DC jazz guitarist Steve Herberman

Please contact me at steve@reachmusicjazz.com or 240-461-3946 regarding private lessons and workshops/clinics at your school or University.

What is an online lesson like?
You can watch two free video samples to get an idea.
Clip #1 Clip #2

Past Classes available for purchase: Each class is 90 minutes and is a Windows Media File although MAC users are also easily accomodated. Accompanying literature will be sent as a PDF of each class. Usually these are written examples and/or arrangements. The cost for each archived lesson is $29.95

We all know how important fundamentals are. But are they mastered to the point that they can be called upon at any instant during performance? For instance when a guitarist comps, he/she must be able to put any note of their choosing on the top of their voicing quickly and accurately. Without knowing at least the common chord voicings in all of their inversions one’s comping may fall short of the mark. When soloing, having complete command of chord scales and arpeggios in a variety of positions is crucial. Getting serious about really knowing one’s fundamentals allows the musician to focus on the business at hand: music making.

I often ask students how well they know triads. The answer I typically receive is “sure I know those.” But can they be played quickly and accurately in all inversions on all adjacent string sets? Very seldom in my teaching experience. It’s an easy enough gap to fill along with possible other deficits in a player’s mastery of the fingerboard. Next we'll review all of the inversions of the "Freddie Greene" voicings of all chord qualities and there will be examples of how to apply them to tunes. Seventh chords on all adjacent string sets will be reviewed and plugged into tunes such as Wes Montgomery's "Cariba". Other exercises will include minor 6th diminished chord and arpeggio studies a la Barry Harris and will conclude with a chord inversion system featuring many non-adjacent string chords, a more advanced system that show all voicing possibilities of seventh chords. Grand arpeggios (R,3,5,7,9,11,13) studies will also be addressed.

All common scales in five positions (Berklee method) including interval exercises and arpeggio studies will be covered. To really know a scale is to be able to play it in any sequence of intervals, for example a C real melodic minor scale in diatonic 5ths. Having one's fundamentals in check will provide a solid foundation needed for improvisation. This class should be helpful for players on all levels, filling in any gaps allowing the player to better play what they hear.

Although utilized for many years in jazz and other styles, odd meters has become an essential part of today’s jazz. The uses of odd meters are many: As a phrasing device enabling a player to solo and comp over the bar line in 4/4 time. As an effect to utilize in one’s original compositions and to create fresh arrangements of standards and much more!
Once the 5/4 and 7/4 common rhythmic patterns are examined and practiced, soloing and comping can feel as natural as it does in 4/4.

In this masterclass we’ll be looking at the many useful rhythmic patterns in odd meters and applying them to 4/4 tunes as well as standards arranged in 5/4 and 7/4. Pairing these rhythmic concepts with melodic/harmonic concepts will be stressed to enable the musician to more rapidly integrate odd meters on their instrument. An example of this would be arpeggiating diatonic 9th chords in an even stream of 8th notes. The 9th chords contain 5 notes that will give a 5/8 phrasing to the line. Take one triad and its neighboring diatonic7th chord and you have 7 notes that will yield 7/8 phrasing. This is one of many exercises that will be in the written examples accompanying the class. Other examples will include:

Applying odd meters to solo guitar, arranging standards in odd meter, pattern picking odd meters, comping and soloing with odd meters and more.

Take your playing into the future with rhythmic assuredness and confidence!

james seaberry (Monday, 31 March 2008)
Rating: *****
I was not able to attend live, but it did not matter; so well organized and clearly explained, I missed nothing and had no questions. Now, just get to work!!!!

Nakarin Teerapenun (Saturday, 29 March 2008)
Rating: *****
Excellent. Easy to follow. Very well-thought out. The examples given are very good and doable.
N.Teerapenun [ Bangkok, Thailand ]

In this class standards such as Stella By Starlight, In A Mellotone and Confirmation are used to demonstrate a variety of comping concepts applied to many different group formats a guitarist will find themselves playing in.
Concepts include:
Essential tone (shell voicings), guide tone lines, pedal points, muti-use voicings (including rootless voicings), common tone, chromatic and stepwise voice-leading, Freddie Greene style, walking bass/comp, "over the barline"
comping thru use of hemiolas, rhythmic "snare drum" comping, leaving space for a soloist while giving the soloist a solid "cushion"and overall techniques to help make a rhythm section swing.

