This lady played on Michaels world tours with him. Soloing and killing it onstage with him night after night. She is the real real real real deal. Can't believe I found her on here today. I'm so happy.
Jennifer attended and graduated from GIT At least a year before I did, but she came back to do a seminar while I was there. She was killer then but has continued to grow; she has musical depth beyond belief.
: / UHHH, NO, SHE DID NOT "GRADUATE" GIT. SHE SAYS THAT HERSELF HERE IN THIS VIDEO. SHE WENT FOR ONLY A YEAR AND LEFT, SHE SAID, AND SHE ADDED, SHE NEVER WANTED TO GO TO ANOTHER SCHOOL AGAIN... JENNIFER IS POINTING OUT HERE THAT PLAYING GUITAR OR ANY OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, IS AN INDIVIDUAL THING. ITS ALL ABOUT INDIVIDUAL SELF EXPRESSION, SELF COMFORT, AND INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY. WHICH MEANS, THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY TO PLAY YOUR INSTRUMENT! AS LONG AS YOU ARE EXPRESSING YOURSELF AND MAKING MUSIC, AND IT SOUNDS GOOD TO YOU AND YOUR LISTENERS! PERIOD!
Met and chatted to Jennifer at Manchester university about 25 years ago during a demonstration. She was brilliant and very helpful. She performed a faultless version of the flight of the bumblebee at a phenomenal speed. Wonderful person, great guitarist.
It is a true fact that many musicians use Flight of the Bumblebee to inspire speed and accuracy in their technique. I am only talking technique here and not necessarily musical inspiration. My Nephew learned piano by ear and the first thing he really mastered was Flight of the Bumblebee. He has a great ear. Colin I love you nephew!
@@JWCFB Listen to 101 - Jennifer Batten (with Gretchen Menn) by NO GUITAR IS SAFE • Podcast w/ Jude Gold on #SoundCloud soundcloud.com/guitar-player-magazine/101-jennifer-batten-with-gretchen-menn
I want her for my instructor... she is not only funny but she is humble and honest. I especially liked the fact that after years of playing she says she is still learning. Keep in mind that this woman has performed with some of the greatest artist like Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson and others!! Totally amazing!!!
As a pro musician and teacher for the last 12 years, it's interesting to hear Jennifer echoing so much of what I tell my guys n gals - individuality counts for everything as well as being comfortable... Everyone has their own style and way of doing stuff. I spent 2 years playing 12 hours a day practicing scales arpeggios and all that stuff and it didn't take long to realise that playing stuff that you don't like or you don't feel is musical is pretty much a waste of time ... spend time working on your own style and play what you like, not just lydian sequences of 6 because you feel you should - then never actually use them! Love n peace fam!
I coulnd't agree more 35 yrs since I bought my 1st no name LP Black Pawn Shop Guitar . I have never had a formal lesson . Watched and learned from MTV Videos in the early 80'd bands like Ratt , Dokken & Crue helped me develop my own style . Never learned my chords properly all those things just became known by repetition or watching someone else play the chord and name it MIMICKING lead me to a career as a studio , session and stand in guitarist . There is no set way to learn find your Jam practice it and you will get there . Biggest thing is learn at least your first 3 Pentatonic scale positions and everything just makes more sense and gets easier . Good Luck Beginners you CAN do it !!!
@@El_Hicks yep... it's for real. I had no job because of an accident forcing a layoff and had nothing else to do except play guitar while my back healed, when I was mid-twenties.
@@rhamilton8257 you are right, there's nothing bad about learning those things - meant more from the perspective of trying to master every detail for the sake of it, like knowing every position of every scale mode in every key, when all you love is rocking out to AC/ DC...
Man...She's like your best friend just chatting with you and sharing the value of the basics and showing you the dedication of fundamentals and how that will manifest into the of skill accomplishment, confidence, and ultimately greatness.
I gotta be honest, I've been skeptical of shred players like Jennifer Batten but hearing and seeing her player now, she's clearly a musician whose invested so much into the guitar over so many years and she's like all of us - she's struggled with getting the right sounds out of the instrument, with continuing to learn, she's a great communicator and very likable.
