Mark Lettieri
The method, approach and perspective of a 3-time Grammy winning guitarist
Few guitarists can match the resume of Mark Lettieri. From topping the iTunes charts with his solo releases, touring with Snarky Puppy, or working with famed artist such as David Crosby, Snoop Dogg, Eminem or Adam Levine, Lettieri has gained notoriety as a thoughtful composer, artist and stage musician. Be it funk, R&B, jazz, blues or rock... Mark graces the instrument with impeccable rhythm combined with tasty, melodic phrasing and note choice.
Suited for guitarists of all skill levels, we will explore 4 phases of Mark's approach: chord voicings and harmony, groove, melodic composition and lead playing. Without question, this course is a must have for aspiring players, and one of our favorite courses of the year. Learn more or start the course with membership, or get lifetime access with purchase.
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Meet Mark Letteiri
Meet Mark Lettieri
Mark Lettieri is a guitarist, composer, producer, and instructor based in Fort Worth, TX. Proficient in a multitude of styles, he records and performs in virtually every genre of popular music with both independent and major-label artists. He also composes and produces original instrumental music under his own name.
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lettieri has been a passionate guitarist since middle school, and began his music career in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area upon graduating from TCU.
Playing in the vibrant Metroplex gospel and R&B scene led Lettieri to join jazz/world group Snarky Puppy in 2008, where he contributes as guitarist, as well as arranger and composer. His work with group has resulted in three GRAMMY Awards: Best R&B Performance for "Something" feat. Lalah Hathaway in 2014, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (Sylva in 2016, and Culcha Vulcha in 2017).
Lettieri has released five albums as a leader: Knows (2011), Futurefun (2013), Spark and Echo (2016, #2 on iTunes Jazz and #11 on Billboard Jazz charts), Deep: The Baritone Sessions in (2019, #21 on Billboard Jazz), and most recently, Things of That Nature (2019, #1 on iTunes Jazz).
Recent recording work includes David Crosby, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Adam Levine, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Tori Kelly, Ledisi, Lecrae, Lupe Fiasco, Xzibit and even comedians Dave Chappelle and Harry Shearer. Lettieri is also a member of SKP, a production collective led by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Symbolyc One (Kanye West, Beyonce). He can also be seen on television, in the house band for the Marcus & Joni Show, a Christian morning talk/variety show broadcast in over 200 countries Daystar Television Network.
Lastly, Lettieri serves as a clinician and gear demonstrator, often on behalf of companies he endorses; namely J. Rockett Audio Designs, Supro, Grosh, Collings, Paul Reed Smith, Jim Dunlop, and TC Electronic.
Trade Secrets from a 3 time grammy winner
9 hours of material spanning 33 lessons, equipped with tabs, jamtracks and accompanied practice sessions
From connecting scales with chords, to punctuating your grooves and lead playing, Mark Lettieri has the pedigree to move your playing forward. Learn his tactics for composition, melody, rhythm, chord composition and more in this JamPlay exclusive.
This course offers 33 lessons covering 9+ hours of material in step-by-step, digestable presentation.
Full Course Listing
This course offers 33 lessons covering 9+ hours of material in step-by-step, digestable presentation. View the full course outline below.
Guitar Method with Mark Lettieri
Grammy award winner Mark Lettieri brings his jazz fusion and session chops to JamPlay in what he calls Mark Lettieri's guitar method. This master course is designed to teach you how Mark thinks, plays and creates. From practical application to conceptual ideas on arranging and composition, Mark breaks down how it is he, does what he does best!
2:36 Runtime
0.0 Difficulty
The 2 Chord: Simple Shape, Not So Simple Sound
The first module of Mark's lesson series is all about harmony, voicings and progressions. The first lesson in this module is on what Mark calls the "2" chord. More specifically, this is a chord that has a 2nd interval. He demonstrates the shapes and how it can be used harmonically over a backing track.
19:56 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Drawing Pictures: Scales as Chords - Major
Lesson 3 is all about visualizing a scale in a linear fashion, instead of as a box. Mark discusses and demonstrates how to draw chord shapes from scales and you'll apply this technique over a backing track.
18:03 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Drawing Pictures: Scales as Chords - Minor
Lesson 4 picks up where you left off on lesson 3. This time you'll be looking at minor chords.
13:44 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Keep it Tight: Two Note Chords with Purpose
Sometimes when working in an ensemble, those big luscious chords just create mud in the mix. In lesson 5 Mark demonstrates and discusses how to use simple 2 and 3 note chord voicings in order to cut through the mix.
14:22 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Point/Counterpoint
In lesson 6, Mark takes queues from gospel, modern jazz and classical harmony to demonstrate counterpoint and how to use it to navigate a chord progression.
19:25 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
To B or Not to B: Pivoting Shapes off the B String
Using a single string and a single note, it's possible to build different types of progressions with different shapes. In lesson 7, Mark shows you how!
18:02 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Soulful Shapes and Extensions 1
Starting to round out this first module, Mark takes a look at soulful sounding triad shapes that can be used with R&B and Pop recordings.
