Durham Jazz Workshop Online Courses Beginning the week of May 18

The DJW is excited to offer some interesting online classes beginning next week. To register, email: djazzworkshop@gmail.com instead of our regular registration page. 
*** We understand how some students may be affected financially due to the virus. The DJW can offer financial support for anyone needing it, so let us know. We don’t want to turn anyone away from classes because of money. 
​***Each online class will have a weekly Zoom meeting scheduled. We’ve left the meeting time to be determined with each teacher and the students who’ve signed up for a class. 

Drum Set Seminar - Dan Davis
If you are interested in sharpening your drum set skills, we are offering a 4 week jazz drum set seminar beginning the week of May 18th.  The program will focus on fundamental skills pertaining to jazz drum set improvisation.  The class will be taught by Dan Davis (UNC, ECU,DJW) and is designed for students of all ages with intermediate drum set abilities.  Hand technique, posture, ergonomics, rudiments, interdependence, listening, history, styles, publications, and transcription will be covered in the program.  Each week will include a 60 minute virtual group lesson as well as individual feedback on weekly assignments.   Zoom capabilities are necessary.
The course fee is $200 and meets for 4 weeks

Getting in the Zone - Scott Sawyer

Approaches to expand our musical language and explore the art of improvising. 
A basic understanding of how music works is important, but we become better improvisers by strengthening our ears. Each week we will do some group listening, discuss a basic concept or two that we can build on and have time for Q and A. 
Approaches and assignments will include: 
- Learning 3 tunes
- transcribing (ear)
- improvising (solo, and/or utilizing backing tracks or loops)
- Exploring turn arounds and modal vamps
- understanding triads, 7th and 9th chords.
- understanding guide tones.
The group will meet online for an hour or so (TBD). In addition I will meet with individual students each week for 15/20 minutes (Times TBD) to answer any specific questions you may have and to help you organize your practicing. The course fee is $250 and meets for 6 weeks. 

Group Guitar - Blues to Jazz - Scott Sawyer
The blues were my first musical obsession. The roots run deep. Electric Chicago blues eventually led me to jazz. To this day, the blues continue to influence my approach to music and guitar, regardless of genre. Jimi Hendrix, BB King, T-Bone Walker, Michael Bloomfield, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, John Scofield...these are a handful of the “blues” guitarists that have inspired me through the years.
Groups will listen to and discuss select performances (starting with a basic 12-bar I-IV- V-I form), learn 3 songs by ear, review basic chord construction (triads, 7th and 9th chords) as well as Blues, Pentatonic, and other scales relevant to the material.
​I'll suggest and demonstrate musical approaches to practicing...no “empty scale exercises”. We'll have opportunities to play for each other, utilizing play-along-tracks. The focus will be on our EARS.
The group will meet online for an hour or so (tbd). In addition, I'll meet with individual students each week for 15-20 minutes (times tbd) to answer any specific questions that you may have, and to help you organize your practicing. The course fee is $250 and meets for 6 weeks

Group Guitar - Jazz - Scott Sawyer
As a group, we'll listen to and discuss select performances. We'll learn 3-4 songs by ear. One standard, one “rhythm changes”, others tbd. I'll suggest excerpts from solos to be transcribed by ear, or you can choose your own. If you've never transcribed before, I'll help you learn how to do it. We'll discuss the harmony, look at basic chord construction (triads, 7th and 9th chords), and scales pertaining to the related tunes.
​I'll suggest and demonstrate musical approaches to practicing...no “empty scale exercises”. We'll have opportunities to play for each other, utilizing play-along-tracks. The focus will be on our EARS.
The group will meet online for an hour or so (tbd). In addition, I'll meet with individual students each week for 15-20 minutes (times tbd) to answer any specific questions that you may have, and to help you organize your practicing. The course fee is $250 and meets for 6 weeks

Jazz Fundamentals - Dave Finucane
​Using a series of exercises and recording assignments, students will improve their knowledge and application of fundamental jazz theory and rhythm. The circle of 4ths will be a main focus, along with improvising over the blues and several standards. The course begins with arpeggios and moves into scales and the application of chromaticism and passing tones. Students can work at their own pace. We all become better jazz players the more we have a firm grasp of the fundamental info/technique/rhythm of Jazz. Students will be required to submit short recordings of themselves playing the exercises along with a metronome. This can be done with a phone’s voice memos app or Soundcloud or a prefered method. We will not use background tracks. Feedback will be given on the submitted work. A weekly Zoom meeting will be scheduled with the group to talk about the process. Open to all instruments. The course fee is $250 and meets for 6 weeks
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