CGA 5-Star Testimonials ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Hear from our CGA members direct!
What CGA members say, in their own words
42 members of Chase's Guitar Academy shared their experience. Here is what each of them said, written out. The full videos are in the wall above.
Matt Drummond (Member for 1.5 years)
I think I learned more in the first four weeks than I had in four decades of playing. It really is like a Rosetta Stone for unlocking the language of jazz.
From Matt's video: Hi, my name is Matt Drummond. I'm here to tell you that Chase's Guitar Academy is amazing. It's literally pulled back the veil on the whole jazz genre for me, and I think I learned more in the first four weeks than I had in four decades of playing. It really is like a Rosetta stone for unlocking the language of jazz. And it takes the classic standards that we all know and love and arranges them in a way I've not seen before, whereby it actually takes each tune and builds upon the last so that you end up with a really, really deep understanding of the harmony. And unlike other courses or systems whereby you'll learn a bunch of licks and you'll learn a bunch of progressions that you might forget ten tunes down the track, this one actually builds on the fundamentals of each so that you get a really, really deep understanding of things. I can say, honestly, do yourself a favor, and I know a lot of people say that in these kind of testimonials, but honestly, do yourself a favor, sign up to the course and put in the work. And believe me, there's a lot of work here to put in. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, because it caters for beginners and gets you into the sound of jazz and playing those sounds really, really quickly, or if you're a wannabe like I've been for quite some time, it gets you in there and really starts to fill in the gaps for you. Very. I'm now seeing things come out in my playing that are, quite frankly, just exciting. I'm really loving it and I cannot recommend it enough.
Watch Matt's video testimonial
Robert Blake (Member for 6 months)
His videos are super clear. He doesn't play gratuitously just to impress you — he's always trying to teach you something.
Hi everyone i want to put a word in for Chase Guitar Academy. I joined about a year ago and it's in changed my entire approach to learning jazz guitar. I've learned more in one year than the five previous years or maybe more all put together so why well I'm a language teacher originally and learning jazz guitar is like learning a language you need to do a little bit each day you have to keep adding layers to what you know and then it starts to have a multiplier effect and that's the kind of discipline that chase gives you each day gives you something to do and you can take advantage of it by practicing 10 minutes 15 minutes or an hour or more uh it's what you put in but he's got it organized so that it keeps you moving each day you're learning something new and you keep moving along and that's the secret uh to learning jazz guitar probably the secret to learning anything so what does he offer you with the the Chase Guitar Academy well there's multiple courses some of them deal with rhythm comping improvising uh there's just a whole long list um all of these lessons are accompanied uh by videos sometimes short sometimes an hour worth uh they're in-person Zoom lessons they can be individual they can be group uh there are PDFs for everything so if like me I'm a a visual learner I need to see the notes I need to see the tab he's got PDFs for everything then he invites guest master class uh speakers to come in and give you their perspective on learning jazz guitar and then he has office hours uh his ask me anything office hours uh regularly uh each month so nobody's putting out a course online like Chase i know because I've I've gone through and there's several really good online guitar teachers but nobody like Chase and for an incredibly reasonable price it's ridiculous in addition to that he's a really neat person he's got a great personal attitude he's a natural teacher really it's a it's a no-brainer what more do you want sign them today and start improving your jazz guitar at whatever level and have fun like Chase is doing with everybody and supporting everybody so thank you very much hope to see you in the Chase Guitar Academy.
Chase Maddox has made such a difference in how I play music...His videos are super clear...he's always generous and practically gives away his stuff.
Watch Robert's video testimonial
Fred K.
Instead of being afraid of searching for the next note — like stepping on a minefield — I'm listening for and playing the next tone, which gives me a feeling of self-assurance.
The period before joining CGA, I had a musical blind spot. Everything I was playing on the guitar was copied as I sang along to the songs. Now after a year, instead of being afraid of searching the next note like stepping on a minefield, I am looking to hear and play the next tone which gives me a feeling of self-assurance. Instead of repeating like a parrot, I now feel as if energy is transforming into sound. I entered Chase's Guitar Academy because the music themes looked structured from beginner to intermediate to advanced. Chase answers your questions 24/7 within hours. You can join live classes each and every week. You have a very supportive community - some of them play better than you and some will play weaker than you, but you will learn from both of them. Watching clips on YouTube is exciting. I have downloaded dozens and dozens of them, and I've hardly watched a video a second time. Supporting guitarists on Patreon didn't make it any better, at least not for me. I entered Chase's Guitar Academy because the music themes looked structured. If you want to play guitar in a more structured way, if you have the time, join Chase's Guitar Academy and you'll see you will improve.
Watch Fred's video testimonial
Julien T.
I started a year ago as a total beginner. It's a really great place to start — and as I'm improving, there's always content for my level.
From Julien's video: Hello, I'm Julian and I just wanted to share with you my experience on cga. I started a year ago. I was a total beginner on guitar especially. Especially just guitar. I was the best player but never really played guitar before. And in one year I went from struggling to play with a pick and to play one chord after another, to change different kind of voices to come to comp. Just simply basically on the tune to being comfortable with improvising, with comping with drop two, drop three and some other kind of forces. It's a really great place to start as a beginner, but not only because as I'm improving, there's always some content for my level. And one great thing about CG is that there is a big community. And with chess there's always a way to assess my current ability to play and to understand anything. And so I always know what I have to work on to keep improving. So that's a really great experience for me. Also there are great teachers that doing master class like Corey Christensen and Tim Fitzgerald and some others. So there's always great sources of knowledge to. To learn new things, to always have something to do. Some always having something to work on and always being able to assess where am I in my path on being a better chess guitar player. So thank you, Chase, for all the work you're doing, especially the fact that you're always improving. You're always bringing new content, new form of learning, new way to present the curriculum, which is already great. So I'm very thankful for that. And so if you hesitate to join cga, just don't just try do the free trial and I'm sure you'll be very impressed with how it's going on in there. Bye.
