FREE PDF

The One Magic Shape

LEARN AND PRACTICE THE MAGIC SHAPE THAT WILL HELP YOU IMPROVISE OVER ANY CHORD AND SONG

Take the A train

How High the moon

notes and tabs

Video lessons

In this PDF, you'll learn

THE ONE MAGIC SHAPE
 that you can use to improvise over any chord and any song, and express your creativity, starting with these two classics:

  • Take the A Train
  • How High the Moon

This PDF comes with all the notes and tabs, included plus video lessons.

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Django Reinhardt's

music ignited my passion for the guitar from the very first day I held one at the age of 13. Since then, I’ve followed this musical path with immense passion. 

My musical journey has led me through various bands and diverse styles, including Blues, Rock, Pop, Arabic music on the Oud, Jazz, and the enchanting world of Gypsy Jazz. Throughout it all, one thing has remained crystal clear to me – music is a universal language, free from the constraints of style or genre. 

I founded the Swing de Gitanes band and had the privilege to collaborate with world-renowned musicians such as Bireli Lagrene, Martin Taylor, and others. 

I played in numerous international festivals, including the prestigious Jazz festivals in Eilat and Tel Aviv, Khamoro Gypsy music festival in Prague and more. 

With a strong academic background as a music college graduate and a bachelor’s degree in music from the Music Academy, I’ve chronicled my musical journey on my website, gypsyandjazz.com, amassing a global following of thousands. Through this platform, I’ve mentored thouthands guitar players, helping them hone their skills and achieve their musical goals. 

I host online live courses and organise international guitar retreats. I invite you to join me in exploring the boundless world of music. Are you ready to elevate your playing to new heights with me?

Testimonials

“I had loads of classes with really wonderful professional players but nothing compares. The way Yaakov introduces you to Django’s style is unique, very helpful and highly entertaining. I’d never have imagined to be able to pick it up in such a short time. Taking Yaakovs Gypsy Jazz course is like having a friend in your practicing room.”

Wolfgang eisenhuth

“Yaakov is an absolutely brilliant teacher. His unique teaching method and style give a very effective mix of learning by doing and understanding. I can now play and learn, alone, at jam sessions and at workshops. Yaakov’s lessons are so much fun; they excite my interest and hold it! I’m learning to play and learning to learn. ”

Donna Radin

“My development as a guitarist due to the 32 lessons I took with Yaakov is much more than I had hoped for. Beyond learning just how to swing and how to play jazz songs, I can now improvise to any kind of music. Following all your tips…really works. Your approach hits the mark. Your generosity was always felt. Blessings to you. ”

Jai . C . SALT

“I picked up books/tabs/dvd’s and various courses. about 8 years had gone by and my playing was between beginner and intermediate and I practiced 4 hours a day! Then I stumbled upon Yaakov Hoter. WOW!!.. somebody who explained the Gypsy language better than ANYONE! If ONLY I had found this 8 years ago! Get lessons from YAAKOV, you will not regret it ”

Ian Randell

“I always talked about Django Reinhardt with admiration but never understood how he did it…time moves on and and I found Yaakov Hoters Gypsy Jazz courses. It is the best way to learn. Yaakov is a great teacher with great patience to teach you and to tell you the little secrets you need to know.”

Andrew Wells

“I’m a big fan of Django and Yaakov. I’ve bought a lot of lessons from his website and I’ve learnt a lot with them…All of them are very well organized and helpful. Easy to understand and come with a pdf explanation. Thank you very much Yaakov!! ”

Django Eddie

“Yaakov’s bootcamp has taken my learning experience to the next level. I had never recorded my playing on video before nor shared it online with others. But using my cellphone I was ready to go in seconds, not minutes. With the help of Yaakov and his online group I suddenly see lots of improvements in a short period of time. I now enjoy every step along the way. Thank you Yaakov”

Kai Ole Shultz

“As a Gypsy Jazz beginner I am blown away that my technique has improved so drastically in such a short time – a testament to Yaakov’s fantastic teaching. Yaakov provides attentive and precise feedback on individual technique and areas to improve. The opportunity to watch him work with other students is inspiring and I gained much insight from common difficulties many if us share. I highly recommend Yaakov’s live workshops and courses.”

Thomas Loiselle

“The Live Bootcamps are something to look forward to all week. When you attend a live meeting there is an excitement that you get from Yaakov directly answering your comments live and actually using your name to invite you on to share what you’ve learned. It’s makes everything so much more real and personal to have one of the world’s top gypsy jazz teachers directly helping give you personal tips, directions, and goals. ”

TOM SHOPTAW

“Having learned picking from you, a surprising benefit is that the tone that I have achieved really helps for everything related to ear training. I can learn and remember so many phrases and tunes because I can play them clearly and precisely. Because of your guidance, I know what to work on to improve. Thank you for the wonderful start and I look forward to joining more bootcamps in the future!”

Ashok Thirumurthi

“Another fine workshop from Yaakov, this time on the oh so important element of rhythm in Gypsy Jazz, Yaakov has the ability to focus on the basic movements, really breaks it down, so you can build from the bottom up. All this without getting academic, and keeping it fun. If you are a student like me, who can play a fair bit already, but need structure, you can’t go wrong with a workshop like this!”

Karel van Bezooijen

“Yaakov´s live online Bootcamp was a very useful. Keeping up with the others students progress was both – fun and motivating. I think the online live workshop gave all members a boost in their playing and our progress during these sessions was impressive. Yaakov was always there with his answers and comments: he knows exactly what advice to give to improve your playing”

Volker Bräth

“I enjoyed it so much and was making substantial progress with my improvisation skills. Until joining the program, my solos consisted of noodling with a scale through the changes. The structure of the program taught me how to approach soloing using these techniques. My goal went from stringing together arpeggios at blazing speeds to creating melodic statements that applied my current skills and came from the music inside of me. Thanks so much, Yaakov!”

Brad Smadly

“Simply put, learning the fundamentals of gypsy jazz from Yaakov has done wonders for my confidence and ability to improvise. Now I’m very much enjoying my daily practice, creating lines and swinging out. If you’re passionate about learning how to play Gypsy Jazz, I couldn’t recommend Yaakov’s courses and bootcamps more. I consider the progress I’ve made in such a relatively short time and the guidance I’ve been given invaluable. Worth every penny. Thanks again Yaakov!”

Jordan Corney

“You have a great system of turning the knowledge I have into something that I can use and if I don’t have the knowledge, you are giving it to me so it’s usable. Learning this process has changed everything in my playing. I like my own sound and solos better and people are asking me to come back and play with them again which is a pretty good indicator that I’m doing something right and and it’s all thanks to you Yaakov!”

Carol

“I’m finally able to see the endless patterns on the fretboard and relax, finding so many ways to explore vaguely repeating motifs that sound good to the ear. Fewer notes, better notes, more meaning and beauty to the soloing. Loving it, and again – that’s for your help! Yaakov ”

Douglas Stewar

“I have been following yaakov’s course over 4 weeks and it has really been a crucial breakthrough for me. When Yaakov explained about simplifying chord progressions, keeping the shape and using triads, it all fell into place. I have developed more in the last month than in the previous 30 years ”

Lars Nørregaard

“Improvisation in music is like abstract painting in art. Yaakov is teaching some stuff that might seem unteachable. Very inspiring. As you go through it everything starts making sense. The system is quite simple. Also, Yaakov’s genuine personality makes a huge difference; if you trust your teacher – it’s easy to trust the process.”

Natalia Yazell

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