Dick Grove School Without Walls

[Wewus432]

Anybody out there ever taken any of the courses offered by the [url=http://www.dickgrove.com/]Dick Grove School Without Walls[/url] ? I heard some good things about them years ago and talked to Dick on the phone a few times, but never took any of the courses and, unfortunately, Dick died in '98. His long time partner Dana Rasch still runs the school but I'm wondering how much things have changed there, if they still have the rep and offer the same student support they used to. Any Dick Grove graduates or students out there?

[woodlakesound]

I've worked with the Grove stuff for years and if you want a thorough approach to the Jazz or Pop Jazz idiom, that is it. A Grove trained teacher with weekly assessments would be wise however. I would suggest if you are on a budget or more time constrained in your practice, Mark Harrison's material will get you there. Equally proficient, though not a hard core Jazz text, his Pop Piano Book and ear training books are derivative of all his teaching years at the Grove school here in LA. I would recomend his texts for most students who want a concise, logical, and fun apprach to all the pop jazz sounds you hear every day.

[Steve LeBlanc]

I cried the day I heard Dick Grove died. He was an absolute genius...his approach to modern harmony is simply the best there is...I would argue there is no better way to really understand resolution of melody and how it affects harmonization...my abilities in all areas, playing by ear especially, jumped light years thanks to this approach. I took traditional music theory (Blair music in Nashville and New England Conservatory of Music), traditional Jazz theory, private instruction and studied 2 years with Dick Grove. I encourage ANYONE who really wants to understand harmony and train their ears to study Dick's approach...I just can't give it a strong enough recommendation. FWIW, he was a really special person too...I really loved the man, I miss him and think about him often. I have never had a better teacher and I had a lot of them growing up.

[woodlakesound]

Amen to that....it's worth buying his musicianship courses on video just to hear him talk and play. When you listen to him modulate through all twelve keys to the tune Happy Birthday, [b]sounding right[/b] , you know your in the presence of a hmmm.....very knowlegable fellow.

[Steve LeBlanc]

[quote]When you listen to him modulate through all twelve keys to the tune Happy Birthday, sounding right[/quote]Ah yes but seeing him do the same with Stella by Starlight for over 6 minutes and never not interesting. I have a lot of good memories.

[woodlakesound]

[quote]Ah yes but [/quote]no buts allowed Stephen, 8 bars of Happy Birthday divided by 12 keys. Don't miss my point on the previous post, though you are one lucky fellow to have had that experience with him. He was a giant and your probably pretty close. :thu:

[Wewus432]

Thanks for the info Steve and cornvalley. I talked to Dick on the phone several times a while back and he did seem like a really great guy and an excellent teacher. He spent a lot of time explaining his approach and the benefits of the school to me. I was sorry to hear he passed away. Anyway, I'd like to spend some time learning the technical aspects of music. I used to think that learning more about traditional music theory and notation could possibly overshadow my natural abilities but I don't think that anymore.

[Sylver]

Those are some pretty heavy references. Now, if I just had a few extra grand. I never heard of Dick Grove, but there was a guy in Philly who all the heavy weight jazz people flocked to named Dennis Sandoli. I had the pleasure of about a month of lessons from him(this was back in my primarily bass playing days), but I wasn't ready yet. Maybe after I'm done with what I'm studying now, I'll have to check it out.

[Steve LeBlanc]

Yeah it may seem pricey considering it's a mail order thing instead of dealing with a live person, but with the videos that are included and everything else I imagine all of the programs are well worth the money. Especially the composition classes. But you don't have to take that kind of risk...the One Shot packages are about $60...you get a video, audio CD and a Textbook...considering what I know about Dick's approach to teaching this is a great deal. If I were to recommend any particular one shot class it would be the "Secrets to Great Improvising" kit. If you never took any classes in this area, that would be an excellent start IMO. I'm generally a big advocate of music training and think that everyone should at least dedicate [b]some[/b] time to a class or teacher. I personally think Grove's books/videos are the best approach because even the most simple of his lessons go straight to the heart of the matter. Most traditional music theory classes can take months before you really get anything practical out of it. Anyway...I don't work for Grove School or anything :D ...I just feel I can't stress enough just how much this school did for [b]me[/b]. If I were to give my best advice to a young cat looking for instruction...I would say find a teacther who studied Grove's approach to an advanced level and take one on one lessons with that person. If that isn't possible I would say go ahead and buy one of the Grove School courses and try to find a good competent private teacher on top of that. Ah but everyone has their own way...so just do what you do. Wewus mentioned my mentor here so I felt compelled to spew my love and appreciation. Thanks Dick!