I Mortaged A Kidney To Move To NYC To Play & Study With Scofield, Rosenwinkel, and Peter Bernstein...
  

Join hundreds of other jazz guitar students, hobbyists, and professionals and

Learn the 3 evolutionary steps the legends taught me that are creating results like THIS for guitarists around the world

Video Poster Image

No noodling · No fluff · No theory 101 · No guessing · No crossing your fingers · No "just go transcribe and practice" and hope it all works out in 50 years

This is a system for real world application, progress, and musicianship... straight from the masters.
Apply To Join The Melodic Triads Jazz Guitar Coaching Program

 

You've put in the hours.
You've learned the scales, the riffs, the theory.

But something still feels... off.

 

Does that sound like you?
Are you feeling stuck?
Is your playing just not clicking perfectly into place the way you've always wanted it to? 
No matter how much time, energy, and practice you put in?

When you improvise...
The ideas in your head don’t flow to your fingers fast enough. You fall back on the same riffs, feeling disconnected, frustrated, and insecure as you chase after scales and arpeggios, searching for the "cool" notes. Once you’ve run through your pre-memorized bag of tricks, you’re not sure what to play next.

When you comp...
You turn your volume down to 2, hoping to play without being noticed. Or maybe you just step aside and let the piano player take over—playing it safe while they have all the fun.

When you play solo guitar...
You rely on chord melodies you’ve memorized. They sound cool, and maybe you even created them yourself. But as soon as the arrangement ends and it’s time to improvise, you freeze. It feels like you’re back to square one.

Everyone says, “You sound great!” But deep down, you know it’s not true. You smile, nod, and say, “Thanks,” but inside, it feels fake. You’re frustrated, overwhelmed, and out of ideas.

You’ve tried lessons, books, YouTube videos, even college courses. But nothing has given you the freedom you crave—the ability to play with confidence, creativity, and ease.

What if it’s not about talent or practice time?
What if the problem is the method itself?

It’s time to break free from frustration and discover a way of playing that feels natural, joyful, and you.

 

You don’t need more riffs, scales, or memorized tricks. You need a proven approach—a system that’s been shaped by the wisdom of jazz legends and honed to unlock your full potential.

A system that isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter.

A system that's perfect for passionate hobbyists, but powerful enough for advanced gigging and teaching professionals.

A system built around three evolutionary steps from the legends that can quickly transform how you play, think, and feel about the guitar.

 

Tips, tricks, practices, and wisdom from the legends... Put into a complete A-Z method

You don't need to spend $100k to move to NYC to play and study with Scofield, Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, Mark Turner, Ari Hoenig, and Stefon Harris. And you don't need to spend a decade figuring out how to put all the priorities and wisdom of these living legends into a simple to follow system to grow your musicianship. I did it for you.

Dexter Lum

"The Holy Grail"

Dickie Fredericks

"Mind=BLOWN"

John Free

"Game changer"

 

What sets apart the melodic triads system from every other approach? 


Our 3 Evolutionary Steps

 

These three steps are unique and highly effective...
And they will offer you a brand new and simple-to-follow path to accomplish decades of progress toward world class jazz guitar faster and more easily than you might think is possible. I learned them directly from the living legends and structured them into a complete system to help the busiest passionate hobbyists with day jobs and families reach their musical goals... but powerful enough to have already helped even the most advanced professionals completely revolutionize their playing.

 

1. Practical Perfect Pitch

Thelonious Monk once said we need to, "play the notes we really mean." He told us that, "If we mean a note enough, it will sound different."

With Practical Perfect Pitch you'll learn to instantly know the sound and feel of any note before you play it—just like a chef identifying flavors and knowing exactly which spice to add to a dish to make it perfect. Unlike traditional ear training, there are no intervals to memorize and no singing nursery rhymes. This is a brand-new way to develop your ear by using your heart and emotions to connect the sounds you hear in your head with the notes your fingers play on the fretboard... giving you complete and instantaneous creative control.

Sound impossible? Sound too good to be true? Think only those with perfect pitch can do this?

