Quartal harmony deals with guitar chord shapes and chord voicings that are built in 4ths rather than 3rds. This type of harmony is used by pianists and guitarists alike and utilizes voicings that can be used in many settings. Quartal voicings, and their inversions, are displayed in the DVD-s accompanying chart with very clear diagrams making it very easy to learn and understand this type of harmony. The DVD not only presents teaching material, but also provides a play-along essence that will allow students to hear how to apply these great chord voicings.

Jazz guitar students have three big mountains to climb; the theoretical, the physical and the aesthetical. The first two are fairly straight forward propositions. Keep your nose in the books and you will surely master the theoretical. Spend enough time in the shed and the chops will likewise surely come. But mastering the “aesthetics” of jazz is quite another thing and this is where most jazz guitar students hit the wall.

Love Ballads: Late Night Jazz collects warm, romantic ballad material from a pretty strong array of artists, including Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Mel Torm, Lionel Hampton, Joe Williams, Gerry Mulligan, and more. Although it s better to hear most of these artists work in its original context, this sampler does an excellent job of creating its intended mood, and it s a pretty strong listen as well.