Formats that will be discussed include:
Guitar trio (guitar, bass and drums) two guitars, guitar/bass duo, guitar with horn, guitar/voice, guitar/piano and even comping for yourself while you are soloing.

Nelson Riveros (Monday, 28 January 2008)
Rating: *****
Steve Herberman's class was full of wonderful and useful information. I learned about comping for different musically situations. I studied with many 'named' players in NYC and I could never get them to teach me how to comp. I would ask and they would either be very vague or would say it cannot be taught, you have to go out and see how guys do it. I wasn't paying them to tell me that. The printed materials were a great plus and enabled me to following the video much easier. I can use this information and adapt it to many tunes. Looking forward to other classes by Steve.

Harmonically rich single note lines are embedded in many chord forms!
Certain chord forms can be arpeggiated to yield beautiful single note lines and then connected to make satisfying musical phrases. In this masterclass we'll examine the shapes that translate best in making interesting single note lines. All string sets will be covered over the entire fretboard using every chord quality. This practice helps the guitarist see the fretboard as "one big position" while giving important visual landmarks for both chordal and single note playing. The deeper a player gets into voice leading chords the easier it is to make strong harmonic connections via single note lines.

The other side of the coin is what I refer to as "Gradual Chords". "Gradual Chords" often begin as a scalar single note line that builds as string crossing occurs. Each time a new string is employed a note gets added from the previous string. The evolution of the chord begins with single notes becoming two notes sustained below a melody line. Then it becomes three notes sustained below a melody until we run out of fingers! So we arrive at a four note chord beginning modestly as single note run. Open strings can always be added to get further interesting results.

Both of these techniques can dramatically affect the way a guitarist looks at music. The wall comes down between chords and single note lines so that the improviser can move freely and naturally between the two so that they really become one entity. As always there are many pages of written examples that accompany each class.

Customer Reviews:

adam fluger (Saturday, 26 January 2008)
Rating: *****
This class provides extremely useful and creative concepts. The concepts are clearly explained and demonstrated by Steve in the class. Steve also provides a considerable amount of written material, which will keep you motivated to practice for months!

james seaberry (Friday, 04 January 2008)
Rating: *****
This is the ideal basis for attaining the style of modern players like Lenny Breau, Lorne Lofsky, Ed Bickert, Bruce Saunders, Adam Rogers, guys that incorporate a lot of chord fragments into their lines. I once had a teacher who made me play something, and at ANY random point, would yell, "STOP!!! Play the chord you're over NOW!!!" For single-note players, this course is the way to visualize that.

Brandon Foster (Tuesday, 12 February 2008)
Rating:*****
Great Video and a Great Lesson! It's basically a system of organizing great sounding arpeggiated chord shapes over standard progressions. First half focuses on ii V's with some REALLY GREAT voice leading and extensive use of the Altered scale. IT really makes those colors easy to obtain all around the neck and gives you some great chord subs. IT can go even deeper if you look at all the other possible uses of the melodic minor over dominant chords.

Great Extensive PDF files with some great exercises.

The lesson also dives into passing tones based on the shapes and the diminished sound over dominant chords. And something I think sounds like a pedal steel guitar technique...but it is using standard chord shapes and playing in a legato fashion to incorporate single note lines into full ringing chords. Very Frisellian.

Great lesson and better teacher.

jeff stocks (Tuesday, 29 January 2008)
Rating: *****
Another challenging but extremely useful lesson from Steve. I found this one to be a great way to expand both my chordal and melodic vocabulary. After working through the material, I noticed I 'saw' harmony on the neck better, and as a result, saw more improvisational possibilities. The class material is not easy, but I found it all playable and adaptable to my style and was fun to pop over tunes. The 'gradual' chords section was an eye-opener. I am still trying to get the concept down, but it is intriguing. Steve shows great ease in teaching and makes the material seems 'reachable', even to those who don't possess his level of fluency. Highly recommended to those wanting to 'see' harmony/melody on the neck better.

Buy This Lesson

Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell are two guitarists that loved to imitate a horn section with chordal riff figures. Wes used them in his solos and while he comped, even while a pianist was comping along to a soloist. Often overlooked by guitarists, riff figures are an important part of jazz history rooted in the blues, making the music swing hard. So much of Wes Montgomery's style comes from riffs in octaves and chords sometimes straight from big bands like Basie and Hampton. In this Master Class I'll go over many of these swinging riff figures and shout choruses and adapt them for guitar.

These are deceptive animals in that they sound easy but are often very hard to negotiate in a chordal style. For example, many figures are quite syncopated and the chord changes occur in what seem like unusual places.

