Sheryl Bailey's Bootcamp Series

[Lane]

I am not sure how many of you have watched Sheryl Bailey's bootcamp series, but I highly recommend it. Sheryl is obviously a fantastic musician and a seemingly wonderful teacher. While most of the series is devoted to outlining her approach to playing in fixed positions, at the end of the second video, Sheryl switches gears and discusses comping and soloing using guide tones.

Although this was not the primary focus of the series, I must say that this tiny section of the series is by far my favorite. It made me want to invest some serious time exploring guide tones. I certainly use small, two and three-note chords, but I have yet to really learn how to build solos from guide tones. In the video, Sheryl improvises with guide tones on the 3rd and 4th strings quite eloquently. While I know that I will never be able to play as well she can, she inspired me to give this approach a try.

I tooled around this morning and tried to stay on the D and G and B strings as I worked on ii7-V7-I7 progressions.
I'd love to hear what you guys think of these videos, as well as the guide tone approach.

[MaxPicks]

She's an excellent teacher as well as a superb player. I've done a few of her classes and they were uniformly excellent.

[David B]

Sheryl is both an excellent player AND an excellent teacher. I bought her 'Family of Four' lesson from Mikesmasterclasses some time ago and since last summer have been taking video correspondence lessons with her via her 'Bebop Dojo' at truefire.com. She's had me putting in work on guide tones and arpeggios, which are at the heart of her approach to playing music. Highly recommended.

[NSJ]

Sheryl is both an excellent player AND an excellent teacher. I bought her 'Family of Four' lesson from Mikesmasterclasses some time ago and since last summer have been taking video correspondence lessons with her via her 'Bebop Dojo' at truefire.com. She's had me putting in work on guide tones and arpeggios, which are at the heart of her approach to playing music. Highly recommended.

How does she use guide tones (assuming you mean 3rd and 7ths? As target notes in a melodic line? for comping in the bass? Comping + one note on top?

[David B]

How does she use guide tones (assuming you mean 3rd and 7ths? As target notes in a melodic line? for comping in the bass? Comping + one note on top?

I came to Sheryl's lessons thinking in terms of 'pitch collections' or 'tonal/key centres'. Though I was able to solo (more like noodle) in a given key, I was not spelling out the changes. I needed to get really specific and be aware of the 3rd and 7th of every chord. Sheryl was able to tell this instantly and got me working over some progressions with the 3rd and 7th as target notes, just on the D and G strings.

[docbop]

I came to Sheryl's lessons thinking in terms of 'pitch collections' or 'tonal/key centres'. Though I was able to solo (more like noodle) in a given key, I was not spelling out the changes. I needed to get really specific and be aware of the 3rd and 7th of every chord. Sheryl was able to tell this instantly and got me working over some progressions with the 3rd and 7th as target notes, just on the D and G strings.

Sheryl is a great teacher and always has great tips on how to practice things.

[NSJ]

I know this is not a gear/GAS thread, but I really dig Sheryl's custom semi-hollow and the perfect jazz tone she gets out of it. The jazz world is really discovering the wonders of a small semi hollow, like a 339/Heritage Prospect Std. I think she has a custom model named after her. It seems to be on the pricey side. But I really dig her tone. All the clarity of a traditional jazz box, the sustain of a semi, and the size that fits comfortably in terms of playability.

I gotta see what she's published, in terms of books.

[David B]

NSJ,
If you can't go for the Bebop Dojo ($99 per month), definitely get her two 'Bebop Flow' lessons from Mikesmasterclasses. That's the essence of her approach right there.

And just for fun, here's a clip I filmed of Sheryl when she visited London last autumn:

[marcwhy]

I know this is not a gear/GAS thread, but I really dig Sheryl's custom semi-hollow and the perfect jazz tone she gets out of it. The jazz world is really discovering the wonders of a small semi hollow, like a 339/Heritage Prospect Std. I think she has a custom model named after her. It seems to be on the pricey side. But I really dig her tone. All the clarity of a traditional jazz box, the sustain of a semi, and the size that fits comfortably in terms of playability.

I gotta see what she's published, in terms of books.

McCurdy Guitars

[princeplanet]

Missed the end of the message, would have liked to hear examples of rhe family of 4 being subbed up a min 3rd. Anyway to hear this? (without forking out the 100 bucks, that is )

[docbop]

Missed the end of the message, would have liked to hear examples of rhe family of 4 being subbed up a min 3rd. Anyway to hear this? (without forking out the 100 bucks, that is )

Sheryl has a class on that with pdf's and video on Mike's Master Classes and those are only $30.

[NSJ]

NSJ,
If you can't go for the Bebop Dojo ($99 per month), definitely get her two 'Bebop Flow' lessons from Mikesmasterclasses. That's the essence of her approach right there.

And just for fun, here's a clip I filmed of Sheryl when she visited London last autumn:

very interesting. the "Microcosmic bebop line". Love it. I'll check it out. Thanks.

EDIT: ordered and downloading now. 990 MB Movie file and 5 PDF handouts.

[NSJ]

"jazz to me is playing saxophone music on the guitar"--from the bebop video lesson. So very true.

[jasaco]

"jazz to me is playing saxophone music on the guitar"--from the bebop video lesson. So very true.

I'm very fond of Sheryl Bailey's playing and pedagogy but, to my ears, this statement just seems to diss the whole world of jazz guitarists! Surely she can't believe that guitarists are just saxophone wanna-be's trying to play "catch up" with horn players. Maybe I need to hear this statement in context to appreciate where she was coming from...

[jazzgtrl4]

I bought the Bebop Flow awhile back...its been great and i use those ideas from that video all the time.

[docbop]

"jazz to me is playing saxophone music on the guitar"--from the bebop video lesson. So very true.

My improv playing and impov thinking has improved since taking a more horn-like approach especially in how I practice. More thinking about notes and their sounds.

[NSJ]

I have watched and re-watched the first 30 minutes of this, taking some essential notes. 50 more minutes to go. This is a fantastic class, I have to say. I can totally see and hear how the dominant bebop scale can be used in conjunction with arpeggi in a unified way to understand bebop harmony, that creates lines that are not just running scales (using the dom7 bebop scale to overcome the conservative idea of running scales) but are lines that, as she says, flow, have up and down contours, and are not merely conjunctive series of notes.

Her stuff on chord subs totally make sense. What she has constructed is a unified system of generating longer lines that ebb and flow and just don't sound like running scales. I highly recommend this to all you *non-experts* or students out there (i.e., people like me). Thanks for starting this thread. I appreciate it. She seems like a teacher who can explain complicated ideas in a direct, unencumbered, and application-based way. Well done. here.

[edh]

@NSJ, thanks for the mini review. Sounds like this is a very good video.

I have added it to my wish list.

BTW, Is this a DVD and Book?

[edh]

@NSJ, thanks for the mini review. Sounds like this is a very good video.

I have added it to my wish list.

BTW, Is this a DVD and Book?

Bump

[NSJ]

Bump

Sorry, didn't notice there was a question here. It's a download--930 MB movie file, and 5 PDFs. or minimal size. The PDFs are all lead sheets that relate to the lesson. The Movie file is about 80 minutes long.

[edh]

Thanks NSJ. I think I'll take the plunge.