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4837 reviews
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Entrada Archtop Guitar
David Harrison - United Kingdom
Found the perfect electric guitar…

The superb Conti Entrada was received extremely well packaged through FedEx International ahead of schedule. The supplied gig bag provided a safe and secure environment and the guitar was revealed in perfect condition.

Once tuned, the Entrada played perfectly, no adjustment was needed to the intonation or playing action. The fret ends and fingerboard were exquisitely finished as was the tailpiece and headstock. A nice touch is the volute on the reverse of the join between the headstock and the neck. A sign of a quality instrument.

The body finish is perfect with the stain revealing the attractive grain through the lacquer. Played acoustically, the tone is rich, consistent and surprisingly loud, very satisfying! Plugged in to a Roland Jazz Chorus combo, using the clean channel with no effects, there is a charming, well rounded acoustic feel which is perfect for the music I currently play (jazz vocal/guitar duo – Fitzgerald/Flack/Streisand style) in a lounge environment. It is particularly pleasing that the pick up voicing is perfectly adjusted for left handed use, so all strings sound at the same volume.

All in all I have found the perfect electric guitar after many years of searching. Many thanks to Conti Guitars.

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The Comping Expo
Robert Amster MD

Excellent, comprehensive explanations and insightful exercises to do.

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Vol. 4 Satin Doll
User: Mitch on TrueFire
Information is timeless!

What a master! This course may be old - but the information within is timeless!

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Entrada Archtop Guitar
Lonnie Smith - Canada
Far superior to a $5,000 archtop I sold…

Beauty, playability, consistency, quality and value all describe my two Conti Entradas perfectly, but not completely. The purchasing process was undoubtedly the most customer focused experience I’ve ever encountered (for any product purchase I’ve ever made). From working with Steve in finalizing the guitar options, Mike on the supply/shipping/delivery side, and finally Robert and his incredibly enjoyable and personal videos; just an outstanding effort by a highly professional team that places the customer first.

They are the finest guitars I’ve ever owned (far superior to a $5,000 archtop I recently sold). The craftsmanship and value of the Entrada make me question why anyone would purchase anything other than a Conti Guitar.

I’m also about a third through the Source Code family of videos and Robert’s instruction is concise, insightful and highly enjoyable; a tremendous teacher without peer.

My sincere thanks to the great Conti Team!

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Entrada Archtop Guitar
David Skinner - College Station, TX
Wonderful instrument, superb buying experience

As with all things Conti, my new Entrada arrived on time, and the day after I watched the video of Robert ‘leading by example’ on it. As I got more used to the fingerboard and the balance of the instrument, my thought was that it plays itself! Notes just fly off. The tone is acoustic and warm, and the pickup worked great through my studio board (Audient preamp into a UA Apollo). I’ll use my Bose L1 compact at a gig tomorrow night…can’t wait! Thanks for a wonderful instrument and a superb buying experience.

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2 Hour Lesson
David Skinner - Bryan, TX
A direction that will allow me to improvise lines easily...

What I learned in my first lesson with Robert is that he is as energetic and friendly as he is in his DVDs. I’ve watched hours of the DVDs and it was a privilege to be able to personally converse, for two hours. Within the first 15 minutes, Robert watched me play and asked a few questions, and then 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.

Signature Chord Melody Arrangements Vol 5

Again an excellent and tastefully selected collection of standard melodies.
Very useful for gigs that involve background settings such as restaurants, wedding events and formal dinner settings where tasteful and unobtrusive music is required.
Can be played with a plectrum of fingerstyle as you wish-either one chord per beat as written or adapted to your own personal preferences.
Highly recommended for the chord melody guitarist,.

The Formula

$29.95

Learn the Conti approach to advanced re-harmonization of your chord melody arrangements to achieve a pro-level sound.  Considered by many pro guitarists and pianists as the “go to” resource on the subject, this is another best seller now enhanced with 6 hours of DVD video!

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Streaming Video Options (Info About Streaming Video)

Description

Overview Video

Learn The Formula, the Conti approach to advanced reharmonization of your chord melodies to achieve pro-level sound.  Considered by many pro guitarists and pianists as the “go to” resource on the subject, this is another best seller now enhanced with 6 hours of DVD video! First, Conti reduces what is generally viewed as highly complex subject matter to a handful of quickly comprehensible guidelines. Next, through a series of examples, Robert clearly demonstrates his Formula to create the reharmonized pro-level arrangements as seen in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, the Play Pro Chord Melody Today DVD Series and his Signature Chord Melody Arrangement books.  Learn his methodology and you’ll be amazed when you hear the results you’ll begin to accomplish very quickly.