Watch Julien's video testimonial
This member received a membership discount for recording a testimonial.
Bill Evelyn
I've been playing since I was a teenager and I've always tried to learn jazz. I've tried many different methods, websites, etc. I really haven't had much luck. Right. I did find some of chase's videos on YouTube and I really enjoyed his approach. So I thought I'd try a month in the academy, but given my history, I was kind of skeptical. All it took was a couple of weeks in that academy and I was completely hooked. It's not only learning foundations, but I was also playing music. I've learned so much from the other members in the community. Level of interaction, super helpful in accelerating learning, and I finally am making the progress that I'd hoped for. Can't say enough good things about this.
I found Chase's videos on YouTube, and since I've joined the Academy, I can tell you I'm making all kinds of progress. And finally, I'm actually starting to feel comfortable improvising on top of a whole range of changes and with different techniques. So thanks to the Academy and the community, it's been a real game changer for me.
Since I joined the academy, I'm finally making consistent progress. I've got a road map to follow, and I know what to practice each time I sit down with my guitar. And gives me the luxury of actually, you know, being on a guided journey and getting feedback from others. So I'm actually able to play through, you know, a bunch of different jazz standards now, and I've got improvisation techniques and ideas for those standards. I'm very excited to sort of grow my skills in this community. And if you're thinking about cga, I can tell you right now you're going to get better a lot more quickly in that network, in that community, than you will on your own.
Watch Bill's video testimonial
Michael S.
I have studied online a lot — ArtistWorks, Mike's Masterclasses, JazzWire. These are great sites, but Chase's is more interactive, and it's all about the guitar. It has improved my playing considerably.
From Michael's video: Good morning. My name is Michael. I'm out here in California and I'm a jazz guitar player. I've been playing jazz many years and had the good fortune of going through some YouTube university stuff. And I happened upon Chase's site and I watched quite a few of his studies and I realized that this young fella had a lot going on. Not only could he play, but but he had this other quality that he could actually teach with a high degree of clarity and for sure a direction of purpose. And when it came about that he was going to start this community and make a go of it as a young entrepreneur, young master guitar player, I said, why not give this fellow an opportunity? So I became one of the first signup, one of the first people to sign up. Now, I have studied online a lot, from artist works, John Petitucci, Brian Sutton, to Mike's masterclasses to Jaz Wire and all, these are great sites, no question about it. What does it mean to be part of the jazz community that Chase has is that it's more interactive than the other sites in general, except for Jazzwire. I would say that Jazzwire and Chase's site are very comparable, but unlike Jazwire, this is very guitar oriented. As a matter of fact, that's what it's all about. It's how you play this wooden box. And for that I have to give Chase a lot of credit. Number one, he's young enough that he has the technology completely down. Number two, he's really accessible. This young man is completely accessible to any of your questions. And I'm sure anybody that's on his site realizes that quickly. Now, there's a vast amount of material there, and navigating through it is always going to be a challenge regardless of what site you go to. But he has it organized in such a way that once you get the hang of it, it's pretty impressive. So I think if you are serious about learning jazz guitar specifically, I would give this young fellow a shot, take a couple of pennies out of your pocketbook and sign up at least for a month and see what's going on. It has improved my playing considerably. And like I say, I play a couple hours every day with direct purpose of study. And I fully, fully endorse Chase. He's a humble, sincere, good human being, number one. And number two, he's genuine. And number three, he can teach. Number four, this cat can burn. So with that, wish you all the best and adios.
Watch Michael's video testimonial
Erwin S
I never feel like 'I want to play but I don't know what to practice' anymore. Even if I only have 5 to 10 minutes to grab the guitar, I can look at the curriculum and have something that's moving me forward.
From Erwin's video: Hi, my, my name is Erwin. I'm from the Netherlands. I live in Rotterdam. And it's my pleasure to give a little bit of my personal experience with Chase's Guitar Academy. It's been two years already, time flies. And after a long history with all kinds of music teachers and getting lost, distracted on, on, on YouTube and trying to find ways to improve my guitar playing, I subscribed for Chase's Guitar Academy. Even though I don't particularly like jazz music, to be really honest, and it's even, even now, it's not really my ambition to be a better jazz music player. Although the system that Chase is providing is it's very organized, it's super structured. There's so many opportunities to attend live classes, multiple chances every week, and then there's in those classes and also around it, a lot of possibilities to interact with your peers and fellow guitar players on all different kinds of levels. Um, but even though the structure of the whole thing is probably the thing that I was looking for most where you can when it's. It's structured in a way in difficulty, but as well as it's completely laid out where you are and what's coming next, where you're heading. So yeah, the organization and always knowing exactly what to do for me with I guess a limited time to play is super helpful. I never feel like I want to play, but I don't know what to play and I don't know what to practice. That's definitely something from the past. I always feel like, okay, even if I only have five to 10 minutes to grab the guitar, then I can just look on the sort of curriculum and have something to do which is helping me move forward. So that's definitely been the most beneficial and something why I keep coming back to this academy. And then there's Chase himself. So like I mentioned before, I've seen a lot of teachers. Through playing different instruments in the past. But Chase is not only always asking for feedback, he is continuously using feedback and continuously has been adapting, improving, trying to make everything work and fit for the community. And it's been a pleasure to be part of it and also a huge pleasure to see how he's been evolving and always trying to help everybody. And my personal experience with him is even with the huge time difference, he seems to always be available. Doesn't really matter what kind of question you ask him. He's very quick to respond and very elaborate and sincerely interested in his students progress and finding ways to help us develop even further in whatever direction we want to go. So it's already been two years. I have improved more than I could have imagined, and sometimes I even have to stop and look back a little bit to actually see how much I have improved. So it's been a really fun ride. And he mentions a ninja mindset and master mindset every now and then. And it's definitely something for me personally to keep doing for the long run and just continue developing and having fun with the community. So, yeah, that's my experience. Thank you for taking the time.
