Chord Melody Foundations Challenge – SPECIAL OFFER!
SPECIAL DISCOUNT – OVER 40% OFF!
Join My Chord Melody Foundations Course
“There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being able to arrange great sounding chord melodies on guitar –
and now YOU can too!”
Imagine being able to play impressive chord melody arrangements on guitar that YOU have created.
This course will show you everything you need to get started with your first arranging project.
Join Today for $97 $57 USD (One Time Fee) – OVER 40% OFF!
Learn how to create your very own chord melody arrangements for jazz guitar in this in-depth video course from FretDojo.
Have you always wanted to makes great sounding, lush arrangements of jazz standards that you love, but had no idea how to go about it?
Chord melody is the art of combining a melody of a tune whilst simultaneously accompanying with chords, all on the one guitar.
Some of the most well known jazz guitarists like Joe Pass, Ed Bickert, Lenny Breau and Tal Farlow were skilled at chord melody, and their innovative approaches have inspired countless guitarists worldwide.
But here’s the thing:
Resources on how to arrange and make playable arrangements are too often a case of ‘information overload’ – with a overwhelming array of irrelevant chord voicings and confusing instructions.
What’s been lacking is a clear pathway on how to simply make chord melody arrangements of your favourite standards that both sound good, and are actually playable.
Which is where this course comes in…
This Chord Melody Foundations Course will give you the essentials of chord melody arranging, whilst cutting out all the fluff that’s in other methods.
My online course, Chord Melody Foundations, is a step-by-step self paced course in which you’ll discover the secrets to creating great sounding, playable chord melody arrangements for jazz guitar.
I’ve spent months distilling the key points of the arranging process into a fun, easy and concise program.
Chord melody is one of the most satisfying ways to play jazz guitar and has limitless creative possibilities. By learning these techniques, you can essentially be a “one-man band” on a single guitar: melody, bass and harmony all at once.
You’ll be amazed at the progress you can make with a structured, step-by-step program with the support of a teacher (i.e. me), on hand to answer all your questions.
It’s time for your creativity to run wild and create chord melodies of your very own!
It’s Everything You Need To Get Started With
Chord Melody Arranging (No Prior Experience Needed!)
✅ Discover a clear blueprint for locating all the main chord voicing and qualities everywhere on the fretboard – making chord melody arranging as easy as painting by numbers.
✅ I’ll reveal the same simple 7-step arranging process I use to create your first chord melody arrangement of your favourite song.
✅ How to remove non-essential notes and chords from your arrangements, to make them 50% easier to play.
✅ Easy to use chord reference guides to quickly find the most useful and playable voicings for your arrangements.
✅ How to add cool substitutions, unique textures, and more to jazz up your arrangements to sound like a pro.
✅ You’ll learn how to arrange chord melodies for both jazz trio as well as intimate versions for solo jazz guitar to enjoy playing on your own.
✅ 4 modules comprising an A-Z roadmap to developing the foundations of chord melody arranging.
✅ Opportunity to build connections and friends with your fellow jazz guitar students all over the world
Your solution to learning chord melody arranging is finally here!
What’s Included When You Join:
⦁ When you enrol, I’ll send you a comprehensive set of HD video lessons showing you the steps you need to take in order to develop your chord melody skills. Each video is clear, concise and completely achievable.
⦁ The video lessons come with printable notation/TAB, downloadable backing tracks, and diagrams – everything you need for your practice!
⦁ Special offer: You’ll have the ability to ask ME questions directly via email support as well!
⦁ BONUS EXTRA COURSE: I’m going to include an EXTRA video course for you, my ‘Lenny Breau Chord Melody Workshop’ – valued at $79, this is a step-by-step workshop recording where I show you how to incorporate Lenny Breau’s unique chord melody approaches into your chord melody arrangements and chord soloing. By enrolling in Chord Melody Foundations Course, you get this bonus workshop FREE at no extra cost.
Incredible Value: Only $97 $57 One-Time Amount!
Join Today for $97 $57 USD (One Time Fee) – OVER 40% OFF!
Meet Your Instructor:
Greg O’Rourke – BMus (Hons), ANU Professional Jazz Guitarist, and Founder of FretDojo.com
My name’s Greg O’Rourke and I’m the founder of FretDojo.com – one of the most popular jazz guitar websites online today. I have thousands of subscribers to my website, podcast and Youtube channel from all across the world, and am also an established author, with my book on jazz chord melody, The Easy Guide To Chord Melody Guitar becoming an international bestseller. My website has helped thousands of people improve their jazz guitar playing, and I’ve been featured on several high profile jazz guitar websites including Jazz Guitar Online, Fundamental Changes, and Takelessons.
