Minor Swing 1937

mmaslan

Thanks for the link Laurent--the video is great, just walks you right through it. I'll try to get the whole thing! I was taken by suprise by the way the right hand begins with upstrokes--and not just on the chords. I'd never have worked that out on my own. This looks like an ideal way to learn one's first solo. One need not even know French.

I think what distinguishes this solo is that it's seamless--perfectly poised and composed, as though everything superfluous has been burned off. Other Django solos are exciting for their searching, envelope-pushing qualities. Here he seems not to have arrived at exactly what he wants. Some other solos from this period have the same quality.

MM

zav

Hi, Dennis, hi All!

I would like to return little bit for the initial question - it seems to me, that Django played the desending part of this chromatic run just on one string, using dud dud dud, am I right?

stubla

[quote="dennis"]i just tried the matcho/mandino way out, really cool!! but i feel there's too much accent, when you hear django play it, the accent is on the first note, and the rest is just a smooth line. it's down to personal choice i guess[/quote]

Hi
Actually i agree Dennis about the over accenting--i should have pointed out that Matchos way was not specifically related to the Minor Swing solo--its still a great exercise for the right hand i think
Anyway--your criticism made me think again about the Minor Swing passage! (what a forum like this should be about )


Try this--its smoother i think(its also a great workout for the right hand)





--3--2--1--0-----
---4--3--2--1--0---
--3--2--1--0-------
---4--3--2--1--0----
---4
pick direction as follows:(a very logical symmetrical pattern i think)

1st string dudd
2nd string dudud
3rd string dudd
4th string dudud
5th string d etc

Notice theres a downstroke on every open string btw
All triplets start with a downstroke.

Try it slowly at first-- as usual!
See what you think--one more way to do it --and smoother i think
I can play this way at Djangos tempo--it works for me.
Stu

dennis

i doubt it, if he had played everything on the D string, you 'd hear a mellower tone.

if django improvised this solo, he most likely did it the way laurent originally posted using strict alternate picking except on string changes where it's a downstroke...

like i said though, i really like the matcho and mandino alternative

stubla

dennis wrote:

i doubt it, if he had played everything on the D string, you 'd hear a mellower tone.

if django improvised this solo, he most likely did it the way laurent originally posted using strict alternate picking except on string changes where it's a downstroke...

like i said though, i really like the matcho and mandino alternative

Dennis
i presume that your last post was a reply to Zavs' post not mine!
The run was definitely not played all on the D string--we can agree on that at least:-)
Cheers
Stu

dennis

yes it was a reply to the post before yours... our posts are a second apart, i d have to be superman to write up a reply to yours that fast!

stubla

dennis wrote:

yes it was a reply to the post before yours... our posts are a second apart, i d have to be superman to write up a reply to yours that fast!

Superman????--well i'm just going by what Ritary and Vladimir said about you :-)
Best
Stu

dennis

if you really want to know what they said about me...

they have never seen anyone eat like me... when my friend in france went to see them, they talked about my eating .... yes i eat a lot... it's my vice, but i work out very regularly so it sort of evens out for now

zav

Well, I don't hear changes in timbre due to change of the string, that's why I think, that all (exept last notes) desending line was played on D string. And imo the first notes (G etc) were NOT played (in any case) on the first or second string (just because they DO have more "mellow tone" ;-)).

stubla

zav wrote:

Well, I don't hear changes in timbre due to change of the string, that's why I think, that all (exept last notes) desending line was played on D string. And imo the first notes (G etc) were NOT played (in any case) on the first or second string (just because they DO have more "mellow tone" ;-)).

Zav
Fair enough -if you can play it like that
But i think its alien to everything i've seen in this style
Fapy,who is virtually a reincarnation of Django, technique wise,would NOT play it like that--and beside, you CAN here the string changes.