This masterclass is a continuation of the previous one, Practice Essentials with Rodney Jones which I just reviewed as well.
Watching this I would say that this particular masterclass works very well together with the first one, and in fact I would recommend watching it in sequence to get the most value from it.
What does maestro Rodney Jones cover in this 1 hour and 5 minute masterclass?
Well, in short he explains the seven different types of jazz tunes that you should learn, and with a lot of tips on how to really internalize these songs into your repertoire.
The biggest takeaway for me is to focus on really listening to great versions of the tunes you want to learn, and to play them a lot more than you think you need, because that is really how you get comfortable with the music.
I also resonated with his explanation of getting the music into your muscle memory so that you don’t have to think about the song as much because you know which fingers you will use to play the song. This is so much in line with the Stephane Wrembel masterclass I reviewed recently as well (also a part of Chase’s Guitar Academy).
The thing about how Rodney Jones approaches this material is that it’s obvious he cares a lot about the music and the tradition, and is trying his best to impart the importance of really learning the music.
When asked about The Real Book, he mentions that it is okay as a starting place, not as an ending place – so you can use it as a reference, but really the way to learn tunes is to actually go to the recordings.
I also found the way he organized the types of tunes very useful since it makes it more manageable for practice.
In addition to the video, this time around we get a accompanying 5-page PDF file from Rodney’s very own Jazz Guitar Scholars program. The PDF includes a sample 2-year study program from a university program. This alone is invaluable as it provides insights into the pace of study expected from working with someone like Rodney.
In conclusion, if you’ve ever had questions about what tunes to learn or how to learn jazz tunes, this masterclass will likely answer all or at least most of your questions. It’s a good one, and I recommend jazz guitar students to watch it closely to get Rodney’s masterful take on this topic.
Pros: Great masterclass covering an important topic for jazz guitar students.
Cons: None.
TLDR: If you want to learn jazz repertoire, this masterclass is one of the best ones I’ve seen teaching the important aspects of learning a tune, especially within the context of jazz guitar.
This video is part of the materials at Chase’s Guitar Academy. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial to watch this video and much more at Chase’s Guitar Academy here (affiliate link).
Thanks to Chase Maddox for inviting me to experience Chase’s Guitar Academy. Although I received complimentary access to the community, my reviews reflects my personal honest experience of the material.
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