Reviews

Worldwide Students Speak

4939 reviews
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This IS the guitar of one’s dreams…

First, the punch line: After a month I’ve concluded that this guitar is not a substitute, surrogate, or compromise for that more expensive jazz box that one longs for and cannot afford. This IS the guitar of one’s dreams.

I’ll be as brief as I can. I have many guitars. But no real jazz guitars. I don’t play much jazz, but sometimes want to go there, and somehow my .strandberg* just isn’t right. I try to stay away from retail stores because there is ALWAYS something that catches my eye. But, I needed a set of strings and since I was near a store, I stopped by. As usual, I looked at used wall. There was nothing interesting. Walk away. Quickly. But… what’s that? Needing a ladder to get to it, there was a red wine archtop high on the wall. Conti? What’s a Conti? I’d never heard of them. I suspected that it was some Asian product, à la Cort (Nothing wrong with Cort. I believe they made my .strandberg*.) I found someone to get it down and I played for three minutes. I was meeting someone for lunch in fifteen minutes so I had no time to play much. I put it back.

It was two weeks before I was back in that neighborhood. In that time I did some research and if you are reading this, you’ve done the same and I won’t bore you with the details of Robert Conti’s business model to bypass the middleman. None of his guitars would be sold in stores. No distributors. Instead, he sells direct to player. He asks his prospects to trust that the guitar he gives them will make them exceptionally happy. That’s a big ask. You can’t play one to see if you like it.

Armed with this information and with more time set aside I went back to the store. While every other Conti customer needed to muster faith to buy, I had the luxury of actually playing one. The model is Equity, discontinued after the first production contract ended. The guitar played well and seemed well taken care of, 99% brand new. There were very few scratches, no dings. I copied the serial number and went home.

I went back to the Conti website but could find no serial number reference, nor a support page, but I could chat online with Steve. I asked about the serial number, and he told me the guitar was built in 2013. He also said that from what he knew of the previous owner, it should have been well taken care of. Wow. Steve told me the guitar was solid wood, not laminate. He asked me about the price and told me it was a very good deal. So, I went back the next day and bought it.

The next day I cleaned it and changed strings. It was clean but needed a little detailing. The cleaning process brought me closer to the instrument (LOL the truss rod cover on the headstock still had it’s original protective plastic covering). At every turn I was surprised and impressed by the build.

I love this guitar and I consider myself lucky to have it.

T
The Formula
Tancredo Netto - Brazil
I think it is the best

I think you are the only one that explains the magic of chord melody! I admire Conti's method, I think it is the best, a hands on approach and at the same time it teaches the way professionals play. Like we Brazilians say, he doesn't only give the fish, he teaches to fish! I love jazz standards and I hope I will study a lot with Conti's help!! Thank you very much! It's a pleasure for me to recommend a very good teacher and Conti is one!!!

Will re-energize my daily practice routine.

Robert is an entertaining and competent instructor with a wide range of past real-playing experience of the bandstand. Mike provided tech support and sent ZOOM setup instructions before the lesson to avoid wasting time on video-audio snags.

Robert took a few minutes at the start of the ZOOM lesson to review my personal history, music experience, and to assess my technical skills. He came well prepared for my lesson (3 handout documents) with a focus on improvisation, as requested. He “tuned” this first lesson to my level of interest and playing ability.

His approach to improvisation is direct, different, and perhaps unique. He presents a down-to-earth focus on fingering the fretboard rather than using a theoretical approach of pairing various scales/modes to each chord in a progression, one at a time.

Robert demonstrated the wide application of major scale riffs to a surprisingly wide range of chords built from the major scale. This simplification avoid overthinking (my bad habit) which creates lock-up, anxiety, and lag when suddenly called upon to solo on the jazz bandstand. He played these riffs over backing tracks “live” that he called out to Mike who played the audio files on-demand. Both Robert and Mike were attentive to my music lesson. Robert concluded the lesson with additional tips and a clear assignment and challenge to be completed before a future lesson.

To conclude, the “hands-on” Conti method avoids over-complicating the improvisation process and it will re-energize my daily practice routine.

Video Comments

See attached video for Lee's comments

Judge.me YouTube video placeholder
A brilliant approach

The Precision Techniques has helped me hone my technique tremendously and like every Robert Conti Book with CD it is extremely practical and gets you running in the real world playing while mastering the theory as you go so it is extremely efficient and all-encompassing and frankly, better than the dozens of books and classes that I’ve tried. It is a brilliant approach.

Robert's teaching approach stands out

It was a pleasure to spend the two hours with Robert and I must also thank you for the technical assistance and making sure everything went smoothly - I know it’s a team effort on your end.

As for my comments on the lesson : Robert gave me plenty to think about and I’ll be putting the ideas into practice 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!

