Sheryl Bailey - Teaching


Professor Sheryl Bailey, Assistant Chair of Guitar, Berklee College of Music
"I came from a family of professional musicians and we all had to study the piano. Maybe it was because I was rebellious, but I wanted to play the guitar instead of the piano. I think it was because you could play rock music on the guitar. So I had studied piano and trumpet as a kid, but when I got the guitar, that's when I got really serious about music. "[The guitar] is loud. It's a contemporary instrument. The electric guitar, which is mostly what I play, to me it's a contemporary sound. It's a voice, and it seemed like the voice that expressed me the best. There are so many things you can do with the guitar, whether you want to play straight jazz, or you want to be a singer songwriter, or a composer, or a film scorer. You can get a good background in harmony, melody, and rhythm from studying guitar. It's in many ways a complete instrument. "I try to make my teaching as practical and as based in the real world as possible. Because I do perform and I tour a lot, and record, I try to bring that experience to my students, to tell them this is what you really need to know to go out there and do it, and be successful. "The ideals of being professional-being prepared, being on time, having a good attitude, being someone who's friendly and easy to work with-sometimes is as important about getting the gig as anything. Because there are so many great players, the more that you're prepared and the more that you're a good person to work with, you're going to move to the top of the list of people to call. "For me, what's important is that the material that we're dealing with in class is practical to what a real musician has to deal with. It's about developing the skills that you're really going to need to make you successful. Those are the skills that I learned at Berklee, too. I think that's what's awesome about Berklee: You get to study with people who are really out there doing it, and to learn from that experience." - B.M., Berklee College of Music - Guitarist - Band leader of the Sheryl Bailey Three, featuring drummer Ian Froman and organist Gary Versace - Performances with Howard Alden, Rob Bargad, Richard Bona, Irene Cara, KJ Denhert, Dena Derose, George Garzone, Gary Grainger, Jazz Guitars Meet Hendrix, David Krakauer, John Pisano, Gary Thomas, and Jack Wilkins - Recordings include solo albums A New Promise, Live in NYC, Live @ the Fat Cat, The Power of Three, Bull's Eye!, Reunion of Souls, and Little Misunderstood; and Bubbemeises, Krakauer Live in Krakow (David Krakauer), Munia: The Tale (Richard Bona), and Destiny (Gary Portnoy) - Featured in Just Jazz Guitar (February 2003) and Guitar Player magazine (August 1999) - Finalist, 1995 Thelonious Monk Competition
Bebop Essentials: Etudes This project presents 10 etudes on some of the fundamental jazz standards to explore modern harmonic concepts through chord solos and single note solos. It's presented in standard and tablature notation so players from all backgrounds can join in. There are rhythm section play alongs with the great Joe Strasser on drums and Andy McKee on bass, so you can really get the feel of the music too! Explore
Giant Steps — From Small to Giant Steps A comprehensive study of the John Coltrane masterpiece, this class explores the origins of the harmonic structure of Giant Steps through a comprehensive look at the Augmented Scale, the 3 Tonic System, Re-harmonizing II V I's with 3 Tonic Systems, analysis of 3 Tonic compositions and presents the essential tools to get started putting this knowledge to work for you on the fretboard. This class includes several PDF studies in traditional and tablature notation. Explore
NYC Jazz Guitar Summit — Harmonic & Improvisational Insight from 16 Jazz Masters You've studied diligently all year, worked your fingers to the bone and completed all of your assignments on a timely basis. It's time for something a little different. And you deserve a treat for all that hard work. So pack a toothbrush, put on comfortable clothes, grab a couple sets of strings and lock yourself in the shed — you're going to camp out for a while at the NYC Jazz Guitar Summit with 16 top-notch artists and educators. Explore
50 Essential Bebop Guitar Licks You Must Know Introductory Bonus! Save 10 percent Off with Promo Code "BEBOP10" 820 different languages and dialects are spoken in Papua New Guinea. Travel there might require a suitcase full of phrasebooks just to book a hotel and order a meal. Fortunately, the language of jazz improvisation has far fewer dialects but you still have to pick one and learn its vocabulary, grammar and phonology — aka licks, harmony and sonic qualities. Whatever style of jazz improvisation you aspire to master, bebop is an essential rite of passage and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better travel guide than Sheryl Bailey's 50 Essential Bebop Licks You MUST Know. Explore
Bebop Dojo Essentials Introductory Bonus! Save 10 percent Off with Promo Code "DOJO10" Bebop is the native language of improvisation and Sheryl Bailey's Bebop Dojo: Essentials is the "place of the way" — an accelerated, intuitive learning experience designed to impart essential Bebop skills, techniques, insight and improvisational methods. Explore
Study Privately with Sheryl Bailey in her Online Classroom Top recording artist, educator, composer and jazz guitarist Sheryl Bailey is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, is on the faculty The Collective in New York City, and has many educational publications to her credit. Enroll in her online classroom for personalized instruction! Explore
Mike's Master Classes Live online master classes — It's a revolutionary way to learn with today's jazz greats! Explore Just Jazz Guitar Review
Jazz Moveable Shapes: Concepts for Reharmonizing II-V-I's This book offers an easily learned method that will quickly move the student from intermediate into advanced harmonic territory, adding richness, texture and uniqueness to the improvisational approach. The concept starts with common elements of basic diatonic harmony and 'moves' them in ways that gradually increase the harmonic complexity of their application. Students will greatly expand chord vocabulary and add considerable interest and depth to improvisations. This method provides a simple approach to making the use of alterations and extensions a natural part of any player's harmonic vocabulary. Explore
Master Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos Learn the music of today's jazz guitar greats. Beautifully presented here is the music of some of today's most influential jazz guitarists, all offered in standard notation and TAB. These solos from Corey Christiansen, Larry Koonse, Bruce Saunders, Bruce Arnold, Anthony Wilson, Mark Boling, Sheryl Bailey, Vic Juris, John Stowell and Steve Cardenas are all accompanied by a recording of each performance; a wonderful addition to any serious jazz guitarists' repertoire. Explore
Now featuring exclusive Skype Lessons with Sheryl. If you live or are visiting the NYC area and would like to study with me, please contact me here and we can discuss your goals and find a time to meet. But if you are not able to travel to NYC you can still study with me from your home computer via SKYPE from anywhere in the world! I have students in Australia, Canada, and Europe who have taken lessons over the internet via SKYPE. You can download SKYPE for free here. Most students record the lesson either through their web cam or this free software Call Recorder. Teaching subjects include: Harmony, Ear Training, Technique, Chord Voicing, Rhythmic Development. We can work together to plan a lesson that will meet your goals! Click here to purchase Skype Lesons