Hi - new here....

Jack

ski wrote:

I have the book "Django Reinhardt - The Definitive Collection". However, it really hasn't resonated with me as being partculary user friendly. I'm interested in getting the chrod charts for rhythm, and this book focuses on laying out the single-note stuff. Do the "Complete Django" or Cosimini's books provide more of what I'm looking for? I realize this is a tough question but perhaps my meaning comes across....

Hi Ski,

I've got all the books mentioned above (and some others, too)...if you're interested, my trio is playing a gig Saturday September 9th in Easthampton, Mass, and afterward a bunch of people will be hanging out at my apartment right above the venue. It's only about an hour and a half from Boston on the Pike. If you can make it you're welcome to have a look through my collection to get an idea of what would help you. Let me know if you need directions, etc.

In the meantime, don't forget about all the great learning material on the web...check out the Links for Rookies section in the Gypsy Jazz 101 forum, and the Look Here First section in the Repertoire forum.

Best,
Jack.

ski

Hey Jack,

Thanks for the invite! I'd love to take you up on the offer but I already have plans that night. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for other shows of yours. I'm not even that far away from you. While I work in Boston, I live out in the metrowest burbs so I'm probably only about 45 minutes away.

I'll be sure to check out the links you mention. I also went ahead and ordered one of the chord/song books from this site so I should have my hands full for quite some time.

Kind regards,
ski

BluesBop Harry

Ski,
The 5-song-every two weeks sounds good. It`s similar to what I do, I wrote a list of ten essential songs (the most played at festivals) and then I started adding songs to the list. You`ll soon find out that a lot of songs have similar progressions so the more you learn the easier it becomes to learn more.
The book that has helped me the most is the Gig book, although I try to always transcribe the melodies from the records, since the ones in books are often simplified.
I wish you good luck!

ski

Mike's book was just delivered by the mailman. This looks like a great start. Now I finally understand what everybody means when they say rest stroke. Time to get to work!

I've been looking at the repertoire section of this forum and it's a great resource - I love the way the chord charts are laid out. That will serve me well while I'm waiting for the Gypsy Jazz volume 1 book to arrive.