Django's Pick Revealed!!

rino

I make plectrums for many years and learned from Raphael Fais the way to make them and that is just how Django's plectrum is.
He used tortoise shell from about 4mm thick ,made a plectrumshape without thinning te frontpart(the part that thouches the strings)
only the wear was filed on(one sloped sideon each side)which would normally
come by playing it a lot.
Then very good polishing.the last polsihing with a cloth.
the plectrum feels immediately like a old plectrum that is used for quite a while.The tone is very warm and loud.
Rino

a

how does fais know?

rino

I guess Fais learned it from his father thus from older generation and family of Django.
But this whole discusion about what sort of and how to hold the plectrum doesn't lead to make anyone to play like Django.
The fact is that Django had to play acoustic thus very loud.
Many older gypsies do that too.but with the amp techinique of today this is not nescesary.
One has to find his own style and make a good tone too.
I know that Django used all kinds of plectrums and not only tortoise.
some gypsies can play with a button of a shirt or even a match without breaking it.

a

the type of pick and how it is held has everything to do with the technique.

Cigano

On the Jazz Hot clip Django's second finger looks quite drawn in, almost like the finger tip is touching the palm....

spatzo

Hello cigano!

That's exactly what I tought the 2nd finger touches the palm and by the way is absolutely flat and by the way the joint between the distal phalange of the index finger (that holds the pick with the joint of thumb distal phalange) is placed exactly upon (or slightly after) the joint of the intermediate and proximal phalanges of the second finger (major).

Sorry for the following bones but it will help clearing things :



By the way in such position both fingers are flat and will not touch strings before or after the pick hits the strings and therefore the pick can be very small (that's why we will never see it on any photo of the master)

Cigano

Same thing in this vid

http://www.djangostation.com/jazzmanouc ... article876

The only way I can emulate this is with second finger touching fleshy part of thumb. Django had big hands, from what I gather, (and he was a lot taller than most gypsies), so maybe HIS second finger didn't touch the palm.

Players right hands change when they're playing solo/lead too....I noticed Jimmy Rosenberg plays lead with fingers pointing downwards, but when playing rhythm at fast tempos, his hand takes on a more orthodox shape.

Keeping hand totally loose is the secret.....trying to do that is my biggest problem.

Nice picture of hand Spatzo!

a

this is very tricky in a way...

it is hard to tell if the pick is held between

a) the joint of the thumb (where distal meets proximal) and the joint of the index (distal/intermediate)

b) the joint of the thumb (distal/proximal) and the distal on the index,

c) the distal of the thumb and the distal of the index

d) the distal of the thumb and the joint of the index (distal/intermediate)

i can't tell which django does.

it looks like jimmy does (c) i also wonder what kind of pick jimmy uses?? i think it's pointy and thick ? also, it looks like jimmy has either really long fingers or is double jointed..

angelo might do a or b. same with nous'che

Korat

a wrote:

c) the distal of the thumb and the distal of the index

it looks like jimmy does (c) i also wonder what kind of pick jimmy uses?? i think it's pointy and thick ?

Jimmy uses a Dunlop Big (the big, purple one) most of the time. Don't know if it's the 2 or 3 mm.

a

How do you know that he uses the Dunlop? I know Nomi has used that kind.