Ticket To Improv – Volume 1

Learn Jazz Guitar the Way Players Actually Play—Not the Way It’s Currently Taught

Volume 1 – Running Time: 3 Hours, 50 Minutes

Project Songs:

• Satin Doll
• On Green Dolphin Street
• Autumn Leaves
• Bonus Solo!

The 3 Types Of Stuck – Sound familiar?

WHERE TO START?
I have some years of experience playing other genres, but I’m new to jazz. I don’t know where to start, and want to take the most direct path to playing as soon as possible without getting bogged down.

KNOW MODES, CAN’T PLAY
I’ve spent much time learning the modes, scales and theory they said to learn, but I still can’t improvise or play anything that’s pleasing to my ear. Where have I gone wrong and what should I do now?

JUST OVERWHELMED!
I bounce from teacher to teacher seeking that silver bullet without making any real progress. I don’t play any better than I did years ago. The amount of information online is too much to handle.

The academic way isn’t working

You’ve spent countless hours memorizing scales, modes, and theory. Yet when it’s time to improvise, your fingers hesitate and your solos fall flat.

You’re drowning in information from YouTube videos and well-meaning, but clearly unqualified teachers, and you still can’t play anything that sounds like more than random notes that “fit” over chords.

The more theory you learn, the more confused you become.

You know what jazz should sound like. You just can’t make it happen. But why?

The Hidden Toll of Misguided Learning

Think about what all this confusion is really costing you.

Every hour spent on theory that doesn’t advance your playing is an hour you’re not actually making music. Every course that leaves you more confused than before is money down the drain.

But here’s what’s really frustrating – the jazz education industry keeps pushing the same broken formula over and over:

Spend 4 years in school. Memorize endless modes and scales. Study complex theory. Then congratulations – you’re a jazz guitarist!

Back in the day when there wasn’t an internet to hide behind, if you wanted to sit in at a jam session, then you had better been able to play – or risk getting a cymbal thrown at you (true story!)

So… what is improvising?

Learning To Speak The Language

Consider this analogy:

Think about how a child learns to talk.

First comes “mama” and “dada.” Then more words. Soon they’re speaking in sentences, and before you know it, they’re chattering nonstop.

Does the child know what a noun or verb is? Of course not. But that doesn’t stop them from communicating perfectly.

Jazz works the same way. It has a vocabulary – musical phrases, licks, and ideas that real jazz players use.

Here’s the key:

When you improvise over a chord progression, you’re not inventing everything from scratch. You’re connecting jazz vocabulary you’ve learned to play, just like putting words together to form sentences.

Who Should You Learn From?

Consider This Scenario:

You need to have surgery so you begin a search to find the best surgeon you can afford. Here’s a hypothetical comparison between two candidates:

Candidate A

• He is an older fellow, more than a few gray hairs on his head
• He has performed countless successful surgeries throughout his career
• He mentored others in his methods who have gone on to become successful surgeons
• Many of his surgeries are documented on video for the world to witness
• He has numerous peers within his community that rate him as a top surgeon
• Comfortable in the operating room; not nervous, knows surgery like the back of his hand

Candidate B

• He’s around 25-35 years old
• Surgery is just a part time gig. His full time job is a butcher at the local market
• No one has seen him perform any successful surgeries; his patients leave in a hearse
• No one has seen any of his students perform any surgeries
• He does however, own numerous sharp knives like Candidate A

What does surgery have to do with learning to improvise?!

Aspiring students are duped every day. They throw away their money, and worse, their time, by believing self-proclaimed guitarists who promise the world, and deliver nothing but a mountain of theory and modes as the pathway to learn.

If you wanted to become a public speaker, would you learn from someone who’s terrified of speaking in front of a crowd? With no history of public speaking? With a first grade level vocabulary?

No, of course not.

You would seek someone with extensive public speaking experience, who has given numerous speeches and is eloquent with their words.

Meet your surgeon – Robert Conti

Discover what 60 years of verifiable experience can do for your playing

A well-documented pro player and teacher since the 1960s – Robert Conti is a bona-fide jazz guitarist who walks the walk (not just talks your head off on YouTube) with a vast amount of knowledge and on the bandstand experience to offer you, the aspiring player.

