Welcome to the “Take-Off” lesson!
This tune is the title track of the album Take-Off by the Joscho Stephan Trio, featuring John Petrucci from Dream Theater. It’s the fourth single from the album – and a special guitar collaboration across genres.

Musically, this is not a classic jazz tune. It’s more rock-oriented, includes power chords, and has a very direct, energetic feel. Still, stylistically we stay rooted in gypsy jazz phrasing, articulation, and time feel. That contrast is exactly what makes this piece interesting.
The melody is strongly chord-based and built around a clear, strong line that is played together with John. In this lesson, you’ll learn not only the main theme, but also the harmony part John plays – a great opportunity to understand how both lines lock together musically.

For rhythm guitar, the tune works on two levels: You can play it very basic and solid, or you can start adding ghost notes and rhythmic details to give it more depth. The clear recommendation is to start simple, get the groove right, and then build it up step by step.
You’ll also get access to the original play-along tracks from the recording session, so you can practice both melody and rhythm in a real musical context.

This lesson is about groove, clarity, and cross-genre thinking — without losing the gypsy jazz core. Let’s get into it.
Update: The solo transcriptions by John and Joscho have been added to the “Advanced Transcription” lesson.