Take the 'three-against-four' lick challenge!

Lango-Django

I've got several instruction books full of licks by great GJ players/instructors like Michael Horowitz, Andreas Oberg, Stephane Wrembel, Angelo Debarre.

One of the things I'm finding challenging about playing GJ style is that I spend a lot of time mastering these licks... but then somehow I don't seem to be able to make the connection of acutally using them to build my own solos.

Sound familiar?

Perhaps you've experienced the same frustration.

Well, I've decided to take the bull by the tail and face the situation.

I've decided to take a 3-note syncopation technique that Django used, and use it to create a whole chorus.

This technique uses open strings in conjunction with fretted strings, and can be found in Horowitz's "Gypsy Picking" example 4.1, CD track 21, Oberg's "Gypsy Fire" examples 6. and 10 and the "Django version" is included in the Aug 2010 Guitar Techniques GJ article by John Wheatcroft, lick 6.

In the Wheatcroft article, the example given uses strings 3 and 4, but a little experimentation will show that any two adjacent strings can be used. A little experimentation will also show that the pattern can be used at almost any position of the fretboard, though naturally some positions will sound better than others.

Anyway, the Wheatcroft article mentioned that Django would often use this lick for as long as an entire chorus in live performances... so I thought, "Aha! I'm going to try to do the same thing!"

So I'm going to challenge myself, and anyone out there who feels that they might benefit from this exercise, to use this musical device to create an original solo. I want to make the lick my own so I can use it wherever and whenever it seems appropriate.

Anyway, the challenge would be this: use this technique to create your own solo, then record it, and come back here and post it for all of us.

It would be interesting, but not essential, if we all agreed to work using the same tune.

I'm thinking that perhaps a standard like "Undecided" might suit this lick, or perhaps "Exactly Like You". It seems to call for chords that don't change too-too often or go too-too far off the beaten path.... however, neither of these old chesnuts are particular favourites of mine, and if anyone has better suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em.

Let me know what you think...

Will

Niagara-On-The-Lake

djangology

Lango-Django wrote:

One of the things I'm finding challenging about playing GJ style is that I spend a lot of time mastering these licks... but then somehow I don't seem to be able to make the connection of acutally using them to build my own solos.

You might know this already but I would say that Gonzalo Bergara's books would solve this puzzle for you...

Lango-Django

Thanks, buddy! I'll check that out... I've been afraid of buying any more methods when I already have so many on my shelf :? and mysteriously, they haven't taught me to play like Django quite yet!

Well, I don't seem to be getting any response to my 'three-against-four' lick challenge, so I guess I'll give it up... it's hard to know what's going to strike a chord around here. :?:

klaatu

Lango-Django wrote:

I've been afraid of buying any more methods when I already have so many on my shelf :? and mysteriously, they haven't taught me to play like Django quite yet!

Don't let that stop you. Like you, I had a whole pile of books, which got used for a while and then forgotten. Gonzalo's was a revelation. Other books teach a bunch of licks and leave it to you to figure out how to make a coherent solo out of them. Gonzalo gives you entire 32 bar solos for well-known songs, made up entirely of 1/8th note arpeggios, arpeggios being the core of gypsy jazz guitar. Then he breaks them down, showing how parts can be lifted out to use over various chords or changes. The beauty of it is that he demonstrates how to link your arpeggios together so that one flows naturally from the previous one. You are supposed to learn the entire solo, as slowly as you need to, and keep working with it. Eventually you find that parts of it will creep into your playing and become more natural with more repetition.

It hasn't made me play like Django - I've become resigned to the likelihood that nothing ever will - but it has caused me to put all of my other books on eBay (except for the Michael Horowitz ones) and rely entirely on Gonzalo's book and Denis Chang's videos, especially the Wawau Adler one. Denis teaches by the watch-listen-and-learn method, which has worked for the gypsies forever.

Don't be put off by the homemade appearance of Gonzalo's books. The content is worth every penny!

Bones

Hi Klaatu,

I enjoy the Wawau video but I don't get much info out of it since it is so fast. How do you study from that one?

thanks

klaatu

Hey Bones -

I had the same problem. My solution was the Ultimate DVD Player from the same folks who brought us Amazing Slow Downer:
http://www.ronimusic.com/dvdplayer.htm

It will slow any DVD down and also allow you to isolate & loop clips, as well as change pitch. It's $49.95 and worth every penny.

A lot of people use Transcribe! for audio slowdown. It includes video capability in the base program, but it doesn't handle DVDs directly - you have to convert to another format first.

Hope that helps.

Bones

Hi Klaatu,

I'll definitely check that out. I've tried converting formats but have had issues with degredation of resolution, lack of sync between video and audio, etc. so it would be nice to go direct from the dvd.

Thanks!