Maurice Arenas

Maurice Arenas shows you how to navigate the changes of the jazz classic Take the A Train in a systematic, chord-by-chord way — with a fusion twist. This isn't a lick collection: you learn practical comping voicings for the whole form, then multiple scale and arpeggio options for each chord, from classic jazz sounds to more dissonant outside choices. What's covered Smooth comping voicings through the full form (C6, D9, Dm9, G13, the ii-V in F, and a diminished substitution), with fingering tips for clean transitions Where the changes fit in real settings — trio, quartet, and swing duo — including quarter-note and Charleston comping grooves Per-chord arpeggio options, like the C6 arpeggio with the blue note (a classic Charlie Christian-style sound) and C6/7 Superimposing major and dominant sounds over the one chord Scale choices from C major and major pentatonic out to more adventurous options The exact practice order Maurice would use for each option he presents The class includes 7 pages of PDF materials with the chord voicings, scales, and arpeggios in both standard notation and TAB, plus backing tracks to practice with. Full video is 48 minutes. Suited to intermediate players who feel stuck on what to play over changes — and experienced players may pick up some fresh perspectives on the tune too.

Maurice Arenas opens his fusion guitar series for Mike's Master Classes by breaking down a complete fusion solo over his tune AB City Groove — a study piece he wrote to combine elements of jazz, blues, rock, shred and fusion in one lesson. The class is aimed at players of many levels, from beginning through advanced, with concepts you can keep returning to as your playing develops. What's covered The chord progression to AB City Groove, including jazz chords and slash chords, moving through Aeolian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Phrygian dominant sounds Sweep-picked and hybrid-picked arpeggios in the style of Frank Gambale, graded as Level 1 (no shifts) and Level 2 (with shifts) Chromatic passing tones and outlining small chords in your lines Three-octave scales with a logical fingering approach, plus scales on one string, two notes per string, and three notes per string Pentatonic scales with repeated notes in the spirit of Allan Holdsworth and Paul Gilbert Diminished arpeggios and their applications in jazz, blues and rock The 7 modes of the major scale (three notes per string) and the 5 pentatonic boxes (two notes per string) Maurice's basic approach to viewing the fingerboard A PDF handout with the chord chart, diagrams and arpeggio shapes is included. If you want vocabulary that works across any style, this first installment lays out the foundation.

In the second installment of his fusion guitar series, Maurice Arenas presents a complete syllabus of arpeggios — from triads all the way up to 13th chords — formulated for sweep picking and hybrid picking. These shapes turn up across rock, blues, jazz and fusion in the playing of artists like George Benson, Frank Gambale, Tal Farlow, John Petrucci, Yngwie Malmsteen, Shawn Lane, Al DiMeola and Larry Carlton. Maurice uses a graded system: Level 1 arpeggios sweep straight across the strings with no shifts, Level 2 adds a shift, and Level 3 a couple of shifts. Each form is demonstrated slowly (and clean, so nothing hides behind distortion) before speeding up, and all shapes are charted in the included PDF book. What's covered, chapter by chapter Major and minor triads in two and three octaves Seventh-chord arpeggios: Major 7, Minor 7, Maj7#5, Dominant 7, Min/Maj7, Min7b5, Dim7 and Minor 6 Ninths: Major 9, Minor 9, 9th, 7(b9) and Min7b5(b9) Elevenths and thirteenths: 11th, Minor 11, Maj9#11, 13th, Major 13#11, Minor 13 Diminished and augmented (symmetrical) arpeggios Arpeggios found in the major, harmonic minor and jazz melodic minor scales Arpeggio choices and formulas over a G7 blues and a C minor blues (à la "Equinox" or "Moment's Notice") Closing demonstration over a G7 fusion blues in the style of Larry Carlton By the end you'll have a movable, organized vocabulary of nearly every practical arpeggio form, plus concrete ways to apply them over standard and minor blues progressions.

