2 Hour Lesson

hink of (the Benson technique, a stint at Troy Grady’s “Cracking the Code” website and even bought The Magnet and paid for a Technique Critique, and of course a smattering of YouTube videos by people who had real chops.) All of these approaches have helped many, and were of some benefit to me, but none of them got me where I needed to go. Then I had two lessons with Robert Conti (via Zoom) and now I’m on the way forward on two fronts. First, my picking is much better. Conti does not teach a specific method for picking; he saw what I was doing, made a few suggestions, and after a couple of weeks, I’m miles down the road in that respect. Thank God and Robert Conti! Second, the light is coming on in understanding how to APPLY the things I’ve learned. In one way, it’s easier than I thought, though in another, it’s demanding because it requires a more intense and disciplined focus than I’m used to having while improvising. Learning is necessary, and that includes learning how to use what you have learned! Robert Conti is giving me more help with this than any other teacher I have consulted (and there have been a bunch of ’em!) He might do as much for you.Update: Phew! I’m working hard (playing the lines, over and over) and learning how to use them. It’s great to get feedback (-even if it’s that I gaffed something up) and a pro’s assessment of where I am and what I need to work on. Also, getting a link to download the video of the lesson is a tremendous value: I can go over and over the lesson, making sure I’m playing something right or understanding a concept fully.Update: Lesson #4 was the best so far. The work assigned in the first two lessons is paying dividends. I’m getting better and am inspired to get better still. When I get really good, I’ll buy a Conti guitar to celebrate my arrival at “Good.” (Not great but good.)
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ncerting. However those issues appear to have been at my end so no fault of Robert or his technical team. While I was playing, Robert very quickly spotted that I was not sticking strictly to the fingering protocol having slipped into the bad habit of not using my pinky. He advised me to rectify this and explained his reasoning. We then moved onto my question which had been how learning Robert’s solos would enhance my ability to improvise. Robert clearly and efficiently demonstrated how a simple 4 note riff could be used over different chords and why they worked. The lesson far exceeded the allotted time and throughout Robert was patient when I made mistakes and offered so much advice from his own 60 years of experience. He is a great guitarist and also a wonderful teacher whose enthusiasm is infectious and I found the lesson to be an inspiration to me. Robert squeezed more into an hour than I learned in the last 5 years. I am extremely grateful to Robert for his time and for making the lesson so rewarding and enjoyable. I now can’t wait to get stuck into Ticket to Improv Vol 2.
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rt's interactive approach, his tips, and also his stories. All in all, it was very memorable and useful.
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ractice in the woodshed. It was particularly enlightening to hear how he approaches improvisation over certain chord changes and this is something I look forward to picking his brains about in future sessions too on other standards. Roberts teaching approach is something that stands out - he has a way of making you feel comfortable and engaged whilst also being very to the point. I particularly appreciated that he didn’t waste precious time just having me play things over and over as from experience a lot of ‘teachers’ seem to do that instead using the time to impart as much advise and information they can on the student - often a means to get more money out of students and not give too much away in terms of valuable information. As Robert said - he’s not here to teach someone how to play, he’s there to show you what to play and why etc. this is exactly what I need. He had me play the lines to get them under my fingers and ensure I understood the concepts and knew that I am to take them away to practice in my own time. This allowed Robert to use all the time available to feed me more and more ideas and pearls of wisdom.I will most certainly be booking another lesson after I’ve got some more practice in as there are many more things I’d like to ask Robert and certainly a lot for me to learn!
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to learn more from Robert!!! Looking forward to the next lesson as soon as I am ready.
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had his tech email me three pages, which we spent the remainder of the lesson on. During the analysis of those pages, he answered the question I had not asked, which was how do I apply the Etudes from The Precision Technique and the few lines I learned in the Jazz Lines to a song. By focusing me on Green Dolphin Street, he answered this question and gave me some wonderful homework. The most important impact of the lesson though, was that Robert has helped me integrate and focus all of the skills and knowledge I’ve developed over the years into a direction that will allow me to improvise lines easily. Handing someone a scale book or a list or arpeggios to learn is like handing someone a fishing pole and walking off without telling them to thrown the line in the water. Robert wants you to land a big fish…tonight at the gig.
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of his teaching my gig schedule has increased and I am getting calls to sub. The poster attached is from a past gig. I have more coming but you get the idea.Also attached is a recent video. I no longer worry about my improvisation skills when they point and tell me to play. Do yourself a favor and book it. Have fun playing...
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e deceiving, in my opinion, because it’s going to take time and effort on my part to learn and internalize the material. There aren’t any shortcuts.The two hours went by quickly, and I look very much forward to doing more lessons with him. I also received a video of our lesson that day. As a teacher, Robert Conti was personable, patient, knowledgeable, and encouraging. As a side note, I really enjoyed his stories and look forward to hearing more in the future.
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st three progressions down. I only wish I’d started with Robert two years ago instead of wading through all sorts of online videos and lessons that did not have a structure and did not make the connections Robert does. To use a sports analogy, if I were a quarterback, it’s as if Tom Brady were now my personal coach. I am grateful that the internet allows me to have access to Robert. Did I say wow? Please pass on my thanks to Robert.