Tell me... can you hear a major triad and a minor triad and know which is which? How? Would you sing the 1-3-5, compare the interval between the 1st and 3rd to When The Saints Go Marching Down? Kumbaya? Greensleeves? Or would you simply FEEL the emotions of happiness vs sadness and instantly know which was major and which was minor?

What if I told you that all 12 notes have an emotion inside of any tonal center also? And that you could learn to feel those emotions to connect the sounds you hear in your head with the notes your fingers play?

Imagine improvising with total confidence, knowing every note you play is exactly what you meant.

 

  

 

2. From Theory to The Anatomy of Jazz Language

Forget spending decades shedding scales and arpeggios, only to sound mechanical and disconnected. Here’s the truth: when we analyze the timeless melodies of the jazz greats, we rarely see scale runs or non-stop arpeggiation. Instead, we find triads hidden at the core. But recognizing them takes the right approach.

Most musicians miss this because of three specific stumbling blocks that kept me in the dark for decades until Stefon Harris enlightened me. First, the triads are often ornamented with passing tones or chromatic lines. Second, the triads aren't always played 1-3-5. Instead, we might only hear one or two notes before the melody voice leads to the next triad. And thirdly, sometimes the triads are upper structure. If we only see one or two notes and those notes are upper extensions, we might not realize they're being governed and organized using simple triads.

These three stumbling blocks mask the simplicity of the triads hiding right in front of our faces in the music from Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and all throughout the Great American Songbook. But they also offer us the perfect and most simple path to improvisational fluency. 

If we realize that we don't always notice triads because there is an additional note or a chromatic line inserted into it, we can turn this "triad ornamentation" into a skill and learn to control it. We can do the same this with triad voice leading. Once you learn these Two Core Skills, you will start seeing triads everywhere, and you will have unlocked the exact recipe for authentic jazz improvisation: The Anatomy of Melody.

With two simple triad-based skills, you’ll gain total control over your improvisation. It’s not only more effective than traditional methods—it’s faster, transforming your playing in weeks instead of years, and it's more authentic to the language the greats were playing. Add in the tiniest bit of upper structure triad theory, and you've go old school jazz, blues, bebop, post-bop, and modern jazz improvisational fluency at your fingertips.

Picture yourself playing with clarity and ease, turning the chaos of theory into an authentic, personal, elegant jazz language... all while thinking about little more than the shapes of a few triads.

 

 

 

3. The Imaginary Piano Player Framework

Unlock the most advanced and sophisticated sounds using the simplest tools. With the Imaginary Piano Player Framework, you’ll transform triads into lush, complex harmonies for breathtaking comping, solo guitar, and trio playing. By viewing the fretboard like a Bill Evans-style piano player, you’ll access a whole new level of harmonic freedom.

Feel the joy of creating harmonies so intricate and orchestral, they turn heads and command attention from even the best players. All while throwing away 90% of your thinking and focusing on little more than the shapes of triads.

 

What sets apart the melodic triads system from every other approach? 


Our 3 Evolutionary Steps

 

These three steps are unique and highly effective...
And they will offer you a brand new and simple-to-follow path to accomplish decades of progress toward world class jazz guitar faster and more easily than you might think is possible. They were designed to help the busiest passionate hobbyists with day jobs and families reach their musical goals... but powerful enough to have already helped even the most advanced professionals completely evolutionize their playing.

 

1. Practical Perfect Pitch

Thelonious Monk once said we need to, "play the notes we really mean." He told us that, "If we mean a note enough, it will sound different."

With Practical Perfect Pitch you'll learn to instantly know the sound and feel of any note before you play it—just like a chef identifying flavors and knowing exactly which spice to add to a dish to make it perfect. Unlike traditional ear training, there are no intervals to memorize and no singing nursery rhymes. This is a brand-new way to develop your ear by using your heart and emotions to connect the sounds you hear in your head with the notes your fingers play on the fretboard... giving you complete and instantaneous creative control.

Sound impossible? Sound too good to be true? Think only those with perfect pitch can do this?

Tell me... can you hear a major triad and a minor triad and know which is which? How? Would you sing the 1-3-5, compare the interval between the 1st and 3rd to When The Saints Go Marching Down? Kumbaya? Greensleeves? Or would you simply FEEL the emotions of happiness vs sadness and instantly know which was major and which was minor?

