Mp3 and video examples will made available. Open to all levels.
Questions? email Greg Ruby
What students are saying…
I’ve seen Greg perform at DjangofestNW and taken in person workshops with him there as well. I can safely say his personality and charm carry over to his online workshops quite well. That said, his ability to teach has possibly been raised up a notch by this new world of on-line workshops. I have a feeling that Greg prepares for his workshops now as much as his gigs.
I’ve struggled for years to make sense of how to string together chord melodies and solos. His approach to this concept is well thought out and finally made a number of pieces fall into place for me. I’m not quite ready for solo gigs at the local wine bar yet, but based on the improvements I’ve seen using Greg’s approach, it could happen.
-Jon P.