Many times call and response type of motifs are employed to create very interesting solos and comping, with good use of space. This is important work for the jazz guitarist that often gets ignored. For the guitarist who is looking to improve his or her time feel and play compelling chordal motifs created by the swing masters, this class is for you!

james seaberry (Thursday, 31 January 2008)
Rating:*****
This is a great subject, and well prepared. It is highly recommended for anyone who wants to get into chord-melody playing while integrating other techniques. Last night, the piano player in my group could not make our weekly gig, leaving me as the comping instrument; I found myself using these lines all night long!!!! they work as solo comping just as well as they would with a piano hogging up all the space.

The chord changes to "I Got Rhythm" are required study for any jazz musician. Hundreds of tunes are fashioned after the Gershwin standard as well as the most popular turnarounds using the one-six-two-five progression and its substitutions. In this class I'll outline many of the useful soloing concepts including reharmonization, guide-tone lines, arpeggio usage, chord scales and motivic development using arpeggios and scales. Other topics will include reducing the changes down to basic cadences such as five to one and four minor to one as well as running the changes playing off of each chord. Learn simple and effective tricks to making the changes and handling up-tempo playing. This will be packed full of information that can be applied quickly. If rhythm changes have always been hard to handle or if you are just in need of some new ideas then this class is for you!

Customer Reviews:

timothy allred (Tuesday, 13 November 2007)
Rating: *****
Another outstanding class from Steve Herberman. As we all know, two cornerstones of a jazz players vocabulary are the Blues and Rhythm Changes. Steve gives several logical and practical approaches to navigating Rhythm. As always his presentation is well-organized, thorough, and information-packed. Everything is well-explained and eminently musical. Like all of Steve's classes, this is highly recommended.

Philip DeMario (Wednesday, 05 March 2008)
Rating: *****
Steve is an excellent teacher and always provides tons of ideas and alternative approaches to explore. This class is very practical and full of immediately useful material. I found it valuable to hear, firsthand, how a pro like Steve thinks about and expands upon fundamental concepts like the Rhythm Changes progression.

Steve will take you through the process of learning new tunes with an emphasis on hearing the melody and changes and how they fit together. A step by step method, thorough to the point of reaching a deep understanding of the tune at hand. Transposition will be made much easier after following logical steps including singing, root motion, chord functions, guide tone lines, logical fingerings, a variety of chord/melody concepts and much more. When tunes are internalized in this way, long term memorization will be possible with greater flexibility. Expand your repertoire while maximizing your practice time!

Customer Reviews:

Motion and Chord Voicings - Part II

George Van Eps used to say that "Guitarists put too damn many notes in their chords." In this class we'll heed the maestro's advice and examine 10th intervals with a moving inner line. Also, we'll look at other intervals such as 6th's and 12th's with inner line motion and apply these to a progression. Exercises outlining these principles will be provided, allowing you to become more familiar with the techniques necessary to play these smoothly. It's a refreshing approach to enhance your chord melody playing.

Customer Reviews:

Motion and Chord Voicings - Part I

Joe Pass always talked about the importance of motion as it pertains to solo guitar. In this Master Class, Steve illustrates techniques to create motion using common chord forms. You and he will begin with triads and create lines in parallel and contrary motion while maintaining some common chord tones. After examining many kinds of voice motion within one chord, you'll apply these concepts to a progression. This is in essence what the George Van Eps volumes were all about: looking at chords as several voices forging ahead over time to arrive at familiar destinations along the way. You'll be pleasantly surprised to discover many new shapes getting from one chord form to another by sending the voices in motion. Steve will also show the application of these principles over familiar standard tunes. You will never look at those chord forms the same way!

Customer Reviews:
timothy allred (Monday, 30 April 2007)
Rating: *****
Another dynamic solo guitar lesson from Steve Herberman. He has assimilated the stylistic and technical contributions of George Van Eps, Lenny Breau and others and presents them in clear, logical fashion. These concepts when practiced will ignite a fire under your chord-melody playing. As always, Steve is very well organized and the lesson is packed with information, including ideas on how to practice this approach. Not to to mention his incomparably beautiful playing of standards such as Here's that Rainy Day and Street of Dreams. Another essential for the aspiring solo-jazz-guitarist.

