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Deep-Dive into Duke Ellington’s Most Enduring Songs – on Guitar

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Frank Vignola would like to invite you to join him on a ten-week exploration of Duke Ellington’s music.

About the program and the Big Jersey Guitar Club:

Frank Vignola: The ten-week period is a nice amount of time to have a sustained look at the material and make a lot of improvement while having a lot of fun. First, we learn the songs, then we work on developing them: exploring improvisation techniques, rhythm, swing, phrasing, and taste!

When you sign up, a link is provided with downloadable material for you to get ready for the weekly jams. You get pdf chord charts for each of the ten songs, and a short video lesson to show you how to play them. And, you receive sound recording files of each of the songs featuring me and a rhythm section playing a backing track so you can practice playing the melody and soloing with me.

Best of all, each of the ten weeks has a one-hour live Zoom jam session that I lead, where we play each of the ten songs, and then really focus on one of them, putting one song a week under the “microscope”. The session is recorded and a link with the recorded session is made available to all participants so you can view or download it to practice with during the week. By the time we finish the ten weeks, we will have played each of the songs many, many times, enjoying the confidence that can only come from deep familiarity.

I play a lot of rhythm so you can work on all the techniques you’ve been developing and take the songs to the next level. Each week also features a breakdown of club member questions and answers about the material. (I do this separately, so as not to cut into the jam time!)

I am really happy about this new way of learning and hope you’ll join me in the Ten Weeks of Ellington Learning Club!

Chord progressions we will be covering during this Learning Club are: “Take the “A” Train”, “Caravan”, “Do nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me”, “I’m Beginning to See The Light”, “In A Mellow Tone”, “(In My) Solitude”, “It Don’t Mean A Thing..”, “Satin Doll”, “(Just) Squeeze Me”, and “Don’t Get Around Much Any More”.

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