Experience Jazz Liberation — Without the Theory Overload

Imagine truly playing jazz, unburdened by complex theory. Robert Conti’s No Modes No Scales® method isn’t about abstract concepts — you’ll internalize the authentic language of jazz: the lines and phrases that have defined the genre for decades.

Learn from 60+ Years of Mastery

As a pro-level jazz guitarist and instructor for over six decades, Robert Conti has distilled his vast expertise into one goal: enable you to improvise from your very first lesson by placing vocabulary under your fingers from day one.

Your Path To Fluency

The Ticket To Improv series is not a collection of exercises; it’s a meticulously crafted journey where you:

Learn to play compelling solos over classic jazz standards, broken down measure by measure, note by note.

Are then guided in reshaping the learned lines, empowering you to construct entirely new solos – the true essence of creative improvisation.

If jazz is a language (and it is) then Robert Conti is a linguist at the highest echelons of speech. If you’re a blues or rock player trying to make the crossover to jazz, Ticket To Improv will take you on one of most exciting and productive musical events of your life.

What Students Are Saying

★★★★★
“The best approach to filling in the grey areas that prevent so many guitar players from truly mastering their improvisational capabilities. In a world where everyone is telling you to memorize words and definitions, it is a breath of fresh air to find someone who shows you how to speak the language. You are a blessing to our profession.”
— Chaz Robert, New Orleans, Louisiana

★★★★★
“I’ve really learned so much from Robert Conti’s products. His approach to single line soloing has opened the door for me and allowed me to confidently and skillfully take my improvisational playing to higher levels. Its a joy to practice when you have the appropriate knowledge and skill at your fingertips. Thank You Robert Conti.”
— Robert Dzurita, Glendale, New York

Conti Makes Learning Easier

TRANSCRIPTIONS
Most video lessons come without a transcription, or one that requires a decoder to decipher. Conti differs as he takes the time to simplify his lines for the entry level player with easy to read notation. Can’t read music? Tablature is also provided for your learning convenience.

POSITION MARKERS
You can play the same note in several places on the guitar. Conti eliminates all guesswork by providing position markers so your fingers are always where they need to be. Now you can execute hip sounding lines with precision and no wasted movement.

MP3 & MIDI TRACKS
The best way to improve your playing? Play with musicians who are better than you. Ticket To Improv includes the backing tracks Robert plays with – in both standard MIDI and MP3 audio file formats. Hear yourself playing with real musicians & boost your confidence.

Robert Conti learned by picking up and dropping the needle on the record player endlessly to get lines under his fingers. But you now have the benefit of a seasoned pro showing you exactly what he plays.

Common Questions

They say I’m not really improvising if I’m just learning someone’s solo.

The all-knowing “they.” Where have they gotten you?

As an entry level student, you must start somewhere. What sets Robert apart is that the work you do actually translates to tangible results in your playing. Back in the golden era of jazz guitar, there were no distractions. With Ticket to Improv, you’re playing jazz. And when you’re playing jazz, you’re becoming a better jazz player, not a jazz talker.

I can’t read music, can I still benefit?

Absolutely. Every lesson includes both standard notation and tablature, plus position markers that show you exactly where to place your fingers.

Does learning these solos transfer to other songs?

Yes. You’re learning authentic jazz vocabulary that can be applied to any standard. Once you internalize these phrases and understand how to reshape them, you’ll be able to improvise over any jazz progression.

Why purchase? I can learn everything free on Youtube!

You can find random information on YouTube, but you’ll waste countless hours trying to piece together a coherent path. Ticket To Improv provides a structured, proven system that gets you playing from day one. Plus, most YouTube teachers can’t actually play at a professional level.

This Volume Includes:

• Complete video instruction for all project songs
• Easy-to-read transcriptions in notation and tablature
• Position markers showing exactly where to place your fingers
• MP3 and MIDI backing tracks for all songs
• Printable PDFs for all materials

“I wish I discovered your products x years earlier”

A profound and recurring sentiment among our students. This poignant reflection underscores the frustration of years spent on an unproductive trajectory.

Do not allow this to become your narrative. Prolonging engagement with ineffective habits only entrenches them further, distancing you from the authentic jazz expression you truly desire.