This page is devoted to the Level 2 classes being offered at 10am and 1:30pm. To find links to other time periods or classes at other levels, please see the Schedule Overview page.
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Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
Coquette – Working on medium swing rhythm
Review of “la pompe” and different playings of swing rhythms. How to use the metronome. Chord variations, creation of intro, and ending.
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
Honeysuckle Rose – Rhythm Foundations
Explore the foundational rhythm techniques behind this classic Django tune.
Russell Welch — Chase Parlor
Maintaining Tempos and Connecting Chords – Minor Swing, Dark Eyes, Anything but Love
Focus on maintaining consistent tempos—especially at slow and fast speeds—and smoothly transitioning between chord changes. Learn how to create excitement that applies to both rhythm and solo playing.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Coquette or Dark Eyes – Technique for Swing Styles
We’ll focus on basic rhythm guitar techniques employed in swing styles. We will mainly focus on sound production and time feel.
Adrian Holovaty — Chase Room C
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love – Overview of La Pompe
There are many ways to play this rhythm, and I’ll show you variations in detail, so you can find your preferred style.
Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
Coquette – Songs in a Major Key
Analysis of chord changes; work on major 2-5-1; licks, arpeggio, major scale.
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
Honeysuckle Rose – Iconic Django Lines (1938)
A breakdown of some of Django Reinhardt’s most memorable solo phrases from this era.
Russell Welch — Chase Parlor
Building Solos – Joseph Joseph, All of Me
Explore a thematic approach to soloing. Learn how to build tension, develop motifs, and captivate your listener with compelling solos.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Coquette and Dark Eyes
In all of my lead classes, I want to use a historical approach to show you what is idiomatic. What Django did, and what typical Gypsy Jazz players did after.
Ken Allday — Chase Room C
Perpetual Motion Exercise on “All of Me”
I’ll guide you through the perpetual motion exercise using the classic jazz standard “All of Me.” You’ll play 3-note triads on the top three strings, smoothly navigating the song’s chord changes with quarter or eighth notes at a pace that feels right for you. By focusing on specific spots on the neck, you’ll build confidence and really get to know the fretboard. We’ll also spice things up with tricks like scale-degree approaches or chromatic notes to give your lines some flavor. Whether you’re sticking to one area or exploring further, this class will help you play with precision and aim to explore new areas of the fretboard without just relying on licks.
Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
Rhythm class : Dark eyes, Clair de Lune – working on fast/slow swing rhythm
Swing rhythm on fast tempos; swing rhythm on ballads; Use of tremolo, breaks, punch, “double pompe”; creation of intro and endings.
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
Les Yeux Noirs – Adding Bass Lines to Your Chord Progressions
Spice up your rhythm playing with bass motion and groove.
Russell Welch — Chase Parlor
Extended Rhythm Techniques – Minor Swing, Dark Eyes, All of Me
Learn how to responsibly add energy and tension using techniques such as tremolo, rhythmic stabs, and venturing beyond traditional La Pompe.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Ballads, Gypsy Bossa, Bolero, Rumba, etc.
This class is about different non-swing rhythms!
Ken Allday — Chase Parlor
Chordal Breakdown of “Embraceable You”
We’ll be diving deep into Gershwin’s “Embraceable You,” one of my all-time favorite jazz tunes. We’ll unpack its clever chord progressions, exploring the harmonic and melodic magic that makes it a jazz tune worth digging into. You’ll learn Django Reinhardt’s Gypsy jazz voicings. I’ll also share my personal approach to chord solos, showing how to blend rhythm and melody on the guitar. This class aims to boost your harmonic understanding of an essential jazz classic.
Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
Dark eyes – Songs in a minor key
Analysis of chord changes; work on minor 2-5-1; licks, arpeggio, harmonic, and melodic minor scales.
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
Les Yeux Noirs – Must-Know Arpeggios & Scales
Learn the harmonic tools that make soloing over “Dark Eyes” effective and dynamic.
Russell Welch — Chase Parlor
Top Four Strings – Joseph Joseph, Anything but Love, Coquette, All of Me
Discover patterns on the top four strings to unlock new possibilities for rhythm, lead, and solo guitar playing.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Daphne and Swing 39
In all of my lead classes, I want to use a historical approach to show you what is idiomatic. What Django did, and what typical Gypsy Jazz players did after.
Adrian Holovaty — Chase Room C
Je Suis Seul ce Soir -Motifs in lead playing.
Django used motifs all the time, and it’s a surefire way to sound more musical. We’ll cover several approaches to creating a motif.
Christine Tassan— Chase Living Room
Rhythm class : La partida, Indifférence – exploring the waltz
Waltz “pompe”; variations; bass progression. Chord variations, creation of intro and ending.
