If you've been following my YouTube channel, reading my emails, or going through any of my courses, then you probably know me as the guy who breaks down complex jazz harmony into simple, playable ideas.

But that's only part of the story.

For the past 20 years, I've tested and proven what actually works at every level - from the practice room to the world's biggest stages.

Let me explain...

I won the Montreux Jazz Festival's International Guitar Competition in 2009—proving it works under intense pressure against the world's best.

I've performed at NYC's most legendary jazz clubs—Smalls, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, and the Blue Note—night after night, with world-class musicians listening to every note.

My albums Antidote and My Favorite Monster both hit #1 on the iTunes jazz chart—proving audiences connect with music that comes from real understanding.

Jazz guitar legend Peter Bernstein called me "one of the most creative and adventurous guitarists on the scene"—proving the masters recognize it when they hear it.

I've taught over 140,000 guitarists through my YouTube channel and masterclasses around the world—proving it's not just for pros, it works for students at every level.

None of this is luck.

It all comes down to seeing all the ways to voice any chord… and knowing exactly which one creates the sound you want.

And here's the best part... You don't need perfect pitch or years of theory study to understand it.

In fact, what I'm about to share with you is a simple approach that even someone who's never played a jazz chord can use to make sense of what they're hearing—and start building a real foundation.

But let me be clear...

This isn't for casual noodlers.

If you've got the desire to actually understand music instead of just copying shapes...

If you're brave enough to slow down and listen to what you're actually playing instead of racing through the next YouTube lesson...

And if you're done collecting random chord shapes and ready to learn the system that makes everything connect...

Then this is for you.

Because I'm about to show you the foundational approach I've refined over two decades of performing and teaching—the same understanding that serious jazz guitarists build on to develop real fluency.

The Forgotten Approach That Made The Legends Sound Like Legends

You don't need to memorize 500 chord shapes to understand jazz harmony.

You don't need to practice scales for hours or read complex theory books.

What you need is a simple way to understand what you're hearing—and a method that turns that understanding into music on the fretboard.

That's where understanding chord colors and inversions comes in.

Now, you've probably heard about inversions before, but what I've done with them is unlike anything else out there.

Let's go back to some of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time...

Jim Hall—one of the most lyrical jazz guitarists in history—didn't play chords by memorizing shapes. He understood the emotional weight of each voicing. When you listen to his comping on Bill Evans' Undercurrent, you're hearing someone who knew when to play a bright, open major 7 and when to play a darker half-diminished. That knowledge came from understanding what he was hearing, not from drilling patterns.

Wes Montgomery revolutionized jazz guitar not because he knew more shapes than everyone else, but because he understood how chords connect. Listen to Full House—every chord flows into the next one. That's not accident. That's understanding inversions and voice-leading. That's knowing the top note of one chord can become the middle note of the next.

Joe Pass could play solo guitar that sounded like a full band. How? He didn't think in isolated chord shapes. He thought in relationships. He knew that an E minor triad over a C bass gives you Cmaj7 with a 9th. He knew that moving one note creates a completely different color. That understanding multiplied his options without adding memorization.

Even modern players like Julian Lage and Kurt Rosenwinkel rely on these same principles. They hear the colors first, then find them on the fretboard. Not the other way around.

Whether in 1960 or today, these legends all started with the same foundation: understanding chords as sounds and relationships, not shapes.

And with my approach, you can build that same foundation—without spending years lost in theory books or overwhelmed by YouTube lessons.

The Problem That Keeps Guitarists Stuck... And How To Fix It

As powerful as knowing inversions and voicings is, 99% of guitarists will never sound musical with them.

Because here's the problem: most guitarists today still memorize shapes without understanding what they're hearing.

They spend hours drilling chord forms, obsessing over finger positions, trying to remember which fret and which string.

That's where my method changes everything.

Over the past 20 years, I've developed a simple approach that cuts through all the confusion and shows you exactly how to hear what you're playing—the foundation that makes everything else possible.