Watch Erwin's video testimonial
Lee King
Within one day of being a member on the chase guitar academy I knew I had made for me the best possible musical decision I had ever made!
I had tried a few other courses, but they always left me uncertain of what I was doing and always ended up playing or trying to play the same old pentatonic patterns and shapes. But, with a few days on the cga website I began to play melodies and work through my first ever standard, autumn leaves. I just wish I had found out about chase and his site sooner!
The site is a dedicated route to learning jazz and music theory/practical application, within a few days I sounded musical and the smile in my face hasn't left since!
This member received a membership discount for recording a testimonial.
Steven Branstetter
Hi, my name is Steven Brandstetter, and I want to let everyone know this has finally given me the opportunity to start learning correctly. My main focus is I want to learn how to play like Wes Montgomery. Yes, I understand it's quite a feat to take on, but with this course, it allows me to start the process, which I've been searching for years and years. And the library of information here is vast, and it is amazing. And unlike thousands of other people on YouTube saying, you got to do this and this, and I didn't get the honesty. But with this course and the school, I felt everything was focused on the players, getting the players to be able to improve at their own pace, which was great. And one can go and travel, and the way that it's broken down into, like, sections, you have to take a test to see where you would start. And that is the key, because with me, the problem has been I've always tried to go on step five and skip steps four and two and three. But with the evaluation, Chase allows you to say, okay, I think you should start here. And it's simple, and it's. And the video instruction that you can rewind and go at your own pace and is the key. And the discussion on Wes Montgomery was just like, I was so excited because it allowed me to take it in and not skip and understand what Wes was doing and how I can get to there, not in one day or two days, but over time. And Chase's commitment to each person, I feel, is priceless. I mean, he really wants each person to improve, and that's why I'm recommending this course.
So what was it like to getting started? Well, it was perfect because I had to take a proficiency test, answer some questions, and Chase said, okay, you should start here. And it was spot on. And that, to me, is the key. Many instructors allow you to start wherever you think you want to start, which you shouldn't start where you think you should want to start. And with Chase and having the evaluation, he puts you in exactly where you need to be. And that was the key for me.
How is it being a part of the community helped me? I would say that it's very supportive. I mean, and also what I think is being able to see other players at different levels practice because we are encouraged to upload our videos of what we're trying to learn. That is also comforting as well.
Watch Steven's video testimonial
Rich Malloy (Member for 1+ year)
Hi, my name is Rich. I've been a member of Chase's guitar Academy for two years and it's the best decision I've ever made in terms of learning guitar. I bought a lot of books, had a lot of lessons, really struggled. But the curriculum that Chase Maddox, the owner and teacher has made has actually gotten me to a point where I feel confident about my playing. Go over a tune, get the melody, get the harmony and even solo, which has always been a real challenge. But Chase has the building blocks, the methodology to get you from zero to wherever you want to go. Chase is a professional guitarist. He's played for many years. He's also a very skilled teacher and he cares about if you learn and what you get out of the academy. He's always surveying us. What can we help you with? What works better, what doesn't. So he's got a system that has managed to help a lot of us and we have a group, there's several of us that get together and play. We get together and play online. That's a feature you could do here. You're going to hear professional guitarists who are. Will blow you away, that you get to learn from and have lessons from. And you're going to get a lot of feedback, not only from Chase, when you take lessons from him because you can get individual lessons as well. And most of the lessons are group and they're great because it's interactive and if you missed the lesson, don't worry, it's recorded, you can go back and watch it. So if you have a busy life, you can always find time to fit it in. And the final thing, I mean the amount of material that Chase has created would, would squash all of the books I bought over the years. He has put it in a very easy to understand format where you have notation and you have tab and it's step wise as you learn each, each phase of the learning process from again from beginner to however far you want to go. So I, I'm staying here. This is, this is a good place to be if you're struggling. Do the free trial. You'll like it. Check out the website, see the material, go to a class, can't beat it. So thanks for listening. We hope to see you soon. Thanks, bye.
Hi, my name is Rich Malloy. I'd like to say a few things about Chase's Guitar Academy. I've been a member for over a year and a half. It's been the best investment I've ever made in learning jazz guitar.
What I would recommend to people is that if you come here, you will have all kinds of material to work on. You'll have an instructor in Chase Maddox who is just the ultimate professional, great player, and a great person to work with. He really knows how to treat people well and give them the help they need. He responds to all of our needs and is constantly adjusting the curriculum in order to adapt to all the students' needs.
So if you want to learn how to play and you see all these things wherever they might be—YouTube or whatever—you should try this. You will be happy. I do the annual membership which adds a great benefit: we get to have professional guitarists come in from all over. Some of them you may know, some of them you may not, but you will enjoy it. They give us a great lesson every time and you get to ask them questions. It's an interactive online school that can't be beat.
I would do it again and I'll be here for a long time as long as I'm around. Thanks for listening. I hope you check it out.
