Daily Practice?

pmg

Re/ Zoom and Skype Lessons

There are many terrific gypsy jazz teachers and performers who are now doing on-line lessons to supplement income. I highly recommend that you start with Dennis Chang, If he is booked up, reach out to other good players that you admire and inquire. Remember that great players are not always great teachers - so best to start with someone who has a significant history teaching with good student testimonials.

Elroy Montano

Noted on this @pmg ! will start searching :)

pmg

Re/ Bill Evans

One of the greats for sure. His playing style often exploits superimposing triads at the same time to produce interesting harmonic colors. A lot of modern jazz guitar players do this including George Benson, Pat Matheny, and many others. Not very common in gypsy jazz however.

Lango-Django

Hate to brag, but the Will Wilson Practice Method is perfect for underachievers...

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/101546#Comment_101546

Passacaglia

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/101663#Comment_101663

I tried it will, but the only thing I accomplished was a fascination with how many ants where marching across that sidewalk. Over there. I guess they had a kind of rhythm..?

Lango-Django

So i hope you played “The Ants Go Marching Two By Two” for them?

guitarmike

Famous Wes Montgomery's quote :

I never practice my guitar- from time to time I just open the case and throw in a piece of raw meat.

Jim Kaznosky

I'm doing daily maintenance now that incorporates elements from the following:

Warm-Up - there is a ton of stuff out there. I use some waltzes or other musical exercises with the intention of getting through these as slow as possible without making mistakes. If I've made a mistake, I focus on that area. I saw someone doing Wally's Waltz by Johnny Smith (not in this style) as an exercise and have been using that one as a warmup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Uvzkp-GJc

I think it can be a good exercise for finger placement and picking (choose your method). I use it for rest stroke now. Any of the classic waltzes can be used.

Triads - I 'll run triads in various ways through a song form limiting myself to the top 4 strings. Then I'll do some improve using these triad forms. Sometimes with approach notes, sometimes with motif development within a particular position.

Arpeggios/Scales _ I'll run these through progressions in some form. Maybe straight, maybe thirds. Maybe arpeggio ascending and scale descending.

Chord melodies - I try to work at least one song through a rudimentary chord melody a day. If I have time, I'll try to do it through different positions. I do this mainly to see stuff better in different areas.

Transcription - licks, lines, or solos. for the first two, I try to learn in multiple positions and run through all keys and then apply into songs. With full solos (once I've learned), I break them down into licks or lines and run through the solo line by line transcribing each idea into all keys in order.

Free play - play over progressions or just play free.

All ideas are basically run through songs, always. I combine efforts sometimes using a new tune in this whole thing.

It's not perfect, but it has helped me.

Buco

This is the list I compiled over the years, of course not a daily routine but just something I draw from:

"Practice This:

Tone: play one note, listen

Following changes

Continuous notes throughout (8th notes is the goal but whatever to begin with: 1/2 or 1/4)

Licks: my own, play in different keys

Learn licks I hear and like

Adapt a lick to maj, min, dom chords

Licks in different positions/octaves

Ending phrases on b5, 9, 6

3 notes per string ascending phrases

Chord melodies

Music reading

Play through a song and target: 3 or 5 or 7 on each chord

Inversions: learn basics, put it in a song, make up a bass line then put the chords below

Melodic minor scale

Harmonic minor scale

Bebop scale

Various blues forms, in different keys

Rhythm changes in different keys

Soloing over open strings

Phrasing like Louis: long-short, behind-on

Arpeggios over the song making sure to connect them, start with the first chord then use inversions to stay in the same position

Add "wrong" note into the lick, arpeggio etc...then resolve it

Start on diminished arp then resolve to major tonality

Look at soloing through the shapes (CAGED)

Anticipate the next chord

Transcribe short phrases I like and practice over several weeks eventually personalizing it

Question and response concept when soloing

Lick that's in the key, change a note to make it weird, minor 3rd (when the lick is major), then resolve

Make short and simple statements between longer lines"

PS the picture is from "Practice of Practice" book