What if I told you that all 12 notes have an emotion inside of any tonal center also? And that you could learn to feel those emotions to connect the sounds you hear in your head with the notes your fingers play?

Imagine improvising with total confidence, knowing every note you play is exactly what you meant.

 

2. From Theory to The Anatomy of Jazz Language

Forget spending decades shedding scales and arpeggios, only to sound mechanical and disconnected. Here’s the truth: when we analyze the timeless melodies of the jazz greats, we rarely see scale runs or non-stop arpeggiation. Instead, we find triads hidden at the core. But recognizing them takes the right approach.

Most musicians miss this because of three specific stumbling blocks that kept me in the dark for decades until Stefon Harris enlightened me. First, the triads are often ornamented with passing tones or chromatic lines. Second, the triads aren't always played 1-3-5. Instead, we might only hear one or two notes before the melody voice leads to the next triad. And thirdly, sometimes the triads are upper structure. If we only see one or two notes and those notes are upper extensions, we might not realize they're being governed and organized using simple triads.

These three stumbling blocks mask the simplicity of the triads hiding right in front of our faces in the music from Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and all throughout the Great American Songbook. But they also offer us the perfect and most simple path to improvisational fluency. 

If we realize that we don't always notice triads because there is an additional note or a chromatic line inserted into it, we can turn this "triad ornamentation" into a skill and learn to control it. We can do the same this with triad voice leading. Once you learn these Two Core Skills, you will start seeing triads everywhere, and you will have unlocked the exact recipe for authentic jazz improvisation: The Anatomy of Melody.

With two simple triad-based skills, you’ll gain total control over your improvisation. It’s not only more effective than traditional methods—it’s faster, transforming your playing in weeks instead of years, and it's more authentic to the language the greats were playing. Add in the tiniest bit of upper structure triad theory, and you've go old school jazz, blues, bebop, post-bop, and modern jazz improvisational fluency at your fingertips.

Picture yourself playing with clarity and ease, turning the chaos of theory into an authentic, personal, elegant jazz language... all while thinking about little more than the shapes of a few triads.

 

3. The Imaginary Piano Player Framework

Unlock the most advanced and sophisticated sounds using the simplest tools. With the Imaginary Piano Player Framework, you’ll transform triads into lush, complex harmonies for breathtaking comping, solo guitar, and trio playing. By viewing the fretboard like a Bill Evans-style piano player, you’ll access a whole new level of harmonic freedom.

Feel the joy of creating harmonies so intricate and orchestral, they turn heads and command attention from even the best players. All while throwing away 90% of your thinking and focusing on little more than the shapes of triads.

Take a look at what just a few of the hundreds of musicians inside are saying.

The Melodic Triads System

Sure... you'll find some riffs and etudes you can memorize inside. And yeah, there's some advanced polytonal theory you'll learn as you go deeper into the system. But that's not the focus. This system will help you simplify your thinking, come back to the fundamentals, and build a series of skills to skyrocket your playing in ways the books and colleges aren't showing you.


And that's not all 

 

Music isn't meant to be learned alone, sitting at home by ourselves.

 

Music is a team sport... and we all improve and get better when we share the journey.

 

That's why there are three additional melodic triads resources available...

 

To make sure your progress is explosive and long-lasting!

COMMUNITY

Network with other musicians from around the world, make lifelong friends, post videos, give and receive feedback, ask questions, work on projects together, and join our weekly guided practice sessions and group classes.

VIDEO CALLS

Enjoy our weekly long form, face-to-face mentorship calls to help you go deep on your progress. Plus you get the sense of belonging by hanging with the group and can listen in on their conversations to learn from them too.

TEXTING

With Mentor In Your Pocket, you get 7 days a week, near-on-demand help. Ask questions and get answers. Send video and audio of your playing and get feedback. Share your thoughts and get personalized, realtime advice and guidance.

Are you ready to break through plateaus, get off the hamster wheel, end the frustration and self doubt, escape the jazz industrial complex...


And finally discover the fluency, elegance, and personal voice you've been chasing after?

