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09/23/24
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Going Outside
Exploring the Borders Between Blues and Jazz
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TrueFire
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About this course
Going Outside is a collection of TrueFire lessons curated by Guitarist Editor Jamie Dickson. Jamie’s selection of lessons from top TrueFire educators compiles everything you need to build on your blues playing and reach jazz nirvana.
”Many guitarists cut their teeth on blues but struggle to transition to playing jazz, which demands a fluent grasp of music theory and thorough knowledge of the fretboard. If this sounds like you, take heart - TrueFire has some excellent lessons on how to start playing blues in a more sophisticated, harmonically aware way that will start you on the road to playing fully fledged jazz in simple steps that build the framework of knowledge you need piece by piece.
Here's my favorites - there are plenty more to explore on the site but I've gained so much from the lessons below that I can really recommend them as a starting point for blues improvisers who want to haul themselves out of the minor pentatonic rut and start playing with more confidence, musicality and freedom.
Jeff Scheetz's Street Theory For Guitarists is first up. Playing jazz is about much more than merely 'learning theory' but a sound foundation in the rules of music is essential. This can put newcomers off, but Jeff removes the daunting, jargon-heavy aspect of learning music theory and strips each lesson back to the core ideas you need to grasp.
Jeff's practical, friendly approach is a real breath of fresh air and I particularly liked his exploration of the humble major scale - often skipped over by new players as being a bit boring and 'vanilla' but actually the foundation of nearly everything you might care to play on guitar. The course covers a lot of ground but this is a great example of its unpretentious, easy-to-follow style and an invaluable lesson in itself.
Tim Lerch is a stellar jazz player but also a great educator who understands the value of getting the basics right before advancing to more complex ideas. His Jazz Blues Foundations course is tailor-made for players who want to go beyond flogging the minor pentatonic scale to death and learn to really 'play over the changes' as a jazz player would.
Tim is brilliant at explaining how to do this in easy pieces, but I also marveled at how good his phrasing is - even (or perhaps especially) when playing really simple licks. Listen how stylishly he articulates each lick in this etude - each one is a study in unhurried sophistication. You don't need to play fast when you can play this good. A must for blues improvisers.
A bona fide session legend whose playing graces hundreds of hit records by artists ranging from Joni Mitchell to Steely Dan, Larry Carlton is the epitome of taste and sophistication on guitar - and he is a master of jazz-blues. That's why it's all the more surprising to find that some of his most valuable advice on playing in this genre is mind-blowingly simple.
The essence of it is this: form a phrase, take a breath, form another phrase that elaborates on the previous one and develop your solos from there. In other words: say something, don't gabble, and people will stop and listen.In fact, every guitarist should take five minutes to watch this 'lightbulb-moment' advice from a superb course led by a legendary musician.
Jazz doesn't just mean players like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel - it also encompasses the more rock-edged fusion of the 70s. And since rock was born of blues there's plenty of room for inspiration for blues-to-jazz improvisers here too, and some really head-turning techniques to master too.
I especially like James Hogan's 50 Licks course on this subject which is packed with fiery, creative licks inspired by legendary players such as Mike Stern, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and many more. I've picked out one in particular as a great crossover blues / jazz / rock lick that will definitely grab people's attention. Here Hogan has picked out an absolute gem of a lick from Larry Carlton's outro solo on the Steely Dan track Kid Charlemagne. Every player should know this.
I've long been a fan of Corey Congilio's TrueFire lessons, which are always useful, exciting and show how licks can be used in everyday musical scenarios. Here he ventures into jazz blues territory with his take on the slippery style of the wonderful Jimmy Herring - a truly virtuosic player from the US jam-band scene who is an absolute monster on the fretboard. This lick is challenging but a really satisfying intro to 'outside' playing with a bluesy foundation
No introduction to the art of jazz-blues guitar would be complete without a lesson from the master, Robben Ford. In his course on using the diminished scale (a scale formed by the sequence: Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone) he introduces us to the ear-opening possibilities of using the edgy, 'outside' vibe of diminished licks to powerful effect in the jazz-blues arena. If you want to learn some licks that really add to your palette of colors and creative options while soloing, you should check out this 'Straight Up Blues In A' study piece from this illuminating course.”
