when does the December challenge come out ?

I am having trouble finding live people to jam with where I live. So, lately, I have been considering whether jamming online in real time might be an option. I have read some good reviews of various free and open access jamming software packages, on reddit and other platforms, so I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with this crazy idea, and with what results. Thanks in advance.

In the video about making the changes (in the 7 stages playlist) Marc states the goal is to target the 3rd from 3 notes above. I’m getting better at knowing what my target note is but trying to simultaneously know the starting note 3 notes above is really throwing a wrench in the works! I know how to figure out what notes to use but could use some advice on how to visualize it in my mind to get to those notes before it’s too late. Does anybody that has worked on approaching the 3rd from 3 notes above have any advice?

The posting of Marc and Marc’s recent gig made me think of a question about repertoire. As part of your practice routine how often do you play through songs you’ve already learned to keep them fresh in your mind and how much of your practice session do you devote to it? I’m sure this is something a lot of us ignore because we aren’t playing gigs or going to jams; I know I’m guilty!

Probably a newbie question, however .. in the initial crash course, using autumn leaves as en example - you are covering "targeting the third from above" in the chords. You are saying - go three notes above, following the scale. The question is - which scale? The G Major key - scale? Or just 3 whole notes above the target note? The latter dont sound ringt, but I was not able to find a pattern that both sound right, and explains which scale or scales to use.

I recently saw a YouTube from @Coach Marc-Andre Seguin that showed a finger exercise which he picked up from some shredder on the internet. Watch this video and tell me what the heck is going on with me and do you have a similar issue?

A Quick question around 3rd and 7th. The third is 3 tones, and the seventh is a tone below the first, correct? So, if I have a chord on Bflat, the third will be D, and the seventh will be A flat.

Please stop sending me emails.

I was about to post a video presentation and explanation of the version of "Autumn Leaves" I posted earlier as an audio file. But the file exceeds the limit of 100 MB. Any suggestions

Some of these standards are just too fast. Now, I know when learning the song, it makes sense to slow it down initially, but my question is do I need to be able to play it at tempo before moving to the next step which is the conveyor belt? Or would it be acceptable to go all the way from step 1 to 5 at a slower tempo, then work at speeding up?

I see in the classroom there are Etudes listed and played by Marc in the shorts. Is there a master list of Etudes somewhere?

Obviously, I'm brand new to this and wanted a hint to what other beginners put down as Topic A, Topic B, et... in their DPP. Just trying to get some guidance. Thanks in advance for your answers.

Would Europa by Santana be ok to work on in this group or should pick an actual standard? It seems to have a jazz feel. I started working on it a little bit and am also considering Blue Bossa. There’s much to learn in both. I’ve been seeing a guitar teacher and I’m following along with sheet music that has notation and tabs but I know that’s not the approach the 7 steps says to do. I could go back and just focus on the melody of Europa unless you say otherwise. I’m turning 40 next April and started when I was 13 or 14 but don’t have the skills to show that. 😵‍💫🫣 I would have an in person instructor regardless. He was suggesting to either continue what I’m doing with Europa or play over certain songs that were slower. I had said that I wanted to be able to learn how to play over chord progressions before I was 40. Marc’s approach of course is to focus on the melodys first. I’m always torn with decisions. Btw this instructor in town is mainly a blues and classic rock player and said that new solos can’t be made anymore. We are only using licks from various other songs and mixing them together. How much of that is really true? I feel like that’s the same as painting instructor saying all colors and shapes have been used. You can’t make anything uniquely your own.

I play a lot of gigs that have nothing to do jazz, so a lot of my time is spent preparing for those gigs (learning new tunes, reviewing old tunes, transcribing solos etc). So I think I will keep the practice spreadsheet for jazz only. I was thinking if I find it useful I can alway make a second copy for all the other stuff and track my progress for that as well. What do others do? Thanks Mark

Nearly every negative thought you have relates to the past or future. - S.J. Scott From: Declutter Your Mind

Perhaps a question for the mentors: @Mentor Jurgen Joarder and @Mentor Marc-Andre Labelle In the Vault there is a section on Standards Essentials. Are the 4 song examples merely there for illustrative purposes or are they intended to be instructional and we are supposed to follow and learn them exactly as presented? I have not yet been a part of the Accelerator course so I don't know how these 4 songs are used in the course if they are used at all. Looking for some guidance

I have been learning Jazz Standards for about 2 years. In that time I have put together a chord charts with key changes with scales suggestions and a tablature file of the melody and chords for each standard I have learned. I was wondering whether I could post my working files to this group and if so where would I put this material

@Coach Marc-Andre Seguin In your YouTube post today you refered to Mick Goodrick's book "Advancing Guitarist: Applying Guitar Concepts and Techniques" as a classic jazz guitar book. What do you consider the best of the "classic" jazz guitar books? Of course anyone is welcome to chime in with what they consider the classics.

Hi all, Can someone please explain to me why, when the root of a chord is in the bass (5th or 6th string), the chord is not considered a slash chord? For example, an Em/C as opposed to a Cmaj7? Yes, I can definitely hear the difference in the chord quality, however the progression of the notes from lowest to highest in the chord implies an inversion or a minor triad, yet there is a C in the bass. If we're talking theory, I find this confusing.

Hi Marc, Are the pdfs available that are at the bottom of the lessons e.g. the Crash course. The link is not downloading. I don't mind paying.

I have a little guitar knowledge and experience, but it's mostly playing bluegrass comprised of simple I-IV-V chord progressions. I'm still learning some of the basic Jazz chords and working on changing in time. Are there any Jazz standards that are somewhat beginner friendly? Or do I just keep working on chord fingerings and changing between chords until I can keep up?

Hi all. Just joined up, looking forward to getting involved. Coming form a Blues/Rock/Country background of playing for the last 9 years, I am really keen on developing my Jazz playing. Whilst learning the Blues/Rock thing I spent a lot of time learning based on the CAGED system. Hence I tend to 'see' things on the neck as related to CAGED chord shapes. Is this still a valid way to navigate and play when playing Jazz? For example. I recently started an exercise of playing non-stop arpeggio notes to follow the changes in a jazz standard I am learning (All of Me). The lesson is to play 1/4 note arpeggios for every chord without stopping. No gaps. Not very 'musical' but forces you to think ahead as the changes roll by. I see the arpeggios as chord shapes, not strictly the arpeggio shapes as per text books. Of course I realise they are all from the same DNA, it is more a matter of how you look at them. So I dont actually 'know' all the various (many many!) arpeggio shapes as per the textbook. But I can move around the chord shapes pretty quickly and keep up with the changes that way. Is this OK or am I building in a problem for myself in sticking to my CAGED chord process? Love to hear what you think. Cheers Mark

A question for the hivemind: I recenrly began trying to learn famous solos by ear. My first (and perhaps misguided) choice was So What? It is long and I find it kind of easy to get lost in it. The question is this: how important is it to learn every note "to a t"? Is it OK to fudge a couple of notes here and there in long phrases as long as I learn the structure of the whole thing overall and achieve the purpose of the whole exercise?

let me know if you want to explore jamming/ composing and recording/performing locally I live in Los Gatos, California

Does anyone have any ideas on activities to do whilst away from a guitar for 2 weeks? Obviously listening to jazz and basic theory.....but any unique out of the box ideas?

Can anyone suggest a good application (preferably free) for recording the camera on my Windows 10 laptop, so that I can make videos for submission to JG Fellowship?

Okay, so, can someone please tell me the best way to navigate and learn from this group? It looks pretty cool, but I'm unsure about where and how to start. Thanks!