The Magic of Triads

THE

Magic Of triads

3 shapes. 7 songs.
Your path to
creative soloing

Music and guitar playing have always been
a passion of yours

You fell in love with Jazz, the music of Django Reinhardt (or Gypsy Jazz),
and dreamt of being able to play those solos that would make the room stop and listen.

You want to become more creative, expand your knowledge,
and get comfortable improvising.

You want to learn a song and make it your own, giving it your own special touch,
instead of getting stuck repeating the same phrases again and again.

Soloing can be stress-free, exciting, and inspiring.

it can be fulfilling and FUN. It’s time for you to start enjoying all that.

Have you ever listened to the great Gypsy Jazz players and wondered how they do it?

The Gypsy players improvise melodically,
while playing complex jazz songs without
ANY music theory knowledge.

The ability to improvise has been ingrained in them
since childhood.

Their improvisation is authentic and effortless.

What's The secret to their improvisation magic?

A simple method that is easy to implement and allows
anyone who learns it to improvise freely.

This method has no style boundary.
You can use it with any style of music you like.

THE TRIAD METHOD

This method is based on 3 triad chord shapes only

but you can even manage with just one…

which you will easily visualize all over your fingerboard.

These 3 shapes are suitable for every chord and form the visual foundation

from which you will start improvising.

So, instead of constantly thinking about which note goes with the next chord, now you have a simple form that allows you to follow the MUSIC you hear in your head and just PLAY.

After years of learning and playing with incredible Gypsy Jazz players,

I put all that knowledge and experience into one course that will allow you to implement that method too, be creative and tell a new story in each of your solos, instead of repeating the same old licks again and again…

THE MAGIC OF TRIADS

The simplest and most melodic path to creative improvisation

Music, at its core, is simple. Just because people have made it complicated doesn’t mean you can’t delve into the essence of music, enjoy it, and create it effortlessly.

If you want to finally craft your own original beautiful solos,. ‘The magic of triads’ is for you.

and this is how we do it:

Step #1: Shapes Mastery

This will build the foundation for constructing your solos, allowing you to gain confidence in keeping the song’s form and having all the “right” notes at your fingertips. You will also learn how to transition from the triad to the Dom7 chord, add colors to the triads, and use the dim7 over the Dom7 to achieve Django’s unique sound…

Step #2: Song Mastery

Here’s something many players overlook – BEFORE you can become really proficient at improvising over a song, you need to MASTER playing the song in its basic form (Think about it… how can you improvise over something you haven’t mastered yet???).
In this section, we’ll explore how to play two famous songs in two different scales, tempos, and feels:

“Minor Swing” (Django’s most famous minor swinging standard in Am)
“J’attendrai” (a ballad/Med Swing in C that Django’s unforgettable video made into one of his most famous tunes).

For each song, you’ll delve into the harmony and melody, gaining a deep understanding of the song and mastering it. We’ll make sure that your music sounds good and build the basic structure for your improvisation.

STEP #3: IMPROVISATION MASTERY

Now that you have mastered the basic shapes and learned how to play the songs correctly, it’s time to let your creativity shine with the Magic of Triads.
You will apply the Triad Method to “Minor Swing” and “J’attendrai,” uncovering simple yet effective melodic techniques (like Half-tone approach, enclosures, trills, etc.) that Django used over these shapes to craft unique and captivating melodies every time. By fusing the Triads with these melodic tools, you’ll develop your own musical language for soloing, giving you the freedom to compose distinctive solos again and again.

STEP #4: EXPANDING YOUR REPERTOIRE

Now is the time to apply everything you’ve learned to a broader range of songs, unlocking the full potential of your improvisation skills. This will make the Triad Method uniquely yours and adaptable to any song you love.
We will explore five of the most popular songs often played in jam sessions, providing you with a quick head start in applying this method to any song you choose.

Songs covered

Rose Room

Dark Eyes

Swing Gitan

Minor Blues

Minor Swing

12 Bar Blues

J'attendrai

When you complete the course, you will be able to:

Freely and effortlessly improvise over your favorite songs, creating creative lines and motifs even when the chords change rapidly, while keeping the song's form.
Expand your music repertoire and discover how to master songs, giving you the confidence to play with other people and to perform.
Play the music you love and love the music you play.

How it works

The Magic of Triads is a “Learn at Your Own Pace” digital course, offering over 5 hours of video lessons organised into 7 modules.

This structured journey guides you from mastering fundamental skills, such as learning a song’s melody and chord progression, to playing advanced solos.

We begin with the basics to establish a shared foundation. Then, I’ll lead you through etudes, providing detailed instruction every step of the way.

For advanced guitarists, we explore free improvisation, with real-time explanations.

Upon signing up, you’ll receive immediate access. Experience the joy of learning music at your own pace with this course

Testimonials

ABOUT ME

Yaakov Hoter

Django Reinhardt’s music ignited my guitar passion at age 13. My journey spans Blues, Rock, Pop, Arabic Oud, Jazz, and 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’ve collaborated with renowned musicians like Bireli Lagrene and Martin Taylor, gracing international festivals. My academic journey includes a music college degree and a Music Academy bachelor’s. I document my musical journey at gypsyandjazz.com, helping thousands of players around the globe play the way they love and love the way they play.

“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

FAQs

I'm a Beginner/ Advanced player- Is it for me?

This course is suitable for all levels. It’s how kids in the Gypsy community learn to improvise. And it’s how I rebuilt my improvisation skills as a professional musician. We start from the very basic concepts of improvisation with Triads and learn songs together, step by step. The beauty of this process is that it lays down the framework for your improvisation, no matter what your playing skills are. And the more you delve into this process, the deeper and more interesting it gets. Because learning music is an endless multi-dimensional process that can go deeper and deeper all the time.