Using Soundslice to teach Django solos

rob.cuellari

To see why I'm doing this, click this link: https://www.soundslice.com/scores/auld-lang-syne/

I've been transcribing more and more with Soundslice to do more authentic 2 finger solos from Django. I see that the pay features (teacher mode) offers a lot more, and would like to do this, but I don't have any students right now.

The teacher mode is $20/month, and I have an idea to support this:

If I can get 4 people who are willing to pay $5/month, I can give full access to my transcriptions with the big bonus pay features of a visible FRETBOARD and having tabs that can be slowed down in real-time on desktop, iPad, mobile devices etc. In addition to that, with teacher mode, I can export into guitar pro and send the files over. (I feel the soundslice format is worth it with these pay features)

I will also add the chords with measures to each song.

In addition to that if anyone wants a more robust lesson on any of the tabs (insight into how Django possibly approached his solos, and relationship to chord shapes) I can do some Skype lessons or private lessons in NYC (I live in Brooklyn). (pricing would be a little more, but reasonable, and waive the 5/month)

I'll also make sure I produce 1 tab per month based on what everyone wants (some kind of vote, maybe on here for the students that are doing this).

I'm also a solid rhythm player by trade in this style, I'm sure there's some people on here that could vouch for me!

Here's a few of my tabs, which currently lack the Fretboard and the printed tab:

https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/17028/django-reinhardt-troublant-bolero-tab/
https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/17053/django-reinhardt-anniversary-song-rome-04or05-1950-tab/
https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/17064/django-reinhardt-time-on-my-hands-rome-01or02-1949-tab/
https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/1417/django-reinhardt-loves-melody-london-01021946-tab/
https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/5723/django-reinhardt-nuages-official-tab/
https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/16757/django-reinhardt-begin-the-beguine-tab/
https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/9491/django-reinhardt-nuages-tab/

I also know about 15 more, but haven't had the incentive to put them all up yet. If this can come to fruition, I'd be more than happy to get the rest up in a reasonable amount of time.

I've also been a high school teacher, and am now an engineer at a tech company where I am also part of the training program. (I have an idea how to teach!)

Let me know if anyone would be interested in this! (pricing etc) Would love to get feedback on this idea.

-Rob

Jim Kaznosky

Nice work, Rob.

Rob has studied with Stephane Wrembel for years, of which learning Django solos via two fingers is a cornerstone. Rob is also an on demand rhythm player who has played with Stephane and many others around the area.

tomcunn

i would/will do it; a bargain

rob.cuellari

Just a note, I'm not looking to profit off of these tabs, I just want to break even on the Soundslice fees. So if there's 10 people interested, it would only be 2 each, or if 20 people, just 12 bucks for a year.

(I think at that low of a price, it would just be a year in advance)

I think to help people on board I will probably do the first month free and get used to the teacher software.

Here's a quick vid I did from one of my transcriptions. (Begin the Beguine)


https://www.soundslice.com/tabs/16757/django-reinhardt-begin-the-beguine-tab/

There's some big benefits I've got from learning this way:

1. got some phrases from the master himself
2. see how very very similar phrases with different timing have completely different context
3. see how django approaches basic shapes in a very simple manner
4. if he can do it with 2 fingers, there's a lot of hope to get it with 4!
5. see how thinking ahead of where you are in the solo can help more natural movement between phrases
6. discover new ways to approach your current phrasing
7. play along with Django! (that's my favorite)
8. big benefit of playing along with Django seeing how much space between the phrases
9. you get to unlock some of the mystery to Django's solos (some)

Barkonator

Hi Rob,

I would be interested. Let me know how many people you get together. Maybe we could figure out how to put something together to get a year subscription.

Thanks,
Joe

rob.cuellari

I've found out that I will have to create the tabs on guitar pro before I can import them into teacher mode, so I'll probably need a few days to get used to that software first, it seems like if I want the fretboard, it is necessary. That being said, I'll have to find out, but it may convert the tab into sheet music as well for anyone that is less comfortable with tab. (I'll have to learn this software first before I can confirm that.)

rob.cuellari

hey guys, i got really ahead of myself and i don't think i'm going to follow through with this until soundslice can use it's freemode as an option to make tabs. (i would need to construct tabs in guitar pro or power tab and was unaware of this limitation in teacher mode, also a limitation on myself!)

the real fun of using soundslice for me is being to to pinpoint where the sound matches with the tab without having to worry about any music theory (including time signatures)

i'm not very good with writing timing, and just getting a few notes in one of these tab editors takes me about 20x as long as it would on soundslice.

feel free to leave this forum thread open to ask questions about the tabs that come up as i create them.

Bones

Hey Rob. I use SS or any slow downer program to work out the fingering and then if it is something that I want to archive in tab I just hand write it out which doesn't take that much time. Then if I want it in digital format I just scan it to a jpeg. Then you have both a hard and soft copy. I make the blank tab format in Excel, print it out once, then Xerox as many copies as I want. I use pencil to write out the notes in case I need to change something. Let me know if you want a jpeg of the blank tab. Not as high tech-y as a fancy tab program like GP but cheap and gets the job done.

PS- I also wanted to say that I've really enjoyed your Youtube vids of your 2 finger transcriptions!

PPS- Django's comping and fills in the first part of the Begin the Beguine cut is also really cool.

rob.cuellari

It's not so much writing out the tab, it's interpreting the time. I guess I probably just need a little walk through of how to write time properly, especially when django plays so much variation in notes.

i'll try to get some more vids up, as they do show the solos aren't impossible to play with 2 fingers by mere mortals!

steven_eire

Can I suggest that you try and light the videos a bit better? The clip above is very dark. Nice playing btw & thanks for the tabs!

Bones

Yeah, you can't get TOO crazy about notating the nuances of the timing especially for Django solos or you'll make the writing a LOT harder (unless you really feel like to need to notate it). Keep it to straight 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, triplets, etc. for the written transcription and let the video/audio guide the student for the nuances. That's what I do anyway. I just use the written transcription as a reminder to get started and also so that I don't forget all that hard work transcribing if I don't play the tune for a while and lose the muscle memory. That way I can just go back and look at the tab rather than having to figure it out all over again even though it is easier the second time I don't have much free time so I need to be efficient.