I was watching Chase regularly and thought well, I'll join his academy...I thought if it doesn't work out I can leave, but I'm here a year later and I plan on staying.
Before I started, my biggest challenge, my terrifying moments were when I had to solo playing with somebody or even with a little group. Looking around online, there's lots of teachers. I've had other teachers. It took a while, but a few months ago we learned stuff and then we practiced them and we posted videos online. There were a couple tunes that I soloed over like Cantaloupe Island and Kind of Blue, and I felt pretty good about it - I'd listen back and go 'I can do this.' Chase's Guitar Academy is a virtual library of written material, recorded material, ideas, and one of the big bonuses is couple three times a month you get a master class with some of the greatest players. I'm going to continue to do this for a while, and I'm going to get back on the stage.
Watch Rich's video testimonial
Asa
From Asa's video: Hey I'm Asa. I've been playing guitar for over 20 years. What do I love about CGA? I think a few things. One the content is phenomenal. Two the structure and the way that CGA has a lot of different channels and paths for you to move through in a structured way and and then three the community. I think those are all things that really resonate with me and have supported my growth. I've pushed myself to do some of the necessary things that other teachers and systems have kind of let me skip and I've been able to do that because of those three things and I kind of regret not having found CGA sooner. So if you're considering it, definitely take a dive in especially if you're looking for great content. If if you know that structure is something you need to improve and if you feel like you're not really getting in the time or the practice and you need some motivation because the community is awesome.
This member received a membership discount for recording a testimonial.
Dan Baschkopf
I was a professional guitar player for about 30 years, then put the guitar away for another 30. The goal I'd always had was to become a jazz guitar player — and CGA gave me a structured way to reach it.
From Dan's video: Hello, my name is Dan Bashkoff. I was a professional guitar player for about 30 years. Burnt out, put the guitar away for another 30 years, never played a note. And about nine or 10 months ago I decided I really missed it and I wanted to get back into it and work on. The goal I'd always had was to become a jazz guitar player. I bumped into Chase's videos on YouTube and along with many others. But what I liked most about Chases was that when I worked on them, I sounded like I was playing jazz. Not sounded like I was playing a mess of scales and arpeggios that seemed to go nowhere. I wanted to play music again and I thought Chase's method was a good one to get me there. So I signed up for a year. I've been doing it for about three months and I really like the sound that's coming out of my guitar. What I wanted to do and needed to do was to build a lot of facility again because I had lost a lot over 30 years. Chops. Ch. Chops were gone. And there were definitely systematic lessons to help me do that and to start to get my chops back again. But what was most important was that they worked in a way that was musical and got me to play jazz and to sound like I was playing jazz and made me feel good about my playing so that I wanted to keep going with it and get better. The website is very systematic. It's. There's a little test you can take to give you an idea about where you should get started or you can pick and choose and which is what I did. And I feel like I'm getting my facility back again and I'm definitely increase my ability to play over changes, which was my goal. I can. I'm not going to go out and play a gig right now, but I can definitely come up with ideas that on changes that hold together and. And most importantly that make me feel good and that I like listening to. So I think you should give it a try.
Swen
I found Chase‘s Guitar Academy on youtube and joined this program a few months ago. CGA has a unique step by step structure of progressing songs and techniques that simplify learning jazz guitar if you‘re learning on your own and as an adult. It‘s a reliable learning resource and it‘s fun to work with. Additionally you get a learning community with people through all kinds of musical backgrounds, great live classes and a very talented and dedicated teacher!
Scott Kulczyk
Yeah, I found chase on YouTube. Like I said how I. That's how I was learning jazz guitar beforehand and I just thought his program sounded right for me. And I like the fact that there's a structured plan and I think that's why I needed to stay motivated as a structure. One thing I can say is I just, I feel more confident as a player now and again. It's only been a few weeks, but like, I'm a bedroom player. I've really never played in front of people before. Maybe just like a friend, my, my. My wife. That's really it. And the fact that I actually record myself and receive feedback first, like, yeah, the recording myself, like I have to get used to that. But I'm actually already getting used to it now. And it's just getting feedback just actually makes me feel like, okay, I know some things instead of just like, oh, I play at home and no one else hears me play. So that's been great. And I actually know what to work on technique wise and everything too. And just then I put that in my practice routine and just makes me become a better musician.
I think one of the biggest things I've noticed is that I'm more motivated to learn and play. I've been in ruts all like the last 10 years and stuff and I feel like this is helping me get out of one. I'm just more I want to get through the coursework and I just want to improve. I can just see the structuring each step of the way. I can see where I will be in the future, which is just helps keep me motivated, which is great. Yeah. So I consider myself a beginner in jazz guitar and I can tell you that this course, if you're a beginner as well, it won't be too much for you. There's a whole bunch of starting lessons too. Like you can learn the absolute basics on here and then you can just jump into the coursework. And I also can tell that there's so much information here that more advanced players will feel right at home as well.
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Andy
Hi, my name is Andy. I'm from the UK and I've been a member of CGA for about two months now. Really enjoying the content on the site. Chase is really helpful. He's always engaging with the students. There's a, you know, a big, helpful community. Yeah. And it's. I'm working on some blues stuff at the minute, which is something I've always been interested in. Jazz, blues, walking through some Grant Green phrases over some blues standards. Yeah. And I really highly recommend it.
So I've tried various online subscriptions, YouTube videos to try and teach myself jazz guitar, but I always kind of failed, really, you know, not having a clear pathway. It's easy for, you know, I felt it's easy to get lost because there's so much information out there. And I was one of those, you know, guitarists that learn a little phrase here and there of a YouTube video, but never kind of putting it all together. And since working with Chase and, you know, the CGA community, I'm beginning to kind of be able to piece stuff together about bit more coherently, I think. Yeah.
