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FretDojo

FretDojowww.fretdojo.com
Welcome to the Fret Dojo podcast with Greg O’Rourke – where we interview master jazz guitar players from all around the world. Get the insider secrets for the mindsets, practice approaches and tools that have taken master jazz guitarists to the top of their field. Make sure you check out our website FretDojo.com for more awesome resources, free jazz guitar lessons, and practical tips on how to take your jazz guitar playing to the next level!
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Episodes

Best Jazz Guitar Songs To Learn

In this live session excerpt, Ryan and Greg discuss just which jazz songs and song forms to learn first for those who are early in their jazz guitar journey. Utilizing the '80/20 rule', these tunes will teach you the common chord progressions, turnarounds and song forms to enable you to play thousands of other songs!

Apr 20, 202413 min

Podcast: Introducing Ryan Dillahay – FretDojo’s New Community Manager

In this exclusive interview, Ryan pulls back the curtain on his evolution from blues to jazz. You'll hear how this recent college grad, and student of one of the most highly regarded jazz guitarists and educators in the country, made the leap into full-time musicianship, hustling gigs across town.

Oct 18, 202314 min

Crazy 4ths Guitar Tuning and More – Interview with Jazz Guitarist Ant Law

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jy48Sn3ZTm8 In this fantastic session, Ant shares some tips and inspiration for jazz guitar players of all levels and lets us in on his unique way of playing with his guitar tuned in 4ths! Ant’s been described as “An innovator” and “A gamechanger” by The Guardian. Based in the UK, Ant lives in London where he leads the Ant Law Quintet. In 2013 their debut album ’Entanglement’ was released to great acclaim, followed by ‘Zero Sum World’ (with Whirlwind Recordings) in ...

Sep 22, 202043 min

Podcast: The Magic Of Solo Guitar

On today’s Podcast, Carl Orr, FretDojo’s current Artist In Residence, shares his insights into the magic of chord melody and the power that comes from tapping into the strength of guitar as a solo instrument. Check out the podcast here and listen to Carl’s story, as well as some very moving chord melodies he plays throughout the show: Join FretDojo’s online jazz guitar academy here Carl Orr Carl has performed and recorded with some of the finest musicians on the planet including Billy Cobham, Ge...

Jun 10, 202023 min

The 5 Minute Miracle – Guitar Practice Efficiency Secrets

Here’s a simple but incredibly effective strategy that I’ve used over the years when I have been busy, but I still need to make time for my music. Check out the podcast below where I share it with you: Join FretDojo’s online jazz guitar academy here Transcript: Greg O’Rourke: Hi guys. Welcome to fretdojo.com. My name’s Greg O’Rourke and it’s great to have you listening along today. This website’s all about the rapid path to mastering guitar and to build your skills to get you to the next level i...

May 08, 202011 min

How Hard Is It To Learn Jazz Guitar?

In today’s topic, I want to talk about something important. How hard is it, really, to learn jazz? Check out the podcast below where I answer this question: Join FretDojo’s online jazz guitar academy here Transcript: Hi guys. Greg O’Rourke here from the Fret Dojo Podcast. Visit my website, www.fretdojo.com to get your guitar playing to the next level. In today’s topic, I want to talk about something important. How hard is it, really, to learn jazz? Because there’s a lot of differing opinions on ...

Apr 30, 202019 min

The Problem With Modes (and the solution)

One of the biggest questions my readers write in about is: “Should I be using modes when improvising on jazz guitar?” The answer is: It depends. But, most likely there is a more effective approach for jazz guitar improvisation, using arpeggios and chord tones as a basis. Check out the podcast above which will reveal the reasons why. Join FretDojo’s online jazz guitar academy here

Apr 09, 202015 min

3 Reasons Why Playing Guitar Is Good For You Right Now

In this episode of the FretDojo.com Podcast I want to talk about three reasons why playing guitar is good for you – especially at the moment given the impact current world events have had on our lives. I’m recording this at the start of April, 2020 and there’s some pretty stressful stuff going on as well as facing living in never-seen-before circumstances. It’s important at times like these that we set aside time for a calm, creative pursuit. And there’s some pretty compelling reasons why playin...

Apr 03, 202010 min

When was the last time you REALLY listened to jazz?

