Jake Reichbart

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo fingerstyle jazz guitar arrangement of "I've Got You Under My Skin," the classic standard made famous by Frank Sinatra. Played in the key of E flat, the arrangement is one Jake has performed hundreds of times, and he walks through it phrase by phrase, explaining every voicing, technique, and musical decision along the way. What's covered The complete arrangement, played and then broken down move by move Two-beat bass feel with slides into the bass notes for rhythmic drive Adding a backbeat — a Tuck Andress-inspired touch you can keep or leave out Arpeggiating chord tones within the underlying subdivision to give the groove a lift Chord substitutions and voice leading choices, with alternative ways to play each passage How influences like Joe Pass and Tuck Andress shape the arranging decisions Rather than presenting one fixed version, Jake shows the variables behind each choice so you can vary the tune every time you play it and develop your own solo guitar interpretation. The full video runs about 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Jake Reichbart breaks down his solo fingerstyle jazz guitar arrangement of Irving Berlin's Blue Skies , in the key of G — bass, chords, melody and improvisation woven together by ten fingers. He doesn't just show you what to play; he explains the principles behind every decision, from why he chose this key to how he keeps the rhythm flowing without a band. "Blue Skies" has been recorded by everybody from Ella Fitzgerald (Jake's favorite version) to Willie Nelson, and Jake plays it here at a straight-ahead medium tempo. What's covered Why the key of G puts the melody in the guitar's sweet spot — and when to consider changing keys The AABA form and how this tune connects to the broader standard repertoire The progressions inside the tune: the minor II–V opening, the classic I–VI–II–V–I , and the bridge's move to the minor IV Right-hand fundamentals: playing the syncopated melody against a simple, steady bass line on the strong beats Rhythmic tips for keeping the song moving forward as a solo player Whether you're building your first solo jazz arrangement or adding another standard to your repertoire, Jake's clear, relaxed teaching style makes even the advanced ideas feel approachable. Full lesson runs about 77 minutes.

Some songs just feel good. And when you can play them solo—bass, chords, melody, groove, all from your own two hands—they feel even better. In this comprehensive masterclass, Jake Reichbart breaks down his solo fingerstyle arrangement of Roberta Flack's timeless "Feel Like Making Love," teaching not just what to play, but how to make it groove. This isn't a note-for-note transcription exercise—it's a deep dive into the techniques and concepts that allow Jake to perform this tune night after night at his legendary 30+ year residency at The Earle, never playing it quite the same way twice. The lesson is built around three pillars: playing the melody with its harmonies, creating rhythmic feel, and improvising over the changes. Jake's approach transforms your guitar into a complete band—and he'll show you exactly how. The "Drum Kit" Concept: Jake reveals how he thinks of solo guitar as representing an entire rhythm section: Thumb = Bass drum — steady quarter notes anchoring the groove Fingernail downstroke = Snare — percussive backbeat on 2 and 4 Chord arpeggiation = Hi-hat — 16th note subdivision that keeps the engine running In this lesson you will learn: How to play melody and bass as two independent rhythmic voices—the foundation of Jake's solo guitar approach The chord arpeggiation technique that fills rhythmic gaps and maintains forward momentum in the underlying 16th-note subdivision Jake's right-hand downstroke technique using fingernails for that percussive backbeat (and why you don't need acrylic nails to do it) Multiple voicings for the Bb11 suspended sound and how to navigate between them Using the Mixolydian mode with sharp 11 for color, plus blues inflections that maintain the major quality The tritone substitution (A7#11 for Eb7) and why it works How to approach improvisation by anchoring to localized chord shapes and exploring the notes available in each region Melodic minor applications: Lydian b7 and altered scale sounds over dominant chords Practical strategies for extending a short form—vamp introductions, playing the head twice with variation, and building density through improvisation Jake works through the entire form slowly and in close-up, offering multiple fingering options for each passage and explaining the musical reasoning behind his choices. He demonstrates how small differences—a G played on one string versus another, a hammer-on borrowed from the original vocal—accumulate into a personal interpretation that honors the source while making it your own. Whether you're building your solo repertoire, looking to understand how jazz harmony applies to R&B/soul standards, or simply want to sound like a complete band when you play alone, this lesson delivers the tools and the insight to make it happen.

