Gypsy & Jazz - Guitar Academy by Yaakov Hoter

“I'm 30% through the course but my technique has already improved 100%. The exercises are incredibly well presented and easy to absorb. I've been playing GJ for 3 years but now I finally feel that I am getting a solid foundation in my right hand playing and cleaner, more precise coordination between right and left. I am beyond thrilled to have taken this course and I am totally committed to finishing and mastering every exercise. Thanks for making a definite path through the rugged gypsy jazz wilderness.”

“I've been working through this course for a few months and I've been seeing massive improvements in my playing. I would definitively recommend this to anyone who wants to understand the mysteries of right hand technique and have a more confident pick playing. Thank you Yaakov!”

“Being a big fan of Yaakov’s teaching method, I had purchased several of his other courses within the last year. I have come along in my playing pretty well, however my technique was still a bit sloppy and it was slowing me down. I was getting disappointed and wondered what was wrong. Behold this course! I was on the fence about making the investment, since I had a lot of material that I had purchased already. This course was just what I needed. Yaakov goes into great depth to explain (essentially what I was doing wrong.) After a mere 2 days of studying the first chapter and applying it to my technique, I can already see the huge difference. Now instead of guessing on my technique and hoping I don’t get hung up on strings, I’m slowing down in order to get the correct feel, and what a great feeling that is. This course can be used to complement his other courses once you have the foundation of the proper technique instilled into you. This course, in my opinion, is his finest one yet.”

“Yaakov is the best teacher in the universe. He knows to sift out the elements that are essential for Gipsy jazz and to make them accessible in an understandable way. Because of his great didactic talent and the well-thought-out learning path of clearly structured lessons you quickly get a feel for the characteristics of Gipsy jazz. You do not get fastfood, not thousands of licks, no trivial instructions to do something in this way and not in the other; but soon you are not only able to develop your own licks in this fascinating idiom of Gipsy jazz - you will be filled with happiness by developing such licks and own improvisations. Yaakov encourages you to get creative and to follow your own way. Thank you Yaakov! by Igo L.”

“I'm coming along in this course. I love the clear explanations, the bite-sized lessons and the feeling that everything is leading towards a solid technique and foundation that can be implemented immediately and forever to create music that is more beautiful from its very roots. This course is really revolutionizing my playing, probably more than with any other, I really get the feeling that I'm making breakthroughs every day! ”

“Having completed Yaakov Hoter's Ultimate Gypsy Picking Course I can wholeheartedly recommend this course to any guitar player who wants to develop this technical approach to playing. In this course Yaakov has left absolutely no stone unturned in revealing exactly how the important function of picking and projecting on a Maccaferri style guitar is done. You will discover how and why Django's magical tone sounded the way that it did. Within the course there are essential details as to motor skills and hand movement that (unless you go and live with Manouche players) you are unlikely to find out in such detail from any other source. Added to which, Yaakov is an afable, creative and highly gifted teacher. I have completed a number of similar courses and I would count this course as one of the best and most essential. What you learn and gain more than compensates for the cost (which is very reasonable!). If you are not familiar with the 'rest stroke' approach to picking this is most definitely the place to start.”

“This course takes you to the secrets of gypsy jazz picking. And it is a long journey. Tons of exercises and etudes have to be discovered. Even in the beginning there are some very hard fingerings and I am not able to play all of the content of the first 3 chapters properly, after some 6 month of working with that course. But I´m learning every day and Yaakov is there to help with regular webinars, additional videos on YouTube and via E-Mail and Facebook. My guitar playing has improved a lot in the last months and people want to play gypsi jazz tunes with me. And this is a great new experience! ”

“These lessons are by far the clearest, most methodical explanations of technique I've found. I should state that I'm very much a beginner in this style, but have looked at quite a few online lessons to try to find a method that feels right for me, and they've all left me with questions unanswered. Although I'm early in the process of retraining my hands for gypsy jazz, I can already hear a marked improvement in tone.”

“How much does implementing the techniques of the Gypsy Jazz style into your playing mean to you? This is how you can measure how much you will gain from this course. I find myself working with maybe 2 at max techniques or "licks" presented in this course at a time for a week and a half to 2 weeks straight before moving on. Yaakov's course enable you to "authentically play " Gypsy Jazz if that is your goal but more importantly gives you the tools to apply style specific arrangements, and tonalities to add in an organic way to your style of playing. I have tried alot of online guitar courses (all of them I have cancelled in under a month). The amount of material Yaakov provides in this course (not including the bonus extra's) could last at least a Year to get under my fingers if I was focused on practicing every day. He does not bog you down with un-needed theory but gets you playing in real music situations and also explains very SIMPLY (rare in online courses :]) the theory and math behind the presented technique. If you are willing to work hard and study this material it will become an invaluable tool in adding to your musical vocabulary! AMAZING COURSE”

“I’m about a month in this course now, and though It will take some time before completing, I think I can honestly say, that I made the right decision picking this course at the beginning of my explorations in this style. When I took a few private lessons in the recent past, from a very good Gypsy player/teacher, it became evident that I lacked a lot of basic technique/speed/licks, though I could play a bit, which he also admitted. Using this course for just that, is a much more relaxed way of learning for me, then a two-weekly halfhour lesson. I finished the first chapter on pickin’ patterns, and already see a great improvement getting the patterns in my muscle memory, and in building speed. I must say, that the daily repetitions of the exercises, as Yaakov stresses you should do, really pay of. The six live lessons (in this case) are a useful extra. So, as said before, this course is an ideal kickstart in the style! Can hardly wait to see, where may playing will be, after completion of the course, but I’ll take it slowly to get there!”

“Yaakov teaches out of his own experience of learnung and shows us how to master difficult techniques with patience and time (I don't think there are any shortcuts). To me he is THE teacher in Gypsy Jazz guitar technique, a masterful player and skilled mentor in person.”

“Once again Yaakov has given the online community a course that will add much depth and richness to anyone wishing to learn how to swing with authentic gypsy flavor. I have studied from a plethora of online teachers in this genre and I always come back to Yaakov because I consider him to be the standard of what an online instructor in Gypsy Jazz should be. His method is easy to comprehend. He always welcomes questions, feedback and encourages uploads so he can carefully examine your technique and offer you guidance to help you become the best player you can be. Yaakov is a phenomenal player and a natural instructor (a rare combination indeed.) Cheers to Yaakov and all of his students.”