LA - Workshop

dennis

hey folks, i might be in LA towards the end of january/beginning february, and would like to offer a gypsy jazz workshop. Please email me if any of you are interested; it is important that I know ASAP (thanks).

I have done a lot of workshops in the UK, France, US, Canada. And for those who don't know me, I'm the guy who did the Gypsy Jazz rhythm DVD (www.hyperhipmedia.com) and four new DVDs are on the way.

The workshop will last 4 hours, and will be very intensive, and recording (audio and/or video) is especially recommended.

of course if you guys need to see my resume, you can check it out here:

http://www.fleche-dor.com/DenisCV.doc

and my website of course http://www.fleche-dor.com

thanks!

dennis

here's a description of the workshop:

Denis Chang workshop

4 hours - 80$

-rhythm coaching session. I will show and explain the common rhythm styles of the great rhythm players (Hono Winterstein, Nous'che Rosenberg, Hervé Gaguenetti, etc...). We will work on synchronization exercises for both hands. We will discuss rhythmic effects, and various styles of accompaniment.

-Gypsy Jazz picking technique. We will take examples from the masters (django, stochelo, jimmy, angelo, bireli) to demonstrate the various ways this technique can be used.

-Improvisation. We will start from scratch using basic chord progressions and explore the various colors and substitutions we can use to make an interesting solo. It is an in-depth study on voice leading and rhythmic phrasing.

-Advanced substitutions. For those who are more interested in modern approaches to django's music, we will study various chord substitutions, symmetrical scales and how we can we apply them.

This workshop is EXTREMELY intensive and it is strongly recommended that participants bring a tape recorder or video camera.

dennis

to those who've contacted and expressed an interest, thanks! here's some folllow up information about the workshop:

I know how most workshops go (especially in GJ) they're often very terrible and advanced students end up paying money for something they already knew, or at best, they learn a few things but the other students slow them down.

I have a different system for my workshop. First of all, it is 4 hours long. Second of all, I try to keep student participation to a minimum, students participating are often more for demonstration. The workshop is designed for all levels, but actually geared more toward people like you.

The way I work is I try to get maybe at least one beginner, one intermediate and one advanced student to participate so that everyone in attendance can recognize themselves.

The workshop itself is 100% gypsy jazz in approach. I believe I've come up with a simple and effective way to explain the masters approac this music.

The first part of the workshop is on technique and it is exaustive. A lot of people make a few mistakes in the way the technique is used, and they're a bit too systematic with it, when in fact it's something fairly natural and depends a lot on rhythm and tempo... So i would like to show a few of these overlooked and important concepts.

We also talk about the left hand, because it is as important as the right hand. A lot of people have the technique down, but they still dont have that "particular" sound that is instantly recognizable (when we listen to say django, bireli, stochelo or angelo) because they're actually overlooking some important left hand articulation concepts.

I will also talk a lot about rhythm, because in all styles, and really especially in this one, it is the secret to unlocking the picking technique and the first step to being able to solo (all the big names spent time playing rhythm for someone at some point, django, bireli, angelo, etc...).

Then I show my voice-leading method to explain gypsy jazz improvisation, but again it is based strictly on the django tradition. All the examples come from django, stochelo , bireli, etc.. the masters... towards the end, i also try to show a few more advanced concepts that advanced players may be aware of... but i show how to apply it within the style, and how guys like bireli or wawau adler use some of these.