Harmony Masterclass

The Harmony of Ravel & Debussy For Guitar

Mike Godette·
5.0 (2 reviews)
·INTERMEDIATE·1 lesson·53m 57s of video

About this masterclass

Guitarist Mike Godette translates chord voicings from the piano music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel onto the guitar, showing how impressionist harmony can work in a jazz context. Mike spent years combing through piano scores, circling voicings that could be adapted to the fretboard, and organized the best of them into this class.

What's covered

  • Voicings organized into four tonalities: major, minor, dominant 7, and minor 7b5
  • Major seven and major nine voicings drawn directly from impressionist piano writing
  • 18 chord combinations for major and minor ii–V–I progressions using these voicings
  • Practical tips for handling the wide stretches that come with pianistic voicings, including posture adjustments and finding keys where each shape sits comfortably
  • How to move voicings around the neck to discover where they translate best

This is a strong fit for intermediate to advanced players who want to expand their chord repertoire beyond standard jazz guitar shapes and explore new harmonic territory. Some voicings involve serious stretches — Mike encourages you to skip or relocate any that don't sit well and keep the ones that do.

Running time: 53 minutes. 10 pages of PDFs included.

Lessons in this masterclass

Lessons

  • 1The Harmony of Ravel & Debussy For Guitar Full Class + Download53m 57s

Reviews & Ratings

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james seaberry
Verified Purchase
3/21/2023

"harmony of ravel and debussy"

Excellent class; some new chord voicings and new context for their use. Well explained, well researched.

Jamie Price
Verified Purchase
3/18/2023

"⌁⌁Not A Review⌁⌁About To Watch/Read/Practice/Play the Course———Just Stoked Because I've Spent Many Joyful Hours Listening/Transcribing/Finding Purpose In The Music of Ravel, Debussy, & He's not on this course but Gustav Mahler Too!"

Yes, I'm giving 100% before completing because I'm completely stoked that Mike Godette put this together. It's simply all joy for me today! Thanks & Cheers! ♫♫♪ ♪

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About the instructor

Mike Godette
Mike Godette is a guitarist and teacher out of the Southern Connecticut area. He received a BM in Jazz Studies from Western Connecticut State University with a focus on jazz guitar and has taught guitar for the past 16 years. Mike has always had a very wide range of musical influences and his playing is a unique blend of instrumentalist and composers such as Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, Herbie Hancock, Booker Little, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Scott Henderson, Allan Holdsworth, John Scofield, Wes Montgomery, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Burt Bacharach & Brian Wilson. In addition to teaching, Mike also maintains an active youtube channel and performs regularly as a leader and sideman throughout the CT/NY area. He has played with artists such as Aaron Goldberg, Jimmy Greene, Gerald Veasley, John Stowell, and Myron Walden.