Description
The Art of Swing Guitar
Wednesdays, 6:30 PM ET (3:30 PM PT)
Oct. 2 to Dec. 11* (via Zoom)
All sessions will be video recorded & made available immediately following class
Cost: $325 for 9 live on-line classes (*no class on Nov 13 or 27)
The focus of this nine-week class is to develop all aspects of learning, playing and improvising a swing standard. Spending three weeks on each song, you will have enough time to relax into the structure of the piece so the chord changes and melodic ideas become more intuitive in order to deepen your skills as both a soloist and rhythm guitarist. We will use the swing standards “I’ve Found a New Baby”, “After You’ve Gone” and “Honeysuckle Rose” to expand your skill set and deepen your understanding of the following:
Chords and Rhythm Accompaniment
- Basic chords
- Passing chords
- Advanced chord shapes
- Memorizing chord progressions
- Inversions for accompaniment and chord soloing
- Chord melody
Lead Playing
- Developing a “swing feel”
- Learning from a lead sheet
- Memorizing the melody to be able to play it in several locations on the guitar
- Embellishing the melody
- Learning the chord tones
- Using rhythm and chord tones to develop a solo
- Composing a solo
- Composing a solo on the fly
- Learning from the greats (licks, phrases and rhythms)
- Intros/outros
Theoretical and Fretboard Understanding
- The commonality of chord progressions and song form
- Mapping the fretboard
- Making arpeggios and scales musical
- Researching a song
- Listening for learning
- Practicing for success
- Technique for improving tone
All handouts will be will be in standard notation, tablature and chord diagrams so note reading is not required. MP3 play-along tracks as well as practice videos will be provided to ensure you have the proper support between each class.
Questions? email Greg Ruby
What students are saying…
I’ve been listening to Jazz for about 25 years now, and I started learning guitar about 5 years ago. As a fan of Greg’s music for many years, I came to his classes as a beginner/intermediate guitar player. Immediately I was impressed by three things: First, Greg has developed wonderfully well-thought out systems and written materials that are both logical in their structure, and immediately applicable to PLAYING MUSIC, not just practicing it. Through the PDF handouts, the videos following the classes, and his ability to clearly explain complex concepts, he lays the foundation for guitar players of every level. Second, Greg’s classes are filled with magical nuggets of wisdom – little tips and tricks that advance your playing immediately. These might be exercises, positional tips, or simple ways of explaining rather opaque concepts – the kinds of knowledge that only comes from decades of experience, and it can take a lot of the frustration out of the learning process. Lastly, Greg is able to communicate to the students’ experience in a way that so many players at his level cannot. He loves what he does, and it shows. I feel that he truly wants his students to succeed. The chance to learn from such a gifted performer, historian, and teacher who is generous with his knowledge and materials has been a highlight of my guitar journey.
– Daniel N.