If you are an intermediate/advanced player and have played bluegrass, country, folk, rock, or of course swing & jazz, this class is for you. If you are more of a beginner, but you already are able to comfortably play the standard "campfire" or "cowboy" chords, don't worry we'll review the basics as well.

Using songs as examples, we'll review and learn the swing chord fingerings, a.k.a. closed position movable chords, all those 6s, 9s, diminished, and augmented. We'll talk about how to use those chords in common swing progressions, patterns, and turnarounds. We'll also take simple songs, everything from standard jazz to country and bluegrass, and spice them up by adding some of those chords.

Chords are one thing, we'll also see how to play with a "swing feel", including the right-hand technique and rhythm patterns, and how to apply those to the various swing styles, like Classic Jazz, Western Swing, or Gypsy Jazz. And, most importantly, how to play with other musicians, in jams or bands.

And if you're interested in soloing, we'll look at that too, with practical tips you can use right away. And if Gypsy Jazz is your thing, we'll learn La Pompe and 3-note chords.

We'll use as little theory as possible. Knowledge of scales, sight-reading or solfege are not required.

From previous students:

"Valuable information about pick/strum technique, chord substitutions, and how to make your solos more interesting and effective. This class has a good balance between talking and playing!"

"I've enjoyed the class and your teaching style, which I describe as practical and laid back."

"What I find valuable is the go-a-round which forces us to practice playing rhythm properly and to improvise. You are also a kind and encouraging teacher. "

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a little video describing the class...

Learn to sing songs from the classic French Café Music repertoire (Piaf, Trenet, Montand, Gainsbourg, Brassens, etc.) as well as some more modern songs.

Every week we learn and sing together 2 new songs. Those can be famous or obscure songs, waltzes, foxtrots, tangos, political songs, romantic songs, happy songs, broken heart songs.

For each song, I read, explain, and translate the lyrics, then talk about where the song comes from, its social, political, and historical context, and the references hidden in the lyrics. All stuff you won't find on Wikipedia. And then, of course, we sing. We'll learn the melody together and work on the pronunciation, so in the end, you'll even improve your French!

You don't need to be fluent in French. Some basics of French would be helpful but don’t worry, I'll help you with the pronunciation, in fact, many people who have taken the class didn't speak French at all. Also, prior experience in singing, playing an instrument, or any music theory is NOT required.

I'll send the lyrics and chord charts of the song for each week, along with links so you can listen to the song ahead of time.

From previous students:

"The class was fun! Olivier is an excellent teacher, singer, and musician."

"It was well structured for both, more confident and less experienced French speakers ."

"Olivier was very responsive and engaging and a delightful musician who clearly knew his stuff."

Links to some songs we might do:

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhJ8QhZMh5W7gBBRwxKiX5nEyEBcIz-Vn

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhJ8QhZMh5W5UkCJjV3xx4qfT8deSTmR9

• or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/olivierzyngier

Scroll down a bit for a little video describing the class...