THE BEST JAZZ GUITAR LESSONS IN LEEDS
There are many jazz guitar lessons out there. How do you know which one is right for you? Let’s get straight to the point.
GENUINE JAZZ GUITAR LESSONS, CRAFTED FOR YOU.
You need a mentor who has both theoretical and practical expertise in jazz guitar, providing instruction on a deeply personal level. This ensures a tailored learning experience that acknowledges your unique musical journey.
Hey, I’m Bryan
I'm a jazz guitarist, professional musician and certified guitar teacher with qualifications including a Master's degree in music. My whole life has been about one thing: the guitar! I studied the guitar for over a decade through private tutelage as well as academically, so luckily I’ve gotten the best of both worlds. I started teaching the guitar even before going to University some 8 years ago and this has slowly but surely developed into a full-time career.
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Hosted educational workshops on jazz improvisation, coached guitar ensembles, successfully helped students audition and get onto Jazz courses at Leeds College of Music.
Private tuition business since 2015
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Performed at jazz clubs such as Matt & Phreds in Manchester, The Domino Club in Leeds, Sela Bar, and LS6 Cafe.
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MA in Music with Merit
BA in Jazz Guitar with First Class Honours
Level 6 Performance Diploma with Distinction
WHY JAZZ GUITAR REQUIRES SPECIAL MASTERY
Jazz is a genre that demands a specialised approach, much like any other pursuit in life. I'm not a one-size-fits-all instructor. After having played rock & pop styles for a few years, I was introduced to jazz at music college, and I've dedicated years to learning, performing, and teaching jazz guitar. While it may seem effortless for the legends, mastering this style requires technique and expertise to capture its organic nature.
Improvisation
Improvisation is one of the core spirits in jazz. In order to learn how to improvise, you need to understand the basics of how music works. Theory will provide answers to questions such as: Why do some notes sound better than others on certain chords? What are some of the most common chord progressions in jazz, and why do they sound the way they do?
Jazz Standards
Jazz standards provide a great basis to learn pretty much everything you need to know about jazz (for now!). Some standards were written by jazz composers, while others were from Hollywood musicals or Broadway show tunes from the Great American Songbook. Composers like Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Antonio Carlos Jobim, John Coltrane, and songwriters like George Gershwin, Richard Rogers and Jerome Kern spring to mind.
Let’s Learn Properly
Systematic and methodical approach that shows you how to jazz it up
Transcription
Learning the music by ear through internalisation. No need to rely on scores and notation, and the phrases will be deeply memorised to be used in your solos.
Improvisation
Go through a whole host of tried-and-tested methodologies to improve this golden ability of making music on the spot. These exercises are designed to improve on your weaknesses while maximising your strengths so that you gain the skill to jam along to pretty much anything.
Deep Listening
Develop your ears by picking out different parts of the song and seeing how they work together. You will learn so much about stylistic taste and appreciation of this art form.
Repertoire
Learning tunes is one of the most effective ways to understand jazz because you can play with others, which is an essential part of the whole jazz tradition. Gain insightful knowledge on melody, embellishment, rhythm, harmony, composition, arrangement, and everything else that comes with these standards!
Jazz Theory
Theory knowledge is essential to analyse songs, compositions, and arrangements. You can apply what’s on paper in a practical context through your playing.
Jazz Harmony
Learn about the intricacies of harmony in jazz. Why do standards often feature the same set of chords? What happens when you modulate and change keys? What is a ‘two-five-one’ or ‘three-six-two-five’ chord progression?
Repertoire we may study
In my opinion, standards are the perfect platform to learn about this great art form including improvisation because they cover so many different styles across such a long timespan in the history of jazz. Starting from the 1920s with blues and ragtime pieces; going into the swing era of big bands playing tunes like Caravan; stylistic and timeless classics such as Autumn Leaves, Fly Me To The Moon, Summertime; then the birth of bebop in the 1940s spawning virtuoso players like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie playing Donna Lee, Anthropology, Billie’s Bounce; moving on to cool jazz and modal jazz with iconic albums such as Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s Impressions; while bossa nova is happening in Latin America with memorable classics like The Girl From Ipanema and One Note Samba; jazz fusion pioneers Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock famously mixing jazz with funk and rock elements; until most recently looping and mixing hip-hop beats with sampling technology.
| Style/Era | Artists/Composers | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| Swing/Broadway | Fats Waller George Gershwin Cole Porter Irving Berlin Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington |
Indiana After You've Gone Bye Bye Blackbird Honeysuckle Rose Blue Skies Summertime My Funny Valentine |
| Bebop/Hard-bop | Charlie Parker Dizzy Gillespie Thelonious Monk Sonny Rollins Horace Silver |
A Night in Tunisia Anthropology Yardbird Suite Scrapple from the Apple Donna Lee Round Midnight Nica's Dream St Thomas |
| Cool/Modal | Miles Davis Herbie Hancock John Coltrane |
All Blue So What Impressions Maiden Voyage Footprints |
| Latin/Bossa Nova | Joao Gilberto Antonio Carlos Jobim Luiz Bona Stan Getz |
The Girl From Ipanema Corcovado Desafinado How Insensitive Recorda Me |
Watch My Students Play
WHY MY JAZZ GUITAR LESSONS ARE UNIQUE
One-to-One Classes Only
No herd mentality lessons that fits all.
Structured & Guided Approach
Tried-and-tested methodologies that are proven to work.
Student Concerts & Jam Sessions
A platform to showcase your abilities along with your fellow peers in a friendly and supportive environment.
Where are the guitar lessons?
Lessons take place in a home studio in north Leeds, near the ALDI/Starbucks in Chapel Allerton. There is free parking available, and convenient access with public transport as it only takes 6 minutes to walk from the main street where the bus stops are.
Students are often based in local areas such as Leeds City Centre, Kirkstall, Burley, Roundhay, Chapel Allerton, Headingley, Horsforth, Pudsey but also come from other parts of West Yorkshire including Harrogate, York, Garforth, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Huddersfield.