Best and most efficient way to learn jazz guitar

So much easier for me to practice and learn all of the valuable information Robert has shared on these videos! This is without question the best and most efficient way to learn jazz guitar and I plan on ordering more around Thanksgiving! I totally stand behind Mr. Conti's teaching methods 100 percent as they really work! He truly understands what he is talking about and knows how to teach it to others in the most comprehensive and applicable ways possible! It also helps that he is one of the best Jazz guitarists I have ever heard!

Vol. 4 Signature Chord Melody Arrangements

$11.49

Volume 4 Song Titles:

  • Days Of Wine And Roses,
  • My Secret Love,
  • Our Love Affair,
  • Too Late Now,
  • What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?,
  • You Stepped Out Of A Dream

Description

CLICK HERE TO SEE AND HEAR GENERAL SAMPLES

Volume 4 Song Titles:

  • Days Of Wine And Roses,
  • My Secret Love,
  • Our Love Affair,
  • Too Late Now,
  • What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?,
  • You Stepped Out Of A Dream

The Signature Chord Melody Arrangements Series

If you can play a chord grid, you can play these harmonically rich arrangements.

For those who are unaware, Robert Conti’s chord melody arrangements are a favorite reader feature in every issue of Just Jazz Guitar magazine.

The Problem

In the world of jazz guitar, almost every chord solo arrangement is written in notation and tablature, which is often discouraging and perhaps, the very reason why most guitarists steer clear of solo playing.

The Conti Approach

Robert Conti eliminates any guess work on your part because he is concerned enough to take the time to include the correct chord grid for every note in the melody line.  In several arrangements, Conti includes multiple rows of chord grids to demonstrate harmonic choices for the player.  The choice is always left to player preference, as either upper or lower row is acceptable.

Click here to view samples from the books (Click back button on your browser to return)

Players are also urged to experiment with varying combinations of the chords to create new harmonic palettes. While many guitarists do not read notes, every guitarist can read a chord grid, and the ability to play that simple grid will allow any guitarist to actually play a great arrangement. Every Conti arrangement offers clear proof of his determination to be certain that guitarists of even minimum skill, will be able to play these arrangements.

Note: Arrangements are print only (no audio or video is included)

NOTICE
We Comply With All USA Copyright Laws.
All Requisite Licensing Was Procured From The Copyright Owners and/or Administrators.
Prior To Sale, Applicable Fees Were Paid For All Titles Listed Below.
In Accordance With License Requirements, A Limited Number Of Folios May Be Offered.

Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews
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B
Brian Davies
Signature Chord Melody Solos

Very good commercial arrangements-could be further strengthened by the inclusion of some appropriate introductions leading into the respective arrangements.
. Hooe this is helpful.

Hi Brian, thanks for your latest review! As you're aware from your previous comments about the Conti resources you've ordered, Robert dedicates an entire product toward each facet of playing jazz, i.e. Improvising, Technique, Comping, Chord Melody etc. More specifically, the very broad scope of each of the aforementioned playing skills requires a singular focus, thereby rendering the notion of a 'complete method for jazz guitar' as marketing hyperbole. As you've noted, Robert's arrangements are pro level, and ready to play on any gig. That said, regarding your suggestion, he has produced a Source Code Book/Video title entirely dedicated to creating Intros, Endings and Turnarounds to the chord melody arrangements. As a token of our appreciation for your long time patronage and stellar commentaries, we will extend complimentary access to the streaming video/PDF version of his Intros, Endings & Turnarounds learning resource (immediate access, no shipping required), and we'll hope to see you performing some of those arrangements in our Players Gallery in the near future!
Kind regards,
Mike, Production Manager

U
User: thierrypaul on TrueFire
Nice surprise

JazzMaster Product Review:
Good course, I particularly appreciate the second part which is devoted to accompaniment of standards, rich and complete it will take me time to learn everything!

Streaming Video Option

DVDs are now available in an affordable, instantly available streaming video format. Videos may be watched on any device with an internet connection. Printable PDF download file is included.

Upon clicking the Streaming Video Options button, you will be directed to a checkout with two options:

  1. Streaming + PDF
  2. Streaming + PDF + Ship DVD

Note: You will be asked to create an account at checkout. The account to access your streaming video purchases is different than your RobertConti.com account. Please view our FAQ for additional information.

Now available

up to 30% off

limited group of studio & prototype entradas

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black friday sale Details

Take advantage of this great opportunity to save big on the most effective jazz guitar learning resources on the planet – as verified by nearly 5000 reviews.

Through November 30, 2023, use coupon code BFCM23 at checkout (be sure to click the apply button!) to save 30% on all learning resources, both shipped and streaming. Please note that Conti Guitars are not included in this sale event, but we still have a couple of the heavily discounted Entrada prototypes available!