Maurice Arenas covers the foundations of jazz improvisation over the most common progression in jazz: the 2-5-1 , in both major and minor. Working in C major and A minor for clarity, he walks through scales, modes, arpeggios, and chromatic concepts over every chord — organized by level, so blues and rock players can start with pentatonics while more advanced players dig into altered modes and outside playing. What's covered Pentatonic possibilities and formulas over every chord — including playing pentatonics from the fifth of the key and the diminished arpeggio off the third of the V chord Arpeggio options over every chord using the chord extension method The "Chord Stack" method of improvisation (minor 2-5-1) and the Dominant 7 Super arpeggio methodology (major 2-5-1) Scale and mode choices and formulas over every chord — Aeolian, harmonic minor, Dorian, and beyond Chromatic lines and how to resolve them Practice methods for incorporating each technique The 76-minute video comes with a fully detailed 28-page PDF booklet , with every scale and arpeggio written out in all positions across the neck. Stylistically, the material draws on the lead approaches of players like Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, George Benson, Grant Green, Tal Farlow, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Bruno, Herb Ellis, Howard Roberts, Jack Wilkins, and Joe Pass.

Maurice Arenas covers a broad library of scales and their modes, alongside proper left- and right-hand technique and a "game plan" for developing speed — so you learn to play the guitar rather than work it. The video is designed as a play-along practice tool: Maurice plays each scale slowly through every position so you can follow his fingerings and build the shapes into memory, with all roots circled in the accompanying booklet. What's covered Pentatonic scales in all 5 boxes: minor pentatonic, blues scale, major pentatonic, and the minor pentatonic natural 6 — a hybrid sound used by Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Santana Holdsworth-style pentatonics : 3-note-per-string minor pentatonic, plus 3-octave pentatonic and blues scales in all 5 boxes All seven modes of the major scale , with interval formulas for each Modes of harmonic minor , melodic minor , and harmonic major (Phrygian dominant, Lydian augmented, Superlocrian, and more) Symmetrical scales: the whole tone and diminished scales and their fingering possibilities Understanding the obstacles to speed, and the physical mechanics of both hands Practice habits and a regimen for playing faster and more effortlessly Suited to beginners building their first scale vocabulary as well as players chasing fusion-level fluency across the whole fingerboard.

Maurice Arenas covers a wide range of jazz and fusion chords through the lens of the CAGED system — the idea that the five basic open shapes (C, A, G, E, D) repeat in a circle up the fingerboard, so every chord quality you learn becomes available anywhere on the neck. He demonstrates each quality through all five CAGED forms, then adds a collection of his favorite fusion voicings. What's covered How the CAGED "circle" works across the entire fingerboard, with a game plan for learning all five columns of each chord All 5 CAGED forms for major, minor, augmented, diminished, and 6th chords Major 7th, major 9th, and major 6/9 (the classic Chet Atkins / Lenny Breau / Joe Pass ending chord) Minor 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 6/9, minor 7(b5), and minor/major 7th Dominant forms: 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, and altered dominants (#9, #11, b9, b13) Tricks like moving diminished forms every three frets, in the style of Wes Montgomery Fusion voicings used by Holdsworth, McLaughlin, Gambale, Towner, and DiMeola — including some taken straight from the piano voicings of Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea Bonus footage on the kinesiology of playing: fine details of left- and right-hand technique Maurice closes with practice habits and a regimen for getting complex chords and progressions under your fingers efficiently. The video comes with a PDF booklet of the chord forms.

Maurice Arenas continues his fusion guitar series with three chapters: the "Little Sunflower" chord progression, soloing concepts , and an Em7 vamp — showing how to build solos that hold a listener's interest over both moving changes and static harmony. "Little Sunflower" chord progression The progression plus a demonstration solo in the fusion style (à la Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Guthrie Govan) Pentatonic, modal, and altered "outside" scale options and formulas explained over each chord in the progression Soloing concepts and approach Maurice explains how to build a solo so it sounds well rounded and well constructed, using approaches composers have relied on from the baroque era to the present: voice leading a solo, syncopated playing, extension playing, chord substitution playing, and more — illustrated in real time over a static vamp and with short improvised examples. "Em7 vamp" and playing outside A solo over a static vamp showing how these concepts create tension, resolution, and contrast Pentatonic, modal, and altered "outside" scale options and formulas over the vamp A second take of the solo with real-time captions showing what Maurice is thinking as he improvises This 90-minute video also includes a PDF booklet and 2 jam tracks .