PLAY JAZZ GUITAR - JAZZ GUITAR LESSONS Learn to play jazz guitar with Chris Standring's complete home study course! Play jazz guitar right here at Play Jazz Guitar.com Click here for info!

I can offer one unique perspective in my experience with the Play Jazz Guitar home study course by Chris Standring. I've been playing guitar for close to 20 years. My interest started with, like probably many folks my age, wanting to play "Stairway to Heaven". Once I could fret a few notes and finger a few chords, though, my tastes leaned toward the popular music of the time - glam metal. I know, you might be laughing, but I'm being honest and I'm driving towards a point here.

As you mature as a guitarist, you might go through many different phases. You might actually put down that guitar for a few months or years, especially when you feel you've reached a plateau and you're either not willing, nor feel you're able to commit the time and energy it takes to get to the next level.

Eventually you'll go through a phase when you start enjoying the more subtle nuances of a fine acoustic guitar or a Fender Strat through a clean tube amp. You start exploring more chord voicings and progressions. Your tastes are changing, and although it might make you feel older, you somehow manage to explain it as "more sophisticated" taste in music. If this sounds like you, shoot me an e-mail, I'd love to have someone tell me I'm not crazy.

Don't get me wrong, though. The love of jazz guitar, the chords, the melodies and the progressions comes to some at an early age. For a lot of us, though, it comes with maturity. You've been playing for a while and you're thankful that you made the decision at an early age to take up the guitar. Now you're looking to improve your skill. Whether it's for relaxation, performance or recording's sake - you're interested in learning Jazz Guitar.

Enter "Play What You Hear" from Chris Standring. Chris has been an internationally acclaimed hit recording guitarist and now, an incredible teacher. Play Jazz Guitar is a 2 CD-ROM home study course that will take you on an incredible journey of the theory and composition of jazz guitar. Imagine being able to get 15 years worth of professional instruction, for around fifty bucks! That's what you'll get - and more with this course from Chris Standring.

The two books (CD's) cover:

Book One
In this first book you will learn about:

Melody * The major scale and its use * Variations on the major scale/simple melodic patterns * The diatonic scale - analysis * Diatonic sounds and their relative chords * Seeing is conceiving (visualizing harmony) * More melodic patterns * Diatonic sounds through moving key centers

Harmony * Embellishing chordal accompaniment * Voice leading and chordal accompaniment

Book Two
In this second book you will learn about:

Playing over changes * The linear method and changes * Step-wise resolution: be-bop * b9 resolutions * The diminished scale and linear exercises * Diminished patterns for dominant b9 chords * More b9 resolutions * The back-cycling turnaround * b9 resolutions for back-cycling * The relative minor turnaround * The melodic minor scale and b5 resolutions * Melodic minor patterns for dominant b5 chords * b5 resolutions * #5#9 resolutions * The blues scale * Recognizing triads

Phrase development * Motifs, themes and variations * Sequential 2, 5 resolutions * Tritone substitution * Sequential tritone resolutions * And now to the music - example jazz standard sequences

Bottom Line:

For under $50, you get a wealth of information here designed to enlighten and train you on the methods and theories surrounding Jazz Guitar. I'm currently enjoying this fresh approach and Chris has done an incredible job of presenting the materials in an easy to use and professional format.

There are a few things to keep in mind here, though. For those of you that have never learned to read music, this approach may be a little challenging. Chris does not make use of guitar tablature in this package. Fortunately my first instrument was the piano, so reading the notation has not been a problem. If you're someone who has grown up with the guitar magazines, though, you're going to have to be a little more studious in your approach. This might, however, be the perfect reason for you to learn how to read standard notation. If you're really interested in taking your abilities to the next level - you simply must.

For more information regarding this product, some example lessons or to place your order online, please click here