Chord Melody Masterclass
Solo Guitar Concepts
“John, thank you for giving this master class! I enjoyed it very much and am going through it again slowly, when I have time, to make sure I can hear and find all your examples. Ver…”
About this masterclass
John Stowell teaches a jam-packed ninety-minute class on solo guitar concepts, streamed live from the Cadenza Academy in Portland, Oregon. He opens with a solo performance of What Is This Thing Called Love, then breaks down the chord melody components, right-hand techniques, and time feels behind his approach — and points to role models like Joe Pass, Martin Taylor, and Jimmy Wyble for further listening.
What's covered
- Developing unusual chords: wide and close intervals, open-string voicings
- Creating cadences with unusual voicings, internal movement inside a chord, and pedal points
- Isolating individual notes in a chord and using chord fragments to suggest the harmony
- Right-hand pick/finger combinations for double stops and triads on non-adjacent strings
- Note duration in an arrangement: staccato vs. legato
- Playing in time, rubato, pulse with no fixed meter — and combining all three
- Walking bass lines within an arrangement
- Dissecting a chord melody arrangement and handling modulations
An ideas-rich session for intermediate players who want more freedom and color in their solo playing, taught in John's conversational, demonstration-heavy style across a couple of different guitars.
Lessons in this masterclass
Lessons
- 1Solo Guitar Concepts1h 30m
Reviews & Ratings
John, thank you for giving this master class! I enjoyed it very much and am going through it again slowly, when I have time, to make sure I can hear and find all your examples. Very inspiring for me! Lot's of great ideas for organizing and developing solo guitar. I also downloaded solitary tales from itunes -- maybe I already mentioned that to you last time we met, but worth repeating that I enjoy that recording very much too -- and it is a great compliment to this class : )
What a beautiful class. John presents a lot of ideas to get you thinking about your own chord melody arrangements and demonstrates each with awe inspiring ability. <br /> <br /> John teaches very clearly and breaks things down very easily for one to grasp. <br /> No PDF's; but not really needed.<br /> <br /> What a player!!!!
Jaw-droppingly good class with so many insightful examples. I learned so many new concepts and am looking forward to practice the material.
This class is one of the best I've ever taken, and I have done quite a few of Mike's classes so far. Not only is this jam-packed, but Mr. Stowell was kind enough to correspond with me afterwards as I was unable to sit in the live version, and he even sent me some materials of his without my asking!!! This is one great artist who deserves our support.
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