One of the many things I enjoy on CGA is the interaction with Chase, for one. He's always online answering my many questions. And also the community, you know, it's really, really helpful. It's kind of, it's encouraging. We're encouraged to post videos and, you know, it's, it's encouraged not to, not to make them showpieces, you know, just get used to recording a video, warts and all. And, you know, it kind of, it's really encouraging. You know, it's, it's a friendly, inspiring atmosphere and there's guys of all levels, you know. Yeah. Which, you know, there's room for all of us.
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Kevin D.
I already knew a fair bit about jazz guitar before I joined Chase's Guitar Academy, but I wanted to increase the vocabulary that I did know and also learn a lot more of the tunes that I didn't know. And I also joined on seven day free trial and I was pretty much knocked out by what was inside. Not only just Chase, but a whole faculty of other well known guitar teachers that I knew and I thought, wow, this is pretty cool.
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Sebastian Albert
Hello, my name is Sebastian Albert from Hamburg, Germany. I'm a guitar teacher and guitarist. Studied classical guitar, played a lot in rock bands, switched over to from electric bass to electric guitar. And since this transition I am very, very interested in online learning resources, online learning material, online online courses and so on for more than 20 years. I guess right now the main reason why I highly recommend joining the CGA Chase's Guitar Academy is the man himself, Chase Maddox. First of all, he's a really, really well guitar player. Second, he's a really, really good teacher and he has built a very well thought out structure in this CGA. In this academy, there's a clear path and a clear plan how you can learn and how you will learn jazz guitar and get better at jazz guitar and improvisation. There's one point I'd really like to emphasize, and this is these are technical issues. So if you will, because this is something I really found unique and I have seen really a lot of courses online courses by guitar players, also by other instrumentalists like saxophone players. Here I really found a very good system for solving some main technical issues, especially if you want to play jazz bebop in high tempos.
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Shay Omer
I want to recommend Chase Academy. This community is really great and made me, in the short time that I'm there, progressing and keeping up with practicing, because I know that I can share what I'm doing with other people. All the lessons are very understandable and in the right order. If you want to progress in standard, you can go from a simple standard to more complex standard. And you have any category that you would like to have if you want to, if you're interesting, if you're interested in comping or improvisation or anything you like, you can find there.
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Maxime Counet
It's only been a few weeks, but I can already feel that my soloing is more intricate.
From Maxime's video: Hi, my name is Max, I live in Belgium and my first language is French. So really sorry for my poor English. I've been playing guitar for quite some time now and it's quite a common story, I think. I develop proficiency in parts of my playing, but I'm really lacking in basics to understand jazz properly. And I've been a member of Chase's Guitar Academy for only a few weeks now, but I'm already really impressed by its content. First of all, there's so much to learn. There's so much videos about comping, about soloing, arranging materials, solo material, vocabulary, classic patterns. There are some master classes, even some private lessons. So much to learn. But I'm a teacher myself. I do not teach music, but I do teach. And I think the most impressive part in CGA is that plenty is not enough. You need logic when you learn and everything out there is thought of as a part of a whole. Each time you learn specific patterns, vocabulary, and you learn to apply it to songs and you build on that, which is really impressive. It's only been a few weeks, but can already feel that my soloing is more intricate. The way I understand the links between the chords is way better, so that's really nice. The last thing is that I'm only discovering it now, but there's a real sense of community within cga. You are not just merely getting access to a whole bunch of videos, you're actually entering a community. Lots of players, different part of the world, different level of playing, but the same willingness to share, to comment, to help you improve in your playing while discussing clips you can upload. And Chase himself is already also really present, which is really nice, a really nice surprise. So, as I told you, I'm only starting out, but. But I'm looking forward to learning way more.
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David Garcia
You develop your ear towards creating jazz lines. If you're on the fence, I highly suggest you take it — it's money well spent and it'll definitely up your game.
From David's video: Hi, my name is David Garcia and I'm a member of the Chase Guitar Academy community. In school, I had first heard about chase through YouTube, just kind of surfing for jazz improvisational type topics for discussion. And I was really impressed when I stumbled upon Chase's uploads to YouTube where he would explain a theoretical concept and show you how to and would break it down for you and allowed you to then take that and then implement it in your own lines, in your own studies. And Chase takes that kind of conceptual learning model and develops it into way more elaborate and intricate topics. And he does it in such a way where you don't have to abandon necessarily previous jazz knowledge that you've acquired through the years of your studies. He has a strong foundation academically, but more important, he's got real world bandstand experience and the ability to communicate and explain topics that he covers in his class. And you can totally just run with it. And what's nice about it too is he shows you how to learn so that you can develop your own lines on your own, taking these concepts and implementing them in a similar fashion. If you're anything like me, you're always looking for the next topic or the next knowledge item to learn or further enhance your jazz knowledge. And I was always looking like, for a silver bullet, like there's got to be a way that this all fits together. But there isn't really necessarily a silver bullet. But if you've got the right material in front of you and you have a well informed, educated instructor that's able to convey knowledge, I mean that's as close to a silver bullet as you're going to get. There's nothing out there that you're going to learn that's going to turn you instantly into a George Benson overnight. But there is somebody out there that has the methodology in place with classes and topics and subjects, and collaborations with other world renowned instructors, guitar instructors and players. And that's the jazz community that Chase has put together. So if you have a chance to take it or if you're on the fence, I highly suggest you take it because it's well, money well spent and it'll definitely up your game. Peace.