Jennifer is one of the greatest. I've had the good fortune to interview her and hang out a bit as well as filming a couple of her performances. Super cool person and an absolute guitar legend!
The coolest guitarist you’ll ever meet! She gets better and better. Can tell the time she spent with Jeff Beck helped shape some of her technique. I can still remember reading her columns in GFTPM and was just so impressed with how she would explain things. My friend Kevin played drums for her hooked me up to take my guitar club to see her in Birmingham and she was so good with the kids. She is a LEGEND!!! 👍
Although I am not a guitarist, as a bassist, Jennifer Batten's lessons have always been great. And really very helpful to my own playing. I stopped playing bass but how awesome it is that Jennifer is still out there. Over many years I have seen featured articles in trade magazines and lessons taught by her. Finally, with RU-vid, the World now knows a bit more about one of the greatest guitarists of our time. Male or Female. I once heard her mimic the sound of a locomotive steam engine on her guitar. I've seen and read about her on stage as a touring member of many bands. She toured with Michael Jackson and not only shredded on guitar, she wore an LED weave and huge wig that lit up and brought your focus right to her. Stunning. Jennifer you are a Kick Ass guitarist and teacher. And you are a lovely woman.
Wow, this is really very important lesson that I am trying to find for years. I rally miss the lessons like this one. I am very interested in the subject of sound, because I am also a sound chaser on my guitar. We don't discuss about the sound of the same note, coming from the different frets, about their different quality, tone, intensity that we can choose from to express our musical ideas with the instrument. Thank you immensely, great Jennifer Batten. I follow your work from Michael Jackson in 1987 until now. You are amazing player, and I really like to listen to your solo albums, too. Thank god that we have Jennifer. Tapping is great, soloing is alive! Rock guitar lives! Screw the 90ies and cold machine of 2000s. Long live the great music, skill, expression, emotion of the guitar player!
She was quite popular in the '80s while playing for MJ, but it's only now I truly begin to appreciate and understand her deep mastery of the guitar. I admire her more and more each day.
Awesome, expressive guitar player (love her Beck-like touches on the whammy bar). Not a huge fan of her solo music, but for her it definitely seems to be all about the musical journey. Comes across as a shy, humble, down-to-earth person and hasn't let her huge success affect her. Her inclusion and mastery of so many techniques is amazing. Seems like there's so much knowledge in her head all competing to come out first.
One of her solo CD called Momentum, has good players on it and she wails some absolutely awesome guitar. Been in love with her since 99 when a brief chat before a Jeff Beck show. She played all the keyboard parts and jammed along with Jeff as a great foil for his expressionisms. Jennifer Batten is a nice person and a strong player. Satch and Vai should take her on a well deserved tour.
Michael Jackson's best guitarist he toured with. So F'ing underrated and up there with Eddie, Vai and Satriani. You can see her love for her craft and she's holding back, which is humbling. How many players just show you their best licks, yet she teaches. ❤️
Awesome Video. Jennifer is such a great player and nice person. I had her as a teacher at GIT in the 80s. I'll never forget sitting in a tiny room with couple of other students coping licks from her.
It's nice to see that she is still seeking to learn new stuff and improve her playing, like everyone! That's the gift of playing an instrument : there is always something new to learn!
I saw Jennifer play in Manchester a few years ago. (She writes some wonderful music!) Afterwards she was very generous with spending time answering questions, explaining her rig and sharing playing tips. A lovely person.
Great lessons from a seasoned pro and obvious lover of the guitar. I've been playing a long time and feel encouraged to grow more after watching and listening to you. You have a great way of explaining and verbalizing to intricacies of guitar playing... and you're a great guitarist :). Thank you Jennifer!
I agree, I have to have a tremolo bar. My new 8 string doesn't have one, so I will have to order one for 8 string. That's the first and only guitar I ever bought without one. Magical presentation, Thank You.
Jennifer is one of the true pioneers of the instrument. She was one of the first people to do 8 finger tapping that I had ever heard of. Used to follow her articles in the guitar magazines regularly. Fantastic player. Anyone looking to learn advanced picking needs to check out Troy Grady's stuff on RU-vid. He has taken the understanding of what is involved in speed picking to a new level.