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo fingerstyle arrangement of the Gershwin standard "A Foggy Day" — one of the first chord melody arrangements he ever attempted, dating back some 35 years to when he first discovered Joe Pass. The chord shapes he uses today are largely the same ones he learned then; what changed is how he plays them. As Jake puts it, the difference lies in "a thousand different means of articulation, added like seasoning into food." What's covered Playing melody and bass as two independent rhythmic voices — a method that requires no theory knowledge and sounds good right away Chord arpeggiation in the underlying subdivision to create forward momentum Sustaining notes while moving to new chord shapes for rich, harp-like textures Practical voicings including drop 2 and drop 3 shapes, picking out only the notes you want Chord substitutions: secondary dominants, tritone subs, and approach chords An intro and ending built on a dreamy C sus/C11 pedal tone , plus walking bass with thumb strokes and palm muting Improvising from "islands" along the neck, bebop phrasing fundamentals, and blues phrases for color Jake demonstrates passages slowly and in close-up, explaining not just what to play but why. No tablature is offered because Jake improvises his arrangements fresh each performance — instead you'll learn the concepts and tools to do the same.

Fingerstyle jazz guitarist Jake Reichbart teaches his complete solo guitar arrangement of Someday My Prince Will Come , the standard that first appeared in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . The lesson is built around the arrangement many viewers know from Jake's YouTube recording, broken down phrase by phrase with fingerings. The lesson is divided into three parts The head — Jake's chord-melody arrangement as performed, with roughly 90% of the original fingerings conveyed note for note Variations and chord substitutions — multiple ways to harmonize each melody passage, and why practicing every variation makes the arrangement your own Improvisation for solo guitar — tying melodic lines to chord positions, so any chord tone under your fingers becomes a launching point for a line while you accompany yourself Jake also shares his practical right-hand approach — following Joe Pass's advice to play bass notes with the thumb and melody notes with whichever finger is in the area — plus simple metronome exercises for clean articulation. A good fit for intermediate to advanced players who want to expand their solo repertoire and learn arranging concepts they can apply to other tunes.

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo jazz guitar arrangement of the classic "After You've Gone" in this 75-minute video lesson. He walks through every aspect and technique behind the performance: executing the melody and head, chord substitutions, walking bass, improvisation, right-hand fingerstyle, and more. A good fit for intermediate and advanced players who want to build a complete chord-melody performance of this standard. Running time: 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Jake Reichbart teaches a complete solo guitar arrangement of the standard In a Mellow Tone . The lesson works as a gateway into the solo guitar / chord melody style pioneered by Joe Pass and others, covering the arrangement along with the chord voicings, harmony, and technique behind it. Suited to intermediate and advanced players. Running time: 1 hour 56 minutes.

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo jazz guitar arrangements of five of Stevie Wonder's most popular songs, played fingerstyle and close to the original recordings. Jake is a solo jazz guitarist with a 30-year (and counting) weekly gig at The Earle restaurant in Ann Arbor, a winner of WEMU-FM's Emily Remler scholarship for best guitarist, and a veteran of countless recordings and jingles — and decades of live playing have taught him that engaging an audience means drawing on repertoire from all eras and styles, with Stevie's songs an obvious choice. Songs included My Cherie Amour You Are the Sunshine of My Life Isn't She Lovely As Overjoyed What you'll learn Chord melody arrangements that translate Stevie Wonder's vocal style to fingerstyle guitar Analysis of each song's chord progression, with many chord variants and Stevie's unique voicings adapted to the guitar How to play the main melody correctly, then improvise through the theme — including three rhythm ideas for improvisation Ways to enhance the bass and the melody together When to stay close to the original and what changes are worth making Different colors, effects, and textures to keep a performance interesting Each video lesson includes close-up demonstrations of the arrangement and a full performance of the song at the end. Each tune has its own character and technical demands, so you'll build a range of fingerstyle approaches along the way. Running time: 7 hours 15 minutes.