Who better than the top editors of our cherished guitar magazines to lend their eyes, ears and guitar acumen to help guide how we put our precious practice time to optimal use? Thanks Jamie!
You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson.
You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are also included to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and let's dig in with Guitarist Editor Jamie Dickson’s curated collection of TrueFire lessons!
”Many guitarists cut their teeth on blues but struggle to transition to playing jazz, which demands a fluent grasp of music theory and thorough knowledge of the fretboard. If this sounds like you, take heart - TrueFire has some excellent lessons on how to start playing blues in a more sophisticated, harmonically aware way that will start you on the road to playing fully fledged jazz in simple steps that build the framework of knowledge you need piece by piece.
Here's my favorites - there are plenty more to explore on the site but I've gained so much from the lessons below that I can really recommend them as a starting point for blues improvisers who want to haul themselves out of the minor pentatonic rut and start playing with more confidence, musicality and freedom.
Jeff Scheetz's Street Theory For Guitarists is first up. Playing jazz is about much more than merely 'learning theory' but a sound foundation in the rules of music is essential. This can put newcomers off, but Jeff removes the daunting, jargon-heavy aspect of learning music theory and strips each lesson back to the core ideas you need to grasp.
Jeff's practical, friendly approach is a real breath of fresh air and I particularly liked his exploration of the humble major scale - often skipped over by new players as being a bit boring and 'vanilla' but actually the foundation of nearly everything you might care to play on guitar. The course covers a lot of ground but this is a great example of its unpretentious, easy-to-follow style and an invaluable lesson in itself.
Tim Lerch is a stellar jazz player but also a great educator who understands the value of getting the basics right before advancing to more complex ideas. His Jazz Blues Foundations course is tailor-made for players who want to go beyond flogging the minor pentatonic scale to death and learn to really 'play over the changes' as a jazz player would.
Tim is brilliant at explaining how to do this in easy pieces, but I also marveled at how good his phrasing is - even (or perhaps especially) when playing really simple licks. Listen how stylishly he articulates each lick in this etude - each one is a study in unhurried sophistication. You don't need to play fast when you can play this good. A must for blues improvisers.
A bona fide session legend whose playing graces hundreds of hit records by artists ranging from Joni Mitchell to Steely Dan, Larry Carlton is the epitome of taste and sophistication on guitar - and he is a master of jazz-blues. That's why it's all the more surprising to find that some of his most valuable advice on playing in this genre is mind-blowingly simple.
The essence of it is this: form a phrase, take a breath, form another phrase that elaborates on the previous one and develop your solos from there. In other words: say something, don't gabble, and people will stop and listen.In fact, every guitarist should take five minutes to watch this 'lightbulb-moment' advice from a superb course led by a legendary musician.
Jazz doesn't just mean players like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel - it also encompasses the more rock-edged fusion of the 70s. And since rock was born of blues there's plenty of room for inspiration for blues-to-jazz improvisers here too, and some really head-turning techniques to master too.
I especially like James Hogan's 50 Licks course on this subject which is packed with fiery, creative licks inspired by legendary players such as Mike Stern, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and many more. I've picked out one in particular as a great crossover blues / jazz / rock lick that will definitely grab people's attention. Here Hogan has picked out an absolute gem of a lick from Larry Carlton's outro solo on the Steely Dan track Kid Charlemagne. Every player should know this.
I've long been a fan of Corey Congilio's TrueFire lessons, which are always useful, exciting and show how licks can be used in everyday musical scenarios. Here he ventures into jazz blues territory with his take on the slippery style of the wonderful Jimmy Herring - a truly virtuosic player from the US jam-band scene who is an absolute monster on the fretboard. This lick is challenging but a really satisfying intro to 'outside' playing with a bluesy foundation
No introduction to the art of jazz-blues guitar would be complete without a lesson from the master, Robben Ford. In his course on using the diminished scale (a scale formed by the sequence: Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone) he introduces us to the ear-opening possibilities of using the edgy, 'outside' vibe of diminished licks to powerful effect in the jazz-blues arena. If you want to learn some licks that really add to your palette of colors and creative options while soloing, you should check out this 'Straight Up Blues In A' study piece from this illuminating course.”
