Attention New Members:
Before diving into IGC, check out this orientation videos to help you get your bearings on the site and get the most out of your experience. Also, be sure to download the materials below to guide you on your journey.
Pentatonics and The Blues
Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Prerequisite: none
Based on Jacob’s epic seminar that he has presented in music schools and conservatories around the world. This seminar will show you how to incorporate your pentatonics into Rock and The Blues while learning strategies for following the changes and outlining the harmony.
Ornaments
Level: Beginner
Prerequisite: None
Based off of Jacob’s famous SPLA master class, this simple 2 part series which also appeared as supplement to Jacob’s article in the Strad. This is a great primer course for learning how to play with a non classical “accent” and execute some of the most fundamental ornaments necessary for Rock, Blues, and Jazz performance practice.
Prerequesites: none
NEW
2+4+1 Method:
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Prerequisite: Jacob’s Ladder Course
Have you ever had trouble playing what you hear??? In Jacob’s newest seminar, you will learn why this happens while learning Jacob’s approach to improving ear/hand coordination. This is a must watch for all levels!
Be sure to check out the Jacob’s Ladder courses before checking out this video.
Bergonzi Patterns:
Level: Advanced
Prerequisite: Pentatonics Course
Spice up your pentatonics with these cool patterns. This video is a must for Jazz and Fusion players, but no matter what style you are focusing on these patterns will open up your ear and facillity! If you’ve been shedding the pentatonic course, this will take your game to the next level!
Singer Songwriter Skills Part 1:
Level: Beginner
Prerequisite: none
Based on Jacob’s award winning course! This is a fantastic course that will get the beginner reading chord charts and arranging in no time. Like his scale and arpeggio concepts, Jacob’s signature approach simplifies complex ideas and sequences them in the most digestible way to minimize thought. A must watch for teachers as well!!!!
Guide To Chromatacism Pt. 1
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Prerequisite: Rosetta System
In part one of this 2 part series, Jacob explains why cellists have a hard time incorporating chromaticism into their playing and then shows 3 strategies for introducing it in an organic way that fits the cello fingerboard! Each of these strategies lead very different sounding lines and are applicable to many styles although these are especially helpful for Jazz, and Fusion players.
Click here to download the worksheet for Chromatics Part 1
The Minor II-V-I : Pentatonic Approaches
Level: Advanced
Prerequisite: Complete Rosetta System
By Popular Demand!!!! In this 45 minute lesson, Jacob explains why cellists often struggle with minor II V I’s and offers “cello friendly” strategies for understanding the progression and soloing in an organic way. A must watch for serious Jazzers!!!
The Minor II-V-I : Pentatonic Approaches Part 2
Level: Advanced
Prerequisite: Complete Rosetta System
In this follow up video we dive more deeply into the pentatonic “Chunking” approach from part 1. For serious Jazz and fusion players only
Click here to download worksheet: igc-min-ii-v-i-practice-routine
3 Fingerboard “Hacks”
Level: Easy
Prerequisite: Jacob’s Ladder Course
These 3 fingerboard hacks will help you move around all the cool shapes you’ve been learning and get the most out of your IGC experience!
The best part??? They’re incredibly simple and easy to use!
How To Practice Licks
Level: Easy
Prerequisite: none (Jacob’s Ladder Course/Pentatonics are recommended)
No matter what style of you music you are exploring, the best way to learn is by studying the solos, licks, and tricks of the greats, but getting the material we’ve practiced to “transfer” over is one of the biggest challenges we face as improvising musicians. That’s why I’m so excited to share my newest video seminar with you! In this video, I’ll show you how I practice while explaining common pitfalls and showing you why many techniques you are probably using just aren’t effective. Not only does this video give you exercises that REALLY work, but even more importantly, the principles behind them to help you supercharge your practice!
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How To Practice Licks Vol 2
Level: Advanced
Prerequisite: Complete Rosetta System
if just learning tunes by rote or reading through the Omnibook made you a competent improviser, we’d have way more of them in the cello world by now. In this video, Jacob breaks down just 2 licks from Jazz great Chet Baker to break down the unique issues we face as cello players and show you how to REALLY progress in developing your fingerboard concept, harmonic vocabulary, and ear-hand coordination. Click below to download the transcription: |
Amazing Phrasing!
Level: Easy/intermediatee
Prerequisite: none
In this 25 minute seminar, Jacob takes you into his own practice routine to give you solid principles to improve your phrasing and feel no matter what style of music you are exploring! Lot’s of great ideas here for teachers as well!
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Bowing Rudiments Vol. 1
Difficulty: Easy
pre requisites: None
While the bow is what makes our instruments beautiful and unique, it’s been woefully underdeveloped in creative string pedagogy outside of the fiddle world. Even in the few jazz string books we have (written by violinists.), there’s virtually nothing beyond the basics (i.e. “Try slurring on the off beats” or “This is called the Jazz Bowing,” etc.) and nothing approaching a real systemized method that is well-sequenced, musical and, most importantly, MINIMIZES THOUGHT (Which is kind of our motto around here).
