Hello I am new and from Canada

rdenis

I have been playing guitar for many years and have always been interested in Manouche Jazz.
What has always kept me away is the fact that I have always played and will always play alone, small Northern Ontario community.
It seems that Gypsy jazz is made mostly to be played with two guitars.
My question is this.
Is there a solo style that can accommodate lead with some chording or bass so that someone can learn to play full solos without relying on a second guitar player?
If yes, where do I look and/or who do I look for.
Thank You
Ronald

Nejc

Find out Django solo pieces: Improvisation 1-6, Parfum etc. and learn them.That should be a good start if you want to play some solo guitar. Or just look at improvisations of any GJ guitarist.

kevingcox

Waltzes can keep a good rhythm going with just one player. They are hella fun and great technical practice.

Appel

Hello, fellow lonely Canadian. Heh heh - I think only Canadians and certain Eastern Europeans can say that and not be immediately condradicting themselves ...

I also love Django's solo pieces, and I also have Michael's astonishing book - can you imagine writing all those out? - very very good book

but

they are a little world all of their own, and I dunno ... they are very special. It's good to work on tunes that others might know. What I am myself working towards is having some solo material that I can take and maybe hit a coffee-shop or restaurant or some such and get out of the house. I know, leave the house and you're just asking for trouble - but sometimes a little trouble is good for a soul.

Do you know Fapy? I love the way he'll toss off a tune - I think he's playing "Fascination" here ...



... it's a bit different approach than Django's solo pieces.

Appel

I think ... I worry about spending too much time on Django's solo pieces; they certainly can be approached in a way that is conceptually similar to any self-contained piece composed for classical guitar. But when have you learned a self-contained piece composed for classical guitar that moved you forward as an improvisor? Which, surely, is what gypsy jazz is all about.

Trying to think of a way of characterizing the difference ... Django's solo pieces are holistically horizontal; by that I think I mean that they seem to move entirely in a forward direction and present a complete concept - they are strongly rooted in the classical tradition; I believe Django listened to a lot of Bach, and also the great French classicists of his day and when he played solo, he allowed that concept to come through. Each piece is complete.

Of course we can all learn tons from working on those pieces.

But, I don't know how much they will help me (speaking only for myself, but of course putting it out there, taking the colossally arrogant chance that my experience may have some small general relevance) with handling standards, which require a bit more of a vertical concept, by which I mean, understanding the tune's bass line, understanding the harmony and knowing how to voice the harmony to support the melody, and finally the melody - and then, as a soloist playing on a limited instrument, we want to understand how and when to suggest bass line, or harmony, or melody, and to move between those roles to suggest a horizontal movement that is in actuality not at all holistic in the way a piece for classical guitar might be, or one of Django's solo pieces, but actually is quite segmented, even fragmented. It's an approach that relies heavily on your and your listener's memory. Fapy's presentation of "Fascination" (I'm pretty sure that's the tune) is really a deeply artistic and perfect presentation of what I'm trying to talk about.

What's very interesting is that, of course, there are so many instances where Django plays in that way, but usually it is in a solo passage in a performance with others, often in the duets with Stephan. But when he plays solos, he does this other, very interesting, completely different and deeply imagistic thing.

Here's another cat who seems to be, you know, passably ok at getting through a tune on his own. He's not bad. Really, take a minute and try him out.



Koszta Lucaks - not "Costa" as so many stubbornly insist on naming him. He was as great as Django, spell his bloody name right, already.

Appel

... really should just stay away from the computer entirely ...

... it comes down to one's capacity, I guess. I envy the player who has time to master everything, or is strong enough to learn quickly and efficiently so that time is not a factor or is less of a factor. It's certainly a factor for me.

Could always try recording some rhythm tracks, and playing with those!

Appel

Ok - to address the question of learning materials directly and to stop being such a rambling d-bag - please allow me to introduce you to Mr. Howard Morgan.



He wrote some fantastic instructional books - anything he did, everything he did, was wonderous and inspiring and a gift. I keep buying his last great book, getting to know some other similarly struggling guitar player, giving it to them, getting another one ...

And I see you've played for many years, so do accept my apologies if you are already beyond all this, or are already aware of these players and materials.

Scoredog

Appel wrote: »

... really should just stay away from the computer entirely ...

... it comes down to one's capacity, I guess. I envy the player who has time to master everything, or is strong enough to learn quickly and efficiently so that time is not a factor or is less of a factor. It's certainly a factor for me.

Could always try recording some rhythm tracks, and playing with those!

In a pinch you could take pre-recorded tracks and jam with those, if they are too long you can edit them down as they are done to tempo. You can actually buy a small pocket size jbl speaker with amp like a "Flip" (can squeeze into the pocket of a guitar case!), create a song list on an iPad or phone, blue tooth it, and do a single.

rdenis

Thanks to all of you for your answers.
My background is hybrid picking with some flatpicking.
I must say that there is a lot more to learning Manouche...everytime you go to different links. It also seems that the originators were much empirical
Ronald

Buco

Here's a beautiful solo performance done on a guitar in this style by Mikko Karhula. He's occasionally on this forum, that's how I learned about him. Just beautiful and inspired playing.

Jazzaferri

Welcome to this motley collection of DjangoFanatics. By far the best forum I belong to. You will get lots of great advice so you don't need any from me.

I will add, I love playing guitar on my own....if a person is going to get good at it, one has to.