Tag Archives: jazz guitar

Jazz Guitar and Online Success Part 2 of 2 (with Jens Larsen) Ep071

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Jens Larsen is a Danish jazz guitarist who has become an internet celebrity for his YouTube lessons.  Aside from his incredible jazz guitar chops, he has posted over 700 YouTube videos, has acquired almost 150,000 YouTube subscribers, and recently released two books.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick sit down with Jens to talk about his journey, how to approach jazz as a player and as a teacher, musical gear, online success, practicing, composition, and recording.
 
Jens has become famous through his YouTube lessons on how to play jazz guitar.  In Part 2/2, he says that he originally started posting transcriptions of jazz solos, then began writing blogs for UltimateGuitar.com, and finally started posting videos on YouTube.  Recently he released two books, Modern Jazz Guitar Concepts and Advanced Jazz Guitar Concepts.
 
Aaron asks Jens how he approaches his practice sessions, and Jens provides an in-depth look into his practice routine.  He warms up by playing chromatically across the guitar neck in all 12 keys, he practices 7th arpeggio patterns, triads, and open-voiced triads over the entire neck, and he creates simple melodies by ear and transposes them to all 12 keys.  Then he practices his triad ideas over the chord changes of jazz tunes.  Jens practices with his metronome set on beats 2 and 4, but also experiments playing with the metronome set on unusual beats to spur rhythmic creativity.
 
Jens tells of some of his most meaningful performances as well as his dream show.  He talks about his band (Traeben), how he/they compose songs, and the differences among his three albums.
 
Finally, Jens gives us a few inside looks at his other hobbies and interests outside of music!

Jazz Guitar and Online Success Part 1 of 2 (with Jens Larsen) Ep070

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:02 — 56.1MB)

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Jens Larsen is a Danish jazz guitarist who has become an internet celebrity for his YouTube lessons.  Aside from his incredible jazz guitar chops, he has posted over 700 YouTube videos, has acquired almost 150,000 YouTube subscribers, and recently released two books.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick sit down with Jens to talk about his journey, how to approach jazz as a player and as a teacher, musical gear, online success, practicing, composition, and recording.
In Part 1 of 2, Jens tells of his years playing on the streets of Copenhagen, followed by his studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (in the Netherlands).  The guys discuss how to learn, review, and perform new jazz tunes.  Then they discuss the merits of preserving traditional musical styles vs. pursuing progressive musical styles.  Jens tells Joe and Aaron how he would approach teaching a new jazz guitar student, providing some very useful information for both teachers and players!
Next the guys move on to a look at guitar gear.  Jens talks about his guitars (notably an Ibanez AS2630), amps, and effects.

Fingerstyle Guitar, Online Success Part 2 of 2 (with Adam Rafferty) Ep055

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:10 — 51.7MB)

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Adam Rafferty is a jazz guitarist-turned fingerstyle guitarist who has found huge success through YouTube, as an online guitar-coach, and as a touring performer. Check out his awesome fingerstyle arrangements of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, as well as jazz standards. Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have the opportunity to talk with Adam about his journey, his internet success, his method of arranging for fingerstyle guitar, his gear, and his experiences with copyright law.

In part 2 of 2, Adam tells the guys about his Maton and Cole Clark guitars, his AER amp, and the rest of his gear.

Aaron and Joe are very interested in how Adam deals with copyright law as it applies to his YouTube videos of cover songs as well as his teaching business. He is incredibly open and informative!

Adam recounts his musical journey from his childhood and teenage years, to his classical training in college, his formation of a hip hop group, and his jazz studies with Mike Longo (pianist for Dizzy Gillespi).

Finally, Adam talks about life as a touring musician and how he practices and stays comfortable and confident on the road.

Find out more about Adam Rafferty at: https://www.studywithadam.com/ or https://www.adamrafferty.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adamraffertyguitar/. He also hosts the Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

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http://www.joemcmurray.com

Fingerstyle Guitar, Online Success Part 1 of 2 (with Adam Rafferty) Ep054

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:35 — 56.6MB)

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Adam Rafferty is a jazz guitarist-turned fingerstyle guitarist who has found huge success through YouTube, as an online guitar-coach, and as a touring performer. Check out his awesome fingerstyle arrangements of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, as well as jazz standards. Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have the opportunity to talk with Adam about his journey, his internet success, his method of arranging for fingerstyle guitar, his gear, and his experiences with copyright law.