I agree especially with your comment about her pioneering guitar. She has been a big part of elevating the instrument and laying down proper challenges for new players working on their own style.
As vocalist I love your comment about how a guitar player can be in the same plane as a vocalist. I have always tried to play with a guitar player that has the same page as me.
I was lucky enough to see Jennifer playing with Jeff Beck around 2001 UK. That gig was like being in outer space - the sounds they were making were unreal.
Dear Jennifer, in addition to your endearing, tasteful musicality, clear presentation and warm persona, your TONE is killa-dilla! Was it so Beck-like before you worked with Jeff? There's definite colors of Beck there. Your jazzy riffs are of particular interest to me. I never took lessons from a jazzer. Prolly why I can't play them! But I love standards, accompanying myself with a walking bass, and writing in that vein. Peace you dear heart!
Usually dislikes are from competitors. When it comes to dislikes, it's not how many, it's what percentage. She's at 3% which is awesome. Even 10% is pretty good. Trust me, I know.
She is incredibly vibrant, enthusiastic and intelligent. I am motivated to try out everything she is showing here! Women who love playing the guitar need more role models like her.
When I was 16 years old I got a personal tour of the old Fender factory in Corona CA (early 90s). My mom was friends with Pam (Jennifer Battens sister} who was married to Fred Stuart at the time (a master builder at Fender). .. Such a cool experience ... These were the real people that make music happen. ; )
I like that term better. Idiot guitar players named it a trem...lol, tremolo is when the volume goes up and down. Vibrato is the correct term, but its been wrong so long it stuck. Whammy is the worst, it reminds me of very unmusical noobs doing dive bombs. Get your expression bar training from Vai, Petrucci, Gilmour, Plini and you'll get a good idea how to use it properly
😂😂😂😂😂 27 years of playing. Do tell where I said who's buying what for what? I simply said about how there is NOTHING tremolo about the bar. Its the wrong term. I've also got 3 high end Japanese guitars with OG Schaller Floyds
Almost more than her guitar playing, I remember, as a kid in the 80s, being blown away by her on-stage performances with Michael Jackson. Playing with arguably one of the best live acts and biggest stars ever, in front of some of the biggest crowds, and she's this massive personality and totally central to the show (second only to MJ). And, not a bad guitar player too...
I saw you 20+ years ago at The Backyard in Austin, TX playing behind Jeff Beck. You were amazing. I was knocked out impressed with your playing. Thanks for this lesson. :)
Man, Been such a fan since the mid 80's. I consider Jennifer Batten THE virtuoso guitarist. She, and Vinnie Moore inspired me to start playing. Used to listen to lessons from her on little vinyl records that came in guitar magazines. Her Washburn looks and sounds great.
Jennifer! Thank You So Much For Your Work! Thank You For Finding Michael Jackson And Making The Best Music In The World! You Are A True Guitar And Performance Genius! You Are So Beautiful Inside And Outside! Every Your Move Shines Bright As The Sun! You Are My Inspiration As A Guitar Player! God And Life Bless You! Thanks So Much! Thanks Guitarist Channel For Bringing This Fabulous Material To People!
The exact same thing i try to instill in players who need a new direction to create, explore and build skill. Any scale with diverse accending & decending patterns... My favorite: with phrygian dominant is decending quads. I love how stylish it looks the way glen drover holds the pick.
i talked to her (she did a gear Demo for Digitech before i played with a Band in Frankfurt /Germany) very nice Person!! and she watched the Band for a while:-)
That first bit about using the whammy bar was actually very helpful, I feel like no one really uses it like that for expression anymore. It's only used for harmonics, flutters, divebombs or shimmers on chords. No one really uses it for lead lines like that anymore but it's an excellent tool for that too.
Jeff Beck all the time everywhere, the master of the tremolo bar..and she picked up a ton from touring with him in 99 .. and her playing has been greatly improved since...she was always a monster but he influenced her tremendously with the bar.
Jennifer is inspirational to say the least....nice stephen's extended cutaway guitar....I miss that place in seattle....have seen her play live a couple times and she always impresses...one of the best....
Thanks Jennifer!!! I really love your vision and sharing your experience. I have been working really hard on that jazz technical Skills that give so much to your playing ...