“Putting all that aside, what I love doing most is playing jazz guitar, and teaching it to you guys.”
Check out Greg playing his own chord melody arrangement of ‘After You’ve Gone’ below:
“Greg O’Rourke plays the guitar with a beautiful touch and tone. He effortlessly brings out and enhances harmonic movement and counter-lines in his playing, while keeping clear melodic lines in the forefront. Using his considerable fingerstyle technique he creates personal renditions of classic jazz standards. Definitely someone to watch and listen to closely!”
~ Howard Alden, Internationally Acclaimed Jazz Guitarist
Advance Praise For FretDojo’s Chord Melody Foundations…
“I got about five times what I paid for it out of the first hour looking at it!”
“This course gives you a great way to set yourself up for arranging chord melody for any song that you like.
It’s obvious how much Greg loves teaching and the students get a lot out of it.
Even though it’s not required, It’s great that it is set up as a challenge. It keeps you motivated and moving on to the next thing!“
~ Don Sinclair, USA
“As far as i’m concerned, the results that I got are probably amazing. It was an excellent course!”
“Greg takes you step-by-step through the material and it’s easy to understand. You have to work at it but, it’s something that is well worth while.
Greg is just a wonderful teacher and the group and the people involved in this course are just unbelievable!”
~ Tom Livingston, USA
“The Chord Melody Foundations Challenge gets you up and running and in the game!”
“Before I took this course I thought it was going to be way over my head. But Greg’s course is so so helpful. He’s been able to get you up and running with all the chords that you need.
He enables you to arrange a song of your choice, which is really exciting!”
~ Colin Gardiner, AUS
“I’ve finally found a teacher who clearly instructs the foundation of chord melody, with a methodical and easy step-by-step style!”
“A bonus in taking Greg’s course is that, if you have any questions he is always available and gets back to you in a timely manner. If it shows that many students are struggling with the same type of technique, Greg will take the time to make a video about the question and post it on the course.
If you are apprehensive to invest in the FretDojo Academy lessons, don’t be! It will definitely make you a better guitar player no matter what level you are at now and it will be worth it!”
~ Mark Calore, USA
“I’m coming away with the skills that i’ll be able to apply to any song!”
“It’s been fantastic working through the material. Now I actually understand the necessary skills for Chord Melody!”
~ Eugene McElwain, Dublin
“The whole course is a winner and I recommend it highly.”
~ Angelo Fio, USA
“If you’re looking to get better, then Greg is a fantastic teacher!”
“This is a program that is so in depth and Greg goes about it in a certain way that step-by-step you learn a lot.
Up until the pandemic, I used to play a lot of gigs and I thought that it was time to get a little bit better and I definitely came to the right place!”
~ Dan Stewart, USA
“This course took me exactly where I wanted to go!”
“I’ve been playing the guitar for over 20 years. Before this course, I had been practising on my own, using resources and watching online but I still struggled to take my skills to the next level.
Greg is a committed, great teacher and gives the most to all of his members. His technique and approach are easy to grasp.”
~ Neil Morre, UK
“Seeing first-hand how a seasoned arranger like Greg makes creative decisions, based on these approaches was invaluable and brought them to life.”
The Chord Melody Foundations Challenge is a wonderful series of informative and inspiring lessons for intermediate to advanced guitarists interested in learning how to arrange tunes for jazz guitar. At the end of this course, you will have the tools necessary to effectively arrange jazz standards for solo jazz guitar (or trio), including creative chord substitution techniques.
Greg begins the course by presenting the required foundation materials, which include a practical and useful chord library that will serve as the starting point for your arrangements. With so many possible chord voicings available for the jazz guitarist, it is helpful to have a focused set to reference. An overview of harmonic analysis is presented and applied to a real-world example tune that is used throughout the course.
What I loved most was observing the evolution of the tune as new concepts and techniques are applied. Seeing first-hand how a seasoned arranger like Greg makes creative decisions, based on these approaches was invaluable and brought them to life. You will obtain an incredible amount of knowledge and practical tools that you can explore for a lifetime. Once of the best resources of its kind!”
– Ric Hollander, USA
“I’ve participated in TWO 12 week courses with an internationally famous music university…I can safely say the investment in lessons with Greg has been worth more than 95% of all the other formal and informal education I’ve managed to derive for myself.”
“The main thing I have gotten out of the Fret Dojo, is that it has given me the confidence to go out and find a piano player, and a bass player who plays jazz. And now, we’ve worked up a set list of 11 songs, including bebop and standards, and are about to start gigging… which I don’t think I would have done that without the help of this.”
“I had a lot of questions and issues with my jazz guitar improvisation. I was losing my place where I shouldn’t have been, and I was looking for something to close that gap. Greg does a wonderful job of teaching, he is very patient and very clear minded and clear with his lessons, they are very easy to follow. I think you’ll enjoy it!”