In part 1 of 2, Adam tells the guys about his career as a jazz guitarist and teacher in NYC and why he now spends the majority of his time touring throughout Europe with guys like Michael Fix, Don Ross, and Petteri Sariola. Then he talks about the early days of YouTube, how he tries to stand out in an oversaturated online video market, his stint working as a computer programmer, and his Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

The next topic is how Adam arranges for fingerstyle guitar: capturing the bass and melody lines and making sure it grooves. He also has a thorough knowledge of Bach 4-part harmony and utilizes it in his arrangements.

Find out more about Adam Rafferty at: https://www.studywithadam.com/ or https://www.adamrafferty.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adamraffertyguitar/. He also hosts the Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

Subscribe for more videos like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq_-Theg14gom9gcgkmFk7g
Website: http://www.fretbuzzthepodcast.com
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fret_buzz_podcast/

http://www.joemcmurray.com

Jazz and Higher Education with Dr. Shawn Purcell Ep039

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:37:32 — 67.2MB)

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Dr. Shawn Purcell, who teaches jazz guitar and jazz arranging at George Mason University and performs for the U.S. Navy Commodores, provides us with many insights into his story, learning and teaching music at a collegiate level, touring with the Ringling Brothers Circus, and his career as a military musician.
Shawn, Joe, and Aaron discuss methodical and efficient practice routines, working with new students to develop these practice routines, and the need to adjust these practice routines to prepare for different sorts of gigs and musical opportunities.
Shawn’s story takes us from his youthful days of Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, and Van Halen to his college days in which he studied jazz guitar and the recording arts at Duquesne University.  Upon graduation he landed a gig touring with the Ringling Brothers Circus, for which he spent two years traveling around the country on a circus train and played guitar for a living.  His next stop was eight years as the guitarist for the Air Force’s premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note.
in 2004, Shawn and his wife, Dr. Darden Purcell, moved to Nashville where he gigged and earned his Master of Arts in Music from Middle Tennessee State University.  He gives us details of his experiences in the Nashville music scene.
If you thought Shawn had already received a lot of music education, he and his wife then moved to Illinois where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance.  After a period of teaching at the National Guitar Workshop, he landed the job as the guitarist for the U.S. Naval Academy Band, and a couple years later he won the position as guitarist for the U.S. Navy Band “Commodores” jazz ensemble in Washington DC.  Shawn tells us lots of information about becoming a military musician, the lifestyle, the necessary skills, etc.  He stresses the importance of being able to sight read!
Finally we get into a deeper discussion about higher education: how to become a music professor, what that experience is like, how universities work, etc.
Shawn was one of Joe’s jazz guitar teachers at George Mason University, and Shawn’s methodical and organized style of teaching helped Joe achieve tremendous growth as a guitarist and as a teacher.
Check out Dr. Shawn Purcell at www.shawnpurcell.com

Music School and Job Opportunities Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Cole Holland) Ep027

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:47 — 31.0MB)

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In this episode of Fret Buzz The Podcast, we continue the conversation with Cole Holland about his musical work on a cruise line. Cole tells us his path once he exited Berklee School of Music and how he happened upon the opportunity to join the B.B. Kings All-Stars at sea. He also goes into his setup and what rehearsal looks like. Finally, the guys get into a bit of guitar theory and what a daily practice routine entails.

Cole Holland-
hollandazemusic.com

Music School and Job Opportunities Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Cole Holland) Ep026

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:56 — 48.2MB)

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In Episode 26 of Fret Buzz, Aaron and Joe talk to Cole Holland of hollandazemusic.com. We discuss Cole’s early musical journey and the preparation that led him to Berklee School of Music. We dig into the program and special ensemble offerings at Berklee and how they may or may not differ from those of other music programs. We look at the entrepreneurial skills required to make a living as a professional musician – self-promotion through a personal website and social media, understanding our tax system, etc.

In the next episode we will dive into Cole’s year as a cruise ship musician as a member of the B.B. King All Star Band.