The Irving Berlin Songbook

Irving Berlin wrote some of the most popular songs of all time, and they sound great on guitar. In this DVD, Fred plays and teaches six Berlin favorites, including guitar backup (for singing) and instrumental versions of each tune. Just for fun, Fred includes the rarely-heard introductory verses to some of the songs, and plays ad-lib instrumental chord solos for all of them.

After playing each song, Fred gives you a run-down on the arrangement, going over tricky spots and analyzing the chord progression and substitutions. Then he replays it slower on a split-screen with close-ups of both hands. Best of all, you can read all six arrangements (tablature, music and chord grids) in the booklet that comes with this DVD.

Chord soloing (playing the melody and chords at the same time) is a very complete and satisfying guitar style. This lesson will get you playing some of the classiest jazz tunes ever written: Cheek to Cheek, Say It Isn't So, Blue Skies, How Deep is the Ocean, I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm and Change Partners.

Bonus Interview: Fred talks about his Songbook Series

95 minutes • Level 3 • Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD