Eddie Lang arpeggios?

Tommasino

I have purchased the PDF of Eddie Lang's manual from Michael's site (BTW, I think it's excellent). I have a question - how applicable are the voicings and the fingerings of the various scales and arpeggios to correct Gypsy playing?

I know that EL was one of Django's influences, but now that I am studying Michael's book I don't want to depart from the "orthodox" way.

Tom

MichaelHorowitz

The Eddie Lang book is definitely a great resource for chords and arpeggios for swing guitar. There is a lot of over lap with Django. Even the stuff that's a little different is still aesthetically compatible with Gypsy jazz.

What you won't get in the Lang book is the highly idiosyncratic Django arpeggios with Gypsy style fingering and picking. The best resource for that is the Gypsy Picking book, and then the Unaccompanied Django Book. The Unaccompanied Django book is just packed with Django's best arpeggios. I point them out in the transcription notes, so you can find them easily. He did some really wild stuff, especially with the use of open strings. but it all works so well...genius as usual!

-Michael

Tommasino

Michael - thanks for the info, as always.

I agree with you that Gypsy Picking is the conditio sine qua non to learn this style. I was just wondering if EL's book would be a fairly good complementary resources that does not go necessarily against Gypsy fundamentals.

Thanks again

Tom