 


Then apply to see if you qualify to join the Melodic Triads Online Coaching Program

 

And Let's Go!

Have a question?

Thinking about applying but want to ask something about the details first? Let me know what's on your mind.

Click here to send me a message

Oh wait... there's more


BONUS COURSES

I switched from teaching in the jazz guitar studies program at New York University to online back in 2016. Since then, I've crossed paths with thousands of musicians and students and encountered many questions and problems. Many of these topics didn't fit perfectly anywhere in the system, but I felt were important enough to build bonus courses for. 

THE ROCK N ROLLER'S GUIDE TO THE SWING GROOVE

It's said you can make anything sound good if you swing. It's so true.

In this bonus course I will show you exactly how to develop and deepen your swing groove. Not with a bunch of math, rhythmic theory, or just putting the metronome on 2 and 4. These are drumming patterns and practices you can do on your thighs that I learned directly from Ari Hoenig, Tony Moreno, and other master drummers. 

A couple of drummers have joined our program to level up their improv and harmony and reported back that these are exactly the types of things they were told to practice when learning jazz drums. Now you can develop your swing groove like drummer's do.

BOOTCAMP WARMUPS

"But Jordan, I just don't know the fretboard well enough yet. I'm going to go shed triads, and then I'll come back and check out your program when I'm more prepared."

I've heard it so many times. And in almost every case... life got busy, it took them years to come back, they regret how much time they wasted, and when they DO get inside, there are upset by how over prepared they felt they needed to be. 

Yes. You will get more out of the system if you have a basic level of understanding of triads and how to play them. But you don't need to wait. To help you get up to speed, I built this bonus course. Inside you'll find 48 warmups. If you do one per week, you'll have built a rock solid foundation with triads and shell voicings in under a year. And you can do it WHILE you're putting these shapes into action and making music with our core courses.

7 DAYS TO MELODIC MINOR MASTERY

Frustrated by the complexity of melodic minor modes? Struggling to make them sound musical? Stuck thinking it's going to take you years... even decades to make happen? 

Well buckle up to have your mind blown.

We're talking lyrical melodies, bluesy phrases, bebop scales, and one voicing you can use for all melodic minor modes...

All using a single... major... triad.
Period.

7 DAYS TO BEBOP BUILDING BLOCKS

Stuck on the theory of bebop scales? You know you're supposed to play the strong notes on the strong beats... but getting beyond the textbook and actually  letting these ideas flow in real time just isn't clicking?

I got you covered. You'll be improvising flowing bebop lines before you finish module 1 of our core courses. But  in this course I'll give you a step by step process to actually start using bebop scales and putting your strong notes on the strong beats instinctively.

MINDSET OF THE MASTERS

People often ask me what I worked on with Scofield, Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, Mark Turner, Stefon Harris, and all of my other mentors. 

There was a little bit of theory. But not the traditional stuff you learn from books. The theory and practice ideas they showed me make up the bulk of our core courses.

But the majority of what I learned from them wasn't theory at all. It was mindset. In this course... I lay it all out.

THE BUSY MUSICIAN'S GUIDE TO PRACTICE

*Coming soon

Yes, I do work with a lot of full time and professional musicians. No... not everyone who joins us is. MANY are hobbyists and passionate amateurs and have families, children, day jobs, and a mortgage.

In this course we discuss real world, practical strategies for getting the most out of our practice time... in particular when that time is borderline nonexistent. 

What others are saying

You ready to do this?

If you're a working musician, I promise you...
This will be the best tax write-off you've ever taken.

Apply To Join The Melodic Triads Online Coaching Program
STILL NOT SURE?

Frequently Asked Questions

That's all the info.

The fact that you read the entire page down to here tells me you're interested.

The fact that you're still reading because you haven't applied to jump into the program yet tells me you're still thinking things over and trying to make a choice.

No worries at all.
It might feel like a big decision.
Totally understandable.
I'd probably still be thinking about it too if I were you.

But remember...

You're not deciding whether or not you want to buy anything right now. I don't accept everyone that applies into my program. The reason all of my above testimonials are so epic is because I only invite people in after I speak with them and am confident we are going to be a perfect fit.

The only decision you need to make today is between these two options....

