Hey there everybody,
My name is Anthony and I just received the Daniel Givone book.
FYI, I picked this book because I wanted to learn licks that were presented as being playable over "this chord shape" or "that chord shape" so it would be easier to transpose, and therefore master.
So..... As it turns out, the 5 forms are VERY similar to the major scale system I use, and as a result, I've pretty much gotten them all in my fingers fairly quickly.
Here are my questions -
How important is it to be able to read french?
Should I just follow the pages, learn the phrases, then the next sections stuff,etc etc ??
Is there any VITAL info in the text of the book that helps one learn how to apply this stuff to Gypsy Jazz, or is it all pretty self evident to one with good theory knowledge, and 20 years experience playing the guitar?
One thought I have is to take a single page of phrases; Learn them completely, and then transpose them to about 3 or 4 other keys, going down the circle of 5ths, in C (or Am), then G(or Em), then D(or Bm), etc(this is how I learned my major scale/mode system).
Thanks !
Anthony
Comments
all the text for the patterns, licks, studies and even the voicings are pretty self evident.
Also glad to hear that the five major forms fall under your fingers easily! And your way of practising them is very sensible.
If you're like me, you may find the minor forms a bit more challenging; I've basically put them to one side for awhile while I try to completely internalize the major and dominant major forms.
(But those minor/ minor V7 forms' exotic oriental sound does make them irresistible to listen to, n'est-ce pas?)
I agree with previous poster and fellow GGG member Spud: I don't think that the French text is really that important to understanding what's in the book, but if there's anything that's really bugging you, I'd be happy to offer my translation service; I'm a retired teacher who once taught French, among other subjects. Spud is actually living in France right now, so I'm sure he must be very fluent.
(BTW, one phrase that initially mystified me was the bottom of page 30's reference to "tourner en boucle" which wasn't in my big Collins-Robert dictionary.... so I had to ask a native French speaker... turns out the English translation is "turnaround"!)
Anthony, if you'll e-mail me at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:givone.guitar.group@gmail.com">givone.guitar.group@gmail.com</a><!-- e --> and tell me what words can be found at the top of page 14, I'll arrange for you to get your GGG badge and secret decoder ring.
Will
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."