Who better than the top editors of our cherished guitar magazines to lend their eyes, ears and guitar acumen to help guide how we put our precious practice time to optimal use? Thanks Jamie!
You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson.
You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are also included to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and let's dig in with Guitarist Editor Jamie Dickson’s curated collection of TrueFire lessons!
What you'll learn
- Play double-time phrases while maintaining groove
- Use rhythmic variation to develop melodic ideas
- Combine blues and jazz dialect in improvisation
- Incorporate space effectively in blues soloing
- Understand how to construct a multi-chorus blues solo with developmental continuity
Release date: 07/07/2021 • 1h 27m runtime
Sample lessons
Swing Blues in A
Performance
Straight Up Blues in A
Solo Studies: Performance
More Outside Changes
Concept & Approach
More Outside Changes
Performance: Demo
What's included
23 lessons • 14 charts • 9 Jam Tracks
Going Outside
Going Outside is a collection of TrueFire lessons curated by Guitarist Editor Jamie Dickson. Jamie’s selection of lessons from top TrueFire educators compiles everything you need to build on your blues playing and reach jazz nirvana.
”Many guitarists cut their teeth on blues but struggle to transition to playing jazz, which demands a fluent grasp of music theory and thorough knowledge of the fretboard. If this sounds like you, take heart - TrueFire has some excellent lessons on how to start playing blues in a more sophisticated, harmonically aware way that will start you on the road to playing fully fledged jazz in simple steps that build the framework of knowledge you need piece by piece.
Here's my favorites - there are plenty more to explore on the site but I've gained so much from the lessons below that I can really recommend them as a starting point for blues improvers who want to haul themselves out of the minor pentatonic rut and start playing with more confidence, musicality and freedom.
Jeff Scheetz's Street Theory For Guitarists is first up. Playing jazz is about much more than merely 'learning theory' but a sound foundation in the rules of music is essential. This can put newcomers off, but Jeff removes the daunting, jargon-heavy aspect of learning music theory and strips each lesson back to the core ideas you need to grasp.
Jeff's practical, friendly approach is a real breath of fresh air and I particularly liked his exploration of the humble major scale - often skipped over by new players as being a bit boring and 'vanilla' but actually the foundation of nearly everything you might care to play on guitar. The course covers a lot of ground but this is a great example of its unpretentious, easy-to-follow style and an invaluable lesson in itself.
Tim Lerch is a stellar jazz player but also a great educator who understands the value of getting the basics right before advancing to more complex ideas. His Jazz Blues Foundations course is tailor-made for players who want to go beyond flogging the minor pentatonic scale to death and learn to really 'play over the changes' as a jazz player would.
Tim is brilliant at explaining how to do this in easy pieces, but I also marveled at how good his phrasing is - even (or perhaps especially) when playing really simple licks. Listen how stylishly he articulates each lick in this etude - each one is a study in unhurried sophistication. You don't need to play fast when you can play this good. A must for blues improvers.
A bona fide session legend whose playing graces hundreds of hit records by artists ranging from Joni Mitchell to Steely Dan, Larry Carlton is the epitome of taste and sophistication on guitar - and he is a master of jazz-blues. That's why it's all the more surprising to find that some of his most valuable advice on playing in this genre is mind-blowingly simple.
The essence of it is this: form a phrase, take a breath, form another phrase that elaborates on the previous one and develop your solos from there. In other words: say something, don't gabble, and people will stop and listen.In fact, every guitarist should take five minutes to watch this 'lightbulb-moment' advice from a superb course led by a legendary musician.
Jazz doesn't just mean players like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel - it also encompasses the more rock-edged fusion of the 70s. And since rock was born of blues there's plenty of room for inspiration for blues-to-jazz improvers here too, and some really head-turning techniques to master too.
I especially like James Hogan's 50 Licks course on this subject which is packed with fiery, creative licks inspired by legendary players such as Mike Stern, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and many more. I've picked out one in particular as a great crossover blues / jazz / rock lick that will definitely grab people's attention. Here Hogan has picked out an absolute gem of a lick from Larry Carlton's outro solo on the Steely Dan track Kid Charlemagne. Every player should know this.
