Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 36 minutes ago
In this video, I take a Guitarist Blindfold Test as a sax player to pose a deeper question: Am I musically prejudiced?
Too often, we limit our ears to the instrument we play or the specific genre we identify with most.
We stay stuck in a "musical bubble," but the masters don't just see instruments—they see the universal language of music itself.
I made this video to encourage you to reflect: Are you limiting your potential by only listening to and studying your own instrument and a single genre?
It’s time to break out of the bubble.
How the test worked:
For this challenge, I had ChatGPT pull up a list of over 30 famous jazz guitarists. I whittled that down to 20 iconic players—a mix of absolute legends and my own personal favorites.
I’ll be honest: I did "cheat" a little and edited out names like Barney Kessel and Kenny Burrell. I’m just not familiar enough with their specific phrasing and I didn't want to fail miserably! Hopefully, you'll forgive me for that.
Anyway, the main focus of this video isn't really about my ability to identify guitarists—it’s to plant a deeper question: Are we limiting ourselves by solely listening to our own instruments? Is music bigger and more universal than just one instrument? It's a deep concept, but one worth thinking about.
I put my daughter in charge of the music for the "blind" test. She found random tracks for each player so I could hear them soloing without any visual cues. I also insisted on adding Jim Mullen to the list; he’s a personal hero of mine and a world-class talent that more people really need to discover.
I did have to trim some of the clips where the "head" (the melody) was being played, just to keep the test focused.
As for the heavyweights on the list like John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, and Frank Gambale... for some reason, my daughter managed to skip them entirely. Teenagers today!
✍️ 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿:
The best way to stay connected. Be the first to learn about latest resources + product discounts I don’t share anywhere else → : jazzduets.com/pages/newsletter-signup
*****************************
My name is Nick Homes. I am a non genius musician who struggled for many years to find out the secrets of jazz improvisation. Throughout 40 years of playing, and obsessive investigation I have focussed on building systems of learning for my students so they can improve , and reach their learning goals with the highest probability whilst having fun!
🌎 With over 160 resources, JazzDuets has the largest independent jazz learning catalog on the internet!
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲 – What level are you?
✅ Beginning in Jazz:
jazzduets.com/collections/easy-beginner
✅ Intermediate:
jazzduets.com/collections/intermediate
✅ Advanced:
jazzduets.com/collections/advanced
**********************************************
★ JAZZDUETS LINKS ★
➡ WEBSITE: jazzduets.com
➡ PATREON: patreon.com/c/Jazzduets
➡ INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/jazz_duets
➡ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jazzduetsshop
➡ EMAIL: support@jazzduets.com
In this video, I take a Guitarist Blindfold Test as a sax player to pose a deeper question: Am I musically prejudiced?
Too often, we limit our ears to the instrument we play or the specific genre we identify with most.
We stay stuck in a "musical bubble," but the masters don't just see instruments—they see the universal language of music itself.
I made this video to encourage you to reflect: Are you limiting your potential by only listening to and studying your own instrument and a single genre?
It’s time to break out of the bubble.
How the test worked:
For this challenge, I had ChatGPT pull up a list of over 30 famous jazz guitarists. I whittled that down to 20 iconic players—a mix of absolute legends and my own personal favorites.
I’ll be honest: I did "cheat" a little and edited out names like Barney Kessel and Kenny Burrell. I’m just not familiar enough with their specific phrasing and I didn't want to fail miserably! Hopefully, you'll forgive me for that.
Anyway, the main focus of this video isn't really about my ability to identify guitarists—it’s to plant a deeper question: Are we limiting ourselves by solely listening to our own instruments? Is music bigger and more universal than just one instrument? It's a deep concept, but one worth thinking about.
I put my daughter in charge of the music for the "blind" test. She found random tracks for each player so I could hear them soloing without any visual cues. I also insisted on adding Jim Mullen to the list; he’s a personal hero of mine and a world-class talent that more people really need to discover.
I did have to trim some of the clips where the "head" (the melody) was being played, just to keep the test focused.
As for the heavyweights on the list like John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, and Frank Gambale... for some reason, my daughter managed to skip them entirely. Teenagers today!
✍️ 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿:
The best way to stay connected. Be the first to learn about latest resources + product discounts I don’t share anywhere else → : jazzduets.com/pages/newsletter-signup
*****************************
My name is Nick Homes. I am a non genius musician who struggled for many years to find out the secrets of jazz improvisation. Throughout 40 years of playing, and obsessive investigation I have focussed on building systems of learning for my students so they can improve , and reach their learning goals with the highest probability whilst having fun!
🌎 With over 160 resources, JazzDuets has the largest independent jazz learning catalog on the internet!
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲 – What level are you?
✅ Beginning in Jazz:
jazzduets.com/collections/easy-beginner
✅ Intermediate:
jazzduets.com/collections/intermediate
✅ Advanced:
jazzduets.com/collections/advanced
**********************************************
★ JAZZDUETS LINKS ★
➡ WEBSITE: jazzduets.com
➡ PATREON: patreon.com/c/Jazzduets
➡ INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/jazz_duets
➡ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jazzduetsshop
➡ EMAIL: support@jazzduets.com
