Breaking down Django's picking technique from his 1939 J'attendrai Swing video

adrian

Hey everybody, I started transcribing this a while ago but haven't completed it. Here's my work so far:

https://www.soundslice.com/scores/43305/

The goal is to get perfectly accurate picking direction and string/fret information for each note in Django's solo. Hopefully the Soundslice interface makes it super simple to see whether a particular note is accurately transcribed, because the notation is synced with the original video.

Let me know if you spot any inaccuracies, and I'll continue working on it! :-)

Adrian

wim

Hey Adrian! I can't play your transcription. Is it possible to re-associate it with a different youtube video? Because J'attendrai is the tune for this week's Django club, I'd like to study it.

adrian

Ah, thanks for pointing that out. I've fixed it — I uploaded the video directly to Soundslice so that we don't have the YouTube takedown problem again. I also took the time to pitch-correct the audio in the video, so we can actually play along with it. Enjoy!

Hugh Huffaker

Nice! Thanks @adrian!

wim

Thanks for fixing that! Has anyone transcribed the part before the section where the soundslice tabs start? The bit where they are all lounging around and smoking. That part is also interesting for me ...

MichaelHorowitz

Wim Glenn wrote: »

Thanks for fixing that! The bit where they are all lounging around and smoking. That part is also interesting for me ...

Yes, I transcribed it for the Unaccompanied Django book: http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/unaccompanied_django

'm

Jazzaferri

a great book unaccompanied django

Jeff Moore

In the "smoking section" (intro) of Hot Club's J'attendrai vid, watch Django's right hand ring finger. Several times the ring finger goes left exactly when the rest of the hand moves right (following the pick).
He's finger picking (at least with one finger, maybe two) the high E string in that delicate intro.
It's not surprising or a big deal, but just one more technique in his bag of tricks.
If I'm seeing things, let me know. It won't be the first time.

wim

Check out the picking pattern in the outro.. wtf?

   D  U  D  D  U  D  D  D
|--------------------------|
|--8--7--8--9-10-11-12-13--|
|--------------------------|
|--5--4--5--6--7--8--9-10--|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|

I've seen that thing played by gypsy jazzers for 10 years or more and not once noticed it picked like that before ..