Overview: For Jazz & Beyond and Funk & Beyond

Course Profile

Jazz and Beyond with Dario Cortese (Level 4)

Jazz and beyond is aimed at musicians wanting to explore cutting edge jazz techniques extending the fretboard into fusion and jazz-rock. Students will focus on advanced harmonic voicing, extended scales and modes, picking exercises and left hand legato. The set list includes music by John Scofield, Jeff Beck, Scott Henderson and Ralph Towner. Students will be expected to be of an advanced level or seriously quick to learn!

About the tutor

Dario Cortese has studied with, amongst others, Frank Gambale, Maurizio Colonna, Ralph Towner, Steve Trovato and Richard Smith. After graduating from CPM in Milan, he relocated to London to join the Institute Of Contemporary Music Performance faculty. He has more than 15 years experience as a professional guitar tutor and session musician working alongside world-class artists such as Larry Carlton and Pete Vettese. Dario is a regular contributor to Guitar Techniques magazine and he also works for Steve Trovato’s Chameleon Music, recording and writing material. This is Dario’s second year at IGF and he is back by popular demand.
www.myspace.com/dariocortese

Funk & Beyond with Jason Sidwell (Level 2/3)

Very special guests – Rob Harris from Jamiroquai

Workshop Profile

Funk and Beyond is the UK’s only serious course for groove based music. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the role of guitar and bass in styles as wide as funk, soul, rock, jazz and fusion. Not only will you learn numerous iconic song parts but lessons are linked with the drummers on the rhythm course, working together in groups to put theory and technique into practice.

Guitar

For guitar, emphasis will be placed on funk/RnB guitarists like Nile Rodgers (Chic, Madonna, David Bowie, Diana Ross), Curtis Mayfield, Al McKay (Earth, Wind and Fire), Leo Neocentelli (The Meters), Jimmy Nolen (James Brown), Prince, and David Williams (Michael Jackson, Madonna). In the area of rock, players covered will include John Frusciante (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Tom Morello (Audioslave/Rage Against The Machine) and Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) as well as 'guitarist's guitarists' like Steve Lukather, Mike Stern, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford and Joe Satriani.

Although the majority of time will be spent learning numerous licks and grooves from rhythm masters, there’ll also be workshops on developing 'hook focused' guitar parts, improving chord and harmony knowledge, expanding picking techniques, and developing creativity with scales like the pentatonic, Dorian and Mixolydian modes. Solid playing chops of at least two years experience is required for this intense course as a lot of material will be covered with much playing expected from you!

About the tutor

Jason Sidwell, Senior Music Editor of Future Publishing’s guitar magazines Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Techniques will be your tutor. He has produced numerous funk and rhythm tutorials in Guitar Techniques, as well as having written and edited countless tutorials in Total Guitar and Guitarist. He’s a popular UK tutor of various guitar styles and regularly gigs in funk rock based bands, musical shows or as a solo guitarist (www.uniquedayguitar.com). Having interviewed (and jammed with) many of the guitarists covered on the funk academy course, he offers a unique opportunity for you to really impress on your next gig/audition!

His funk DVD, ‘Funk Empowerment - Groove Guitar Mastery using the CAGED system’ is out now. More info at www.ukmastersdvd.com.