UK beginner players/resources?

NickH

Hi folks,

I've been fascinated by this style of music for a while and i've now decided to give learning Django style guitar a shot! I have a Cigano guitar arriving this week and i thought i'd seek some advice.

My background is in bluegrass banjo and a little basic guitar. I'm aware this is a pretty steep learning curve but i'm hoping/praying that my banjo chops will help!

I've been reading the threads here and i'm thinking of brushing up on my guitar basics for a while then joining the Rosenburg academy. This is assuming there are no teachers in my area (Manchester UK).

So wondering if anyone has any advice and perhaps any UK players know of any groups/teachers etc...

oh and i'm thinking of going to the festival in Samois next year. Not to play but to listen!

thanks

Nick

jonpowl

Good luck with your quest to play Gypsy Jazz. I started in the spring after watching the Gonzalo Bergara Quartet do a concert. I am a long time, very average country, rock and blues guitar player. You probably want to get Michael Horowitz' Gypsy Picking and Gypsy Rhythm. Tim Robinson has some good stuff on his web site from London. Anything you can find on the internet by Robin Nolan or Dennis Chang will be helpful. 365 licks by Aaron Walker gives you a lot to work on (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL450F1B9F480DB42B). I spend quite a bit of time with Samy Daussat and his Cours de Guitar Jazz Manouche on Facebook and YouTube (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cours-de ... 2750013691). He gives you a video and .pdf tab, all for free. The only problem is it is in French. But I find I still learn more from his lessons than almost anybody else.

NickH

Thanks so much for your reply Jon. I had a similar moment after watching a band called Manière des Bohémiens at a festival this year. Inspiring!

Half the fun of learning a new style is just to immerse yourself in the music i think. So i'm listening to gypsy Jazz at every opportunity. I've heard about the two Michael Horowitz books. They're expensive to get shipped to the UK but it sounds like they're worth it Some of the other things you mention are new so i'll check them out!

My main aim to begin with is to learn the correct rhythm to accompany my daughter on a few gypsy jazz tunes on her violin. I really want to learn 'Tears' by Django Reinhardt. I'm smitten with that tune!

anthon_74

I second stuart's advice. Work on Rhythm primarily, I spent almost 6 years practicing the rhythm before I tackled lead. Gypsy Rhythm is harder than it sounds, and VERY important to be able to do well (don't fall into the "I've been playing rhythm all my life, I can do it fine" trap). You will likely have to completely retrain your right hand to get it correctly. Dennis' DVD should be a great resource for that. Since you live in the UK, have you checked to see how far you live from Tim Robinson? If you're anywhere near him, take a lesson or 2 from him. One way I found REALLY helped with the rhythm was to watch michael (of this website) play the guitar's he's selling. Near the end he always plays a little rhythm. ALSO - go to the Caravan guitars website and watch any video of Adrien Holovaty playing a guitar they're selling. He will also play rhythm, usually before he plays a little lead. Watch closely and listen to get the idea.

In addition to rhythm, try learning a few heads of the standards, BUT - start adjusting the way you pick guitar strings to the rest stroke style, regardless of what you're playing. If you don't know what this means, it simply means you land your pick on the string below the one you're picking. If you don't already do this (pardon my ignorance of banjo technique) practice it religiously on any basic stuff you do on the guitar, even if it's just picking the open strings one by one playing quarter notes or something.

ALSO - in addition to practicing rhythm, start working on learning the basic major and minor arpeggio shapes in the E shape chord position, C/D shape chord position, and the A shape chord position. To learn these, you might go out and get a copy of Stephan Wremble's "getting into gypsy jazz". He has a glossary of arpeggios, but just stick with the basic major and minor ones for now.




Cheers !

Anthony

Lango-Django

Good luck, Nick! I'll second all the advice from the previous posters above, plus as a former player of 5-string banjo I must reluctantly inform you that that instrument has very little in common with gypsy jazz guitar, except for one thing--- they both require a shitload of dedication and practice!

