Sheik of Araby

kevingcox

Hey there,

I am trying to do my own sad imitation of that crazy machine gun riff Django plays at the end of his first chorus on Sheik of Araby over the Bb... this is the fretting and picking I am using...

-----------------------------------------------------------
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------D0--U2--D3--U2--D0-----D0--U2--D3--U2--D0--
---D3-------------------------D3--------------------------
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-----------------------------------------------------------

I hope that makes sense... this run is insanely fast and sounds amazing, I want to check that I am picking it right before I waste more time trying to get it up to something resembling a playable speed.

Thanks!

-Kevin

kevingcox

Hmm, I've been trying it with a pull-off instead on the second "U2" and it seems like it might be humanly possible this way...

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------D0--U2--D3--P2--U0-----D0--U2--D3--P2--U0--
---D3-------------------------D3--------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------

Does that make more sense?

Hemert

Your first example would be the picking style of the "Dutch School" and your second example more in the "French School". So both are good possibilities and sound equally well.

Lango-Django

Yes, my friend, been there, done that, asked myself the exact same question!

I've tried it both ways and finally came down on the "pulloff" side... I've practised it a lot, and even using the pulloff, it's fairly tricky to get it sounding smooth at tempo... I find when I practise it there's about a thirty second shelf life of it sounding smooth, but after that, the more I practise it, the damn thing seems to sound worse, not better...

I've noticed that Django uses this lick a lot with different string pairs, except it can't be used on the G-B pair because of the tuning difference.

Django used first position a lot more than contemporary GJ players seem to; maybe because it's really great to use those open strings if you're only playing with two fingers... ?

IMHO, an instructional book just waiting to be written is "First position Django licks" ***ahem***Dennis? Michael? ***ahem***

Anyway, "The Sheik of Araby" has some other great 1st position licks, as does "Honeysuckle Rose".

Will
Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON

kevingcox

Yes, I noticed some connections between this solo and the Honeysuckle Rose one (which I have forgotten somewhere along the way and must relearn). I have been forcing myself to learn licks using the open strings (like the Cm part of the Blues en Mineur head) to try opening my brain up a bit more.

I am playing this riff pull off style and can follow him when I slow down the original solo to about 66%. I don't think I will push the speed much higher than that for sometime until I am totally comfortable.

Thanks for the input!

-Kevin

dennis

Lango-Django wrote:

IMHO, an instructional book just waiting to be written is "First position Django licks" ***ahem***Dennis? Michael? ***ahem***

i'm pretty sure i covered those extensively in my dvds! i also talk about that lick in question... it can be done both ways.. picked or pull off.. i like pull off

Lango-Django

You da man, Dennis!

Lango-Django

Hey, Dennis and Kevin--- anyone else who's trying this lick--- try this: do it all on the same string.

It's easier to use an open string to start, but with a little practise, I find I can do it just about anywhere on the fingerboard... (getting it totally accurate at speeds above 200 bpm, now, that's a different story! but maybe someday!)

In the higher positions, it also works pretty nice on the top two strings, either with straight alternate picking or using hammer-ons and pull-offs like this

-------5---7---8-------------8----7----5---------------------
--8-------------------------------------------8----------------


--D---D---H---U-------------D----P----P-----D-------------



Don't you think if Django had had full use of all four fingers, he'd have been totally able to play this lick anywhere he wanted, and not just in first position...?

Therefore, what's our excuse? It's a great little lick to use in almost any uptempo tune.

Will

kevingcox

I don't think that is quite the same lick you posted... he doesn't play that highest note twice. That said, I do find it more intuitive to play up the neck but since he has that nasty chromatic run right after I don't think it is a good fit for this particular solo.

Trust me, the amount of time I am putting into trying to get this lick right I will be pulling it out as often as good taste (or my version thereof) allows.

-Kevin

spatzo

I suggest the following solution (that's what Django does):

D3 U5 D2 U3 D2 U0 etc...

Best

Lango-Django

Oops! Yeah, Kevin, you're right, that is a slightly different run! Actually it was a related one that Django was fond of in the key of C, starting on the G note at the third fret of the sixth string.

I meant to say this:

-------5---7---8----7----5---------------------
--8-----------------------------8----------------


--D---D---H---D----P----P------D-------------