05/27/2026
Happy Birthday to the legendary Miles Davis 🎺
From Kind of Blue to Bi***es Brew, Miles didn’t just play jazz… he reinvented it over and over again. His fearless creativity changed the sound of modern music forever and continues to inspire every generation of musicians.
What’s your favorite Miles Davis recording or era? 👇
05/12/2026
Lately, my students and I have been deep in the gear rabbit hole. We’ve been having chats about everything from "squiggly" True Temperament frets to the best flat-wound strings for that perfect dampened jazz tone.
Whatever you’re playing, I want to see it!
Post a pic of your current rig below! 📸
Here's a video review of my Sälen Jazz Natural:
GEAR REVIEW: Reasons Why I Chose This .strandberg* Jazz Guitar
Fancy but looking classic as well, right? As I am always happy with a new guitar, here are the reasons why I chose the .strandberg* guitar you will be seeing...
04/29/2026
Think you need to ditch your roots to play jazz? Look at Herb Ellis. Before he was the engine of the Oscar Peterson Trio, he was a Texas kid playing banjo and soaking up Western Swing.
Authenticity beats perfection every single time. Herb once said his "country" label might have been a bit of a misquotation, but he never ran away from the sound. Your "limitations" or "different" background aren't obstacles. Use them as your voice.
Stop trying to sound like a textbook, and start sounding like yourself.
04/27/2026
Sorry about the relatively raw thumbnail, but here are my equally raw thoughts on how one can actually get better at jazz guitar (without the usual "mental gymnastics").
I’m tired of seeing players get stuck in the "dictionary trap"... memorizing every scale and mode while losing the beat four bars into Summertime. If you’ve been prepping for years but still feel like you aren't "ready" to play, this one is for you.
We’re talking:
-> Why the 80/20 rule is your best friend.
-> The "chess opening" mistake.
-> The 3 essential roles you actually need to master.
Grab an espresso and let’s get to work. Cheers!
Read the blogpost here:
https://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/blog/why-youre-prepping-too-much
04/14/2026
“Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious.”
– John Coltrane 🎷
This is what mastery looks like.
Not dabbling.
Not half-trying.
Not waiting to “feel inspired.”
Coltrane didn’t separate discipline from joy.
For him, going deep was the fun.
If you want your playing to grow, don’t just practice…
invest in it.
Show up focused.
Be curious.
Take it seriously — and watch how much more meaningful it becomes.
What are you investing in your playing this week? 👇
03/19/2026
Most of us were just trying to survive high school geometry, but Julian Lage was busy joining the faculty at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. 🤯
By the time he was a teenager, he was already:
âś… The subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary (Jules at Eight).
âś… Performing at the Grammy Awards.
âś… Teaching world-class musicians at one of the most prestigious jazz programs in the country.
Talk about a "prodigy" actually living up to the hype! Today, he’s one of the greatest guitarists on the planet, but he was already a master before he could legally drive.
Video: Heath De Fount-Haberlin in "Jules at Eight"