So if you're the type of cat who's been willing to work your ass off to learn Scruggs picking, I think it's safe to say you've got what it takes to play gypsy jazz: "one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration" as the old saying goes, ha ha.

At Django in June (BTW, DO NOT miss this annual weeklong event in Northampton, Massachusetts!) I met a fella who is also from the north of England and who is also an intermediate-level GJ guitarist and mandolin player, and who also has a background in bluegrass and folk etc.

So if you want me to put you in touch with him, e-mail me at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:guitarbanjoman@gmail.com">guitarbanjoman@gmail.com</a><!-- e -->.

Will

Michael Bauer

Let's simplify. Your place for one-stop shopping is Tim Robinson, who is a fine player and outstanding teacher in the UK. If regular trips to London are not possible for you, perhaps he could recommend a teacher in your area. Tim's website is a wonderful resource for any player, new or veteran, in this style. Add to that the fact that he's a nice a person as you'll ever meet, and you'd be hard-pressed to do better. One of my favorite moments at Django in June this year was on Saturday night, when Robin Nolan and Tim jammed at the Hot Club of Room 101. It was amazing, until a couple of bad amateurs rode in and effectively shot up the place. They both politely gave up at that point, but while they were at it, it was one of the finest jams you could ever hear. Tim can teach you anything you need to know.

NickH

Ha Ha. Well that's that little illusion shattered Will. Your'e right of course. The banjo was my first instrument and yes scruggs style is tough so i guess i like a challenge! Loving the music is half the battle though and i'm just besotted by Gypsy Jazz so fingers crossed. I'll drop you an email.. thanks.

Stuart/Anthony... thanks so much for replying. Really valuable info.. thanks! I'll investigate it all. I've been looking at Tim Robinson' s site and its fantastic, the free videos are great. He lives in London (where i lived for 10 years.. doh!) but i'll get in contact with him for some advice. I do think a teacher is always best.

I'm a regular at Matt and Phreds. It's a wonderful place. I ordered Stephan Wremble's book yesterday. My guitar arrives tomorrow! I intend to just learn to play guitar in the Gypsy Jazz style and leave any bluegrass to the banjo. Seems simpler that way.

Stuart I've joined your Lancaster Jam's facebook page. I'd love to come along to your jam sometime but will probably need to do some serious woodshedding first!

Nick

NickH

Thanks Michael.. getting so much good stuff here!

Well my guitar just arrived. Its a Cigano GJ-0. Looks like it'll do the job. I bought it used off a guitars who had tried learning Gypsy Jazz and given up! The action has been lowered and it looks well set up, He said it had Argentine strings put on and it even came with two picks. The neck looks really wide... perhaps i'm just comparing it too a banjo neck. Some of those chords will be quite a stretch!

Jim Kaznosky

I second what Anthony said about rhythm. It is important to get this correct before anything else. It is not the same as any other rhythm guitar and you should definitely spend some time on this.

jonpowl

Of course I'll probably never amount to anything in the Gypsy Jazz world, but I would be a bit bored if I only practiced rhythm. Hopefully you already know scales, will learn arpeggios and some theory about how to put it all together, then start working on a bit of lead. As previously stated, learning the head of songs is a great place to start, then start thinking about how to build some simple solos around these melodic patterns. If you go to a GJ jam with other rookies and nobody plays lead, it's not much fun. Si Tu Savais (viewtopic.php?t=1984) is a great song to start with both rhythm and melody. I love Swing Je T'aime's version with Joscho Stephan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcfzGFSfCvs). Here is another site with good info for beginners: http://www.jazzguitar.be/gypsy-jazz-guitar.html.

NickH

I totally agree about making the rhythm a priority. Its so different and more complex to anything i play in bluegrass.

Jon: Si Tu Savais is just a gorgeous tune! The Swing je T'aime version is lush. I started investigating it last night. I came up against the the Bm chord immediately so have set about properly learning how to barre. (I told you i was only basic guitar!). Once i have the chords down i'll work on the rhythm and then the lead.

I think its really important to get exposed to live playing so i definately want to get out a jam before too long Stuart!