I've long been a fan of Corey Congilio's TrueFire lessons, which are always useful, exciting and show how licks can be used in everyday musical scenarios. Here he ventures into jazz blues territory with his take on the slippery style of the wonderful Jimmy Herring - a truly virtuosic player from the US jam-band scene who is an absolute monster on the fretboard. This lick is challenging but a really satisfying intro to 'outside' playing with a bluesy foundation.
No introduction to the art of jazz-blues guitar would be complete without a lesson from the master, Robben Ford. In his course on using the diminished scale (a scale formed by the sequence: Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone) he introduces us to the ear-opening possibilities of using the edgy, 'outside' vibe of diminished licks to powerful effect in the jazz-blues arena. If you want to learn some licks that really add to your palette of colors and creative options while soloing, you should check out this 'Straight Up Blues In A' study piece from this illuminating course.”
Who better than the top editors of our cherished guitar magazines to lend their eyes, ears and guitar acumen to help guide how we put our precious practice time to optimal use? Thanks Jamie!
You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson.
You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are also included to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and lets dig in with Guitarist Editor Jamie Dickson’s curated collection of TrueFire lessons!
”Many guitarists cut their teeth on blues but struggle to transition to playing jazz, which demands a fluent grasp of music theory and thorough knowledge of the fretboard. If this sounds like you, take heart - TrueFire has some excellent lessons on how to start playing blues in a more sophisticated, harmonically aware way that will start you on the road to playing fully fledged jazz in simple steps that build the framework of knowledge you need piece by piece.
Here's my favorites - there are plenty more to explore on the site but I've gained so much from the lessons below that I can really recommend them as a starting point for blues improvers who want to haul themselves out of the minor pentatonic rut and start playing with more confidence, musicality and freedom.
Jeff Scheetz's Street Theory For Guitarists is first up. Playing jazz is about much more than merely 'learning theory' but a sound foundation in the rules of music is essential. This can put newcomers off, but Jeff removes the daunting, jargon-heavy aspect of learning music theory and strips each lesson back to the core ideas you need to grasp.
Jeff's practical, friendly approach is a real breath of fresh air and I particularly liked his exploration of the humble major scale - often skipped over by new players as being a bit boring and 'vanilla' but actually the foundation of nearly everything you might care to play on guitar. The course covers a lot of ground but this is a great example of its unpretentious, easy-to-follow style and an invaluable lesson in itself.
Tim Lerch is a stellar jazz player but also a great educator who understands the value of getting the basics right before advancing to more complex ideas. His Jazz Blues Foundations course is tailor-made for players who want to go beyond flogging the minor pentatonic scale to death and learn to really 'play over the changes' as a jazz player would.
Tim is brilliant at explaining how to do this in easy pieces, but I also marveled at how good his phrasing is - even (or perhaps especially) when playing really simple licks. Listen how stylishly he articulates each lick in this etude - each one is a study in unhurried sophistication. You don't need to play fast when you can play this good. A must for blues improvers.
A bona fide session legend whose playing graces hundreds of hit records by artists ranging from Joni Mitchell to Steely Dan, Larry Carlton is the epitome of taste and sophistication on guitar - and he is a master of jazz-blues. That's why it's all the more surprising to find that some of his most valuable advice on playing in this genre is mind-blowingly simple.
The essence of it is this: form a phrase, take a breath, form another phrase that elaborates on the previous one and develop your solos from there. In other words: say something, don't gabble, and people will stop and listen.In fact, every guitarist should take five minutes to watch this 'lightbulb-moment' advice from a superb course led by a legendary musician.
Jazz doesn't just mean players like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel - it also encompasses the more rock-edged fusion of the 70s. And since rock was born of blues there's plenty of room for inspiration for blues-to-jazz improvers here too, and some really head-turning techniques to master too.
I especially like James Hogan's 50 Licks course on this subject which is packed with fiery, creative licks inspired by legendary players such as Mike Stern, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and many more. I've picked out one in particular as a great crossover blues / jazz / rock lick that will definitely grab people's attention. Here Hogan has picked out an absolute gem of a lick from Larry Carlton's outro solo on the Steely Dan track Kid Charlemagne. Every player should know this.