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Mas Que Nada , written by Jorge Ben in 1963 and made a hit by Sérgio Mendes. It's one of Brazil's most famous themes of the Bossa Nova era — nearly as recognizable as The Girl From Ipanema , yet not nearly as often performed. In this lesson The complete arrangement broken down note for note, with every chord shown slowly and in closeup Why Jake lowers the key from F minor to E minor — using the open B and E strings against fretted harmonies in the lower strings Right-hand techniques in detail, so the arrangement can be performed with high energy (though it's playable at any tempo — find your own feel) The harmony explored with multiple ways to insert chord substitutions for countless variations A section on improvisation: the implied harmony behind each section and ideas for filling out an extra chorus or two on a gig Skill level: Intermediate. Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes.

Jake Reichbart teaches a solo guitar arrangement of Waters of March , one of the most beautiful — and most misunderstood — Bossa Nova standards . A follow-up to his " The Girl From Ipanema " lesson, this near 90-minute class tackles a tune that rarely shows up on casual gigs because its form has eluded so many players. What's covered Breaking the tune down into logical 4-measure units to build a playable "head" Using those same units to create chord substitutions and improvisation A dedicated 20-minute introduction on the right hand and rhythm Jake's 3 main pillars of solo guitar arranging : the bass-and-melody-only method, rhythmic chord arpeggiation, and the optional right-hand "backbeat" Because the three pillars apply to all solo guitar arranging, you'll come away with much more than a single arrangement — these ideas and techniques carry over to everything you play. Running time: 90 minutes

Jake Reichbart teaches a complete solo guitar arrangement of "The Girl From Ipanema" — a beautiful, sophisticated tune that's also among the most requested on the gig, so you'll want it on your set list. The full performance is shown at the start of this nearly two-hour lesson, then broken down piece by piece. What's covered A full-sounding chord melody with multiple variations on the melody Countless chord substitutions Bebop improvisation and its lesser-known "sister" — filling, or what Jake calls "micro improvisation" A dedicated 20-minute introduction covers the right hand and rhythm, demonstrating Jake's three pillars of solo guitar arranging: The bass-and-melody-only method Rhythmic chord arpeggiation The right-hand "backbeat," which you can incorporate or leave out Because these three pillars apply to all solo guitar arranging, and the lesson includes countless ideas and techniques that apply to all music , you'll come away having learned much more than just one arrangement . Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes. Download included.

Jake Reichbart shows you how to multiply your jazz guitar chord vocabulary using his slot system — a way of treating each note of a familiar drop voicing as an open slot for any chord tone or extension, rather than a fixed 1, 3, 5 or 7 of a scale. Four-note drop chords are some of the most accessible fingerings in jazz guitar, and inverting them quadruples your options. But chords built strictly from scales are limited: the major scale yields Maj7, 7, -7 and -7b5, and melodic minor adds only -Maj7 and Maj7#5. The slot system breaks past that ceiling. What's covered A quick review of drop 2, drop 3, drop 2&4 and drop 2&3 voicings and how each sits on the guitar's string groups Inverting drop chords across string sets and up and down the neck The slot concept: the 3 can become a -3, 9, b9, 11 or #11; the 5 can become a #5, 13, b5 or 4; the 7 can become a b7, 13, b13 or even a 9 Replacing the root itself with a b9 or 9 for fresh colors Applying the system to every drop type, string group and inversion to generate hundreds of new voicings If you already know your basic drop chords and inversions, this lesson gives you a single organizing idea that unlocks voicings for accompaniment and chord melody you'd be unlikely to find any other way.

