Masterclass Volume I: Remasterclassed

In this first masterclass, Kurt will share stories about how he began playing guitar, as well as snippets from his life on the road. He’ll play through some of his own compositions, as well as Mark Turner's composition "Casa Oscura" and share his compositional thought processes, while playing through sections of the pieces. Kurt also shares pieces of his warm-up routine, and dives deep into his own investigations of the major and melodic minor scales. He covers major scale positions/modes, mixing scales and switching keys, throwing hand movements, and using intervals to voice chords through various scales. As Kurt himself says in the masterclass, “when you investigate basic things, music comes out.” Kurt will also take you through his signal chain and show viewers exactly how to replicate his famous sustaining horn-like lead guitar tone, which is one of the most idiosyncratic guitar tones in all of modern music. 

Masterclass Volume II: Strategies for Composition

In the second masterclass, Kurt takes viewers through an inspired three hour lecture, sharing the stories of how thirteen of his own compositions came to life. From a poignant moment Kurt experienced in college watching elderly people on the other side of street in “Dream of the Old”, the poetry of the New York skyline from a view of a subway car in “East Coast Love Affair”, studying and applying John Coltrane’s compositional methods in “Cubism”, or using the studio as a conduit for improvisation in “The Blue Line”, Kurt demonstrates that creativity is a limitless horizon, and if you seek inspiration out, you’ll find it everywhere you are. Exercises will be shown that give viewers practical tips on how to build on initial compositional ideas, break out of habits, and explore new musical terrain. Along the way Kurt will trace his own investigation of the music of other artists and discuss how they inspired his own compositions. Maybe most importantly, he’ll show viewers how to listen to themselves by tapping into the well of their own experiences, and using them to generate new musical paths to explore.

Masterclass Volume III: Guitar Technique and Improvisation

Kurt Rosenwinkel’s impeccable technique and improvisation skills have earned him a reputation as one of the finest guitarists of his generation. But of course, the power of his music does not lie in sheer virtuosic mechanics. Underneath the pyrotechnics of Rosenwinkel’s playing is a deep presence that helps him engage spiritually with music. In this third masterclass, Kurt will discuss and demonstrate many different aspects of his own technical practice and share exercises he uses to navigate the fretboard, including the circle of fifths, scale combinations, arpeggios, legato techniques, slides, and hand throws. He’ll also discuss ways that we can be more physically relaxed, spiritually receptive, and emotionally present when they play the guitar. He reminds us all that practicing the guitar is not just a technical or academic pursuit. It is how we live our lives with our guitars in our hands. 

Written and performed by Kurt Rosenwinkel
Produced and designed by Skylee Jeffrey Rosenwinkel
Post-edited by Michaela Bóková