Funny!!!

ChrisMartin

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/112059#Comment_112059

Bones, what you explained is totally valid, transcribing anything is a good way to learn; both for the structure of the song and how someone improvised on the original. That is all good practice and is possibly even accepted when jamming with friends.

I took the original post - putting such words into Django's mouth as if he could come back today - to mean that what he did between 1933 and 1953 was always new and moving forwards and the reason we admire him and his work is that he was the first, the pioneer, the inventor of the GJ genre. Later he moved toward bebop and if he had lived to be 100 one has to wonder where he would have gone next. So why are there so many guitarists who obviously have the chops (but maybe not the imagination?) recycling Django licks as a career? Playing at home is one thing, but passing yourself off as a player in public, on stage or on record, when you are adding nothing new would I am sure be very amusing to the great man.

So there is a difference between 'transcribing', if you want to call it that as a learning tool, and straight copying for no other reason than either a lack of imagination or showing off.

Now, I'll get back to listening to the original. Thanks.

ChrisMartin

Or to put it another way, what would Elvis think if he came back and saw hundreds of old men in sparkly pyjamas and black hair dye singing to the grannies in bars and clubs the world over?

lukejazz

Some of us have little original to add but love to play the guitar nonetheless. I've been playing guitar over 50 years, played thousands of gigs, etc. and have had many moments of inspiration and originality, but not right now. All of this is personal journey. It's no sweat off anyone's back if I don't have anything original to play right now.

Many of the greatest, most innovative players started out copying note for note, to wit Wes Montgomery copying Charlie Christian and even Chet Atkins who was a Django fan. Later they found their own voice, typically with a LOT of effort and discipline on their part when they realized they weren't going to get anywhere in the business without doing so. Notably, Django also had his own hurdles to overcome which facilitated his great musicianship into an original style.

Mimicking the greats is always a good exercise and is universally recognized as a great learning technique. If it never leads me to any original voice, so be it. It doesn't bother me and it shouldn't bother anyone else. I'm not trying to make a name for myself in the music business, just trying to enjoy my life playing guitar as I always have.

"Why don't they make up their own shit?" Because not everyone has that in them or sometimes they do and it's fleeting. Not everyone can be a musical genius. A lot of the things we make up, would indeed be "shit" compared to the geniuses that forge the way. I'd go for a good note for note copy sometimes rather than the "glorious, original shit" that I end up consuming as a listener.

Only a callous, insensitive jerk would come back after 50 years to find so many people copying him would say such a thing. Maybe he was that kind of person, I don't know. But I know if it was me, I'd be flattered and humbled and totally blown away that I made that kind of impact.

Buco

I could picture him grumble about it. But inside, are you kidding me? He'd be as giddy as in that picture, it would stroke his ego to the sky. I mean how vain and cocky could a person be, to travel to the states without a guitar to tour the country, convinced he's the hottest shit in the states and companies would be bending over to get him to play one of their guitars. C'mon, he'd love it.