What's the secret?

I've stripped down jazz harmony to its most essential elements—understanding the four main chord colors and how inversions connect them smoothly.

And here's the real breakthrough: you don't need to be glued to theory books or spend years memorizing hundreds of shapes to understand this.

With my approach, you'll grasp these concepts in weeks, not years—giving you the foundation that serious players build on.

This isn't just abstract theory. It's a battle-tested approach that works whether you're playing jazz standards, gospel, R&B, or even neo-soul.

And the best part? Anyone can learn it.

If you can hear the difference between a major chord and a minor chord, then you can learn to hear all four jazz chord colors.

If you can play a basic barre chord, then you can learn to build any inversion across the entire fretboard.

If you can strum through a song, then you can learn the foundation of sophisticated jazz comping.

Now, understanding this system and developing the fluency to use it effortlessly in real musical situations—those are two different things.

This course focuses on the first part: giving you the understanding. The crystal-clear foundation that makes consistent practice actually productive instead of just grinding through exercises that don't transfer.

Because here's what I've learned teaching thousands of students: trying to develop fluency without understanding is like trying to build a house on sand. It doesn't matter how much you practice if you don't understand what you're practicing.

Here's How This Understanding Changes Everything

Before I show you how this foundation can transform your playing, let me take you back to a moment that changed everything for one of my students...

Mark sat in his car outside the jazz club for fifteen minutes.

He'd driven here three times in the past year and turned around every time. Too scared. Too much anxiety about being exposed as the fraud he felt like.

He'd been playing guitar for twelve years. He knew plenty of chords. He could play at home just fine.

But jazz sessions? That was a different world. Those guys could comp through anything, make every chord sound smooth and connected, respond to what the other players were doing in real time.

Mark couldn't do that. He'd memorized shapes, sure. But when things got real—when someone called a tune he didn't know, or played in a weird key, or the changes moved faster than he expected—he froze.

But something had changed in the past few weeks. He'd finally started to understand what he'd been playing all these years. Not just memorizing—actually hearing how it all connected.

He walked in.

The bandleader called a tune. Mark didn't even know it.

Old Mark would've panicked. Would've sat it out, or faked his way through with safe whole notes while praying nobody noticed.

But this time... he listened to the bass player state the changes. And something happened that had never happened before.

He heard it. Not just the notes—he heard the colors, the movement, the relationships. And suddenly, for the first time, the fretboard made sense. He wasn't searching for shapes. He wasn't guessing. He understood what was happening.

His hands moved. Not perfectly—he still fumbled some voicings, still had to think through certain transitions. But for the first time in twelve years, he wasn't playing blind.

When the tune ended, Mark sat there stunned.

He texted me later: "Something clicked tonight. I finally understood what I was hearing. I still have a long way to go, but for the first time, I feel like I'm on the right path."

That's what understanding does. It doesn't make you instantly fluent—that takes consistent practice and feedback. But it gives you the foundation. The clarity. The roadmap that makes practice actually productive instead of just grinding exercises.

Six months later, after working with me directly on applying that understanding, Mark plays in two regular jazz groups. He gets called for gigs. Other musicians want to play with him.

But it all started with finally understanding the system.

What Makes This Approach Different From Everything Else

Now, I've already mentioned understanding chord colors and inversions, but let me dive deeper into what really makes this approach stand out—why this is different from what you've tried before.

Most courses teach you shapes and hope you figure out the rest.

They dump voicings on you. "Here's 47 different ways to play Cmaj7. Memorize them."

Then they move on to the next chord. And the next. And the next.

By the time you've "learned" all these shapes, you can't remember half of them. And the ones you do remember? You have no idea when to use them or why they work.

What I've done is completely different.

I've stripped it down to the exact system that lets you hear any chord and understand every way to voice it—without memorizing a single shape.

Instead of memorizing, you understand.

Instead of searching blindly, you see the logic.

Instead of hoping you remember the right voicing, you understand how to build it based on what you're hearing and what the music needs.

