Jimmy's lick

emicad · March 2006

frater wrote:

There are 3 ways to play the two notes we're talking about with a pick:
"sweeping" (two upstrokes), using alternate picking (a downstroke and an upstroke) or "gypsy picking" (two downstrokes).
As you correctly pointed out privately, the staccato effect is also strongly determined by the left hand not resting in the chord "position" but actually fingering each note at the moment of picking (as Jimmy does in the "Minor Swing" clip, here at Djangobooks).

Yes, you must to finger each note instead of resting in the position.

Yann · March 2006

Hello V-dub,

It's all downstrokes apparently. When you analyze this very specific lick, you get a feel of what a great right hand is. The Rosenbergs play that very quickly and clean. I guess the key to gaining speed at the right hand is to work the upwards movement (this is where I slow down myself). Perhaps you can cheat in some way to have you hand ready quicker for another downstroke if you use both your wrist and your forearm to go upwards right after the first downstroke.

In any case, your wrist tendons must become very bouncy and tonic and that only comes with practice again and again...

Yann

emicad · March 2006

Yann wrote:

Hello V-dub,

It's all downstrokes apparently. When you analyze this very specific lick, you get a feel of what a great right hand is. The Rosenbergs play that very quickly and clean. I guess the key to gaining speed at the right hand is to work the upwards movement (this is where I slow down myself). Perhaps you can cheat in some way to have you hand ready quicker for another downstroke if you use both your wrist and your forearm to go upwards right after the first downstroke.

In any case, your wrist tendons must become very bouncy and tonic and that only comes with practice again and again...

Yann

Not exactly ALL downstrokes, the second is an upstroke, anyway you're right, that's the right way, practice again and again. Personally I have found a lot of advantages playing this way: let the right hand fingers brush under the strings like Michael suggest in his book, look at Angelo, Stochelo and Django at first to have an idea. In this way you will naturally inclined to "damp" and put your strength on the wirst, not the forearm, making little, precise and powerful movements and damping the strings in the correct way. This is for me the best and relaxed way, I can tell you this after a very long time practicing in the other way (like Tchavolo and Romane for example).

Yann · March 2006

Emicad,

Sorry, I did not mean that the whole lick is played in downstrokes, but just the trickiest part of it.

I have tried different ways with the fingers of my right hand and I prefer to keep the hand closed but not too tightly.

As far as strength is concerned, I think there are two ways of doing the GP: with a movement of the wrist and a still forearm, but also with a wrist that does not move too much and the forearm that gives part of the movement. I think Lollo Meier does it the second way. Anyway, it's good to have the choice.

And yes, progress comes pretty slowly...

Yann

emicad · March 2006

Yann wrote:

Emicad,

Sorry, I did not mean that the whole lick is played in downstrokes, but just the trickiest part of it.

I have tried different ways with the fingers of my right hand and I prefer to keep the hand closed but not too tightly.

As far as strength is concerned, I think there are two ways of doing the GP: with a movement of the wrist and a still forearm, but also with a wrist that does not move too much and the forearm that gives part of the movement. I think Lollo Meier does it the second way. Anyway, it's good to have the choice.

And yes, progress comes pretty slowly...

Yann

A little movement of the forearm is natural, anyway, Lollo is a master, however he plays, I love that player!

frater · March 2006

Yann,

you're doing a very good job with your site, my sincere compliments. Incidentally, you got all my sympathy: I used to own a Rudy Larna myself: I know what you're going through...!

Yann · March 2006

Frater,

Thanks a lot! The site is not yet fully translated into English but it will probably be ready by next week. Do you understand French ?

My Rudy Larna is getting to its limits now, I especially noticed the difference when I played last week on a JM Perrin from a friend around here, it's just night and day... Anyway, I think I'll invest into something that's less like a toy by next year I guess.

I initially bought it last year just to give Manouche music a try and not even knowing anything about Gypsy Picking but now I'm hooked!

Yann