Fast rolling lick, how to?!

opus20000

One of the hardest GJ lick for me to grasp is that quick chordal roll b/w two adjacent frets herd here between second 35 and 38.

Any advice? I can't seem to get that one up to speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvF_yQiNZV8

wim

Forgive me if you already know this much -

• For the left hand: Do it with sliding the left hand back and forth, shifting the whole chord horizontally. Don't lift off the left hand, but don't slur it either (i.e. every chord is strummed).
• For the right hand: downstroke on the lower fret and upstroke on the higher fret.

Don't try to do this technique by placing another fretting finger on and off. That can be more difficult to time exactly, and even if you can time it accurately it doesn't produce a good sound.

On youtube, you can see an example of the good technique from Jimmy himself here: https://youtu.be/I7VXURIT6uc?si=tJ3UpqRL6p2NR-KV&t=47. There's also one from Samois '92 at https://youtu.be/3pAPqxXwF4o?si=6RmG7tiapg1iPJHP&t=61 but he's just a kid and it's a bit sloppy. Stochelo is really good at this technique, but I can't find a video of it somehow. I think this is the way Django used (sounds like it).

Examples of wrong execution are on Gypsy Jazz Manouche channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH_B3Az7lP0&t=75s) and also on Christiaan van Hemert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9g6dvLJp90&t=66s).

richter4208

Damn, Wim lays down the law with that historical research.....end of thread.

ps.....love the inclusion of how to not do it !!

billyshakes

As Joe Dirt would say, "Dang!"

I like to watch youtube videos at 1.75-2x speed. Usually you can understand the speech without it sounding like Mickey Mouse and it takes half the time to watch. But, you typically have to slow to normal speed for musical sections. I tried listening to that Jimmy clip twice and then thought, "this must be at 2x speed." Nope. Wow!

When I slow it to .75x, you can actually observe the technique fairly well, rather than at a speed few of us mere mortals can achieve.

opus20000

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/117175#Comment_117175

Thanks..this "wrong way" actually works out better for me.... Different strokes for different folks I guess.

voutoreenie

Wim, great stuff and thx for linking that Jimmy vid with the transcription...connects a lot of dots my ears were never able to discern, looking forward to working on his solo again this weekend.

edit: apologies for the thread drift but youtube directed me to this vid of Jimmy playing Rose Room back in 2007, was just uploaded 2 weeks ago and I've never seen it before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXAZy5EKrjo

You can really see Jimmy's right hand here while he was still in his prime, perhaps better than any other video out there - an absolute must watch if you're a Jimmy stan like me.