In this episode of the FretDojo.com Podcast, we dive into the topic of the true meaning behind the famous thing musicians say: “Listen to as much jazz as you possibly can.” Let’s talk about this and see how to approach it so that it can have a lasting effect on your skills on the guitar. Check out the podcast here: ​I’m sure you’ve heard this said by many great jazz players: “Listen to as much jazz as you possibly can.” But there’s a difference between having an album on in the background and li...

Mar 14, 202013 min

The Importance Of Learning Jazz Vocabulary – Practice Tips and Approaches

In this episode of the FretDojo.com Podcast, lets dive deep into a topic that’s critical in your development as a jazz guitarist: The importance of jazz vocabulary – and how to go about learning it! Check out the podcast here: What made Joe Pass such an incredible jazz guitarist? Sure, he had great swing, a tasteful sense of how to shape a solo, and could play any hundreds of jazz standards at the drop of a hat. But for me, there’s one thing that stands out in particular when it comes to Joe Pas...

Feb 07, 202023 min

Interview: Carl Orr and His Lifelong Jazz Guitar Odyssey

In this episode of the FretDojo.com Podcast, I had the great pleasure of speaking with one of the world’s top guitarists Carl Orr, who shares the deep insights gained over his long career in music and important practice tips for any aspiring jazz guitarist. Check out the podcast here: Thanks guys, let me know what you thought about this interview by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page. Cheers, Greg from FretDojo Carl Orr Carl Orr has performed and recorded with some of the finest musici...

Nov 05, 20191 hr

Interview: ANU Associate Lecturer Greg Stott on the Art of Jazz Guitar Comping, Practice Tips in The Woodshed and More

Today I want to share with you a fabulous conversation I had with Greg Stott, Associate Lecturer and Resident Jazz Guitarist at the Australian National University. In this podcast, Greg delves into: The biggest mistakes jazz guitarists make when it comes to practicing Greg’s thoughts on jazz online education and how it compares to more traditional university based teaching A sneak peek of Greg’s brand new albums coming out soon and much more… We also talk about the latest FretDojo Academy jazz g...

May 13, 201956 min

Interview With Per Olav Kobberstad, World Touring Latin Jazz Guitarist

This time on FretDojo, I’m excited to share with you an interview I recently had with world-wide touring latin jazz guitarist from Norway, Per Olav Kobberstad. Per Olav is one of those young, modern Latin jazz guitarists that are a breeze of fresh air and who are bringing all-welcome innovations to the genre. Just check out his credits: Per Olav is one of the few in the world playing 8-string acoustic guitar Released his debut album “Os Rios, As Ligações” with some of Brazil’s top musicians in 2...

Jan 18, 201835 min

Interview With Howard Alden, Internationally Acclaimed Jazz Guitarist

This week on FretDojo, I’m happy to share with you an interview I recently held with internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Howard Alden. Howard is one of the leaders of jazz guitar in the modern era. His accolades include: Student the Guitar Institute of Technology in 1977-78 with Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, and Howard Roberts Collaborations with Dick Hyman, Dan Barrett, Bucky Pizzarelli and many others Alden recorded the guitar performances for Sean Penn‘s character Emmet Ray in Woody Allen‘s 1999...

Sep 04, 20171 hr 9 min

Interview with Mark Whitfield, The Man Himself

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iTms74tbBH8 It’s finally here: As the final post in the FretDojo.com series on jazz blues guitar I’ve featured this month, I’m honored to welcome critically acclaimed jazz guitarist Mark Whitfield, in this exclusive interview. Audio Version: Simply put, this was one of the best conversations about jazz guitar I’ve ever had, and I was thrilled that Mark had time in his busy schedule for our conversation. This interview also includes the title track off Mark’s brand n...

Mar 30, 20171 hr 16 min

The Blues, from Way Back by Mark Whitfield (Part 1): Transcription and Analysis

I’ve got something special to share with you today. To kick off this month’s series on jazz guitar blues, you’re going to learn a complete transcription of highly acclaimed jazz guitarist Mark Whitfield’s solo from The Blues, from Way Back: a track from his classic debut album, The Marksman (1990). In today’s post, you’re going to learn: The reasons why studying transcriptions is so important for any jazz guitarist How to play the complete transcription of Mark Whitfield’s first solo from the re...

Mar 01, 20172 min
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