Jake Reichbart demonstrates a precise, repeatable system for inverting any voicing on the guitar — not just textbook chords. A stack of fourths like E–A–D–G might be a C6/9 against one root and an Fmaj13 or A7sus against another, but the same inversion method applies to any group of notes regardless of what you call it. What's covered Jake's core principle: write the chord tones as an ascending closed-position list , then move each string to the next note on the list, cycling back to the bottom Inverting horizontally and vertically — up the neck and across string sets Closed-voicing triads, then open-voicing triads, with all examples in C Four-note drop chords , quartal voicings, and beyond Why it matters: four ways to express any voicing you like, so you never repeat the same grip over and over Inversions also rotate each chord tone to the top of the voicing — with a four-note chord you instantly cover more than half the notes of a seven-note scale, which makes this a must-have skill for chord melody playing.

Jake Reichbart, a master solo guitar arranger who draws equally from jazz and pop standards, teaches the three core techniques he uses on virtually every song he arranges. The focus is the most basic stumbling block in solo guitar: how to move an arrangement forward rhythmically , so melody, harmony, and bass flow together — and your own hands act as your own metronome instead of rushing. The three parts Bass and melody only — playing the melody as it needs to be played (syncopations included) against a simple, credible bass line. Two independent rhythms at once is the foundation of solo guitar arranging, and it requires no chord-shape knowledge to start. Chord arpeggiation — lightly arpeggiating chord tones in the gaps where the melody rests or sustains, creating an audible rhythmic grid that keeps both listener and player in time. The famous "backbeat stroke" — Jake's signature fingernail downstroke on 2 and 4, a percussive effect inspired by Tuck Andress, explained in detail (no acrylic nails required). Each technique is demonstrated on snippets of three tunes — the swing standard Out of Nowhere , the bossa-style The Shadow of Your Smile , and the Beatles' Something — all of which have full arrangement lessons on this site. A practical lesson for intermediate players who want their solo arrangements to groove, not just survive.

Jake Reichbart teaches his complete solo jazz guitar arrangement of Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne in this one-hour-and-25-minute lesson. Jake has performed solo guitar for 30+ years at around 300 gigs a year, and a big part of that staying power is folding pop tunes into a jazz repertoire — the ideas here apply to arranging almost any pop song. What's covered A rhythm and right-hand introduction: playing bass and melody only , each with its own rhythm Chord-note arpeggiation in the underlying subdivision to keep the rhythm moving forward Jake's famous backbeat downstroke with the right hand The entire arrangement outlined slowly and in close-up, fingering by fingering Why you're likely halfway there already: most voicings are classic drop 2, drop 3, and closed triads Ideas that make any solo arrangement come alive: dynamics, articulation, open strings The arrangement stays close to the original recording's key, tempo, and style (one repeated verse trimmed, with nothing missing if you want to restore it). For intermediate players who want a gig-ready Steely Dan arrangement plus a toolkit for building their own.

Jake Reichbart walks through his complete solo jazz guitar arrangement of Something , the Beatles classic by George Harrison. Drawing on his years of solo guitar arranging experience, Jake plays the arrangement slowly with the camera zoomed in on the neck and hands, going over the fingerings and every note carefully. What's covered Bringing jazz harmony and jazz-influenced fills into a pop song arrangement Playing a credible bass line on the strong beats while keeping the melody correctly syncopated A percussive fingernail downstroke that emulates a snare drum on beats 2 and 4 to make the arrangement groove Logical fingerings that let the arrangement sing and flow An improvised solo section, plus where the arrangement leaves room for variation and filling This is an arrangement Jake performs regularly at gigs, so the fingerings are consistent and practical. If you want to build your chord melody and solo guitar skills with a real-world tune, this class shows you one from start to finish. Full video is 1 hour 25 minutes , with a download included.

