Chord Voicings Masterclass
The Altered Dominant Matrix System
“Great instructional material here! Jay gives us an overview of his system of approaching altered sounds that is very tactile and native to the geometry of the guitar. This goes b…”
About this masterclass
Jay Umble explains his unique approach to improvising over altered dominant chords: the Altered Dominant Matrix System. The system builds on the discovery that altered dominant sounds move in minor thirds — so once you learn a line or voicing in one position, the same fingering transfers up the neck automatically. Know 25 altered dominant lines and you effectively know 100, and the whole fretboard unifies into one connected unit.
What's covered
- The three altered dominant matrices that organize the entire system (e.g. the E matrix: E, G, B-flat, D-flat)
- How the minor-third relationship lets lines, fingerings, and chord forms duplicate across positions
- Treating altered dominants as one all-inclusive family of sound — #5, b5, b9, #9 all interchangeable
- Triad groupings within the systems
- Common and less common altered dominant voicings
- Repeatable, sequential, and poly-rhythmic concepts
- Playing off the chord and random altered dominant concepts
The concept applies to any genre, and as usual Jay provides plenty of material to work from — 12 pages of handouts including TAB.
Lessons in this masterclass
Lessons
- 1The Altered Dominant Matrix System1h 25m
Reviews & Ratings
Great instructional material here! Jay gives us an overview of his system of approaching altered sounds that is very tactile and native to the geometry of the guitar. This goes beyond the limitations of the classic altered dominant tricks (super locrian, half-whole diminished, etc.) into something much more creative and organic to the instrument. <br /> <br /> It is also not an exclusive system. It also allows the player to take any system (or altered licks, lines) you may already have adopted and apply it in new ways using this "matrix system".<br /> <br /> Great teacher, highly recommended! <br /> <br />
This is a top class! Jay's time is fully dedicated to teach the interesting dominant matrix system - and the enclosed transcriptions are of great help to speed up the learning process. <br /> Last but not least, this class can claim one of the best web-cam job of this site, allowing to follow the lesson easily and with continuity. Thanks Jay! (Watch out the cat!)
Jay has done an excellent job in making complex material easy to understand. The concepts were presented in different scenarios, all of them easy to understand and to put to use right away. There are a number of written examples that will keep you busy for quite some time. I highly recommend this class to anyone interested in getting a fresh approach in handling altered dominant chord situations.
I am a slow learner, so this class was perfect. Well explained, well organized, and the written materials were most helpful. I like to absorb things presented visually, then absorb the written materials to make the concepts my own. This is the second of Mr. Umble's classes I have taken, and highly recommend them, as I also recommend his books.
Great class! I really enjoyed the material presented and it was layed out in a very clear and concise manner. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because Mr Umble did not start of the clinic by playing a tune and demonstrating the material being presented. He is a very acccomplished player, and listening to his examples it just left me wanted to hear him really tear it up over a tune or two during the class. Otherwise, definately worth checking out!
Related Courses
About the instructor
