Sheryl Bailey's Essentials: Bebop Etudes

**rkwestcoast** · 11-13-2015, 03:58 PM

I just got this from Truefire - initially impression is very positive.............great value for money & well worth checking out.

https://truefire.com/essentials-guit...op-etudes/c947

**Marty Grass** · 11-13-2015, 04:28 PM

She's a great teacher and a lot of fun.

**MarkRhodes** · 11-13-2015, 04:30 PM

I got an email about that last night. The video sample / introduction looked good. But to be honest, I haven't finished the other two DVDs I have by Sheryl Bailey...

**MarkRhodes** · 11-13-2015, 04:37 PM

What the heck: For $17.92 (instant download price with discount), it's worth getting now and having when I'm ready. ;o)

**Marty Grass** · 11-13-2015, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

What the heck: For $17.92 (instant download price with discount), it's worth getting now and having when I'm ready. ;o)

That's my general philosophy. I have about 20 DVD courses stacked up next to me to get through now

**NSJ** · 11-13-2015, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by Marty Grass

That's my general philosophy. I have about 20 DVD courses stacked up next to me to get through now

That seems like quite a lot. What are your expectations in terms of working with 20 DVD courses ? Do you integrate them ? I.e., an overall plan ? How do they help with tunes ?

I'm going a bebop blues one now. But I anticipate I will have to spend hundreds of hours on it to really internalize it fully.

**Marty Grass** · 11-13-2015, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by NSJ

That seems like quite a lot. What are your expectations in terms of working with 20 DVD courses ? Do you integrate them ? I.e., an overall plan ? How do they help with tunes ?

I'm going a bebop blues one now. But I anticipate I will have to spend hundreds of hours on it to really internalize it fully.

What are my plans? It's planning that got me into this mess. So no more planning, just doing. I'm going through all of the courses. It will keep me busy a long time. Right now I'm on "200 Jazz Licks", lick 127 precisely.

Buying these courses is like buying a book. You really are paying for the hope that you can get through it and enjoy it some day. You buy it then the next hope rears its head, this time 10% off. So you buy that, too.

All this hope is depressing!

I've gone through six courses this year, some being short ones. I want to get through them all. Then I can buy more.

**Marty Grass** · 11-13-2015, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by NSJ

I anticipate I will have to spend hundreds of hours on it to really internalize it fully.

I used to feel the same way. Not any more. Perfection is the enemy of decent progress. I was stalling on each lesson because I never felt finished with it. I now just do the work and the learning somehow happens.

**David B** · 11-13-2015, 06:25 PM

**docbop** · 11-13-2015, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by rkwestcoast

I just got this from Truefire - initially impression is very positive.............great value for money & well worth checking out.

https://truefire.com/essentials-guit...op-etudes/c947

I have it and it's great! When Sheryl breakdowns what's she doing and related information there is so much info there. She's talking about some things I've never heard her get into before. She told me TrueFire gave her free reign to do anything she wanted on this lesson set. It's well worth the little money they want for it.

**NSJ** · 11-13-2015, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by Marty Grass

I used to feel the same way. Not any more. Perfection is the enemy of decent progress. I was stalling on each lesson because I never felt finished with it. I now just do the work and the learning somehow happens.

It depends on your goals, which are not weighted equally. Given that Bird spent years practicing 10-14 hours a day in the Ozarks, me spending hundreds of hours over the course of a year learning to play the changes will not end in "perfection", but hopefully some level of functional competence that I don't have right now.

Joe Pass spent 10 hours a day from age 9 to 14.

Vic Juris, who is a truly great player, says if he can one or two things from a book that he genuinely integrates into his playing, that book will have served its purpose.

**David B** · 11-13-2015, 06:31 PM

**David B** · 11-13-2015, 06:34 PM

**geoffsct** · 11-14-2015, 01:19 AM

I got this a couple of days ago too. After the discounts and my jam points (or whatever they are) it was a whole $12.80 to download (32 videos + pdf) I find that jumping around from course to course during longer practice sessions isn't really detracting for me. In fact it keeps me playing longer. I haven't really had a chance to dig into this course yet but have watched all the performance vids. It's the kind of course you can just choose what you want in any order and enjoy it. I want to learn every one of them but wouldn't just do this course with the idea of "completing" it. Make sense?

**MarkRhodes** · 11-14-2015, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by geoffsct

I find that jumping around from course to course during longer practice sessions isn't really detracting for me. In fact it keeps me playing longer. I haven't really had a chance to dig into this course yet but have watched all the performance vids. It's the kind of course you can just choose what you want in any order and enjoy it. I want to learn every one of them but wouldn't just do this course with the idea of "completing" it. Make sense?