FINALLY:
You Can Learn The Essentials of
Chord Melody Arranging All In One Place!
Read on to find out what you’ll cover in each module of the course. All modules immediately accessible on enrolment
(this is a self paced course).
Module 1: Establishing The Foundation
⦁ The importance of listening to recordings to develop your ear for chord melody
⦁ How all chords can be organised to 3 main families
⦁ Building your ‘palette’ of chords to use in your arrangements and chord solos
⦁ Organizing a chord dictionary with chord scales
⦁ Fun Major and Minor ii – V – I chord voicing drills
⦁ Understanding the ‘formulas’ that are represented by chord names
⦁ How to get more mileage out of basic voicings through adding tensions
Module 2: Your First Chord Melody Arrangement for Jazz Trio
⦁ How to find a suitable tune for your arranging project
⦁ A simple 7-step process for creating your first arrangement
⦁ How to make your arrangement more playable under your fingers
Module 3: Jazzing Up Your Arrangement To Sound Like a Pro
⦁ More advanced chord qualities
⦁ The most important chord substitutions to create more interest
⦁ Fun exercises to create more rhythmic interest
⦁ Textures, arpeggiation and other chord melody tricks
Module 4: Solo Guitar
⦁ Getting started with solo guitar arranging
⦁ The most useful chord voicing to use for solo guitar
⦁ Cool Joe Pass chord melody texture tricks
⦁ Mixing unaccompanied lines with solo phrases
⦁ How to integrate everything you have learned in a holistic way to make a convincing chord melody performance
30-Day 100% Money Back Guarantee
Your investment in this course is protected by my 30-Day money back guarantee. Enroll in the program, put it into action and see the results for a full 30 days. If you’re not happy, just send me an email in the first 30 days and I’ll give every penny back right away.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What equipment do I need?
The course materials and community are accessible from any device (desktop, tablet, or smartphone). If you have something to view the course on and a guitar to practice on, you should be fine – there are no special equipment requirements to do this program.
How does it work - are the lessons 'live' or pre-recorded?
The lessons are all pre-recorded – so you can watch them at your own schedule at any time of day that suits you. All you need is a computer or other device such as a smartphone or tablet to access them.
I notice you play a lot of fingerstyle - is this course suitable for chord melody playing with a plectrum?
Yes – this course is suitable for fingerstyle OR plectrum players. I’ve designed the course to work with either plectrum, plectrum + fingers (i.e ‘hybrid’ picking), or fingerstyle.
(The only exception would be a few lessons in the course that look at some specific Joe Pass style unaccompanied solo guitar approaches that might be a little easier if you know some rudimentry fingerstyle techniques (note – I DO have extra training available on fingerstyle technique for jazz guitar, if you are interested let me know). But apart from that it’s fine to use any plucking technique for this course).
Are the PDFs and backing tracks downloadable?
Yes all the course resources are downloadable if you prefer to download your materials to your computer.
Will I still have access to the materials after the course program has elapsed?
You have lifetime access on the course materials when purchasing this course – so even if ‘life gets in the way’ you will still be able to work through the material at your own pace if you prefer.
What skill level on guitar is required?
This course would be best suited to guitarists at an intermediate level, however if you are a beginner at jazz that’s completely ok, i.e. you don’t need to have studied jazz previously to participate in this course. Note: You don’t need to have any experience in chord melody style to do this course, I’ll show you everything you need to get started.
Who is this course NOT for?
If you are a complete beginner of guitar (i.e. haven’t played guitar for at least 3 months) I wouldn’t recommend you take this course – you need to establish the foundations of guitar playing first.
Beyond that though, anyone that is interested in creating chord melody arrangements on guitar will get benefit from this course.
Does this material only apply to arranging chord melodies in a jazz style?
Although this course focuses on the jazz style, the arranging principles you’ll learn through this course can be applied to other styles too, like pop or classical music – the principles of arranging are very similar across the board.
How is this different from books and other resources on the topic of chord melody?
I’ve noticed a lot of books available on the topic of chord melody have a lot of ‘filler’ content and go on too many tangents. My new video course will show you the core essentials of arranging:
– Playable chord voicings to use
– A easy reference guide to the most useful voicings
– Tips for making arrangements more playable
– The most useful substitutions to use
– Essentials of unaccompanied solo guitar arranging.
In a nutshell it is designed to get you quickly up and running with chord melody, arranging your favourite tunes in a process that is efficient and easy to learn and apply.
What if I get stuck?
Don’t worry, that’s why you have direct access to email support with me so I can help you out!
How much theory do I need to know already?
