Jerry Bergonzi's Pentatonics?

[Perdido]

Greetings, all. I'm contemplating taking a ten-week Zoom class from the California Jazz Conservatory on improvising with pentatonics. The instructor (a tenor player) plans on using Jerry Bergonzi's book "Inside Improvisation Series, Vol. 2: Pentatonics" (Inside Improvisation Series, Vol. 2: Pentatonics: Book & CD). Has anyone used this book or had any experience with the material it contains? I'm most curious, and would be grateful for any reviews, opinions, etc. (The pentatonics class is not guitar-based.) Thanks.

[FwLineberry]

What do you want to know about the book?

I have the book, but I haven't worked through the material, yet. I can answer questions on content, though.

Perhaps somebody else will come along who has a little more first-hand knowledge.

.

[Alter]

It's a great book, although it has a lot of stuff played on many different keys, which makes more sense for a horn or keyboard player, and less for a guitarist. But lots of stuff to learn, like most of the excellent Bergonzi books.

[kris]

Great book and CD with playalongs tunes.
Great for guitarist...There are a lot exercises and it can be easy adop for guitar.

[Dana]

I have all of Jerry's books and have done a bit of study on them.

MyMusicMasterClass offers a video course on Jerry's pentatonics. Worth checking out IMO.

[Djang]

A zoom class on Pentatonics and using Bergonzi’s book. That’s a great combo!

I struggled with the book, got tired of it, then returned to it every now and then. Got a lot of stuff from the book, but having a teacher guide you further is certainly a good idea.

some of the stuff in his book sounds so weird when you’re practicing, hearing someone play the examples well, will surely help.

[Perdido]

Thanks, folks! I appreciate the feedback, which certainly is propelling me towards the decision to take the class and buy the book.

[jazzereh]

I would echo the above comments about the great value in this book as with all of Bergonzi's books. Can't, however, comment about the direct use on guitar since I'm a sax player and have frequently gone back over the years and used the book for practice. I would imagine, as noted above that the general info would be great for guitar as for most any instrument.

[marcwhy]

I have several of Jerry's books, and they are all full of interesting, deep ideas! Taking a class, vs. studying on your own, is one way to keep yourself accountable for pushing through. If the price is right, go for it!

[For guitar-specific pentatonic stuff, I recommend Steve Khan's book!]

[Perdido]

Thanks, Marc. The class price is not inexpensive, but it still breaks down to about half of what I'd pay for an individual lesson (not that I would take weekly lessons necessarily). But you're absolutely correct about the class imparting the necessary impetus, which for me, as the commercial says: priceless. And I've enjoyed my brief email interactions with the instructor (tenor man Tony Peebles, one of the founders of the Grammy-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra), so I believe I'll go for it.

[matcarsa]

If you play the pentatonic in a blues style, studying this book will make you completly reconsider the scale. Using new fingerings and pattern but more importantly finding new areas to play it against the chords, depending what colors you're after. I have Bruce Saunders' Jazz Pentatonics waiting on my shelf for a while. If it's different from JB book, great, if not I'll have pushed the nail a bit further.

Envoyé de mon SM-G930F en utilisant Tapatalk

[wolflen]

Greetings, all. I'm contemplating taking a ten-week Zoom class from the California Jazz Conservatory on improvising with pentatonics. The instructor (a tenor player) plans on using Jerry Bergonzi's book "Inside Improvisation Series, Vol. 2: Pentatonics" (Inside Improvisation Series, Vol. 2: Pentatonics: Book & CD). Has anyone used this book or had any experience with the material it contains? I'm most curious, and would be grateful for any reviews, opinions, etc. (The pentatonics class is not guitar-based.) Thanks.

Bergonzis material and approach to playing is a great study in improvisation..for ALL instruments..its music..not an instrument...

Bobby Stern who also posts his lessons on this forum he is a sax player..but his exercises apply very well to guitar..and some are super hip..

In reviewing just the sample exercises in the link you provided..there are some minor 6th lines that open up some great ideas..in the text it
shows what chords you can use these lines over..consider the minor 6th pent scale (Cmi6) is already good for Fdom9.and .B7b9#5 and Ami7b5 and others
and it shows what other chords it may be good over..one being the Db7#5 (Db aug ) which could use mixed elements of the mi6 and of the Db.. F and A augmented scales and the six embedded chords that can produce implied harmonic/melodic movement ..and that is just ONE idea...

so yes take the course..and listen to some of Bergonzis playing and other sax players..there are alot of very cool lines just waiting for a guitar to play them...