This is what separates players who stay stuck from players who progress.

And once you have this understanding, everything else becomes possible.

Why This Understanding Is The Foundation For Everything

Here's why this is so powerful:

Understanding the colors tells you exactly what you're hearing—so you're not guessing at chord types or searching through shapes hoping one of them is right.

Understanding inversions tells you exactly how to voice it—so you can see smooth, connected progressions that flow instead of jump.

Most guitarists wait too long to develop their ears, relying on visual memorization and missing the sound entirely.

Or they understand theory intellectually but can't connect it to their fingers.

But when you integrate both—when you can hear what's happening AND understand how to voice it on the fretboard—you have the foundation that makes consistent practice actually productive.

You're not translating anymore. You're not searching randomly. You're not second-guessing.

You understand what you're doing. And that understanding makes all the difference.

Now, here's the truth: understanding the system and developing fluency are two different stages.

This course gives you the understanding—the clarity that makes practice actually work instead of just grinding exercises that don't transfer to real music.

Once you have that foundation solid, you can build fluency through consistent practice. And if you want direct feedback and guided practice to develop that fluency faster, that's something I offer separately through my cohort programs.

But first, you need to understand what you're actually practicing. That's what this course gives you.

How This Understanding Works In Any Musical Situation

Here's the best part: this understanding works everywhere.

It doesn't matter if you're playing jazz standards, gospel, R&B, or neo-soul.

It doesn't matter if someone calls a tune in C or Eb or F#.

It doesn't matter if you're comping behind a soloist, playing solo guitar, or arranging a melody.

Once you understand the colors and inversions, you can navigate any harmonic situation with clarity.

I had a student—let's call him David—who went through this course specifically for jazz.

But three weeks in, he texted me: "I just used this at church. For the first time, I actually understood what I was playing instead of just running through chord shapes. The music director noticed something different."

That's the power of understanding instead of memorizing.

The shapes you memorized only work in specific situations.

But when you understand the system, that foundation applies everywhere.

Another student, Sarah, went from struggling to make sense of basic II-V-I progressions to understanding the logic behind "Giant Steps" in four months.

Not because she memorized every voicing for every chord.

Because she could finally hear what was happening and understand how the voicings connected.

She still needed to develop the fluency to comp through it effortlessly—that took more practice and feedback. But the breakthrough was finally understanding it instead of just blindly copying shapes.

This isn't luck. It's not talent. It's not "natural musicality."

It's about understanding the system. And once you understand it, you can build on it.

What This Understanding Makes Possible

Let me paint you a picture of what changes when you finally understand this system...

You're working through a standard you love at home. For the first time, you actually hear how every chord connects. You understand why that voicing works there. You can finally see the logic behind what you've been fumbling through for years.

Your practice time has direction now. You're not grinding random exercises hoping they'll somehow transfer to real music. You understand what you're practicing and why it matters.

When you hear jazz players comp through changes, you're not just mystified anymore. You understand what they're doing. You can see the inversions, hear the voice-leading, recognize the colors.

That clarity changes everything.

You sit down to work on a II-V-I progression, and instead of searching for shapes you memorized six months ago, you understand how to build the voicings. You see the options. You know why one choice creates smooth motion while another creates a jump.

Does this mean you're instantly fluent? No. Understanding and fluency are different things.

But here's what it does mean: your practice finally has a roadmap. You know what you're working toward. You can hear when you're getting it right and when you're not.

When you work on a tune, you're not just hoping you remember the right shapes—you understand what's happening harmonically and can build the voicings you need.

That's the foundation. That's what understanding gives you.

And once you have that foundation? Then you can build fluency through consistent practice. Then you can develop the effortless execution that comes from repetition with feedback. Then you can walk into jam sessions with real confidence.

But it all starts with understanding the system. Without that, you're just grinding blindly, hoping something sticks.

This course gives you the understanding. The clarity. The foundation that makes everything else possible.