How to learn gypsy jazz technique from 0?

ChristopheCarington

Technique and theory will come over time. Really, just consistency of practicing and playing is most important. I find if I'm not enjoying the practicing, I don't practice. So watch some videos, learn some technique, but also just play along and stumble through it while learning licks.

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A few extra resources:

For reflection, doing Gypsy from electric is hard - I started my journey last year, and reflected on it below. Just know you're not alone :)

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/17316/learning-gypsy-jazz-but-coming-from-electric-guitar#latest.

For music, I personally use Spotify a lot (though I have Django's entire catalogue of recordings in FLAC). Just listen and find what you like to start learning. Just keep in mind that if you listen and learn more Django, you're more likely to sound like the older generations (Fapy, Wasso, Tchan-Tchou Vidal), whereas if you listen to generations once removed (Rosenbergs, Angelo Debarre, Bireli) you're likely to sound much more akin to modern players (Gonzalo, Antonie Boyer, Adrien Moignard). If you want to sound like Stochelo, listen to Django and add Bossa Nova, Angelo add trad Hungarian music, Bireli add Fusion, etc...

Here's a "Gypsy Standards" playlist I put together you can use to get common tunes rattling around in your head asap: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Nxivpykrp8AyqJn3IHwUb?si=qgVih0U6TzGV2cNjJtYiiw

Good luck!

Jim Kaznosky

This is all very good advice. I can offer a few pieces:

Learn songs and use songs as the learning device for everything else. We are playing music and not exercises. You should focus on the minutiae of songs, that is if you have a difficult passage or something, but everything should be in the context of creating music.

Spend a lot of time on rhythm.It is mentioned above. Even when you think you have it, spend more time on it. Like daily.

When you've learned to play a song one way on the fretboard, learn to play it a second and even third way, if possible. This holds true for both learning melodies and rhythm.

At the beginning, it may be difficult to get the uptstroke. Just focus on the swing. If you're swinging and have a good groove and sound, people will enjoy playing with you.

The addendum to the above point is don't force the upstroke if you don't understand it. It can sound like a gallop when there's no swing, which is really awesome if you want to play Iron Maiden type lines, but not so good for this style.

Try to play as straight as possible, meaning no little clever tricks or intervention early on. It can sound really bad as some folks tend to over do it, present company included.

Play what you like.

Russell Letson

I like Jim's advice, which oversimplifies to "keep it simple," at least until "simple" is so embedded in your playing that more-elaborate sneaks in without getting in the way. I've heard way too much doo-wacka-doo from rhythm players pushing the upstroke part of la pompe. If you can't hold down a swinging, propulsive four-to-the-bar--or, more challenging, a slow-dance ballad tempo--you're not ready to add the Hot Club special sauce.

Same goes for soloing (says the guy who never solos)--there's nothing wrong with leaving space, and not every note needs to be played. (Listen to an over-busy keyboardist and do no do likewise. Listen to Basie instead.)

bbwood_98

Following @jim and @Russell Letson 's further good advice:

Break down the rhythm, get it sounding right without an upstroke; and add that later (and with full control) - including how long each ring and how connected to the actual beat it is. (and be able to add it on the 'wrong' beats - i.e. can you add it just to the fouth beat, or 2nd beat in a measure - very subtle, but helpful in responding to soloists with out being bombastic) Make sure you sound as thudy/bassy/middy/woofy as you want - and that each beat has enough life (length) but not too much.

Quiet is super important! if you can't hear the soloist - your wrong!

@ChristopheCarington cool!!! spotify playlist - thanks so much for that!

lv92

Thank you so much for all your suggestions! This is really a great community and i hope i will give my experienced words sooner or later 😊

Bones

I have the Gypsy Picking and Gypsy Rhythm books for sale (and a bunch of others). Let me know if you are interested

https://djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/17052/books-and-tonewood

MikeK

To me, the most important things for getting off the ground were finding a good teacher and finding someone better than me to jam with. Like Russell suggested, I learned rhythm first. Once I had a fairly acceptable la pompe (relatively quiet & with no upstroke, I still dont ever use it), i found a guy who was better than me and we started busking together. I spent a lot of time just chunking chords for him, and I had a great time doing it and learned a lot. A better player to jam with can not only teach you volumes, but can inspire you, because you can actually make spontaneous music together. That's the name of the game here. Try to get the simple stuff down correctly from the beginning, and above all else, have fun with this magical music! The other thing I wish someone had emphasized to me in the early days is this--dont be afraid to add touches of your own elements to your style. I believe that's what Django would want us to do.

Buco

Lots of golden advice and I don't have much to add except that I think it might be worth reminding that it needs to be in your ears first before it can get to your fingers. So listening to your favorites in the genre day and night is a must. If you're not getting a stink eye from your significant other when you reach for the play button, you're not doing something right.

AndrewUlle

from Buco: "If you're not getting a stink eye from your significant other when you reach for the play button, you're not doing something right."

I have to self-censure my playlists to mix in other genres of music or the complaining starts. The driving rhythm guitar that I love so much drives my wife crazy. When I'm alone, however...

Jim Kaznosky

Playing quiet but being able to get the sound is a really good exercise that I've seen @bbwood_98 recommend before. If you play with a singer, a quieter soloist, or a cranky old bass player, you will be asked to do this.

Final pieces from my big old book of mistakes:

• In the theme of being simplistic, there is a ton of material available now on various platforms. What separates players from good to great players is the attention to detail. Skipping from thing to thing day to day can be bad for the player entering in this. Get as good as you possibly can when learning a song. Tone of rhythm, consistency of rhythm, can you play it in multiple places, etc?
• Consider learning songs, not only in multiple places, but in multiple keys. This is a really valuable skill. Realistically, Minor Swing is played in A minor. Outside of a jam, things happen and you may be asked to adapt. doing this will also help you really learn your fretboard and general song forms. I can imagine you'll learn songs a lot quicker when you do this, as a lot of the forms share commonalities.

Good luck,

Jim