About Volume 1

 (Subtítulos en Español)

( Acceso a Subtítulos en Español en el "CC" )

( Acceso a Subtítulos en Español en el "CC" )

Who is this training for?

To determine if this training is for you, please answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions and then check your score at the bottom.

  • Do you have trouble developing an improvised solo that flows smoothly over a standard jazz progression?
  • Do you rely on memorized “licks” when playing a solo?
  • Do you start a different “lick” every time there is a chord change?
  • Do your ideas end abruptly or lack continuity when improvising over changes?
  • Are your solos devoid of syncopation (“they don’t swing”) or suffer from a lack of rhythmic variety?
  • When you improvise, does it sound like you’re just running scales versus playing coherent melodic lines with a sense of direction?
  • When soloing over a chord progression, if you were suddenly left unaccompanied, do you feel that your ideas would fail to clearly convey the prescribed changes?
  • Do you feel like you’re in a rut and your practice routine is inefficient?
  • Do you lack the resources and understanding of how to link any given scale or arpeggio both horizontally and vertically throughout the entire fretboard?

If You Answered Yes To One Or More Of The Above Questions, This Course Will Be Of Benefit To You!

What Is The Bebop Guitar Improv Series?

The Bebop Guitar Improv Series consists of two volumes, with downloadable multi-media materials.  Each volume is comprised of 3 books: the Lesson Book, Workbook, and Scale & Arpeggio Fingerings guide. In addition, the online version of the series features 150+ videos demonstrating the book content and lots more in vivid detail.

Volume 1 will teach you the rudimentary principles of jazz improvisation in theory and practice. It initially focuses on learning how to systematically develop a vocabulary to improvise over chord changes from a guitar-oriented technical perspective. A variety of essential harmonic progressions found in jazz are covered in order of difficulty. Each new progression is taught through a series of short etudes, and gradually introduces one or more of the chord/scales required to improvise over most jazz standards. Various melodic concepts and syncopated rhythms commonly used in the swing/bebop idioms, are taught as well.

Volume 2 builds on the principles explored in Volume 1 and explores various applications over “Rhythm Changes,” as well as jazz standards based on major, minor and extended tonalities. The technical focus is on multi-positional playing using the entire fretboard. Click here for more info on VOLUME 2

The 6 Key Components of The BGIS

The Jazz Etudes

The Jazz Etudes, written in both regular notation and tab, are the heart and soul of this method. They serve as models to train the aspiring improviser in utilizing the melodic techniques and rhythms taught in each lesson. They are presented in order of gradual difficulty.

The Scale & Arpeggio Fingerings

The 7 heptatonic scale and arpeggio fingering patterns, supply the guitarist with the technical resources required to properly execute even the most intricate melodic phrases, anywhere throughout the fretboard.

The Bebop Calisthenics

These custom exercises work simultaneously at many levels to help your improvisational skills flourish. They help reinforce the use of various linear melodic concepts introduced, expand your understanding of their spontaneous application anywhere on the fretboard, and provide ear-training.

The Rhythm Lab

This segment of the lessons introduces and breaks down the various syncopated rhythmic figures that are commonly employed in mainstream jazz, in order to facilitate “sightreading”.

The Rhythm Templates

These templates consist of different harmonic progressions and rhythms devoid of any note values. They have been carefully structured to guide you step by step in supplying the missing pitches, using the unique melodic concepts introduced in each lesson.  Throughout this procedure the student learns to systematically develop the vocabulary necessary to improvise over a given chord progression by filling in the missing notes.

The Ear Training Lab

In order to become a great jazz soloist or musician in general, you must be in control of what you play and therefore aurally anticipate what the outcome will be. Ear training is the key to this endeavor and the exercises in this segment will systematically take you through the crucial steps necessary to attain a moderate level of “relative pitch”. Through this practice you will eventually be able to hear and identify how each component of a scale relates to the chords in a given harmonic progression.

 

9 Modules, jam-packed full of practical information!

The course consists of 9 modules. Each new module builds on the information provided in the previous one.  To give the student enough time to exclusively focus on each fundamental block of information and to avoid overwhelm, each new module is opened up monthly. However, students have the option to request that all modules be unlocked at any time.