I've long been a fan of Corey Congilio's TrueFire lessons, which are always useful, exciting and show how licks can be used in everyday musical scenarios. Here he ventures into jazz blues territory with his take on the slippery style of the wonderful Jimmy Herring - a truly virtuosic player from the US jam-band scene who is an absolute monster on the fretboard. This lick is challenging but a really satisfying intro to 'outside' playing with a bluesy foundation.
No introduction to the art of jazz-blues guitar would be complete without a lesson from the master, Robben Ford. In his course on using the diminished scale (a scale formed by the sequence: Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Semitone – Tone) he introduces us to the ear-opening possibilities of using the edgy, 'outside' vibe of diminished licks to powerful effect in the jazz-blues arena. If you want to learn some licks that really add to your palette of colors and creative options while soloing, you should check out this 'Straight Up Blues In A' study piece from this illuminating course.”
Who better than the top editors of our cherished guitar magazines to lend their eyes, ears and guitar acumen to help guide how we put our precious practice time to optimal use? Thanks Jamie!
You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson.
You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are also included to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and lets dig in with Guitarist Editor Jamie Dickson’s curated collection of TrueFire lessons!
The Major Scale
The major scale is a 7 note scale made up from a series of whole and half steps. This scale is the basis for bulk of Western civilization's music theory. We're going to be building chords and progressions based off this scale, and we'll find other scales based on variations of this scale. All of our harmony comes from this scale; it's the most important scale you need to know to be able to understand music theory.
We're going to start by looking at its blueprint or its formula. Every scale has a blueprint of how it is made - basically a series of whole steps and half steps that is unique to each scale.
We're going to start by looking at its blueprint or its formula. Every scale has a blueprint of how it is made - basically a series of whole steps and half steps that is unique to each scale.
Swing Blues in A
Take your time and keep it simple, concentrate on the timing of the chord punctuations. If you get the timing of the chord punctuations down, it will all come together from there. Once you get this simple etude to flow, start using your own melodic ideas as well!
Kid Charlemagne Outro 2
This lick covers a section of Larry Carlton’s epic solo on Steely Dan’s "Kid Charlemagne." This solo is an absolute classic and is constantly rated as one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded. The scary thing is that Larry was called in to do the session and improvised it on the spot in two takes! This one is a right of passage solo for any aspiring jazz rock guitarist and definitely one you must know.
Try breaking this lick up into a few different sections. Doing this will enable you to really nail Larry’s inflections within each phrase. Along with his great phrasing and melodic ideas, I really love how Larry bends and slides notes!
Try breaking this lick up into a few different sections. Doing this will enable you to really nail Larry’s inflections within each phrase. Along with his great phrasing and melodic ideas, I really love how Larry bends and slides notes!
Major Herring
Let's round out the first 20 licks with another wild lick from Jimmy Herring. This lick is in Bb and combines major scale runs and pentatonic sounds. I had to include at least one lick in this series that shows off some of Herring's complexities.
This is another fast lick but, be sure to practice it very slowly. Also, take it in two parts. Are you ready?
This is another fast lick but, be sure to practice it very slowly. Also, take it in two parts. Are you ready?
Straight Up Blues in A
For our second solo study, we're going to look at a straight up blues, still in A. Listen for the diminished scale ideas we've talked about, and take note of how ideas taken from jazz can be used in a blues.
Soloing With Motifs
In this first set of video lessons, Larry introduces the concept of soloing using motifs to “tell the story” and connect with the audience to take them on a musical journey.Using a slow blues track in the key of G, with a rhythm guitar part, Larry demonstrates several approaches for establishing a motif and then developing it into a full solo.
Larry addresses approaches including imitation, playing in different registers and the use and importance of space to let the lines breath and give the audience a chance to follow along.
Larry addresses approaches including imitation, playing in different registers and the use and importance of space to let the lines breath and give the audience a chance to follow along.
+ 16 more lessons
Reviews
2 results
Doyle A.
08/11/21
Tweak the listener's ear going outside the norm! Yay :D grin
This really is a great collection of the outside choices for playing those unexpected tweaks to the ear as you play leads. that make heads turn and get you noticed. This truly is a GREAT collection of different ways to do and use them. I see this as multi-level and explained in different individual ways so most any intermediate level and up can find ways to understand and be able to use the information in the ways that will work and you can enjoy! Go for it. Worth the $$ for those that want the outside licks ability.
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