Yeah. What I want to focus on first here is here blues etude (blues by ii V) and the two rhythm changes etudes (dem changes one, dem changes two). Should make for a nice contrast with the Herb Ellis lines I've internalized

Speaking of 'choose what you want in any order', I had trouble with Sheryl's "diatonic above" lick in her 50 bebop licks DVD. I'm not going any further in that material (-and this is lick number 4 or 5!) until I get that right. It's not hard in itself. But it showed up a weak spot in my picking and I have finally--finally--finally!--figured that out, so when I get that lick up to speed, I'll move along.

The one book I have on my stand to finish (before the year ends) is Mimi Fox's "Arpeggio Studies on Jazz Standards." Because my picking was inconsistent, I never felt I had those four studies (Summertime, Night & Day, ATTYA, Autumn Leaves) down. But now that my picking is right, they're quite manageable and it will feel good to say, "I worked through every thing in that book!" That's not necessary with all books, but for me, I want to do it with that one (-and Herb's three books on the "shape system") and David Baker's bebop books....

**guitarplayer007** · 11-14-2015, 11:57 AM

Holy crap, I told myself i was just going to focus on one course,which Is Richie Zellon..No more getting side tracked for me !!! I used to take lessons from SB on Truefire, but didn't get much out of it.... But she is a great player.
Ken

**lawson-stone** · 11-14-2015, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Marty Grass

What are my plans? It's planning that got me into this mess. So no more planning, just doing. I'm going through all of the courses. It will keep me busy a long time. Right now I'm on "200 Jazz Licks", lick 127 precisely.

Buying these courses is like buying a book. You really are paying for the hope that you can get through it and enjoy it some day. You buy it then the next hope rears its head, this time 10% off. So you buy that, too.

All this hope is depressing!

I've gone through six courses this year, some being short ones. I want to get through them all. Then I can buy more.

Sheer genius in this post. You have unmasked the beast.

**geoffsct** · 11-14-2015, 02:11 PM

These kinds of courses that you can download for the price of a couple of micro-brews are well worth the cost of admission even if all you do is watch them and nothing else. My past experience with True Fire was disappointing & I didn't return there for a year or so. Maybe I had just bought a lemon I dunno but now I'm extremely impressed with the quality of instruction available there. Maybe 50 really good lessons for way less than the price of one in the real world. I'm sure they vary. Could be I'm just stoked by Sheryl's courses.

**MarkRhodes** · 11-14-2015, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by docbop

I have it and it's great! When Sheryl breakdowns what's she doing and related information there is so much info there. She's talking about some things I've never heard her get into before. She told me TrueFire gave her free reign to do anything she wanted on this lesson set. It's well worth the little money they want for it.

It's almost ridiculous to get so much material from such a highly-regarded pro for under 20 bucks!

**MarkRhodes** · 11-14-2015, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by NSJ

Vic Juris, who is a truly great player, says if he can [get] one or two things from a book that he genuinely integrates into his playing, that book will have served its purpose.

I agree that if a book teaches you one or two things you put to good use in your own playing, it was worth buying and working in.

**MarkRhodes** · 11-14-2015, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by guitarplayer007

Holy crap, I told myself i was just going to focus on one course,which Is Richie Zellon..No more getting side tracked for me !!! I used to take lessons from SB on Truefire, but didn't get much out of it.... But she is a great player.
Ken

That's not a bad idea. I spent a couple years working on picking and almost nothing else. It frustrated me to the point of wanting to quit, several times over, but I did not. Now my picking is good. Looking back, I can chart a shorter path from where I was to where I am, but it was only after getting here whichever way I could that I see that. Richie found a way through the bebop maze and can teach it. Others can too. If you think working with one guy is the best way forward for you now, by all means, do it! Come January, I may throw in with Richie too....

No one knows everything.
You don't have to know everything.
You have to find an approach that suits you and commit to it. That's what Richie did, what Sheryl did, what Wes did, what George Benson did...

**Patriots2006** · 11-14-2015, 03:08 PM

Is there anyway to purchase this without being forced into joining the student program or am I just having a senior moment.

**srlank** · 11-14-2015, 03:11 PM

I got this course, even though I already have way too much going on already....(jazz workshop and associated gigs in the community, plus a workshop on TF.). It was extremely affordable, and it looked great.

I've just been through a bit of it, and there is some great, usable information. She even addresses utilizing the diminished chords/ drop voicings, which seem in line with some of the Barry Harris threads on this forum, and demonstrates them over Body and Soul. I also have the course on Bebop (forget what it's called, but it's not the Licks course), and that also has a lot of useful ideas.