None whatsoever – I will cover all the essentials during the program.
Do I need to be able to read music?
No – TAB will be provided for all examples (note that there will also be notation provided for people who can read music, but keep in mind it’s not essential to read music for this program).
Join Today for $97 $57 USD (One Time Fee) – OVER 40% OFF!
Even MORE Feedback From FretDojo Students Worldwide on Greg’s Innovative Jazz Guitar Courses:
“This course has exceeded my expectations.
It’s inspired me – and it’s
TRANSFORMED my playing.”
“I have to say that at first I was a little skeptical of Greg’s claims about the effectiveness of the course, but after having completed the course I would say that it is a remarkable undertaking he has accomplished. I would say that this course is a GAME CHANGER for an introduction to jazz guitar.
Greg is a master teacher, and it has been a pleasure to watch his videos and be encouraged by his gentle, encouraging style. Thumbs up Greg, thanks so much for such a fabulous course – it is such an achievement on your part.”
~ Josh Gordis, USA
“Greg O’Rourke has a wonderful teaching style –
it’s straightforward, solid, it makes sense.”
“I’ve been playing for so long by sound and feel, and I really needed a good, strong solid foundation for how to understand the fretboard and know where to navigate on the fretboard.
FretDojo has been super-helpful to me in getting that done.”
~ Mike Haas, USA
“It’s kind of like when you first learn to play the guitar –
and your progress is exponential. It’s like that again.
I haven’t experienced that feeling for ages…”
“This course is just absolutely brilliant in getting you to play and be musical. I can’t speak highly enough of this course. It’s changed my musical journey. I’m so excited with what I have now to build on over the next few years.
Greg himself is a fantastic teacher, by far the best music teacher I’ve ever had. And I have gone to music college for 2 years as well by the way – so I’m a good person to judge that!
What you learn more than anything is – ‘if it sounds good – Play it!’. Theory does have its place, but sounding good is the most important thing, and Greg gets you sounding good from day one.”
~ Paul Flynn, UK
“At the end of this course, I feel like I can say that I AM a jazz guitarist now…”
“Prior to this course, I’ve been playing jazz guitar 2.5 years.
Before the course, I could noodle around the fretboard, used scales, but never learned jazz vocabulary and never even thought about it as a way to improve my improvisation skills on guitar.
I’ve learned so much vocabulary and so many skills to approaching soloing over a jazz standard. It was a really great community and a really great vibe, and I learned so much from this course.”
~ Angie O’Neill, Australian (living in Germany)
“This course is a model in how to effectively deliver visual, auditory and tactile e-learning content. I wish my Uni courses were like this!”
“I really liked Greg’s curriculum and how each lesson built on the previous one. Continuity and re-use were the strong points of Greg’s teaching style. Greg is a proper music teacher and not just some guy doing an info dump at a pace too advanced for the students. The use of the e-learning platform was excellent.
Also, Greg has a kind heart and it really shows in his commitment to his students. I feel privileged to have been part of the inaugural Jazz improvisation course at the Fret Dojo!“
~ Paul Platt, Australia
“There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the feeling you get from playing your first very own chord melody arrangement on guitar…”
I’ve had an interesting path as a musician.
Here’s the thing:
Before I turned my attention to jazz guitar, for many years I studied classical guitar throughout university, and played with some of the biggest names in that field.
(As it turns out: Joe Pass also had a strong classical guitar influence, that you can clearly hear in his solo guitar chord melody arrangements.)
One of my most important classical teachers was the great Tim Kain from the Australian National University, whose most valuable pieces of advice was this:
“When it comes to chordal arrangements, if you make the music easy on the hands, the music will flow much more naturally.”
Following his advice, I learnt the craft arranging chordal music for guitar – how ‘less is more’, and often the best sounding approaches are the ones that are easiest to play.
By learning playable chord voicings and knowing when to omit notes without it being detrimental to the music, you can have a much easier (and more enjoyable) experience playing chordal music on guitar.
And this wisdom has served me incredibly well when I took up jazz guitar:
By knowing the ‘tricks of the trade’ and the art of making an effective arrangement on the guitar, playing chord melodies can be a much easier and enjoyable experience then you might first think.
This in-depth course, Chord Melody Foundations, distills the essence of my lifetime study of chord melody into an easy, step-by-step process so you can create your very own, great sounding arrangements.
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the feeling you get from reaching that incredible milestone of playing your first very own chord melody arrangement on guitar.
I look forward to seeing you in the Chord Melody Foundations course!
~ Greg O’Rourke, BMus (Hons), ANU
Join Today for $97 $57 USD (One Time Fee) – OVER 40% OFF!
Any questions? Email me at support@fretdojo.com and I’ll be happy to help you out.