The Formula – Disc One – 4 Hours

Conti teaches The Formula! Then he presents 4 SOLID HOURS of the “How To Nuts & Bolts” with numerous ideas and examples. Within the first few chapters of this Book and DVD, any upper level intermediate student will learn exactly how to begin creating stunning Pass, Peterson and Tatum type substitutions and reharmonizations for any standard, simply by learning Conti’s Formula to manipulate the most basic elements of harmony with ease.

The Formula – Disc Two – 2 Hours

Robert spends ANOTHER 2 HOURS to present the viewer with 3 full length songs that further demonstrate real world applications of the methodology he taught on Disc One. You’ll soon understand why thousands of savvy jazz guitarists and pianists rank The Formula! as the ultimate methodology book on the subject of reharmonization.

We are frequently asked the difference between The Formula and The Chord Melody Assembly Line. Simply, The Formula teaches more advanced concepts in reharmonization.  If you’re just starting out with wanting to create chord melodies from a lead sheet or fake book, start with The Chord Melody Assembly Line instead.

The Formula Includes:

  • Full size 8.5″ x 11″ Booklet
  • Two DVD set totaling 6 Hours of high quality instruction from Robert Conti
  • Easy to read chord grids for every note

Customer Reviews

Based on 57 reviews
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Tony Silber
The Formula

Amazing stuff- secrets unlocked!

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Alessandro Colico
Dense materials

I just read the first ten pages are full of great concepts and it will take time to assimilate and internalise them... I love your approach! It will be a great journey exploring the rest of the Formula!! Grazie Robert!

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Dr. Dave Walker - Canada
Terrific materials on chord melody

I am a retired (EARLY retirement!) university professor and administrator who taught music criticism at the graduate level. I've also been a practising musician for over 40 years now. Although I have played in jazz bands for years, I restricted myself mostly to comping until I discovered Robert Conti's column in Just Jazz Guitar, and then his terrific materials on chord melody. I was delighted with the DVD of The Formula to finally be able to see and hear Mr. Conti. His down-to-earth style of instruction really resonated with me.

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Hinton Owens - Georgia
He is a gifted educator

I just received Robert Conti's Source Code Book Four ("The Formula") last week. The man has a way of packing a tremendous amount of information into my brain quickly. He is a gifted educator. His concept of harmonizing melodies is fantastic and it works great for me. If you have not seen a copy I recommend it to you. You will have fun reading it and applying his concepts to any standard tune within a couple of hours. It's the best money I have spent on a learning aid ever.

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John Gibbs - Shelby Twp, MI
I feel liberated!

I have been playing guitar for 36 years, mostly rock, but have been trying to play jazz off and on for several years. I have always been stuck memorizing arrangements or transcriptions note for note until now. I have been studying "The Formula" and many of Mr. Conti's arrangements lately and a light bulb went on. I feel liberated! I was playing the same old turnarounds over and over when I noticed the secret to making up my own. Using information from "The Formula" and by studying Mr. Conti's arrangements I am able to hear turnarounds in my head and make them up on the fly! Also, I understand and am able to change some of the chords in the arrangements every time I play them if I want. I guess what I am saying is that even though Mr. Conti's arrangements are great, I am able to hear and play different variations of them every time. Thank You so much!

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David Alzofon - Undisclosed
Just what I needed

Just wanted to say that I got The Formula! through Steve Herron's website recently and I like it a lot. It's everything Steve said it was and more. I have been studying jazz guitar for longer than I want to say, but "The Formula!" succeeds in communicating the creative side of harmony on jazz guitar in a unique and above all practical way that I can really use. It is just what I needed to get across the gap between theory and practice.

There is much more depth in what you teach than you give away on the surface, and I appreciate the way you've put things together in a deceptively simple way. As much as I like single-line solos, there's nothing more beautiful than chord melody on jazz guitar, and I feel like I'm finally beginning to understand how a pro thinks about it, thanks to The Formula!

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Blair Hunter - Oakville, Canada
Exactly what I was looking for

Hi Robert, just want to say I received my recent order last week. It was a very quick delivery from USA into Canada. The Formula lessons are exactly what I was looking for. I have been following you for several years in JJG magazine and tried to apply my interpretation of your reharmonization ideas to a variety of tunes. But actually getting The Formula and understanding your explanation corrected all the little problems I was having and brought the process into clear focus. Excellent material.

Streaming Video Option

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