Advanced Jazz Guitar Course

Dolce music institute explores the advanced techniques that great jazz guitarists use in order to successfully solo over chord changes found in both traditional and modern jazz compositions. Each lesson will provide you with a step-by-step approach to jazz improvisation, covering both rhythmic considerations as well as effective use of scales, arpeggios, and modes. Topics include altered pentatonic scales, across-the-bar-line phrasing, creating melodic tension on dominant chords, blues in jazz, and nonfunctional harmonic improvisation. You'll also explore transcription and rhythmic techniques applicable to both comping and soloing.

The course also provides a number of listening examples that you will study and model—recordings from past and present jazz giants, including John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis, John Scofield, Grant Green, Pat Metheny, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mike Stern and many others. You will gain a complete knowledge of the guitar fretboard and how modes, chords, scales, and arpeggios are applied to jazz.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Improvise over chord changes through the use of scales, modes and arpeggios Play solo transcriptions of Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, Grant Green, and many other jazz greats

• Apply advanced rhythmic concepts to comping and soloing

• Demonstrate a more complete knowledge of the guitar fretboard

• Improvise over nonfunctional harmony and modern jazz progressions

• Compose your own modern jazz songs

Content

Lesson 1: Major Modes & Chord Scales and Harmonic Minor Review

• Major Modes and Learning the Fretboard

• Fifth Mode of Harmonic Minor [7(b9b13)]

• Dom7(b9 13)

• Introduction to Transcription

Lesson 2: Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale

• Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale

• Time Feel, Swing Feel, and Subdivision

• Melodic Minor (1st mode), Melodic Minor Scale Rhythmic Subdivision

• Lydian b7 Scale

• The Locrian n2 Scale

• The Altered Scale

Lesson 3: Continuity: Across the Bar Line Phrasing

• Creating Continuity via Scales, Intervals and Arpeggios across the Bar Line

• Major Modes across the Bar Line

• Harmonic Minor Mode 5 (Mixolydian b9b13) across the Bar Line

• Melodic Minor across the Bar Line

Lesson 4: Blues in Jazz Continued

• Review Charlie Parker Blues Form

• Bebop Scale Review

• Harmonic Anticipation and the Bebop Scale

• Adding Tension to Basic 12-Bar Blues with the Altered Scale and Harmonic Minor

• Coltrane Blues Variations

Lesson 5: Rhythm Changes

• Rhythm Changes: A Short History

• Basic Rhythm Changes

• Tonic/Approach, Continuity, Harmonic Minor, Harmonic Anticipation

• The Complete A Section

• Adding the Secondary Dominant

• The Bridge—Lydian b7

Lesson 6: Pentatonic Scales

• Pentatonic Scales in Jazz

• Review of Minor 7 Pentatonic and Its Uses

• The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale

• The Major (b6) Pentatonic Scale

• Mixed Pentatonics on Major and Minor Blues Progressions

Lesson 7: The Diminished Scale

• The Whole-Half and Half-Whole Diminished Scales

• The Half-Whole Diminished Scale and Its Relationship to the 7(b9) Chord

• Secondary Dominant Exercises

• Diminished Scale Patterns

• Triads and Diminished Chords and Scales

Lesson 8: Phrasing, Dynamics, and Rhythm & Jazz Guitar Comping

• Using Space

• "Play/Rest" Exercises

• Rhythmic Groupings

• Dynamics

• Comping Rhythms

Lesson 9: John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice"

• The First Eight Measures

• Across the Bar Line on the First Eight Measures

• Easy Chord Voicings for "Moment's Notice"

• John Coltrane's Solo on "Moment's Notice"

Lesson 10: John Coltrane—The Coltrane Matrix ("Giant Steps" )

• "Giant Steps" Matrix

• Arpeggios, Approach Notes, and Four-Note Motives—Analyzing Coltrane's solo

• Using the Whole-Tone Scale on the Matrix

• Applying Coltrane Changes to Other Songs

Lesson 11: Contemporary Jazz Guitarists (Jim Hall, John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny)

• Harmonic and Melodic Characteristics of Each

• The Importance of Sound and Time

• Blending Jazz, Blues, Rock, and Funk Styles

• Analysis of Selected Excerpts from Each Guitarist

Lesson 12: Nonfunctional Harmony, Contemporary Jazz Guitar, and Slash Chords

• Nonfunctional Harmony Progressions

• Slash Chords and the ECM Compositional Style

• Modern Jazz Guitar

• Modern Jazz Guitar Composition

Dolce Music Institute

Dolce Music Institute is a premier western music school in Hyderabad, India. Founded by a skilled musician Alexander in 1999,it caters over 400 students every year and is regarded as one of the best music institutes in Hyderabad with a highly experienced and qualified faculty.The emphasis is not just on individual performance but also on ensemble playing, aural development and musical appreciation. Courses for Western classical instrumental training, Piano, Keyboard, Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Violin, Music Theory, Songwriting and specialized courses like Flamenco,Jazz and Blues Guitar outlines are catered. Classes are generally held on a one to one basis. The students can also give Certification exams for Classical music from The Trinity college of London, The London college of Music and The Associate Board of Royal School of Music.

As each day dawns, new challenges await. In this changing scenario, it is quite imperative for us to train our youth to stand aloft in this age of cut-throat competition. Within a short period,the institute has been successful in spreading its wings. This would not have been possible without the incredible support of students, staff members & other generous members of the society. Apart from the regular classes, several workshops by visiting artists and other musicians are also regularly conducted which provide musical interaction for the students. Periodic pupil’s concerts and other events help to develop the performance skills of the students.

The school has put a special focus on its website by providing many add on services through it. Students and other visitors can now interact with each other and share information on the website. People can request for chords or tabs of particular songs which are posted in due time. Students and visitors can also sell and buy music instruments (brand new and second hand) on the website. The website also gives latest happening events in and around Hyderabad. Also the school regularly posts new informational articles on music (general and technical) to help young musicians. The website also helps the budding musicians by providing them a platform to promote their music by uploading songs on the website.

Our Mission

• To provide a platform for musically inclined people to get formal but personalized training in western music.

• To constantly innovate in our methods of teaching.

• To become the one stop solution for any service related to music in the country.

• To nurture talents, give them professional skills and develop their creative potential for successful careers in music.

• To promote values and well being through music.