Luca Mantovanelli: Masterclass Q&A
A prolific teacher, a dedicated guitarist, and a family man. The guitarist that JTC guitarists learn from, Luca Mantovanelli.
Fusion Essentials: Advanced, is the culminating part of yet another amazing Masterclass series by Luca, and oh what a series it is.
To give you more of an insight into how he frequently creates these superb releases, and what to expect from this one, here’s the man himself.
Q: What was the inspiration behind this Masterclass?
Well, I love to play fusion and I noticed lots of people like my quick videos about it. I get a lot of questions about scales, how to play over fusion chords etc. So I decided to create a fusion Masterclass. Starting from very beginner stuff to ‘’crazy’’ advanced level. This Masterclass is built to cover step by step all the stuff I know and play over fusion chord progressions.
Q: What’s your favourite part of the series?
In all my Masterclasses I have used my own method to teach. That is my favourite part. Giving you the knowledge to create your phrasing. Not just copy and paste but a complete guide to create your own stuff. I’ve done it with all of my JTC content, starting from the Pentatonic Masterclass through to my 2-5-1 releases, and now this.
Q: What is the most important lesson from it?
In the Fusion Essentials Masterclass, I choose chord progressions from a few famous fusion standards like Summertime, Sunny’’, Cantaloupe Island’’ and Spain. These are usually the first tunes I use to teach fusion playing, and it’s funny because it's not just a backing but a real song where you can play all the things you learnt from the Masterclass.
Q: With so many great JTC products out in the world, what's your process for creating them?
Well the first step is, find out what players need. I like to watch videos from my followers to see what they like and what they need. I then choose a topic and write down all the stuff I can use and create.
Everytime I create something new I see how I can use it for myself as well! It’s not just telling you what I know, but how I use it. This lets us create brand new guitar stuff. Lets see how that works. Everytime I create a Masterclass I create a lot of things but only the most useful ideas make it into the end product.
When I finish writing down the exercises, I write the backing tracks and the licks using the exercise concepts. At the end I create the solo using a few licks to show how you can mix together all the licks. The last part is recording the videos and create video using audio and video tracks. As you can see it’s not a fast process haha!
Q: Bootcamp is in the Beta phase and you have lots of students already. How much do you enjoy that closer relationship?
Bootcamp is an amazing thing. When we started working on it (2 years ago?!) we didn’t expect this huge feedback. I like it because you can chat with your student, you can give them tips about everything; timing, sound, technique. My actual students love it is well. Totally different from a Masterclass because we have interactions and this is great. The full launch will be very soon
Can’t wait!
Q: What’s next for you at JTC?
I have already written four different Masterclasses. But before I release them, I will release my 1st solo album this year. I am very excited about it and I hope people will dig it!
Q: We know you’re a family man. Are your daughters picking up the guitar yet?
Yeah, I am. Full of girls! Haha.
Well my 1st daughter, Eleonora, likes all the instruments I have in my house. Guitars, drums, bass. Everytime I go into the studio she comes and says, “Dad, gimme the pick (she wants only the JTC Pick) and then I pick up my guitar. She plays the rhythm and I play the chords every day! Sometimes when I record a JTC video she comes and starts dancing, it’s funny haha.