John March
John is a Guitar instructor at JamPlay.com
John March, a professional musician, audio craftsman/technologist and consultant with 30 years in the Industry, is focused on creating opportunities that utilize his aggregate skill-sets and diverse professional experience to creatively solve problems for projects and events that serve the greater good.
By bridging the gap between artist and technical craftsman, March is able to solve complex problems and function as a liaison between fiscal, technical, logistical and creati... (more)
John currently offers 31 guitar lessons at JamPlay, with 31 intermediate lessons.
John March's contribution to JamPlay
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Chord Alchemy with John
A different approach to harmonic applications on guitar and developing a modern chord vocabulary.
Bio and Series Introduction
Welcome to this fresh new look at understanding the guitar fretboard as a whole! John March, a long time student of the late Ted Greene, introduces himself and his guitar series.
6:23 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Simplicity & Exploration
Take a new look at the fretboard and learn where to find a voicing that works. There are techniques that simplify the fretboard and steps that can be taken to find the chord you are looking for.
11:32 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
A Look at Dominant Chords
It's time to learn what makes up a dominant chord and understand what extensions are. John covers simple movements and his overall viewpoints on how to best apply dominant sounds.
10:20 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Thinking About Colors
When applied to music, the term "color" usually refers to various extensions and alterations within chords. John demonstrates how he adds color to chords in order to change the overall tone and mood of a piece.
10:51 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Understanding Inversions
What is an inversion and how does it generate chords? Well it's time for John to lend his talents and techniques to break this topic down in a very easy manner for anyone to understand.
11:21 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chord Vocabulary: Geometry vs Geography
With a quick recap of inversions, John now discusses geometry vs. geography on the guitar and how each factor is used to create a whole new harmonic vocabulary. Shifting registers and octave displacement are used to generate new voicings.
12:53 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Find the Voices
John dives deeper into the topic of simple note movement. This lesson covers topics like shifting register, bass development, and finding the best way to create new chord options.
16:31 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Taking It All a Step Further
Continuing on with chord voicings, John now demonstrates how to take what has been taught already to the next level. Some examples include how to play advanced jazz material over blues sounds.
17:13 Runtime
3.5 Difficulty
Relationships
John now provides more insight into the relationships between intervals and how the colors can vary depending on how the notes are used - whether in a full chord, small solo, or lick.
11:13 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chords: Dominant 7th
Now it is time for John to take the detailed concepts he has taught so far and apply them directly to certain chord shapes. This first "chord" lesson will touch on dominant 7th shapes.
13:17 Runtime
3.5 Difficulty
Part Two Introduction
John expands on his Chord Alchemy series with different concepts and practical applications to carry you further down the road of becoming a chord master! This video gives you a clue as to what you can expect in Chord Alchemy, Part 2.
4:47 Runtime
0.0 Difficulty
Application and Purpose
Kicking off part two of this series, John gives direction as to where we're headed, including looking at the four basic elements of music and choosing your own path moving forward.
15:40 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Neck Mapping
A big part of visualizing and committing these concepts to memory is doing the physical work of neck mapping. In this lesson John explains what that is and gives you your first neck mapping assignment!
11:07 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Alternate Fingerings
There's always a different way.... a different way to finger chords, that is! John opens us up to the idea of alternate fingerings in this lesson, and why you want to explore this path in your playing.
13:20 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
The Humble D Chord
In this lesson, John explores the D chord, taking the basic shape that we all learned early on in our playing, and twisting it into the coolest possible inversions and voicings!
13:18 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Creating Chromatic Chord Scales
In this lesson John creates different sounds by exploring the intervallic relationship of notes to the root note of a chord.
12:26 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Fundamentals of Practical Ear Training
Having a good ear is not just based on natural ability. There are steps you can take and exercises you can do to train your ear. In this lesson John gives you an exercise to start training yourself to recognize certain key intervals in music.
9:06 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
The Value of a Single Note
Earlier, John explored moving higher notes in chords against a consistent root note. Now the opposite: moving the lower notes in a chord while keeping the higher notes consistent. This makes for some very colorful chord voicings!
9:52 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
String Groups
The way you group strings goes a long way to determining how colorful your chord voicings can be. Certain close intervallic colors can only be achieved through odd fingerings using "big stretches". John explores a number of these "big stretches" in this lesson.
11:47 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chromatic Triads Over Bass Notes
John shows us yet another great technique for generating options in your playing. Superimposing chromatic triads over the same bass note gives you chord tones that you might not have thought of otherwise!
9:03 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Alternative Options for Generating Chords
Of course, all of this discussion and chord knowledge only comes together when using it in context. In this lesson, John explores what that means and how it can generate even more chordal options.
14:23 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chord Sequencing, Part 1
Taking the application process a step further, John now explores what we've learned so far in the context of chord sequences.
14:31 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chord Sequencing, Part 2
John continues applying our new found knowledge to chord sequences, this time using the I-Dominant-IV sequence.
11:38 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chord Sequencing, Part 3
John takes a look at even more sequences, bringing out the melodic content from the chords.
14:49 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chromatic Approach Chords
A very simple trick to expanding your chord tones is adding chromatic approach chords. John shows us how to do this in the most effective way.
8:25 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Chords for the Blues
Now, John takes a turn in Chord Alchemy towards the blues. The blues provides us with a consistent structure to apply all the explorations thus far in Chord Alchemy!
14:37 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Exploring Dominant 7th Chords for Blues
John continues to look at the blues, this time exploring dominant 7th chords. Specifically, how to draw out the melodic content to give your voicings more color and purpose in the context of the blues.
10:34 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Mid Series Review
Now, a recap of some key ideas so far in Chord Alchemy 2. This should help solidify some concepts and techniques to help you move forward through the last part of the series!
20:49 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Blues Inside to Outside, Part 1
The blues can range from very simple to quite complex. In the next two lessons, John takes us on a journey from very "inside" sounds to jazzy colors that lie "outside" the norm.
11:47 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Blues Inside to Outside, Part 2
In this lessons, John continues to take the blues from and "inside" sound to and "outside" sound, exploring all manner of colors and voicings!
16:44 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Utilizing Open Strings
Working in open strings when you can gives your voicings a much wider range of color and timbre. In this lesson, John shows us some of his favorite ways to use open strings.
10:19 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
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