Django solos to learn

alecz2008

Hi all,

I am currently starting to learn technique and improvising

The way I have chosen is to learn e.g. Django Solos to have a "repertoire" on licks for the various chords that I can use and combine.

But what solos are good to learn as a start ?

Thanks for your input,

Alex

Petrov

They are all "good" to learn. I would pick the one that you like the most. This will help keep you motivated.

Don't be too caught in learning the entire solo. Just 1 chorus or even one phrase can go a long way.

To start, I would suggest any song with a blues form, but again....do what you enjoy. As long you are having fun it's all good.

adrian

I'll See You In My Dreams is a classic one people like to learn — see transcription here. I wouldn't learn that one for licks, I'd learn it more to analyze how Django approached the fretboard and the colors he particularly liked to use.

Adrian

MikeK

Learning solos to songs is one way to acquire the ability to improvise over chord changes, but it's not how I started. In my opinion, the most efficient and rewarding way to learn how to truly understand how to solo over gypsy jazz songs is by learning the appropriate arpeggios (and/or triads with enclosures) that correspond with the chords and/or passages that you come across in the songs. I would start with Michael Horowitz's book Gypsy Picking and then work with a teacher to hone your skills. Others may disagree, but that's my suggestion. After working with Michael's book, you could try an online teacher like Yaakov Hoter. I found his Triads With Enclosures video to be extremely helpful in advancing my understanding & my playing. Studying solos to songs seems to me to be more of an advanced path of study. Again, others may disagree & may have chosen a different path to learning.

Lango-Django

Yes, “Gypsy Picking” was an awesome book for this beginner back in 2008, and I enthusiastically second Mike’s suggestion. It worked wonders on my RH technique, which is so important In this style.

After that, I tried a lot of other instructional methods, but somehow most of them didn’t click... even methods which have been hugely popular with a lot of people at this site, but somehow for me... meh...

Who knows why? We are all different.

The next book I personally got a lot out of was the Daniel Givone Guitare Manouche method, which offers a sort of CAGED approach to GJ guitar.

Dennis Chang’s DC Music has a ton of great-looking stuff to check out, and so does Adrian Holovaty’s innovative “Soundslice”.

Good luck! have fun!

And keep hanging around this website, because you will gain an immense amount of knowledge and insight from the many, many high level players and teachers to be found here, including Michael Horowitz, Dennis Chang and Adrian Holovaty, plus many others.

Will

PS And once the pandemic is over, you absolutely MUST attend “Django in June”, in Northampton MA... GJ heaven on earth! North American and European musicians alike think it is the greatest summer music camp EVER! This near-weeklong event is hosted by another Forum stalwart, Andrew Lawrence,

Chiefbigeasy

All great advice above. Here is what I would add.

When I first started, I spent many happy months learning from Yaakov Hotter, especially his ballads course which included solo versions of "Nuages” and “Tears,” and he is definitive “Minor Swing” course. Bought Michael’s book and worked on the Gypsy picking technique exercises; getting the gypsy style picking down really helped produce an authentic sound while practicing. The combination of these two things gave me a lot to work on and a lot of immediate gratification for my efforts.

The other thing I did was listen to a lot of this music in all its various forms. It occurred to me while listening to a number of performances that a lot of the great players played exact Django solos, even just as an introduction to their own soloing. You could to deduce the importance of knowing Django’s solos when you see a number of players play them in unison!

I wish I had the benefit early on of playing with someone who was interested in the music. That’s a harder thing to find, especially to find someone who will try to really learn the style with you as opposed to just fooling around with it. That would be quite the luxury.

The last thing I would say is that it would be great to get your hands on one of these guitars. They sound very different from all other guitars, but it can be very hard to find one that you will like playing if you don’t live in a major city.

Good luck, stick around, ask questions, have fun.

Chiefbigeasy

Also, check out my posts over the years, You'll get a pretty good idea through my questions and whining and complaining over the years, of a typical progression from novice in this style to pretty OK coffee house player who has fronted his own Gypsy Jazz quartet.

Jim Kaznosky

I avoided learning solos for years and realized that all of the information I needed was there. I asked a few teachers what I should learn and they answered the same way: what do you like? Start there. You can learn from books and do the courses if you'd like at the same time. But at some point, you should do some transcribing. And yes, it is hard, but the hard work will pay off and transcribing becomes much much easier over time.

Adrian's suggestion is a good one. 1937 Minor Swing is a well documented solo too.

bbwood_98

Hi,

In addition to all of the above; I would add Minor Blues - the one from 1939-1940 that is around 3'10'' long. All the vocabulary is there, this was the first solo I learned studying with Stephane. Well worth the effort.

I think classics would be Minor Blues, Minor Swing, I'll see you in My dreams, Lady Be Good, and then some things later in the catalog: Dark Eyes, Place a Broukere, Peche a la mouche, nuages.

Good luck, have fun, enjoy it!

B.

Svanis1337

"Django's Tiger", and one of my favorite Django solos for its sheer beauty, "Just a Gigolo".