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In this Discussion
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Man Cave; True Meaning of Happiness; Etc. Etc.
Lango-Django
Niagara-On-The-Lake, ONModerator
Superman's Fortress of Solitude!
Aladdin's cave!
Django's Manor of Dreams!
--- all wonderful places but all, alas, totally imaginary.
But my Man Cave is real, and it's there I've found The True Meaning of Happiness, which I would not trade for Superman's fictional powers, Aladdin's fictional treasure, or Django's fictional Manor of Dreams.
So come along for a tour; hopefully it will inspire YOU in creating YOUR Man Cave and achieving YOUR True Meaning of Happiness.
*******************
*******************
*****************
****************
OK, here's where the magic begins... making practising FUN is going to require some special lighting effects...
***************
SECRETS OF THE MAN CAVE
Seemingly, just an ordinary painting...
... but look, it opens! And there's a huge honkin' computer inside...
...for slideshows of beautiful paintings to look at while practising...
*******
Full disclosure: I'll never in a million years be a top-level GJ player, but I have discovered how to have a lot of fun playing my guitar.
What I've been doing for the past few weeks is practising "Rhythm Changes" in every key.
I have Band In A Box set up to randomly ("Juke Box") play "Rhythm Changes" at a bunch of different keys and tempos.
I find that finding my own licks and patterns is--- for me--- more satisfying than trying to copy Django solos, or any of the other stuff I've worked so hard at!
Now I'm using all the clever major and maj-dom shapes which I learned from the Daniel Givone insturctional manual--- but I'm playing them MY way and doing my best to make 'em sound like ME!
It's FUN! Even more fun than going out and playing a real gig!
Because for me, this is the True Meaning of Happiness.
But it's both blessing and curse, for you see, this is a secret that is so crazy that nobody would ever understand it... sigh...
...except maybe some of my crazy buddies at djangobooks.com...!
Will
Aladdin's cave!
Django's Manor of Dreams!
--- all wonderful places but all, alas, totally imaginary.
But my Man Cave is real, and it's there I've found The True Meaning of Happiness, which I would not trade for Superman's fictional powers, Aladdin's fictional treasure, or Django's fictional Manor of Dreams.
So come along for a tour; hopefully it will inspire YOU in creating YOUR Man Cave and achieving YOUR True Meaning of Happiness.
*******************
*******************
*****************
****************
OK, here's where the magic begins... making practising FUN is going to require some special lighting effects...
***************
SECRETS OF THE MAN CAVE
Seemingly, just an ordinary painting...
... but look, it opens! And there's a huge honkin' computer inside...
...for slideshows of beautiful paintings to look at while practising...
*******
Full disclosure: I'll never in a million years be a top-level GJ player, but I have discovered how to have a lot of fun playing my guitar.
What I've been doing for the past few weeks is practising "Rhythm Changes" in every key.
I have Band In A Box set up to randomly ("Juke Box") play "Rhythm Changes" at a bunch of different keys and tempos.
I find that finding my own licks and patterns is--- for me--- more satisfying than trying to copy Django solos, or any of the other stuff I've worked so hard at!
Now I'm using all the clever major and maj-dom shapes which I learned from the Daniel Givone insturctional manual--- but I'm playing them MY way and doing my best to make 'em sound like ME!
It's FUN! Even more fun than going out and playing a real gig!
Because for me, this is the True Meaning of Happiness.
But it's both blessing and curse, for you see, this is a secret that is so crazy that nobody would ever understand it... sigh...
...except maybe some of my crazy buddies at djangobooks.com...!
Will
Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."
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."
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."
Comments
Who made the guitar with the fingered tailpiece?
it can sound like a folk guitar or a gypsy guitar, that's the good news...
The bad news is that he made the neck so wide that playing it is sorta like driving my dad's old 1967 Plymouth Fury III station wagon...
Will
PS Yeah, sorry about all those banjos, I didn't know how to Photoshop them out of the photo...
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."
http://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/gui ... rdust.html
I had Michael make my neck at 1 13/16 which fits my fingers ok .... a bit narrow at the nut for some chords but still possible to double stop with one rather large finger.
http://www.allparts.com/TP-5475-002-ABM ... _4289.html
It was about $150 when I bought mine five years ago, so I was kind of shocked to look it up and find that it's now selling for $404!
So on that basis, I doubt if I'd ever buy another one!
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."
I read somewhere that Ray Charles started his career imitating Nat King Cole almost perfectly, until he decided-- quite logically--- that no matter how good he could ever get at imitating Nat King Cole, he'd always be just a second-rate Nat King Cole.
So he went off in his own direction, and of course eventually became a legendary singer/pianist.
As much as I like Ray Charles, I've got to say that in my mind Nat King Cole is superior both as a singer and a pianist... but still, I'm glad Ray Charles went on to do his own thing.
So me, though I've decided to stop consciously imitating Django, it's weird how I'll be playing along and doing my own thing and suddenly something will just pop out that sounds sorta like him, or sorta like my other guitar idol, Eddie Lang.
And whenever this happens, I am happier than a tornado in a trailer park...
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."
It's a documentary on the Django 100 Centennial Tour, and among other things, it has great interviews with the Ferre brothers, Romane, Angelo Debarre, and more, discussing how they developed a personal style.
Also available here:
http://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/dvd ... jango.html