Learning Gypsy Jazz Online

ArtZumer

Hi everbody
I'm relativly new to Gypsy Jazz and this my first post!
I've been looking to subscribe to an online site for gypsy jazz but there are simply soooo many!
I just wanted to see which you guys thought was best in terms of: Lesson quality, price, includes sheet music, amount of lessons ect.
So far I've looked briefly at Robin Nolans fast tracked, Andres Oberg Academy, Gypsy Jazz Academy, GypsyJazzSchool. Any others out there? Any advice for which to go for would be really helpful.
Cheers
Art

dennis

you need to figure out exactly what you would like to learn and then see what those schools offer...

do u want to learn to play rhythm guitar? just licks? how to improvise in gypsy jazz? improvise in general, etc...

the ultimate truth, however, is that you have to practice A LOT regardless of where you're getting yoru lessons!!!!!!!!

good luck in your search!

ArtZumer

For me, I want to learn the improvisation skills for Gypsy Jazz as well as the rhythm guitar. However I also want to start playing some of the actual pieces and original solos.
Of course "practice makes perfect" and "there's no substitute for effort"

BluesBop Harry

I guess Dennis is too humble to suggest his own AWESOME online school:
http://www.dc-musicschool.com/catalogue/

Gonzalo Bergara's lessons are a good place to start as he talks about technique, rhythm and vocabulary demonstrating over a big bunch of the classic tunes that you must know.
His playing is great as always and he gives great advice.
I wish I had this when I first started this style...would have saved me a lot of time and trouble.
It's only $25 and the material covered should last you for a long while.

Hono Winterstein is a rhythm master and those are invaluable lessons. really amazing rhythm straight from one of the top of the top players in the whole world.

Yorgui's lessons are really cool as well but he doesn't talk as much, he just plays and you can watch over and over and absorb the music by ear, the gypsy way.

Don't forget to download the FREE violin melodies and playalongs

klaatu

Since you're obviously into computer-based delivery of instruction, you shouldn't overlook another of Denis' contributions to us gypsy wannabes, his Jazz Manouche DVD series: http://www.hyperhipmedia.com/catalogue.html. The ones on rhythm (The Art of Accompaniment) and soloing (Technique and Improvisation) are invaluable resources which could keep you occupied for a long time to come. They are not cheap, but the amount and quality of material is incredible for the price - you'd spend many times that for private lessons, and you can go back to them anytime you want.

I am currently working with both the Gonzalo and Yorgui online lessons, which are bargains. I do find parts of the solos to be way beyond my skill level, but I am able to extract some things that I can use. The Stochelo and Wawau Adler DVDs follow a similar pattern, but with a lot of material which is easier to assimilate, sometimes including different solos on the same song at different speeds. Plus you can slow the DVDs down.

Jim Kaznosky

I've tried many of them. My personal favorites were the Rosenberg Academy, Gypsy Jazz School, and DC Music School. GJ School would be a good place to start in terms of learning some of the basic langiage. RA is strictly Stochelo. Its well put together and you'll learn how Stochelo plays. I agree that The Gonzalo lesson is good to watch, but the etudes are not for beginners.

steven_eire

Gypsy Jazz School has some good lessons. The teacher Yakov maybe less well known than some of the others running lessons sites, but the quality is great and very affordable.

I bought this lesson where he begins by taking some licks from Django's Tiger and transposing them to work over J'attendrai it's worth checking out.

GJFAN

Certainly check out the Rosenberg Academy for a month or two. It's about $35.00 a month although the price goes down if you sign up for longer. They start right off with some technique lessons, then an improv. section, a video on rhythm a gypsy jazz fakebook etc. Then it's on to about a dozen (so far they add one a month) gypsy jazz songs mainly how Stochelo plays them but there are 3 note for note Django songs played the way Django played them although with 4 fingers. Tab/notation on the site is amazing with all picking and fingering written in and either comments in the slowed down video sections on why he is playing what he is playing or lately they have been writing comments in the tabs. MP3's and playalong MP3's are provided along with the videos at regular speed and slowed down. Other things you might want to check out that have helped me along are Hyperhip media which has a lot of the Denis Chang DVD's available for digital download and DC music school which is another Denis site that seems to be expanding rapidly.

delb0y

Useful thread, thanks guys.

Am I reading this correctly that the Hyper Hip Stochelo and Wawau DVDs are a little less advanced and more accessible than the Gonzalo course on the DC school? I'm currently working through Dennis' Art of Accompaniment and Improvisation DVDs, and Gonzalo'a How I Learned books and am keen to add a few more resources to the library...although, if I'm honest, I've probably got enough material already to last me a lifetime - especially when I take into account the transcribing of Django solos.

A golden time for learning material it seems.

Derek

BluesBop Harry

delb0y wrote:

Am I reading this correctly that the Hyper Hip Stochelo and Wawau DVDs are a little less advanced and more accessible than the Gonzalo course on the DC school?

I don't think so...
I think Gonzalo's DCSchool lessons are the best place to start as far as online instruction goes because he gives the clearest advice. Gypsy Picking, Gonzalo's book and Denis DVDs are also essential learning material so if you can, get them all.

Gonzalo talks about the advantage of learning phrases and maximizing their use instead of whole solos.
His rhythm style is very clear and straightforward which is very good at the beginning.
The performances are just as advanced as any of the others... But unlike the gypsy method of watch and learn he actually explains how to practice in a way that has you closer to your goals in less time.
To get maximum benefit you still have to follow the gypsy way and use your ears...
I'd recommend this lesson for any level. Newcomers get a great start and advanced players get useful tools for pushing into the next level.
And again for $25 is almost a sin not to get it!

Jazzaferri

+ 1for what Harry just said. I have gypsy picking Dennis and stochelos DVD s and having talked a few times with GB although we had a few under our belt I think he would be a great teacher. He too gets it and I am a fan of the phrase approach rather than whole solos. ( except blues Clair )