If you are an intermediate or advanced player in folk music, bluegrass, country, or rock, and are comfortable with the standard "campfire" or "cowboy" chords, you're ready to play swing. 

If you already play (some) Swing, we'll take it from there and dig deeper.

We'll build on your knowledge and learn / review the chords and rhythms used in Western Swing, Classic Jazz like the Great American Songbook, and Gypsy Jazz. Very little theory, don't worry, no scales, solfège, or music notation.

Using common swing tunes as examples we'll learn the closed-position movable chords (you know, those not-so-intimidating-once-you-know-what-they-mean, 6s, 9s, diminished and augmented), and also look at standard progressions and turnarounds. And how to use chord substitutions to "swing up" a simple song. 

Chords are only one aspect; we'll also see how to play with a "swing touch", so we'll talk about tone and feel, including the right-hand technique and rhythm patterns, and, most importantly, how to play with other musicians, in jams or bands. And if you're interested in soloing, we'll look at practical tips you can use right away. And if Gypsy Jazz is your thing, we'll learn La Pompe and 3-note chords.

And by the way, except for the chord diagrams, a lot of this class is applicable to other chordal instruments like the mandolin.

Class prerequisites: knowing how to finger the simple chords or even the basic Swing chords. That's it! We'll learn all the chord fingerings using simple diagrams. If you already know how to read a chord chart or grille, great, if not, we'll learn that too. 

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...

Now that the bluegrass festival season is coming soon-ish, you're probably all fired up to get in tip-top shape and jam your heart out all night long. Or maybe you've always been a little apprehensive and shy to join a jam, but you're really eager to do that. Whether you are, or dream of being, a hot picker, a singer, accompanying yourself or others, or you like shredding on fiddle tunes.

The class covers everything from understanding the structure and form of bluegrass songs, how to follow a chord progression, kicking off and ending tunes, setting a tempo, using the capo (for those who use a capo!), playing along with 4/4 and waltz time songs, fiddle tunes and much more while becoming familiar with the unspoken rules of bluegrass jam etiquette.

By the end of the class, you'll know how to join a jam, how to prepare and call your own songs, how to play along with a song you're not familiar with (or familiar with but in a different key), how to start a song and describe it to those who don't know it, how to "guess" what the next chord is, what backup and fills to play, how to start a solo, etc.

We'll play fast and slow songs, waltzes, fiddle tunes, the whole gamut. We'll emphasize and practice how to play rhythm with, and listen to, the other players, because that's the single most important skill that'll get you invited back... or not! Anything is fair game, from what is "bluegrass rhythm", to how to chop, which chords and bass runs to play, etc.

And most important of all, the goal is to give you the confidence to play with others, enjoy doing so, and have the other jammers appreciate you being part of the circle.

The class is open to all bluegrass instrument players (guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, bass) and singers. From beginners to advanced, although you should know how to play the basic C, D, G, A, etc. chords (a.k.a. I/IV/V) in common bluegrass keys. And if you don't know what I/IV/V means don't worry, you'll see, it's very simple.

And, as a bonus, you'll see how the same principles apply when you join a band, so we'll talk about that.

I'll have songs and tunes ready for us to play, but the best would be for YOU to bring songs YOU want to share.