Will any ol' guitar do (for now)?

djadam · June 2007

Yes, of course in an ideal world, Dave would be better off learning this on a traditional gypsy instrument. But the whole point of the original post is that his situation is not ideal. He won't have a GJ guitar for a while. So would you suggest he not play this stuff in the meantime?

And BTW, it seems pretty clear that the OP isn't new to guitar, just to GJ. Am I reading that wrong Dave? I'm taking this from the reference to trying to play a Rush solo with gypsy picking.

BluesBop Harry · June 2007

Yes, of course in an ideal world, Dave would be better off learning this on a traditional gypsy instrument. But the whole point of the original post is that his situation is not ideal. He won't have a GJ guitar for a while. So would you suggest he not play this stuff in the meantime?

Well...I wasn't talking about guitars more about plectrum technique...and in relation to this comentary:

But as a newbie, it's a bit early to think about changing up your whole picking technique to the "proper" gypsy way.

Sorry if I wasn't clear...

I started to gypsy pick on a Gitane, but after a while I went to Europe for six months and left that guitar here and brought an inexpensive dobro and didn't have any problems.
I remember reading somewhere around here that Michael Horowitz learned GP on a nylon string guitar... so I guess it makes no difference what kind of guitar you use to learn

Good luck!!

Rich · June 2007

Yes, of course in an ideal world, Dave would be better off learning this on a traditional gypsy instrument.

I think we are talking about different things.. in my earlier post I said play on any sort of acoustic guitar, but try and use the right hand technique as the book teaches it. I am a firm believer in the player making the music and not the guitar.. its also good to see different types of guitar in genres they aren't normally seen.

I went to a theater near me recently and noticed in the foyer they had a picture of Bill Haley playing there in the 50s on a D hole selmer guitar standing up. I guess the volume of them must have made them appealing to all musicians.

djadam · June 2007

Rich wrote:

I think we are talking about different things..

Indeed. My thanks to you and Harry for clearing that up. It's a miracle when anything ever gets communicated and understood in internet forums!

As for learning gypsy picking right away, I suppose I agree that the sooner you start, the better off you'll be. But at the same time it's a massive undertaking, so I imagine that as a newbie you might want to play in the style a little with your old technique to see if you want it badly enough. In other words, a taste of the nectar can help you build the determination to do it the "proper" way.

But if you've already contracted the bug, then by all means, gypsy pick right away on whatever instrument you have handy.

BluesBop Harry · June 2007

djadam wrote:

As for learning gypsy picking right away, I suppose I agree that the sooner you start, the better off you'll be. But at the same time it's a massive undertaking, so I imagine that as a newbie you might want to play in the style a little with your old technique to see if you want it badly enough. In other words, a taste of the nectar can help you build the determination to do it the "proper" way.

But if you've already contracted the bug, then by all means, gypsy pick right away on whatever instrument you have handy.

I totally agree with that...you really need to love this music in order to make it through the harder stages of right hand reprograming.

BTW I found the tread of Michael saying he learned on everything but a Selmac:
viewtopic.php?t=2494&highlight=nylon
Cheers!

Bill McNeill · June 2007

What matters is technique (particularly right-hand technique). The right guitar helps you fine tune your tone, but you should be able to make a $100 Yamaha acoustic sound decent. I starting learning this style on a steel-string flattop for nearly a year and suffered no ill effects. Crucially, nothing about that instrument engendered any bad habits. Ultimately I switched to a Gitane for reasons outlined here: http://www.djangobooks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=967&highlight=.

BTW. It's great that you're adapting the rest stroke to non-gypsy music. I found that helpful.

dave_prine · June 2007

Hi everyone,

Wow, that’s a lot of feedback. Thanks to everyone for their input! Actually, since the original post, I’ve given up guitar completely and have gone into computer programming…

Just kidding.

Actually, I’ve been getting into the picking a little more (on acoustic and even electric). It’s been fun to see how I can apply it to licks, solos, etc. that I’ve done, mainly with alternate picking. (Oh, djadam, you are correct; I’ve been playing for a while.) I’m surprised that a lot can be done with GP without too many changes. Granted, I do sneak in an upward sweep once in a while…(feels so dirty!) Anyway, slow and steady for now. And I’m applying Gypsy Rhythm the same way. I figure even if it’s a big transition from a flat-top to a Selmer/Gitane/etc., I won’t have learned that much.

Anyway, thanks again for all the responses. It’s nice to see how the GJ community bands together!

Getting back to my flat-top,
~d