24/7 online access to the course is available for 12 months (360 days) from the date of registration. If you do not feel this is sufficient time to assimilate the material, you have the option to renew your membership for an additional year at half price! Furthermore, keep in mind that all the relevant material to continue at your own leisure is downloadable!

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you help me determine which option, Silver, Gold or Platinum is better suited for me?

Before you read my description of each level, I have a disclaimer. I believe that unless you are truly advanced, there are many aspects of  jazz guitar improvisation that can’t be properly learned without having regular interaction with a qualified mentor through “one on one” instruction. Having said that, unless you consider yourself fairly advanced, or are on very tight budget, I recommend that you join at the Platinum level so I can personally mentor you and help take your playing to the next level. Please keep this in mind when making your decision regarding which level to choose…

The Silver Level simply enables you to purchase the 3 E-Books that comprise the Bebop Guitar Improv Series…the Lesson Book, Workbook and Scales & Arpeggios book. After purchasing the books you can register to download the accompanying MP3s and Band In A Box files of all the featured etudes and selected exercises. This is a good choice if you are an intermediate jazz player and have a fair amount of sightreading ability as well as the confidence to work out the etudes and exercises without the aid of the added demonstrations and explanations provided by the online videos. It is also the best option if you are on a very limited budget and don’t want to miss out on this information. At $49.95 it is a steal even if I say so! I have taught the contents of this series at various universities and I can guarantee that you are getting a good 4 semesters worth of Jazz Improv Theory as applied to the guitar, condensed into 3 books!

The Gold Level is the most popular choice. For $99.00 you get: the 3 books / the downloads / 150+ HD streaming videos demonstrating and explaining every detail in the books / access to a members forum where you can discuss any subject within the program with other participants / several added bonuses not available in the book such as an Ear Training Lab and “Candy Bars”, a monthly workshop providing ready to play bebop vocabulary.

All of this is available to you 24/7 for 12 months for a one time payment of $99.00! This is definitely serious bang for your buck! Even though you can find fragments of the information presented here for free, scattered throughout the internet, if you wanted to learn it in an orderly logical manner you would have to enroll in a good music school! This in turn would cost you thousands of $$$ and put you under the pressure of  having to master it in a limited amount of time. Of course, this would be fine if you were going for a music degree. However, if you are like most players interested in jazz these days, you most likely have another source of income and want to learn this art at your own leisure without breaking the bank! On the other hand, even if you happen to be planning on going to school for a music degree, your small investment in this program is going to help prepare and place you well ahead of the rest in your scholastic endeavor.

The Platinum Level includes everything featured in the Gold Level and on top of that, it adds 6 -30 minute “one on one” Skype Lessons, the Arpeggio Frameworks book and video supplements, the Repertoire Studies and a host of other exclusive resources that will further guarantee that you truly learn! Like I said in my initial disclaimer, jazz improvisation is not something that most guitarists can learn on their own. Believe me, I tried back in the day, and I wasted precious years trying to “reinvent the wheel”. Fortunately I finally got wise and hooked up with several great mentors who set me on the right path. Today I am happy to do the same with my students and pass on the valuable knowledge and advice I received from them.

At the risk of sounding like a salesman (which I’m not!!), the Platinum level is obviously the best value for your money! For $210.00 you get my undivided attention for 6 -30 minute sessions, which you can schedule at your convenience anytime during the first 9 months of the program! At this price, these lessons are way under my pay grade and for that matter, of any musician with my expertise and credentials. However, after giving it lots of thought, I have decided to accept a fixed number of Platinum members because I believe that these are the truly serious and committed students that are in it for the long haul. And yes, these are the students I love to teach and am personally interested in helping out. Furthermore, I am confident that many of them will continue with me long after this initial course is over.

I have experienced that those that regularly interact with me through “one on one” lessons make much more progress than those that don’t. Every player is at a different level and has different challenges. The ups and downs of the learning process often requires the personal guidance of a mentor. As a result, through the Platinum Level I want to make available to you my expertise teaching jazz improvisation for over 20 years and personally oversee your progress in learning this art. I look forward in guiding you and answering any questions you may have during this journey.