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Dr. Karl Øyri
My playing has improved immensely since I joined. And since I live in Norway, the live events are no problem — everything is recorded, so I use the time whenever it suits me.
From Dr.'s video: Hello. I've been a guitar player for more than 50 years. I've played in many bands over the years, in jazz, rock bands and I played a lot of blues. But nowadays I moreover play at home, especially after I got retired a couple of years ago. When you play guitar, there are many pitfalls. When I try to improve and move to a more complex level of playing, there are many pitfalls like theoretical challenges. And what I wanted to do was to be more fluent in note reading and become more relaxed when playing over chord changes. As you know, there are nowhere to hide when you play guitar, especially jazz guitar, there are no pedal boards, fuzz, overdrive or compression or stuff like that is just you playing in an amp. And there are tons of information to be found on the Internet, on YouTube and so forth. But the problem is that this material often lacks structure and structure is needed. It's hard to find step wise and structured approach to teaching when you work on your own. So when I joined Chase's Guitar Academy while playing has improved immensely after I joined. And that's because I've been following some pathways with instruction courses where I get feedback on on a very detailed personal level from Chase and also from other people in the community that give comments and and share information. And since I live on the other side of the pond in Oslo and Norway, there is actually no problem with the live events because everything is recorded. So I can choose whenever I want to see stuff and use the time required for my personal teaching requirements. So if you want to become a more fluent and informed guitar player, join Chase's academy and you will never regret it. And you will share your knowledge and get information from the other mates that you meet in the community. Thank you.
Dan
I was only going to join for a week on the free trial, but I was so impressed with how structured and practical everything was — I could implement it into my playing straight away.
From Dan's video: Hi, everyone. My name's Dan and I'm going to tell you a bit about Chase's Guitar Academy. I was only going to join for a week on the free trial, but I was so impressed with how structured everything was, how practical everything was, and how I could implement it into my playing straight away. And it's really made a big difference in a short amount of time. I feel a bit. I feel already more comfortable with improvising just over simple chords and progressions already, but it's really building my confidence in that space. And the community is really awesome. Getting feedback and whatnot from everyone is awesome as well.
Rich Kay
Since joining Chase's Guitar Academy, my jazz, blues and jazz vocabulary and rhythm library have grown quickly. Also, there's a big emphasis on tone, timing and rhythms, and I've seen really good progress there as well in a short amount of time.
In the past, I've played a lot of Chicago blues and jump blues, all of which I've learned by ear. It gave me an interest in jazz blues. So when I saw that CGA had a jazz blues course, I signed up. But once I got here, I found taking the courses are really easy. They're really well laid out and very well organized. So I've jumped into jazz, and again, I'm learning a lot quickly. It's very easy to follow, and I'm learning a lot.
One huge bonus about the Chase Guitar Academy is we're required to post videos in a community setting, and that's something I hadn't planned on. So playing live to the video and then getting feedback from both Chase really quickly and from the guys and gals in the community has been really interesting and fun and definitely makes the courses more engaging.
Watch Rich's video testimonial
Mitch Hennessey
About a month ago I decided to try the free week trial — and in the first week I was able to learn a jazz standard: the melody, the progression, and an improv.
From Mitch's video: Hi, my name is Mitch. I've been playing guitar for quite a few years. In the past two years I've gotten interested in playing jazz and fingerstyle jazz guitar. I came across jazz as Academy about two months ago and about a month ago I decided to try the free week trial. That allowed me to look through the content and the material and I was able to get a good idea of what was going to be offered in the in the training. So I signed up. I'm glad I did. In the first week I was able to learn a tune jazz standard, learn the melody, the progression and an improv. That wasn't too difficult, but it sure was helpful in beginning to understand better how to put jazz lines together. So I have been really happy with how the material has been laid out and what I'm learning from it. Jazz Academy has a great curriculum. Chase has done a great job in explaining the material for each lesson and learning in a methodical way, really, which is helpful to me. I learned best that way how to start putting jazz language together. Also there's a jazz community and you can post videos and they're the members do are just so kind and supportive and encouraging. And Chase also looks at the videos and posts comments often with good recommendations, things that he sees that are right on for a player like me to correct and work on improving. So I, I really like the site and I'm playing, I'm using it a lot, a lot. And as I said in the past, I've struggled to learn jazz language in the past and to put put it together, it just seemed like a bunch of puzzle pieces and I just couldn't fit it together. But with Chaz's curriculum, I'm beginning to see how it can fit together and I can develop better jazz skills as a player, as a guitar player. So I wanted to share that with you. Thanks for listening and hope you continue to grow in your jazz journey.
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Julian Gurr
I was on the verge of giving up trying to learn jazz guitar completely. I'd spent years trying to learn from books, video courses, and the internet, and was just overwhelmed and frustrated. What's so fantastic about Chase's Guitar Academy is the structured way it builds step by step — not just repertoire, but vocabulary. And not vocabulary from a random set of rules — it's actual jazz master vocabulary taken from real master solos. This is what has been missing from all the other resources I've used. Trust the process and follow the courses in their well-organized structure, and you will make significant progress — as I am already, within just two weeks.
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Mike Miller
Hi, my name is Mike Miller and I recently joined Chase's Guitar Academy. I had been involved for over five years in another online guitar learning situation. I checked out. I've been Following Chase on YouTube for a good while and I jumped in, took the trial, and saw that there were some deep dives into solo jazz guitar, as well as Wes Montgomery and George Benson and some other great things. I've not been disappointed. I've learned a bit in the short time that I've been around. It's a very welcoming community and I encourage you to take the trial. See if there's a lot of things. There's a lot of solid information for people of all levels. So I hope to meet you soon.