Bowing Rudiments Vol. 2
Prerequisites: Vol. 1
In This volume, we explore the slurred template.
Guide To Chromatacism Pt. 1
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Prerequisite: Â Rosetta System
In part one of this 2 part series, Jacob explains why cellists have a hard time incorporating chromaticism into their playing and then shows 3 strategies for introducing it in an organic way that fits the cello fingerboard! Each of these strategies lead to very different sounding lines, and are applicable to many styles although these are especially helpful for Jazz, and Fusion players.
Click here to download the worksheet :
The Last Lick You’ll Ever Need To Learn
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
In this volume, we explore the art of developing your playing through focusing on just one lick.
Scoffield Chromatic Lesson
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
John Scoffield Month rolls on with a really fun new lesson on chromatic fingerings. In this lesson, I’ll break down an awesome Scoffield lick to demonstrate a core principal that will give you a leg up in approaching densely chromatic fingering when using The Rosetta System. This lesson is a must for advancing Blues/Funk/Jazz players who are starting to step their game up!
Diminished Scale Blowout
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
If you’re one of the few cellists on earth out there who really want to learn how to play Jazz, check out the new ultimate guide to the diminished scale with tips/tricks specially designed for cellists that will get you jamming in no time. BE SURE you’ve explored the Rosetta System and pentatonic courses before diving into this lesson!
Giant Steps On The Cello: Part 1
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Style: Jazz
Prerequisites: All courses, the 2+4+1 Method
Is the world’s hardest Jazz tune even possible on the cello? How do you approach fast and or complex changes? This video will give you the cello specific tips and tricks you need to transform your playing. This lesson is not for the faint of heart so be sure to complete the prerequisites before diving in!
Click below to download the worksheet and play along!
Giant Steps On The Cello: Part 2
Level: Advanced
Style: Jazz
Prerequisites: All courses, the 2+4+1 Method
Is the world’s hardest Jazz tune even possible on the cello? How do you approach fast and or complex changes? This video will give you the cello specific tips and tricks you need to transform your playing. This lesson is not for the faint of heart so be sure to complete the prerequisites before diving in!
Incorporating Exotic Scales
Level: Intermediate
Style: Rock/Fusion/Blues/Jazz
Prerequisites: Jacob’s Ladder, First 2 pentatonic videos
Learn 2 powerful strategies for musically and organically incorporating new sounds into your playing including The Augmented, Diminished, and Whole Tone Scale!
Pentatonic Thumb Position Shifting Hacks
Level: Intermediate
Style: Rock/Fusion/Blues/Jazz
Prerequisites: Pentatonic Shifting Hacks
Take shifting with the pentatonic scale in thumb position to the next level.
Click here for the worksheet: Stoopid Pentatonic Shredding Sequences skip 2.0 4 20
Rhytmic Variation Mastery
Level: Beginner
Style: All
Prerequisites: Knowledge of the whole Tone Scale
Being a great improviser is all about the ability to create variations, making one lick or concept into many. This practice routine is designed to arm you with my favorite string-specific tools for doing just that!.
Diminished Chord Deepdive for singer songwriters: Ninja tips/and Duport No. 7
Level: Intermediate
Style: Classical (but applicable to Jazz and Pop)
Prerequesites: Singer Songwriter Skills Part 1
Duport and the diminished chord worksheet
Introducing 3 Fake Licks: A New IGC Series For All Of Us!
Would you like to learn to infuse North Indian, Arabic, Gypsy influences into your improvising, but don’t have 40 years to actually learn the style???
Then our new series 3 fake licks for Creative Cellists, was designed just for you!
Rather than focusing on learning a bunch of musicological terms that you’ll never use or a complete composition that you’ll never perform, this series cuts right to the tips, tricks, and tactics to help western cellists fake their way through the style as taught by a master practitioner.
3 Fake Licks Series Vol. 1: North Indian/Hindustani with Jake Charkey
Our first video lesson in the series features the North Indian Hindustani style featuring our guest artist-teacher the amazing Jake Charkey.
Be sure to go to www.jakecharkey.com for more on Jake’s upcoming album and to learn more about this style.
3 Fake Licks Series Vol. 2: Arabic Taqsim with Kira Weiss
Our second video lesson in the series features the North Indian Hindustani style featuring our guest artist-teacher Kira Weiss.
Kira is a Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara with an emphasis in Global Studies. Focusing on the history of the cello in Arab music, her research brings together issues of cultural policy, nationalism, and modernity. Kira’s research is historical, ethnographic, and practice-based. Having worked as a semi-professional cellist, Kira approaches her work as a musician, studying with several of the most prominent cellists in Arab music including Dr. Emad Ashour and Naseem Alatrash. With a focus on Egypt, Kira uses the history of the cello in Arab music as a case study to analyze shifts in Egyptian-Arab music and cultural policy over the last century. Check out here work at the links below!