I need la pompe critique!

mntnmike · June 2015

@bohemewarbler great video to quote there. This is an incredible thread already for anyone talking la pompe.

It seems to me though that what people are saying is not going as far as Adrien, Gonzalo, Mathieu Chatelain, and other fellows around their age are really doing. There is virtually no chord on 2 and 4 when Gonzalo comps, this is the video I'm thinking of but also listen to all his backing tracks, his rhythm guy Jeffrey Radaich does this too.

Adrien Holovaty has an amazing tone that has such a great sounding chord on 1 and 3, and the slightest most subtle upstroke before that, then an almost totally dampened 2 and 4. It seems like this is the direction things are going. Gonzalo quotes Bireli's band, Adrien has talked to Patrus about the gypsy project, I would say that could be a good place to say this newer style is coming from. Hono Winterstein, Bireli's chunky rhythm fellow, is so so versatile. You can hear more of the chord on 2 and 4 than Gonzalo lets on, but then some tunes Hono is all snare drum on 2 and 4. Seems like we just gotta play what we feel!

Jazzaferri · June 2015

In my band we let the song lead the way. More often as a basic rhythm it's balanced eighths with an upstroke/rake on 1/3 and a slighly drier 2/4 whip. Sometimes on fast ones it's the modern really dry 2/4 and on some tunes it's a full quarter note on 1/3 and a complexly dry 2/4. Some it's that shuffle with a pronounced upstroke on the last triplet eighth of the beat and a rake down on the downbeat.

We use a fair number of change ups in rhythm in the songs at transitions or emphasis points. We have been playing together for a few years though. I would probably drive some soloists crazy if I didn't cut back LOL. Some guys don't like to have conversations with the band.LOL

anthon_74 · June 2015

you DO voice the 2 and 4. All due respect to Gonzalo, but the way he and his band mates eliminate any chord sound on the 2 and 4 is based on a mishearing of another rhythm player. I know this because in Gonzalo's "in the style of" video created by Denis chang he refers to a specific players style of rhythm when describing the way you don't voice the 2 and 4. But Dennis recently pointed out on another thread, that the player Gonzalo references actually DOES voice the 2 and 4, just very quickly and slightly. Also, If you watch Adrien Moniard's left hand, you will see him squeezing ever so slightly on the 2 and 4, voicing the chord on those beats.
If you take a rhythm class from Dennis chang, world renowned "Rhythm Bitch: of greats like Bireli etc, and you show him pompe without the 2 and 4 voiced at all, he will direct you to voice them... I know because I experienced it myself.

Anthony

mntnmike · June 2015

@anthon_74 definitely, I just mean how often when listening to Gonzalo actually playing it is barely audible. It is almost entirely percussive. I understand that we can break it down as far as it can physically go to see that there's a chord there, but it seems pretty tied in to his style to have that 2 and 4 as percussive as possible rather than harmonic. There are a million other guitarists that have a much more audible and colorful chord on the 2 and 4. And as @jazzaferri talks about it really is song by song, every moment can feel different. Dennis' rhythm half the time sounds almost totally percussive on the 2 and 4, the other half the time you can totally hear the chord as well. I'm really excited to get up to DiJ to really play and see these guys, especially Dennis, at work. It seems very apparent that there is no one way anyone would play ten different songs.

mntnmike · June 2015

Is there a way to edit comments? this is the Denis video I thought of, I see it in his left hand but to the ear it is so so short half the time. Totally amazing, can't wait to dig in up north.

bohemewarbler · June 2015

I'll add another video here in which you can compare Adrien Moignard's rhythm technique (which is the same as shown in the Minor Swing video on p. 1 of this thread) with Angelo Debarre's rhythm technique. These are two of the greatest contemporary GJ players. The camera angle on Angelo is instructive. They are performing I'll See You In My Dreams at L'Atelier Charonne in Paris, June 7, 2015. BTW - I'll be there in the next several days before heading to Samois.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=138&v=8kt2T5JReoo

Bones · June 2015

Actually Gonzalo does voice the 2/4 (as I observed sitting right across from him) but it is quickly damped. He also sometimes uses an upstroke but again it is so short and close to the 1/3.

And of course he doesn't always do it exactly the same all the time.

Also another thing that I just remembered from the couple lessons that I took from him is that there is more right arm movement at slower tempos but at very fast tempos it is all wrist rotation (no time to move your whole forearm from the elbow).

Jazzaferri · June 2015

If I could figure out how to post the MP3 ,s of " Montmartre" and " I know that You Know " from the All Star Sessions album ...... those two songs IMO set the guitar comping bar from the guy who is absolutely the best at this rhythm style.

Learn to play rhythm like that and you will have Stochelo, Angelo, Birelli Adrien et al putting you as first call anywhere.

Just my eclectic personal but heartfelt opinion.