15:05 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Soulful Shapes and Extensions 2
Lesson 9 expands on the concepts taught in the previous lesson.
14:52 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Muting and Ghost-Notes
Lesson 10 starts the second module of this course. Called "Groove, Rhythm, Technique and Time-Feel" this module covers everything about grooving and rhythms. To start off, Mark talks about ghosted notes that you feel more than you hear.
20:41 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
One at a Time: Single Note Groove
In lesson 11, it's time to start thinking about the tick-tack or stick rhythm. There are various names to this technique, but Mark breaks it down here to help with a funk groove.
22:10 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Up for the Downstroke: Clavinet Picking
Lesson 12 is all about super short staccato notes. So short in fact that they sometimes feel and sound like a clavinet.
15:42 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Off the One: 16ths and Displacement
In lesson 13, Mark discusses and demonstrates displacing notes by a sixteenth. This is an often used rhythmic trick that helps create push and pull in a song or tune.
16:41 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Thumb Bass Style
In lesson 14 Mark debuts a thumb and fingerstyle technique used to create some separation in the bass and chords or melody.
16:59 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Hybrid Pick'd Comping
Similar to the thumb bass style previously learned, this lesson is all about the country flare of Hybrid Picking.
16:11 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Feel Shifting and Swing
Music doesn't always correlate directly with it's many parts. Often you may shift styles and feels over various parts of a song. In this lesson Mark discusses playing swung over a straight feel and also starts to talk about displacing rhythms.
18:45 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
The Sample: Muted Chords and HipHop Rakes
Playing off some of the techniques already discussed, Mark breaks down a technique where you can get an R&B "sample" type sound from the guitar. This will be useful when playing anything with a soul or modern R&B vibe.
18:10 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Groove Formulas 1: Riffs with Chordal Punctuation
Lesson 18 starts the next module in this course. This module covers groove construction, part arranging and composition ideas. To start off with, Mark introduces the idea of punctuation and grammar to music.
15:58 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Groove Formulas 2: Chords with Riff Punctuation
In lesson 19, Mark reverses the ideas from the previous lesson. You'll be thinking about riff vocabulary from a different angle.
14:56 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Stacking Chord Shapes 1: Groove Shapes
Lesson 20 is all about double tracking. Specifically tracking stereo guitar parts that are similar or identical.
24:45 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Stacking Chord Shapes 2: Ambient/Textural Shapes
Lesson 21 continues with the same ideas discussed in lesson 20. This time mark discusses making more ambient and textural sounds instead of basic double tracking.
17:10 Runtime
0.0 Difficulty
Chord Splitting
We're still working in the double track universe in lesson 22. In this lesson Mark discusses taking a large chord and breaking its sonic parts into two, which are then played by different guitars.
18:05 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Adding Melodies to Chords
In lesson 23, Mark discusses composition when you have a starting foundation based off of a chord progression.
15:10 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Adding Chords to Melodies
Lesson 24 is the reverse of lesson 23. Mark discusses how to add chords and progressions to your composition if you already have a melody.
17:41 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Creating Chord Progressions with the Interval System
What if you are trying to compose, but you don't have...anything at all? Mark discusses and demonstrates a handy way of creating a chord progression by using a single note and using varying intervals.
14:30 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Singing and Rapping
Lesson 26 starts the next module in Mark Lettieri's course. This one titled "Soloing, Improvisation and Specialized Techniques" will guide you through aspects of creating meaningful solos as well as concepts and techniques to spice up your playing. Lesson 26 is all about making the guitar sing, or rap.
18:29 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Grammatical Soloing: Chord Punctuation in Lead Lines
Solos don't always have to be about single note lines. In lesson 27 Mark discusses the aspect of chord punctuation to add harmony to your solos.
18:22 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Linear Two Note Groupings
Mark helps you "get outside the box" by exploring linear scales up and down the neck. By using two adjacent strings, you can create some interesting intervalic chord groupings to add to your playing.
20:30 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Out Stuff: The Funky Flat 5
Lesson 29 is all about getting funky with chromaticism. Mark discusses the use of the flatted five in blues and rock phrasing and how it interacts with tonality.
18:07 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Out Stuff: Altered Scale Dominant and Minor Blues
In lesson 30 Mark explores the half-whole diminished scale, commonly referred to as the "altered scale." He discusses and demonstrates how he uses it to color his playing.
18:49 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
The Blur: Bend/Slur Hybrid Technique
In lesson 31 mark introduces a bend and slur technique that he uses to give a bit more spice to a simple bent note by adding a slide effect.
16:11 Runtime
3.5 Difficulty
The Pitch Bend: Micro-bends for Chromaticism
Lesson 32 is all about emulating the pitch bend effect commonly used by keyboard players. Mark discusses the technique and demonstrates it's uses.
19:34 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Groovy Legato Pivoting
To close out his series, Mark offers up his take on legato playing that uses a barred finger to allow additional hammer-ons and pull-offs on adjacent strings.
18:35 Runtime
3.5 Difficulty
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