Vamps, Jams and Improv

Guitar players love to jam. Call out a key, lay down a one or two chord vamp, the rhythm section kicks in and everybody starts to get their groove on - simple enough for seasoned players with monster improv chops and big ears. Not so easy for most intermediate and early advanced players who tend to run out of ideas and struggle communicating musically with the other members of the band.

Vamps, Jams and Improvisation illustrates dozens of approaches for developing solid melodic and rhythmic ideas for soloing or comping over one and two-chord vamps. You'll first learn how to think melodically and then how to best express those ideas, in a vamp or jam setting, with the other band members.

Your vamp, jam and improvisation guide is the inimitable Frank Vignola. Frank is one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional players walking the planet today. Monster player, composer and improviser, Frank’s pedigree is a mile long, a quick Google will illustrate why there’s no one better qualified to shape your jamming skills.

Vamps, Jams and Improvisation fills your toolbox with creative devices like melodic patterns, call and response, stutter picking, guide tones, horizontal lines, tone targeting, muffled arpeggios, chromatics, expressions, passing tones and other techniques for generating ideas on the fly. You’ll also learn how to develop ideas around unusual scales like the Super Locrian, Bartok minor and harmonic minor scales. Rhythm and comping are also covered with equal emphasis; clave rhythms, inversions, rhythmic alteration, quartal harmony, bubble parts, chord punches and how to clearly communicate and then lock up with the band is demonstrated in detail.

Here's how Vamps, Jams and Improvisation is presented …

Frank has prepared ten one- and two-chord vamps, in a variety of styles. You'll play your way through the course, applying key learnings, in context using these tracks.

All of the rhythm lessons demonstrate a particular approach for comping in a particular style, feeding ideas to the soloist, and locking up with the rhythm section.

The solo lessons likewise demonstrate a particular device or harmonic approach for developing original ideas and improvising interesting lines, melodies and solos.

Vignola presents all of the material starting first with basic concepts and then progresses on to more advanced concepts and performances.

The baseline solos and comps, along with select advanced lines and comps are transcribed and presented in Power Tab, so you can “see” and “hear” the tab played out at any tempo.