Since 2006
Bringing masters and students together
For nearly two decades, Mike's Master Classes has been where serious players study jazz guitar and bass — masterclasses taught by the artists themselves, built on relationships formed on bandstands, not in boardrooms.
- Founded
- 2006
- Masterclasses
- 505
- Masters
- 64
The story
- 2006
A virtual classroom opens
Guitarist Mike Gellar founds Mike’s Master Classes “as a way to bring Masters and Students together.” The format is radical for its day: live, interactive online classes. Students reserve a seat, get the charts by email, watch the master teach in a live stream, and ask questions in the class chat — years before video lessons became commonplace. Within six months, students are studying live with Jack Wilkins, Sheryl Bailey, Paul Bollenback, Steve Herberman, Sid Jacobs, and John Stowell.
- 2008
The platform takes shape
Web developer (and keyboardist) Jeremy Oms, who designed the site’s earliest incarnations, partners with Mike to expand the platform — new features for students and a far wider reach for the classes.
- 2009
From live to on demand
After three years and hundreds of live sessions, students ask for something better suited to real practice: classes they can stream, download, and revisit at their own pace. That November, the library goes on demand — and the archive of recorded masterclasses starts to grow in earnest.
- Today
A specialist’s library
Hundreds of deep-dive masterclasses from dozens of world-class jazz guitarists and bassists — a catalog still cited across jazz guitar forums, and ranked among the best places to study jazz guitar online. Every class is taught by the artist, and every unlock is yours for life.
A detail we've always loved: the roster grew the way jazz does — by word of mouth on the bandstand. John Stowell recommended Tom Lippincott to Mike; Steve Herberman then suggested Tom tackle modern jazz guitar styles, and the resulting series became one of the most praised in the catalog. The masters built this place as much as anyone.
What players say
For years, jazz guitar forums have pointed serious students here. Even TrueFire's own 2026 roundup of the best online jazz guitar lessons ranks Mike's Master Classes among them, calling it “a specialist's library for the serious jazz guitarist.”
“Sheryl Bailey’s “Bebop Flow” video on Mike’s Master Classes was a real “light bulb” moment for me.”
“On Mike’s Masterclasses, Steve Herberman can’t be beat.”
“Tom Lippincott’s two-part series for Mike’s Master Classes is excellent and very thorough, covering all stylistic bases.”
The team
Mike Gellar
Founder
Mike wanted to play guitar from the moment he saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, and started at age 9. College introduced him to jazz; studies with Bill Bitner and Larry Wooldridge — and years of gigging with some of the finest musicians in the DC area — made it his life's music.
A CPA and business-systems consultant by trade, Mike combined that practical streak with his network of world-class guitarists to found Mike's Master Classes in 2006 — and personally built the roster of masters this site still rests on. When he isn't playing, he's sailing — racing his Flying Scot at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.
Jeremy Oms
Owner
Jeremy — a web developer and keyboardist — designed the site's earliest incarnations and partnered with Mike in 2008 to grow the platform. He has built every version of Mike's Master Classes since.
Today he owns and runs the platform, focused on what he's always done here: making a deep, demanding catalog feel effortless to study from, and keeping the masters' work in front of the students who need it.
What we offer
Taught by the artist
Every masterclass is the master on camera, teaching their own concepts — no middlemen, no generic curriculum.
Deep, not shallow
Single topics explored for an hour or more, with charts, transcriptions, and exercises included.
Yours for life
Stream instantly, study at your own pace, and keep every class you unlock — permanently.
Every level
From fundamentals to the advanced harmonic concepts the catalog is known for — basic, intermediate, and advanced.
Come study with the masters
Questions about the classes? Write us anytime at support@mikesmasterclasses.com.