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo fingerstyle jazz guitar arrangement of the classic standard The Shadow of Your Smile , walking through it note by note. Along the way he shares the techniques and arranging choices behind it, so the lesson serves any arrangement you might do on your own — not just this one tune. What's covered Three rhythmic techniques that keep a solo guitar arrangement grooving and moving forward Playing melody and bass as independent parts, each with its own rhythm — and getting free of preconceived chord shapes Practical ways to fill the spaces between melody phrases Using open strings to maximize your arrangement Reharmonizations that add tasty harmonic flavor Logical fingering choices that let everything flow Varying the melody so you never play it exactly the same way twice Recommended for guitarists who want fuller solo arrangements — if you've been stuck with disconnected chord-melody playing, this class will give you ideas to get out of the rut. The full class is 1 hour and 41 minutes.

Jake Reichbart teaches a methodical system for generating a virtually limitless supply of diminished-scale voicings for dominant 7th chords. Most players know the trick of moving a diminished chord up the neck in minor thirds as a 79 substitute — this lesson goes far beyond that, showing how to organize the half-whole diminished scale into hundreds of usable chord shapes. What's covered Why the half-whole diminished scale has no avoid notes against a dominant 7th: it yields the 1, 9, 9, 3, 11, 5, 13, and 7 The scale's symmetry — how moving any note by a minor third lands on another scale tone Building an initial four-note voicing on the top four strings (demonstrated over an A7 root) Moving that voicing in minor thirds, including the often-neglected "in-between" voicings, to create a complete series of eight scale-chords Inverting the voicing to produce three additional fingerings, then running those through the same minor-third cycle How to break out of the box afterward: three- and two-note versions, other string groups, rootless voicings Because any combination of these eight notes works against the root, the only limit is your own taste. Regardless of your level, you will come away from this lesson with new chord voicings you can use right away. A download is included with the full class.

Jake Reichbart teaches his solo jazz guitar arrangement of "Over the Rainbow" in this 90+ minute video lesson. He opens with a complete performance in the standard key of Eb — full head, improvisation, and a half-step modulation up to E at the end — then breaks the arrangement down note for note and chord for chord, showing the exact fingerings he uses. What's covered The many ways to connect melody notes — starting with the tune's first two Eb's — by "squeezing in" scale and bebop notes Fills (micro improvisation) : melodic and harmonic detours between melody notes Common, gig-ready chord substitutions that work alongside other jazz musicians Use of intervals, bass movement, and blended voicings with open strings Right-hand approach in the Joe Pass style: thumb on bass notes, fingers on chords and melody Lifting a ballad with a half-step modulation near the end Throughout, Jake emphasizes that any passage can be played in multiple ways — the goal isn't just to copy his fingerings, but to come up with your own version of this straight-ahead jazz ballad arrangement.

Jake Reichbart uses the standard "Out of Nowhere" as a vehicle for a straightforward approach to performing solo jazz guitar. Rather than teaching a specific method like drop chords or inversions, Jake encourages you to start performing with whatever chordal and melodic vocabulary you already have — with one message above all: keep the rhythm going . What's covered Melody + bassline = harmony: building an instant fingerstyle arrangement from simple root-note bass under the melody Pre-planned, arpeggiated bassline patterns (Jake suggests six to a dozen) usable over any song, so each chorus sounds fresh Thumb/finger independence exercises for arranging with two melodic lines How two simple parts combined can give the illusion of complexity, and how notes played close together create harmony over time Rhythmic ideas, including setting up a mental grid so you commit to a rhythm for the song Intervallic approaches and fills between lines — "micro-improvisations," as he calls them "Out of Nowhere," composed by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman and first recorded in 1931 by Bing Crosby, has been recorded by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, and John Coltrane — its changes also underpin tunes like Tadd Dameron's "Casbah" and Lennie Tristano's "317 East 32nd Street." Jake, a prolific recording and YouTube guitarist who has held a three-night-a-week restaurant gig for over 25 years, improvises his arrangements each time he plays, so no tablature is provided — the focus is on functional approaches you can apply to any song. Delivered in a light, conversational style, this is as much a masterclass in solo fingerstyle playing and tune arranging as it is a song lesson.