Truefire - Fareed Haque's Jazz-Rock Workshop (2011)

Publisher: Truefire | Language: English

Video: MP4, data-dvd (includes Tabs, PowerTabs and Jamtracks),428x240 (16:9), 615 Kbps, 29.970 fps | 567 Mb

Audio: MP3, 128 Kbps, 44100 Khz, 2 channels | Length: 01h 48min

Flavor your rhythm section with heaping portions of Funk, Rock, R&B, a pinch of Hip-Hop, and a touch of Worldbeat until feet, head and torso start moving involuntarily. Season to taste with modern harmony and pungent improvisation. Bake to the beat.

You've just cooked up Jazz Rock aka Acid Jazz aka Jazz Funk aka Jam Funk aka Groove Jazz aka Jazz Fusion. Call it what you like but for the purpose of this educational experience with Fareed Haque, we're going with Jazz Rock Workshop aka How To Hipify, Soulify, Funkify and Raga-ize Your Pentatonics.

For those of you ready to cook up your own Jazz Rock brew, we've got good news and bad news. First the good news; a lot of Jazz Rock is played in one key, over a one-chord vamp, improvising mostly with a simple Pentatonic scale.

Now the bad news; a lot of Jazz Rock is played in one key, over a one-chord vamp, improvising mostly with a simple Pentatonic scale. Creating fresh and interesting improvisations, measure after measure, night after night, within such a basic structure is a daunting and extremely challenging task.

So how do the likes of John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Larry Coryell, Scott Henderson, Charlie Hunter, Pat Methany and our resident Guru of World Guitar, Fareed Haque twist and turn that simple landscape into so many new and uncharted sonic territories?

More good news; Fareed Haque's Jazz Rock Workshop will teach you how to transform that tired old pentatonic scale of yours into a veritable kaleidoscope of colors, textures and moods that you can apply with unlimited improvisational possibilities.

Guitar virtuoso and master educator Fareed Haque has worked with Sting, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Holland, Joe Henderson, Joe Zawinul, Ramsey Lewis, Nigel Kennedy, Bob James, David Sanborn, many symphony orchestras and dozens of other well-known artists. He's performed all of the major guitar concertos and has had numerous modern works dedicated to him. Fareed currently holds an associate professorship in jazz and classical guitar studies at Northern Illinois University, tours extensively with his jam super-group, Garaj Mahal and has released nine recordings as a leader in various configurations.

Fareed's approach is zen-like in it simplicity. Haque first shows you how to add just a single note to your pentatonic to bring out a whole new character to your lines when played over a prevailing vamp. Add just a minor 3rd to the pentatonic, or just a major 3rd , or a major 7th, a flat 9th or the 9th or the 13th - adding just one of these tones to your 5-note pentatonic scale will dramatically impact the harmony and vibe of your improvisation. Fareed then demonstrates how to combine them, adding two or three or more in your lines for exponential firepower.

Once you've got a grip on the add-a-note-to-your-pentatonic recipe, Haque continues with a series of lessons showing you how to play your reincarnated pentatonic scales off of different degrees of the prevailing key; root, 5th and 9th in particular. Maximum spice.

Fareed also shows you how to build up grooves to improvise over and explore distinct tonalities and interesting rhythms. He'll even throw a little Hindustani and Puriya Dhanashree your way just to keep you on your toes.

Now here's the icing on this cake; no heavy theory, no fancy moves, no rocket science required to achieve your Jazz Rock prowess. You'll play your way through the course, you'll have fun, you'll be inspired, and your ears won't believe that the lines you're playing are coming from simple pentatonic scales let alone your own fingertips.

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