Gonzalo and Wrembel's pompe

guitarua · March 2016

Hey guys,

Maybe this is a noob question, but where can I find up close examples of these two guys rhythm style? I really like the drive and feel it gives. It sounds as if the 2 & 4 are completely muted strokes. Apologies if this has already been covered!

jonpowl · March 2016

Try this:

and finding the elusive gypsy swing rhythm (also available on a djangobooks thread):

and one of our members, Jim Kaznosky , whom studied with GB posted this: http://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/12595/the-gonzalo-rhythm-sound/p4

guitarua · March 2016

Thanks @jonpowl !!

Bones · March 2016

2 and 4 are not completely muted but definitely damped very quickly.

Jim Kaznosky · March 2016

Hi...that's seerwin who studied with GB, not me. That is his video.
Stephane, who I did study with, does not mute 2 and 4. Rob Cuellari, who played rhythm with him could explain better.
Best,
Jim

rob.cuellari · March 2016

hey guys, it really depends on what you're looking for in your sound.

i learned from stephane directly, so with regard to his style in that specific dry sound i can try to explain how to emulate it.

that being said, i feel like stephane's rhythm himself is not that dry anymore, and you can hear a lot more of the strings ringing on his 2 and 4.

i've also grown to enjoy the 2 and 4 with some more sound than just the dry sound. (also worth noting if you don't have a bass player it can be a bit lacking in terms of the tones for the soloist)

i think the best way to approach playing like this (if that's what you want to do), is just try not to hold down the strings too much on 2 and 4. you do not want to entirely mute the strings on 2 and 4.

outside of that i would highly recommend just playing along with stephane's playalong (backing) tracks, which should be available on his webiste, or on youtube, or some other members on this forum might be able to help.

the closer you'll sound to the backing tracks, the closer your sound will be to their sound.

i had a rhythm lesson with one of stephanes friends from france, david gastine, and he really pointed out the difference between using more of the dry 2 and 4 compared with the more standard 2 and 4.

here's a comparison of two videos that i've made:

one from 2014 (before the lesson with david)

one from 2015 (forgive the very end)

i tried to keep the 2015 video at the same tempo as the older one. after all i'm a scientist so i like to try to be as objective as possible. i even tried to keep the voicings the same.

the 2013 is a lot more in the style that is associated with stephane (even though i feel he doesn't actually play this way himself)

i now prefer the 2015 version, although i have to work a bit at it to keep my tempos up (hard to undo muscle memory!)

-rob

i would highly recommend a friend of mine's rhythm playalongs on youtube:

Jim Kaznosky · March 2016

just make it swing, as Stephane said to me during our first lesson. The rest doesn't matter.

AndrewUlle · March 2016

Great stuff all around, very helpful for those of us who don't have access to live examples.

bohemewarbler · March 2016

IMHO, Adrien Moignard here shows a superb demonstration of the modern la pompe. The rhythm is smooth and glides effortlessly. The 2 and 4 are dry but never harsh sounding. Notice that Adrien's left hand is compressing on every beat, except the occasional hold when changing chords for embellishment. He is also using the side of the pick (probably 1.5mm) and the strings brush against his right hand fingers/knuckles to dampen the sound's volume and help maintain its even dynamics. If you can do this on your own, you're there.

P.S. I recommend purchasing Gonzalo's and Adrien's album Clasico. You can compare their two styles of rhythm and lead. They also are performing familiar GJ tunes in their usual keys that will allow you to easily play along.

Charles Meadows · March 2016

So is Gonzalo still doing skype lessons? Anyone know of other players doing it? Christiaan maybe? I can get most of the lead stuff from youtube - but the rhythm is so much more of a groove thing.