 

Option 1

If you're 100% satisfied with your playing and the results and progress you've been getting the last X years or decades, there's no reason to change up what you've been doing... Don't even worry about wasting five minutes of your time to apply to my program. Close out of this page and keep after it! It's working for you!

 

Option 2

Realize that, if you're still reading this, it probably means you're not 100% happy with the results you've been getting. And that's OKAY! But consider that the only way to get different results is to try something new. Ideally, in my opinion, an approach based on the wisdom and priorities of the masters and one that has been solidified down into a simple-to-follow system for you.

If that sounds like the right move for you, the only decision to make today is to apply to join us. Besides the five minutes it will take you to fill out the questionnaire and book your call, there's nothing else to commit to right now.

After you apply, the next step will be for us to jump on a short zoom call to talk. Super low key and casual.

IF  at the end of the call after I've learned more about you and your music I'm confident I can help you, you'll be free to ask me anything you like.

IF after all that you're interested... 
THEN, and only then, will we discuss customizable options, details, and potential next steps we might want to take together to move forward.

 

 

If option 2 sounds intriguing...

 

Here's my advice.

 

Take Peter Bernstein's advice...

"Do yourself a favor and dig into it!"

-Peter Bernstein

 
Apply To The Program
I have a quick question before I apply

Where did the melodic triads system and our 3 evolutionary steps come from anyway?


And who even am I?

I'm nobody special. Really. If I had to bet, you've probably never heard of me. I don't interview legends on my YouTube channel like Rick Beato, I don't have the bad@$$ European accent or glorious flowing viking hair of Jens Larsen (the jazz guitar player Jens Larsen... not the former professional beach volleyball player and now coach for the German club Wuppertal Jens Larsen), and I'm pretty sure nobody is ever going to name a picking technique after me. I'm just some kid who started playing Green Day and Dave Matthews songs in middle school. Went through a punk phase. Then got really into Zeppelin and Pink Floyd which introduced me to rock and blues guitar soloing. I stumbled into the hippie jam band scene which got me hooked on long-form, group improvisation. That led me to Mahavishnu Orchestra and fusion. That led me to Miles' electric fusion era, which eventually led me bebop and straight ahead jazz.

I was self-taught for almost two decades and was pretty mediocre (at best). I worked my way up to a gigging musician - getting to play with some of the older heavyweight musicians in my town and learning so much from them. But deep down I was rarely happy with my playing.  

The real origins of the melodic triads system started when I finally got fed up enough with my music that I realized I NEEDED to get to the next level. I kicked and clawed my way to get to NYC to be mentored by my heroes. And somehow, I pulled it off. I mortgaged a kidney, *dropped my wife and kids off at a shelter, jumped in the car, and split.

*Just kidding... I promise. Never married. No kids. But the rest is true. Okay okay okay... I didn't actually sell a kidney on the black market. But you get the idea. NYC is expensive lol

 

My first year I got to the city I played with and studied under John Scofield, Peter Bernstein, Jean-Michel Pilc, Brad Shepik, Alan Ferber, Ari Hoenig, and Wayne Krantz. It was insane. Later I would go on to start crossing paths with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Adam Rogers, Mark Turner, Stefon Harris, and too many other cats to list off.

From day one, I realized everything was different. The number of times any of these guys wanted to talk with me about traditional theory or what scale to play... I could count it on one hand. They had completely different priorities than I'd encountered before. 

I spent countless hours obsessing over their ideas, absorbing them, practicing them, and experimenting with getting them into my own playing. I started gigging around the city at famous clubs like The Blue Note and Zinc Bar - where I got to share the stage with Roy Hargrove and Mark Whitfield, and I even got picked up by New York University to join the teaching roster through their jazz guitar studies program and work with their undergraduates. 


I was finally starting to get somewhere with my playing. 

Then I suddenly found myself in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital where I diagnosed with a mysterious and life-threatening brain disease. I lost the ability to play and needed to start over. And I needed to relearn with only 5-15 minutes of practice per day for the first year, due to my medical issues. 