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professionally before I graduated and got a corporate job in early 2012. My previous musical experience has been strictly within original and cover rock, blues, and folk music and I had no real experience with jazz prior to taking these lessons besides a dozen lessons or so I took with a local jazz player 11 years ago. Also, I bought most of Robert's books and DVD's in 2015 but that's about it in terms of my previous "jazz" experience.During the last 10 years, where I have been working full time in the corporate world, had kids, etc., my guitar practice has only been sporadic. Besides learning a new song here and there, I didn't really play or practice in structured fashion. Working +full time as a lawyer, having small kids, and other competing interests made it difficult for me to play consistently.At some points though, I did feel the "urge" to play and tried to get back on the horse. For instance, I worked through the Chord/Melody Assembly Line and some of the Ticket to Improv solos a few years ago (great products btw, which I highly recommend).Since I started listening to jazz in 2008, I have been wanting to learn this style. My first step was to learn from the usual free stuff on the Internet, which got me into new scales, arpeggios, and chords, etc. When I took jazz lessons in 2010 I got turned on to transcribing jazz solos, which paid huge dividends in terms of language and opening my ears. But I still never felt like I "got" it. Like most others starting on this path, I got the impression that you are supposed to know all music theory, scale fingerings, chord inversions, etc. before you can learn to play jazz. As a disciplined guy, I trusted this process and spent years (literally) running scales, arpeggios, chord exercises, transcribing licks, etc. but for some reason, I was never able to merge this attained knowledge and these playing tools into "one" and actually play jazz and improvise over jazz standards.When I got Roberts books and DVD's, I knew I was onto something. After working through the Chord/Melody Assembly Line, I was able to make simple chord/melody arrangements. Actually play my own arrangements of jazz standards. But life got in the way I didn't manage to stick with it consistently.Fast forward until 2020. The Covid19 pandemic had shut down most of society and I've been working from home for almost a year. While being a rough period in general, for my family it was also a time to take stock of our lives. I worked too much and felt bad not spending more time with my family. Also, I knew and felt that I had to make music a part of my life again. I decided to leave the law firm I worked at and got a new job with much better working hours allowing for more family time and time to play music. I started practicing consistently again and I made a plan to study Roberts books and continue with learning solos.However, after a few months of this, I discovered the possibility to take Skype lessons with Robert. I was intrigued about the idea of getting personal feedback and having the structure of a weekly session and booked one lesson. During my first lesson he threw some lines and some very high impact concepts at me, which opened completely new doors to me, and he had me improvise to On Green Dolphin Street. Playing jazz and improvising with a few devices immediately. I had just seen the tip of the iceberg and immediately made a promise to myself to stick with the lessons every week.So what have I learned during the last 3 months? I've basically learned to practice improvisation first and foremost (by playing it). As someone with sufficient technical chops on the guitar, we spend most of my lessons on getting my "brain up to speed with my fingers" as Robert would say. I assume this depends on the strengths and weaknesses of the student. My weakness is not being able to use the technique and knowledge I have because I've skipped this most important step of applying these tools to actual music.I learn a new new standard every week on my own, which forms the basis of the lesson. Robert then teaches me lines and explains how to use them and the necessary theory. I practice it, vary it, and try to make it my own. Also, I get honest feedback. It's a very organic process and I get the whole package in terms of jazz language and understanding it.Robert Conti is a monster player and educator and really knows his stuff. I highly recommend taking Skype lessons with Robert!(I've uploaded a short video of an improvisation over Bluesette, filmed by my father at a family reunion from a month ago, using some of the devices I've learned in my lessons.)
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d jazz lines straight away.I was extremely happy with been able to have the opportunity of a one to one session with Robert Conti. It was just like being in a bar chatting about aspects of playing. Robert is very approachable and is open to discuss all aspects pf playing. I studied the material and had questions. The ideas demonstrated and discussed just connected effortlessly.The discussion was very fruitful with new ideas was also given by Robert which was very appreciated. It was such a great session that Robert and I agreed to connect again with specific questions about the DVD called Big City Blues Vol 1.
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me he takes one hour more because he understood I’m very interested with music and motivated to work hard on his material).He speaks to you as if you were his own son, you are immediately so confident with him, although you can be somehow nervous at the beginning haha! He really wants you to become the best player you can be!He gives all the material you need, can answer to any question that comes in your mind, and highly motivates you to work hard. He will give immediately new ideas that you can incorporate to your playing instantly.Believe me, I’m a professional player, and my playing is getting on a new level with Bob’s approach! I just can tell this material is fantastic and I will work all his DVDs (AND I LIKE THAT HE MAKES NEW ADVANCED DVD SERIES !!!)So, work on his material, prepare a few questions and HAVE A PRIVATE LESSON WITH BOB YOU WON’T REGRET IT! May these few words be helpful for passionate jazz guitarist, and let’s share with everyone what we learn with Bob, because transmission of this wonderful art is highly important! THANKS AGAIN MR. ROBERT CONTI !!!
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