Harmonized Triads and Seventh Chords of the Melodic Minor Scale

Harmonized triads and seventh chords of the Melodic Minor scale and their practical applications over altered dominants and two-five-ones.
Take your comping and chord soloing to the next level by utilizing the harmonized Melodic Minor scale. In this class you'll receive examples to practice resolving altered dominant sounds through the use of these rich chordal textures. Many of these chord forms are familiar to many guitarists though we'll be stringing together chords to create a refreshing chain of altered dominant sounds and lead them to satisfying resolutions. This really breaks a player out of habitual chord patterns and licks to create fresh and interesting new patterns. The goal of this class is to firmly establish this concept in your ears and mind and, most importantly, to get it under your fingers so it becomes second nature!

Contrapuntal Improvisation

This Saturday morning class on Contrapuntal Improvisation for pickstyle and fingerstyle guitar will be live from the IAJE in NYC. A refreshing alternative to block chord soloing, Steve will show you techniques to expand your playing into 2 and 3 part multi-line improvisation. Written examples will begin with the basic principles of contrapuntal playing and progress towards melding single note lines seamlessly into modern chordal structures. Add these vital and flexible concepts into stream of consciousness improvising. This type of playing sounds great in a bass/guitar duo or guitar/bass/drums trio. Break out of those chord boxes and let your creativity flow! All examples are written for 6 string guitar and are easily adaptable to 7 string guitar.

jeff stocks (Sunday, 27 January 2008)
Rating: *****
I have several classes from Mike's offering, including half a dozen of Steve's and I feel this class is easily his most engaging, interesting, and for me, useful. After watching the lesson and studying the material, I felt like I had seen/heard something on the instrument I didn't know existed prior. Hearing the lines and counter-lines was truly like an epiphany. The class is well-presented (as always w/ Steve), easy to follow, great examples which can be played quickly to gain confidence, and extremely 'usable' in real world jazz settings. Steve is a huge asset to Mike's roster and this class is a great example why. Be prepared to be challenged!

Jeff Stocks, Kansas City, MO

7-String Jazz Guitar for All Levels

7-String Jazz Guitar for all levels will cover a wide range of topics for the 7-string player. From foundational exercises in chord playing, to single note solo lines employing the low A-string, to comping and arranging (and even composing on the 7-string.) Exercises will be given that illustrate inner line motion within a 7-string voicing as well as motion from chord to chord. Questions from participants in the masterclass always lead the discussion/demonstration to interesting places and are welcomed at any time during the class! Get the concepts in mind that you'll need to take your 7-string playing to the next level.

Chord melody arranging & soloing inspired by George Van Eps

Utilizing ideas for voice motion and chord substitution inspired by George van Eps, Steve will take the often played "Autumn Leaves" and send out a chord melody arrangement in the Van Eps style. Discussions of techniques used and full explanations of the entire arrangement will be given.As usual all questions will be answered on the spot! To encourage early registration Steve will include a bonus arrangement of "Autumn Leaves" arranged in 2 part counterpoint that will demonstrate soloing above a half note bassline and also a melody line. The former helps deal with the question "After I play the head, now what?" Improvising chord melody can be one of the most gratifying of endeavors. It kept George Van Eps playing steadily into his 80's!

Customer Reviews:
timothy allred (Tuesday, 28 November 2006)
Rating: *****
Essential for aspiring solo guitarists. Steve gives a thorough and detailed explanation of the style of George Van Eps, one of the acknowledged masters of the genre. Learn how to approach the guitar more as a "lap piano".

Practical Application of the
George Van Eps Triad Motion Studies

I often get requests to demonstrate how Van Eps' triad studies in Harmonic Mechanism's can be applied to comping and soloing as well as chord/melody. In this masterclass we'll see how his multi-line triadic approach can add depth and interest to triads and upper structure triads. If you've never worked through Van Eps' books than this class could be a real eye-opener. If you've checked out Harmonic Mechanisms and need a fresh look at how to put the concepts into practical use over tunes than don't miss this masterclass!

Lenny Breau Style: How to comp while soloing

Breau's use of 2 and 3 note comping chords while he played melodies was a big leap forward for guitarists. Learn the techniques Lenny used to achieve this swinging jazz piano sound and play some of his favorite phrases and comping.

Customer Reviews:
Lindsey Blair (Friday, 18 April 2008)
Rating: *****
I was aware of the idea of voicing partial chords on the lower strings while soloing on the higher strings, but this class really got me started on using his concept RIGHT AWAY! What seemed nearly impossible is now a regular part of my playing style.

For a free download of some of my lesson material on contrapuntal jazz guitar, click here.