Jimmy Grant – Chase Study
I Can’t Give You Anything but Love – Finding the Good Chords & Sounds
Discover tasteful voicings and how to support a soloist with strong rhythm.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
This one’s all about chord voicings!
I choose different chord voicings based on the situation (who I’m accompanying, which style we’re trying to play, the song itself, etc). We can look at a number of different songs from the list such as (but not limited to) All Of Me, Minor Swing, Nuages, I’ll See You In My Dreams, It Had To Be You, etc. In this class, we’ll also talk about harmonization. A song like Minor Swing can be made very simple, or it can be reharmonized.
Adrian Holovaty — Chase Parlor
Honeysuckle Rose – Overview of Voicings
Overview of common chord voicings, with a few variations for each “color” of chord.
Ken Allday — Chase Room C
Minor Swing Chords
Dive into Django Reinhardt’s ‘Minor Swing’ in this level 2 rhythm guitar workshop. You’ll learn the essential chord progressions, focusing on authentic Gypsy jazz voicings and the iconic la pompe technique to make it swing. We’ll break down the song’s structure, practice chord transitions, and explore stylistic nuances to keep the groove tight. Perfect for players looking to solidify their rhythm foundation.
Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
La partida – exploring the waltz
Learning and playing the melody. Analysis of chord changes; improvising through the progression.
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
I Can’t Give You Anything but Love – Django’s Iconic Licks
Learn and internalize some of Django’s signature phrases from this timeless standard.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Honeysuckle Rose and Bossa Dorado
In all of my lead classes, I want to use a historical approach to show you what is idiomatic. What Django did, and what typical Gypsy Jazz players did after.
Adrian Holovaty — Chase Parlor
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love – Overview of La Pompe
The basics of getting a good lead-guitar tone on gypsy-jazz guitars.
Ken Allday — Chase Room C
Soloing and Perpetual Motion on Minor Swing
A lead class to master Django Reinhardt’s “Minor Swing.” We’ll break down its iconic melody and dive into Gypsy jazz improvisation, using arpeggios and chromatic runs to help you learn to craft your own solos. You’ll also try the perpetual motion exercise, exploring different configurations of 3-note triads and arpeggios to help you navigate the song’s chords at a steady pace. This exercise helps you map the fretboard by focusing on specific neck areas, making chord changes feel natural. Come build your soloing confidence in this class.
Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
Bossa dorado, Troublant bolero, Caravan – working on other 4/4 rhythm: bossa, bolero, rumba
Bossa rhythm, bolero rhythm; rumba rhythm; metronome use; Chord variations, creation of intro and ending.
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
Joseph Joseph – Moving Bass Lines & Reharmonization
Bring energy and variety into your rhythm playing with clever reharmonizations.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Little Tools to help Develop Time Awareness
For this class, we can try some time feel exercises with the metronome (And without) so you can have some little games you can play if you ever play in a group and rehearse regularly.
Adrian Holovaty — Chase Parlor
Honeysuckle Rose – Overview of La Pompe
There are many ways to play this rhythm, and I’ll show you variations in detail, so you can find your preferred style.
Ken Allday — Chase Room C
Chords of “O Devel” with Tcha Limberger’s Voicings
Join me for a Level 2 rhythm class to learn the chords of “O Devel,” a soulful traditional Gypsy song. I picked up these authentic voicings from Tcha Limberger when I played rhythm for him at a concert, and now I’m excited to pass them on to you. We’ll explore the song’s rich chord progressions, focusing on Gypsy jazz strumming and voicings that bring out its heartfelt sound.
Christine Tassan — Chase Living Room
Effects and tricks used in Gypsy Jazz
Study of some of these effects and tricks that Django uses in his solos and that you can right away apply in your solos (octaves, chromatic effects, open strings effect etc…)
Jimmy Grant — Chase Study
Joseph Joseph – Improvisation & Advanced Arpeggios
Take your solos to the next level using creative arpeggio approaches.
Denis Chang — Chase 102
Je Suis Seul ce Soir and Joseph Joseph
In all of my lead classes, I want to use a historical approach to show you what is idiomatic. What Django did, and what typical Gypsy Jazz players did after.
Adrian Holovaty — Chase Parlor
Je Suis Seul ce Soir -Motifs in lead playing.
Django used motifs all the time, and it’s a surefire way to sound more musical. We’ll cover several approaches to creating a motif.
Ken Allday — Chase Room C
Django’s “Swinging With Django” First Chorus
Join me for a Level 2 lead class to dig into Django Reinhardt’s first chorus of “Swinging with Django” (aka “Stompin’ at Decca”). We’ll learn a transcription of this iconic solo, packed with tasty G-based licks that lean on open strings for that classic Gypsy jazz sound. I’ll break down Django’s stylistic tricks, vibrato, bends and runs. We will talk about what makes this solo unique and discuss how to incorporate and develop your own lines by studying the master.