improv 1 chromatic runs

a

i don't believe that these occur on four strings like the book says. i think it starts on the 7th fret of the g string and goes down from there. micheal, do you have a copy of the solo django book for two fingers...like django verbatim?

MichaelHorowitz

I'm pretty sure Django did it on 4 strings....if you slow it down enough you can hear the string skips. Also, just about every Gypsy I've ever seen play it does it on 4 strings. You could probably get it to work on the three as well.

I fingered the pieces in the Unaccompanied Book with 2 fingers when it was the best way to play something. It would be a huge amount of work to go back and refinger the whole book exactly like Django would....and I don't think it would be very helpful to most folks. Most people, including Gypsies,a re going to use their third finger, and sometime their fourth. So I figured that system would have the most educational value.

Thanks!

'm

a

ok, but how does he get such a perfect legato? in most of the homages i've heard, the guitarist plays the chromatic runs in a strident way- like how most people play them in a solo.

in django's, it's as if there is almost no attack. is it the pick that he's using? his tone on improvisation is very different from the normal barky django.

MichaelHorowitz

a wrote:

ok, but how does he get such a perfect legato?

Because he's Django!

in most of the homages i've heard, the guitarist plays the chromatic runs in a strident way- like how most people play them in a solo.

Stochelo plays it very cleanly....so does Bireli.

in django's, it's as if there is almost no attack. is it the pick that he's using? his tone on improvisation is very different from the normal barky django.

Two reasons for that:

1) He must have been using a Maccaferi on that recording...the shorter scale length and slacker string tension gave it a mellower sound.

2) Since he's playing solo guitar he doesn't have to play as hard, hence the sweeter tone.

djangology

that was a tough judgement call Michael. good job on the way you did your book. :-) i am glad you didn't mess with the left hand on a book made for the right hand!

a

I know he's Django and some things will always remain a mystery, but there's got to be a way to explain the fluidity of the runs.

on what albums do stochelo and bireli play it?

djangology

stochelo and bireli do it on EVERY album, and so do all the other gypsy jazz players. you would be hard pressed to find an album where someone didnt use the chromatic run.

all you really need to do is transcribe the run once from a 4 fingered player and then you will understand where Michael is coming from in his book.

after transcribing a run you might understand better how Django might have done it.

MichaelHorowitz

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Biréli Lagrène

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dennis

i'd also say that the recording quality of the time has a lot to do with tone as well!

a

without getting to technical, i think that one of the things that makes django's tone so sublime is that each pluck has the perfect mixture of push and rub on the string. sometimes one more than the other. a lot of the time i can't tell.

are there any players out there today who make use of the full dynamic range like django did? most players have one high dynamic and one low. most of the time it is high. but, one of slick things that django does is he uses low dynamics on some really fast tunes. it a;ways draws me in.

a

ive noticed that using a dull pick (like an un-beveled pants button) can raise the volume of a note without making it bright. of course if you hit it hard enough, the note will brighten up. while it makes the guitar a lot harder to play, it gives a lot more character.