where to start?

oldsouth

I'm sure this is covered in an older topic, so feel free to re-direct. I've been playing guitar well over half my life and jazz guitar almost exclusively (with a bit of western swing and Travis picking) for the past 10 years. I'm finding that I took too much in too fast and missed some essentials in the first 10 yrs or so of my learning the guitar. Right now, I'm working through Mickey Baker and Jody Fisher's books to fill in the blanks - I started with the Eddie Lang e-books on this site and it is quite clear how those who followed (even/especially the CAGED method) built on the techniques he and Nick lucas pioneered. After those, I plan on studying the books of George Van Eps, Johnny Smith, Sal Salvatore, Joe Pass, etc. Now, as for Django..... whose solos remain the apex of guitar craft and oohh those rhythms! Where should I start? I can play perhaps 10 or 12 Hot Club tunes that I learned in my teens from magazines and I know are full of mistakes and shortcuts. I'd like to really start at the beginning and learn how and why he did what he did. Should I buy the Easy Django Books first or the Horowitz books? Is there a better place to start?

Jazzaferri

The foundation for this style is the rest stroke picking and the rhythm. If you dont have those two down, while there are many options now you cant go wrong with Michael's books on picking and rhythm. EVerything you really need to know other than a pair of ears is contained in those two books.

I have a much larger collection of GJ stuff which I keep adding to. I seem to get one or two things from a book and then on to the next. Most of my learning time is actually spent listening until i have it in my head and then figure it out the old fashioned way.

I still have MB 1 and 2 and Sals Single STring STudies from the 60's. Some cool stuff in them too.

jlander9

“Apply what you already know. What you already know is by far the best way to approach the music….What is comfortable and what works for you will be the right way.” –Robin Nolan

I picked up this style about 2 months ago and of course I was so eager I went and got a ton of books on Gypsy Jazz. Looking back on it about 80% of the information I paid for I could have found for free on the internet. I would start with asking yourself: what do I want to do with this style? Go on tour and jam with a band or just enjoy it in your home? I am for the latter so although I am committed to technique I don’t think it’s required to be able to play and enjoy the music. If you do want to learn technique then you can buy Michaels book “Gypsy Picking,” be warned it’s a great book but you can pretty much apply the picking technique to any arpeggio or any lick you get for free on line and save yourself the 30 bucks or buy the $10 lesson with video on Gypsy School .com. It’s the same info with a video for a lot less money.

To make it easy I’ll break down my favorite and most helpful sites:

Technique: you can get Lesson 1: La Pompe and Lesson 6: Rest Stroke Picking and Minor Arpeggios from Gypsy Jazz School.com for about $10 bucks each… pretty affordable….Taught by Yaakov Hotter…http://www.gypsyjazzschool.com/
Tim Robinson: http://timrobinsonguitar.com/lessons/lessons/rhythm.html
Denis Chang: http://www.hyperhipmedia.com/DC-Movie1webSmall.mov

Arpeggios and Gypsy Jazz Chords: learn the shapes using the caged system. You already know this so it will be a breeze. Tim Robinson has a great site for arpeggios commonly used in GJ: http://timrobinsonguitar.com/lessons/basicarpeggios/basicarpeggios/emajorarp.html
I would also use Tony Oreshko’s site http://www.oreshko.co.uk/questions.htm#q1 , he offers a great variety of chords that are found in common GJ standards…. Also, his site is great if you want to know about harmony. He breaks down how some common arpeggios work over chords and discusses the enclosure method common in gypsy jazz. This is by far one of the best free sites I’ve found : http://oreshko.co.uk/lessons.htm ....

Repertoire: need songs to play? here you go http://www.visi.com/~mpv/charts/ here you’ll find a ton of charts…

Play Along/Jam tracks: Don’t like charts and prefer grilles, also need to have some rythym to jam along with? then go here http://nuagesdeswing.free.fr/jouer/jouer_index2b.html... this has backing tracks at slower speeds and a tone of grilles. Need more play alongs? Here you go : http://www.dc-musicschool.com/catalogue/playalongs/beginner-gypsy-jazz-playalongs/ Denis Chang is an amazing player, he also has some free lessons on his site….

Licks: need licks, who doesn’t??? Les plans de Django: http://www.scribd.com/doc/59518671/Django-Reinhardt-Licks …. Django Licks broken down by chord/ Arpeggio shapes… want more…well here is one for Tchavolo Schmitt http://www.scribd.com/doc/80419756/Le-Vocabulaire-de-Tchavolo-Schmitt.....

Tabs: http://www.songsterr.com/ & http://www.scribd.com/doc/76248459/Guitar-Signature-Licks-Djando-Reinhardt

I hope this helps.. a few months ago I was overwhelmed with information and if someone would have just broken it down and said “hey you don’t need to buy a ton of books to play, understand, and enjoy this music!” then I would have saved myself the trouble… I’m not against books (like I mentioned above,I have a small library), but once you go through these sites and get a better understanding of the style then you can move on to get books , but at least you’ll know what to buy and avoid paying for something you don’t need. I have more resources if you’re interested. Also, use the hell out of your ears and of course YOUTUBE!!!!... I LOVE BEING IN THE FUTURE!!!!.

oldsouth

Wow - thanks to you both for the direction.... now I have a map to follow!

I guess that to answer the question about what I plan to do with the music would be that I would like to one day be able to play anything that came into my head - any tune, any genre, any style. I grew up following Doc Watson around and I was always amazed how he could play with anybody, in any situation (not just bluegrass, but blues, jazz, rockabilly, classical, gospel, etc), and always be the best guitarist on stage. He just somehow knew what to play even when he had never heard the song before - and he always was able to improvise interesting and original solos on those tunes. So, that would be my ultimate goal. I'd either like to play out regularly in 4 or 5 bands, or have one band with talented and versatile musicians and a comfortable venue to play in once or twice a week.

jlander9

Hey man, that's an awesome goal! I say go for it.. remember the sites I mentioned are by no means complete but they are a good introduction to the style. Also, look around the forum.. I got most of the info from others here on Djangobooks.com This is for me the best site out there for this music .. and everyone is real supportive.. ask questions and someone will respond.. Theory, practice, history, technique it's all good... ...Swing Brother Swing!....P.S. just so you know I still buy books just put an order for the Givone Book.. I hear its a good one!!!! :shock:

BluesBop Harry

Gypsy Picking book and The art of accompaniment DVD are the ones I wish I had when I first started.
The Gig book for repertoire and Gypsy Fire to consolidate technique are the ones I'd pick for the second stage.