Please keep in mind that the Platinum Level has a limited capacity throughout the year and is subject to availability. If it is not available at the time you wish to enroll, you may request to be placed on the waiting list. Your other option is to enroll in the Gold Level and purchase “one on one” Private Skype Lessons.

What if I have questions or need personal help?

If you enroll in the Platinum program, it includes 6 “one on one” Skype lessons which will provide  personal guidance and ensure you are on the right track with all the assignments. Otherwise, you can always purchase an individual lesson every now and then if the need arises. For more info please check out “Private Lessons”.

In addition, the members forum is also a great place to post and seek answers to any questions you might have about the subjects being thought. Here you will also benefit from those questions posed by others.

If I join at the Gold Level can I later upgrade to Platinum?

Yes, but preferably during your first 3 months in order to avoid the possible accumulation of wrong practice habits and thus save you valuable time and frustration! The main difference between the Gold and Platinum Levels is that the latter includes 6 half hour “one on one” Skype Lessons and access to the Arpeggio Frameworks book and video supplement. This last feature alone, is worth the upgrade as it is a cutting edge system using many of the latest developments in cognitive psychology to learn jazz improvisation.  Because these lessons are offered at a substantially discounted price and must be scheduled during the first 9 months of the program, they have a limited capacity. In all honesty, the number of “one on one” lessons I can commit to teach in a given month has a “ceiling”, which means that there is no guarantee of their availability throughout the whole year.

If you should decide to upgrade and this special offer is not available at the time, you will be placed on a waiting list and notified when there is an opening. Otherwise, you always have the option to sign up for Skype Lessons at the normal rate, should the need arise (See Private Lessons) .

What is Band in a Box and do I need it?

Band in a Box by PG Music, is a piece of software available for both Mac and PC which allows you to type in the chords for any song using standard chord symbols (like C, Fm7, or C13b9), choose the style you’d like, and it automatically generates a complete professional-quality arrangement of piano, bass, drums, guitar, and strings or horns. It retails for approximately $129.00, if you purchase the Pro version without all the unnecessary bells and whistles.

You don’t have to own or purchase the program to enroll in this program. MP3s of all available jazz etudes and specific exercises are available for download in 2 tempos. For those that already have the program or wish to purchase it, alternate versions of the material on the MP3s are also available for download as Band in a Box files. The advantage here is that if you open up any of these files in Band in a Box and hit play, you will not only be able to hear the given etude or exercise, but you will be able to alter its playback to any tempo you desire, loop any number of measures and transpose it to any key with the simple click of a button. All of this is very advantageous when you want to play along in a certain key or at a specific tempo if the thoses provided in the MP3s end up being either too slow or fast for your level or rate of progress. Something to consider…

 

Check Out What Real Users Are Saying…

Click Here For A Complete List Of Testimonials!

RICHIE ZELLON, guitarist, composer, and music educator, has held teaching positions as professor of jazz guitar at Florida International University (Miami) the University of South Florida (Tampa) The Music Workshop (Orlando) and his own venue, Miami Jazz Guitar.

With several critically acclaimed recordings under his name, Zellon has recorded and/or performed with some of the most influential musicians both in the mainstream and Latin jazz genres. Among them, Paquito D’ Rivera, David Leibman, Jerry Bergonzi, Sam Rivers, George Garzone, Danilo Perez, Jeff Berlin, Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna and Ignacio Berroa to name a few.

Due to his innovations in the field of jazz and latin music he has been profiled in several important books such as “The Great Jazz Guitarists” by Scott Yanow, “The Jazz Guitar: Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1900” by Maurice J. Summerfield ,“El Diccionario de Latin Jazz” by Nat Chediak , “Caliente: A History of Latin Jazz” by Luc Delanoy and “Jazz Jews” by Michael Gerber.

money-back-guarantee2

Satisfaction Guarantee

Any feelings of skepticism you may have about investing in a new product are completely normal! This is why I’ve decided to take all of the risk! You have 30 full days to test drive the course and put it into full action. If you feel this course was simply not for you – there’s no hard feelings! Simply send me an email and I will immediately refund your money! This is just my way of thanking you for your decision to invest in the Bebop Guitar Improv Series. NOTE: This money back guarantee is not available for the Silver Level (Ebooks  only). Sorry, there are no refunds on downloaded books.