Watch Mike's video testimonial
Michael B.
I've seen myself improve a lot. With the guidance I've gotten with the curriculum, it's really helped me be focused and disciplined.
I've been a member of Chase's Guitar Academy for around three months, and it's been fantastic for me really as far as getting to know all the different positions when you're playing jazz and how they lay out on the neck, and really associating certain lines with certain voicings and positions on the guitar. It's really specific and detailed about that. It's a great network of people with everyone posting videos regularly so that they can get feedback and encouragement. I've seen myself improve a lot - I've really applied myself, and with the guidance that I've gotten with the curriculum, it's really helped me be focused and disciplined.
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Roi D.
Having a community of like-minded individuals who are all trying to do the same thing that you're trying to do is really motivating.
From Roi's video: Hi, my name's Roy. I've been playing guitar for about 27 years now. Mostly self taught. So the usual sins apply, I suppose, like kind of gone pretty light on the theory over the years, which is something I'm trying to address now. I've mostly played rock, metal, blues, punk, funk, you know, kind of like all that kind of stuff, you know, Definitely an inmate of the pentatonic jail, which I would like to very much break out of. And although I've been a, I suppose a long time jazz fan, it's only recently I've decided to, to really pursue that style of music on the guitar. So like probably every other guitar player on the planet, I've spent a ton of money over the years on, on courses and programs and, and whatnot. And they've, you know, they're all great. It's kind of, it's unusual really to find one where the content, for me, where the content wasn't worth the asking price. But this is the first ever testimonial I've ever done because the first exercise, the first thing that I engaged with cga, which was like the first jazz standard I came in to the program for a little Sunflower. That Freddie Hubbard tune has been so exciting and fulfilling to work through. I've been really excited by the process. I would say the really key difference for me in terms of the offering of CGA is the community. Having a community of like minded individuals who are all trying to do the same thing that you're trying to do is really motivating. It gives you a lot of accountability, which I think is really key when learning. And I really like the content that Chase creates and I think the curriculum is really smart. Kind of like having a pathway of jazz standards that building complexities is a clever way of doing it. There's a lot of like care and attention has gone into each standard as you move through them. Chase himself is a great, great player, but he also really understands what he's doing and can explain it. So that's also really valuable because I guess a lot of like the social media guitar players these days are great players, but maybe not so much great educators. So that's really cool. And Chase really understands the value that community brings to an education environment. So if you are somebody that has struggled in the past with I suppose, getting through, you want to learn how to play jazz, but you've been struggling to get through whatever course you've bought. I'd really recommend that you, you think about community based approach. And I personally would recommend cga based on my experiences. I would also say if you do sign up, it's worth kind of bearing in mind that, like, with any community, you, you get out what you put in. So being contributing and, and kind of being open to learning and, and feedback is really, really powerful. I think that's it really.
Max J
My picking technique has improved, I can play faster and cleaner — and maybe more importantly, I understand how to continue to improve.
I've played guitar for a number of years, but never reached what I considered a reasonable goal in my playing. I had some lessons which were decent, I could learn a lick or two from the internet, but it never really fit together. If someone asked me to play a song, I couldn't do it. So I joined CGA with confidence in Chase Maddox that he knew what he was doing - he's an excellent and committed musician, he's an outstanding educator. My most meaningful moments are those that occur every month or two where I realize I'm definitely doing things that I didn't do in the past, and I'm more comfortable with the harmony, the melody, the structure of the songs, and the ability to make sense out of what is obviously for many of us a bit of a confusing picture in jazz guitar.
George Cole
I just came back to Chase's Guitar Academy — this time I found my way right in, on the subject of learning tunes, because that's where my focus lies.
I just came back to Chase's Guitar Academy. I was in it about two years ago, but I just couldn't find my way into the course. I don't know why, it just wasn't right for me, so I stopped. But I always watch Chase's YouTube videos because he is quite good at what he does. I thought I'm going to try it again and see how it goes, and so far it's going really good. I appreciate how he has reorganized things and I found my way right in on the subject of learning tunes because that's where my focus lies.
Watch George's video testimonial
Pierre Denizard
I had many instructors on and off throughout the years but was never able to play to my satisfaction. It's been over a year since I joined, and I have learned so much.
My biggest problem was I could never bring my own creation while playing - someone has to always tell me what to do. My worst moment was when the band leader told me that I'm not a professional and I need to go back to school to learn how to play. It has been over a year now since I joined CGA, and I have learned so much. One of my best moments is the 'Finish That Line' class where Chase gives you the opportunity to continue a line from your own creativity.
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Adolfo Huet
The Chase Academy has given me the opportunity to start doing this and I have been happy to be here for two years and also remember having the opportunity to be heard in live sessions and also just to record yourself and try to achieve a specific challenge. It's incredibly useful. I'll be happy to continue in Chase Academy and I do recommend to anyone to to join if you want to learn jazz and you want to optimize your practice. I hope this was helpful.
After realizing that I was wasting perhaps too much time trying to learn scales or repeating the same technical exercises and not even applying it while playing, I decided that I needed a step-by-step Jazz system that I could join. I realized that I didn't need to learn too many things, but rather to start using a few of the resources that I already could use and to start getting more into the language and change the way I was practicing. After some time, I realized that I could start playing something that sounds like jazz. Chase's Academy has given me the opportunity to start doing this.