I looked back on all of the years I spent with my mentors and everything they had taught me. I thought about how they were prioritizing and practicing things differently from all of the other books and teachers I'd ever met. They stripped the complexity out of the process... and I knew I needed to do the same. So I focused on what they were all obsessed with, I distilled everything I worked on with them into the smallest number of simple things possible, and I broke those things down into small actionable steps that I could work through to relearn. Without realizing it or intending to... I accidentally created a system that worked not just for me, but for the students I would go on to teach in the years to come.

This was the start of the melodic triads system.

It's not about theory for theory’s sake—it’s about helping you tap more deeply into your own inner musical voice and show you how to develop the skills that will connect that inner voice with the language of straight ahead, bebop, post bop, and modern jazz.

Where did the melodic triads system and our 3 evolutionary steps come from anyway?


And who even am I?

I'm nobody special. Really. Just some kid who started playing Green Day and Dave Matthews songs in middle school. Went through a punk phase. Then got really into Zeppelin and Pink Floyd which introduced me to rock and blues guitar soloing. I stumbled into the hippie jam band scene which got me hooked on long-form, group improvisation. That led me to Mahavishnu Orchestra and fusion. That led me to Miles' electric fusion era, which eventually led me bebop and straight ahead jazz.

I was self-taught for almost two decades and was pretty mediocre (at best). I worked my way up to a gigging musician - getting to play with some of the older heavyweight musicians in my town and learning so much from them. But deep down I was rarely happy with my playing.  

The real origins of the melodic triads system started when I finally got fed up enough with my music that I realized I NEEDED to get to the next level. I kicked and clawed my way to get to NYC to be mentored by my heroes. And somehow, I pulled it off. I mortgaged a kidney, *dropped my wife and kids off at a shelter, jumped in the car, and split.

*Just kidding... I promise. Never married. No kids. But the rest is true. 

My first year I got to the city I played with and studied under John Scofield, Peter Bernstein, Jean-Michel Pilc, Brad Shepik, Alan Ferber, Ari Hoenig, and Wayne Krantz. It was insane. Later I would go on to start crossing paths with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Adam Rogers, Mark Turner, Stefon Harris, and too many other cats to list off.

From day one, I realized everything was different. The number of times any of these guys wanted to talk with me about traditional theory or what scale to play... I could count it on one hand. They had completely different priorities than I'd encountered before.

I spent countless hours obsessing over their ideas, absorbing them, practicing them, and experimenting with getting them into my own playing. I started gigging around the city at famous clubs like The Blue Note and Zinc Bar - where I got to share the stage with Roy Hargrove and Mark Whitfield, and I even got picked up by New York University to join the teaching roster through their jazz guitar studies program and work with their undergraduates. 

I was finally starting to get somewhere with my playing. 

Then I suddenly found myself in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital where I diagnosed with a mysterious and life-threatening brain disease. I lost the ability to play and needed to start over. And I needed to relearn with only 5-15 minutes of practice per day, due to my medical issues. 

I looked back on all of the years I spent with my mentors and everything they had taught me. I thought about how they were prioritizing and practicing things differently from all of the other books and teachers I'd ever met. They stripped the complexity out of the process... and I knew I needed to do the same. So I focused on what they were all obsessed with, I distilled everything I worked on with them into the smallest number of simple things possible, and I broke those things down into small actionable steps that I could work through to relearn. Without realizing it or intending to... I accidentally created a system that worked not just for me, but for students at every level. 

This was the start of the melodic triads system.

It's not about theory for theory’s sake—it’s about helping you tap more deeply into your own inner musical voice and show you how to develop the skills that will connect that inner voice with the language of straight ahead, bebop, post bop, and modern jazz. 

 

🫵🏻 Are you ready to never noodle again?

 

🫵🏻 To develop practical perfect pitch so you can always play every note with intention and soul?

 

🫵🏻 To never feel stuck inside scale patterns, arpeggio runs, or riffs again... and simply have authentic vocabulary spontaneously flowing out of you?

 

🫵🏻 To start turning heads with lush, colorful, and wildly inventive harmony?

 

All while thinking about little more than the shapes of a few triads?

 


Then apply to see if you qualify to join the Melodic Triads Online Coaching Program

 

And Let's Go!
Can I ask you a question before I apply?