Creative Guitar - Jack Gates Music

Lessons with Jack

Jack Gates provides students with access to a variety of creative guitar techniques incorporating Brazilian Accompaniment, Jazz, Raga, and more. A variety of these techniques may be used in any given class or may be elaborated on in special-focus classes.

Lessons with Jack

Creative Guitar with Jack Gates

Jack teaches acoustic and electric guitar styles, including Latin, jazz, bossa nova, funk, fusion, and flamenco and raga. He is also an experienced music producer and is available for coaching soloists and ensembles.
He studied classical guitar with renowned teacher and performer David Tannenbaum. He studied North Indian Classical Music with the great maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Jack studied jazz guitar with Jack Eskridge.
Jack was the staff guitar instructor at Blue Note Music in Berkeley for 20 years. He was also Staff Instructor for three years at Grammy artist Silvia Nakkach’s Vox Mundi Santa Cruz Retreat from 2013 to 2015
His past students include guitar tech writer and authority, Matt Blackett, and Berklee School of Music graduate, Jules Leyhe.
Jack is currently doing in-person lessons in the Santa Cruz area and can also do lessons online through Zoom or FaceTime.
Current music projects include performance and recording with the George Cole Quartet (George is a veteran member of David Grisman’s touring band) and with percussionist Steve Robertson.
The jazz guitar improvisation book that Jack authored will be available in print again in 2023.

Creative Guitar with Jack Gates

Jack teaches acoustic and electric guitar styles, including Latin, jazz, bossa nova, funk, fusion, and flamenco and raga. He is also an experienced music producer and is available for coaching soloists and ensembles.
He studied classical guitar with renowned teacher and performer David Tannenbaum. He studied North Indian Classical Music with the great maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Jack studied jazz guitar with Jack Eskridge.
Jack was the staff guitar instructor at Blue Note Music in Berkeley for 20 years. He was also Staff Instructor for three years at Grammy artist Silvia Nakkach’s Vox Mundi Santa Cruz Retreat from 2013 to 2015
His past students include guitar tech writer and authority, Matt Blackett, and Berklee School of Music graduate, Jules Leyhe.
Jack is currently doing in-person lessons in the Santa Cruz area and can also do lessons online through Zoom or FaceTime.
Current music projects include performance and recording with the George Cole Quartet (George is a veteran member of David Grisman’s touring band) and with percussionist Steve Robertson. Visit the shop to learn more about Jack’s CDs available.
The jazz guitar improvisation book that Jack authored will be available in print again in 2023.

One of the key reasons Jules is getting such an excellent start at Berklee is because he had such an excellent teacher: You (Jules Leyhe graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston several years ago.)

Ted Leyhe

Father of Jules Leyhe

I love his playing and his Brazilian touch is brilliant…

Saúl Zavarce

Presenter & Producer of "Fiesta Jazz"

Melbourne, Australia

The Northern California guitarist/composer showcases his mastery of classical, Brazilian,

Latin, flamenco and pop guitar on his latest recording, Earth Messenger.

Matt Blackett

Frets Magazine

….surprising expertise, which reveals an uncommon mastery of the instrument, creating emotionally intense and original instances, floating casually and with intelligence, in the colors and tones.

Fabrizio Ciccarelli

jazzitalia.net

Hey Jack,

Thank you. It was a blast on Friday. You and your group sounded great! Have a great summer.

Bart Sullivan

Pixar

Brazilian Comping:

Bossa Nova, Samba, Baiao, Samba Reggae and Choro comping styles. Unlock the secrets of Brazilian rhythms and evolve your right-hand fingerstyle

Raga on Guitar:

A focus on understanding how to practice the ascending and descending (arohi, avarohi) patterns that will expand the seven modes. Learn about the Hindustani scales that move

Jazz Chord Melody:

Move beyond block chords to create your own chord melody arrangements. Discover three- and four-voice playing in the context of jazz standards, play the melody, inner voices, and

Vinyl

Coming Soon!

Lessons with Jack

Lessons with Jack

Creative Guitar with Jack Gates

Creative Guitar with Jack Gates

Brazilian Comping:

Raga on Guitar:

Jazz Chord Melody:

Vinyl

Upcoming Book

Elements of Improvisation for Guitar