Watch Adolfo's video testimonial
Ray Rizzuti
Chase has put together a lot of great courses here...it's very stair-stepped and structured program. This is well worth the money considering all the material here. It's helped me a lot already.
From Ray's video: Chase has put together a lot of great courses here. The master standards blueprint, the jazz patterns. There's lots of examples of jazz language that he's taken from solos for you so you don't have to go and dig into the transcriptions. It's very stair stepped and very structured program. There's also lots of lessons, lessons with other instructors that are professional jazz musicians. This is a well worth the money considering all the material here. It's helped me a lot already.
Peter Shaw
I've dug into lots of different courses, books and lessons. I have in particular spent time studying many of the jazz elements on True Fire. Whilst they are of a very high standard, they do not have the careful graduated approach of CGA. I am liking and enjoying going back to the beginning and adopting a beginners mind approach.
The doubts that I had are not so much about the material, but rather whether I would simply treat it as yet another piece of learning material that I picked up and would drop. The structure of the lessons is reallt helping with my own discipline and focus.
I found you on You Tube and enjoyed the lessons.
I am solidifying what I already know and taking it to another level.
I am seeing the improvisation benefits of even (seemingly simple) phrases of three or four consecutive notes and applying those within licks and phrases already familiar to me.
I would definitely recommend CGA. I started by signing up for a month subscription to check it out and quickly realised that I wanted to take out annual membership - both for additional content and cost saving.
Rocket Roll
I joined Chase's Guitar Academy about 6 months ago...after 6 months of work here I can see that my playing has improved in all of those areas. The educational material is highly organized, the members are friendly and very supportive, and Chase is an excellent teacher. So, if you're like me and you've played guitar for many years, but you know you'll need help to improve in certain areas, I highly recommend Chase's Guitar Academy.
Watch Rocket's video testimonial
Roger Cooper
What you have in the academy is a curriculum that is structured, it's self-paced, organized. It offers courses like improvisation, comping, how to practice, learning jazz tunes, and also he has master classes... If you decided hey you know what I just want to learn how to play like my hero whether it's George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Grant Green, Joe Pass, Pat Martino - you can do that at the academy. Not just learn licks or learn their favorite passages or tricks, you get a chance to take a deep dive into their style, their choice of notes, what makes each artist different from the other.
Right after joining within minutes I get this email from Chase Maddox and it says 'this is not a computer-generated email, this is from me Chase Maddox, I'd like to talk to you.' So we hooked up and Chase wanted to know not only did he welcome me and congratulate me for joining, gave me his commitment to help me reach my goals, but he wanted to know a little bit about me and my past and how long I played and what type music I played, and this was necessary for him to guide me through the correct curriculum to start. So he did and I'm glad again that I made the choice to come to Chase's Guitar Academy.
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Andy Padula
I'd like to speak about Chase's Guitar Academy. I've been a member for just under six months now. I've been playing guitar for quite a long time, starting with blues and rock and later getting into jazz. I've done extensive study learning scales, modes, and theory, and spent a few years working through the William Leavitt Berklee books. All of this helped me become a better player.
However, when it came to playing jazz, my solos weren't sounding like jazz, and I couldn't figure out how to make them sound the way they should. I came across Chase's videos on YouTube, which really impressed me, so I thought I'd give the Academy a try.
I like the way Chase teaches because he breaks everything down into small, manageable chunks. You're encouraged to apply everything you learn immediately into songs. The other thing that stands out is that Chase is always available—he can always be contacted if you have questions, and he replies very quickly, which amazes me because I don't know when he finds time to sleep!
I'm happy being in the academy and I recommend it.
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Buford Noris
When I was working, it was hard to find time to practice. I spent most of my time working on particular songs I had to learn for events, not necessarily learning the jazz language, which is what my real goal is - to become a decent jazz guitar player. If you're winging it, using YouTube videos and self-study books, you're basically all over the place with your learning. The Chase Guitar Academy provides a structure for me that I don't have on my own. It has provided focus areas, detailed assignments that you have to provide videos of playing, and then the feedback you get from Chase - he comments and gives constructive criticism on your assignments, as well as other community members. While I have more time now as a retiree, something like this would have been even more valuable when I was working because my time was so limited and precious.
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Kristina M.
I started to learn guitar approximately a year ago and I was looking for someone for a teacher or a community where I could learn jazz guitar specifically, but also understand what I'm actually doing on the guitar and understand the theory. I stumbled upon some of Chase's videos on YouTube and I really liked his approach towards teaching, which is really clear and science-based. First I was really intimidated by the content that I saw that the more experienced folks were posting, but to my surprise everyone was very motivating and encouraging. I posted what I could play and I got some really good advice from Chase and from the community, which keeps me motivated. Chase keeps checking in - how are you doing, do you have any questions, anything that's not clear, anything I can help with. You can reach out to him or the community anytime and you will get a timely response with some practical and great advice.
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Derrick M.
I was the biggest impediment to improving my guitar play. I went from video to video looking for the free, easy trick that was going to make me a better guitar player. It doesn’t work. Fortunately for me, I found the Chase Guitar Academy. CGA is an oasis of sane, pragmatic lessons that provide the incremental challenges to achieve better play. In the 5 months I’ve been using Chase’s jazz lessons, I can barely recognize the old me. I am so happy that I made the decision to join! Thanks Chase!
Dave Ruggiero (Member for 6 months)
It's been more than worth the money and time...I mean I've never bought a year subscription to anybody on a site like that.
Benoît F.
"After a year I can say that this has completely transformed my guitar playing. Chase's idea that you should start with small things and build up from essential vocabulary and essential jazz patterns - it's really been an effective way to gain mastery in guitar play."
