All people that want that swing in their impros, read this.

[james hart]

how much time do you suppose django spent on websites

[emicad]

If you do it my way, you will succeed, it will work for evybody. The only reaseon Django becam a musical genius was that he did this several houers a day, 7 days a week, if YOU do this you WILL be as good as Django. That is no farytail. It´s the bitter truth, well pretty sweet actally

Django didn't make at all a lot of practice on the instrument during his life, except for the period in which he developed his two fingers technical approach, in the hospital. He was absolutely inconstant on this point of view. Grappelli tells that it was often without playing for months, yet when it took back the guitar in hand it was amazing. At least, this is what the people know...

[emicad]

Practice seven hours a day and you will get good, but it takes God given facility to become a musical genius.

Absolutely right!

After his accident, Django was bedridden for nearly 18 months and practiced religiously during that period to develop his two finger approach. However, in the late 40's when he became somewhat disenchanted with the public response to his playing, he would often not touch the guitar for months to the extent that the strings would become corroded. However, as soon as he pulled it down from the wall of his caravan, he could immediately play like an angel. Genius is something is something you are born with. You need to assiduously develop it but you cannot practice to became a genius.

I hope that makes sense. I've had a "couple" of glasses of wine this evening.

I'm ABSOLUTELY with you about what you say, maybe we drink the same wine?

[emicad]

Never said you could be as good as Django, not in a million years.

Yes you did! Look at what you wrote - your post above says (and I quote): "if YOU do this you WILL be as good as Django. That is no farytail. "

For the record I do agree that the method you suggest will improve your creativity and ear, but there are still other important factors (such as innate genius) which cannot be learned through practice if one is to approach Django's greatness.

Why are you so fiscal?
I admit that the post was also "criticizable", is true, however he tried!

[emicad]

I feel I must once again post this very important website address: :

http://tinyurl.com/2g582

You're talkng about this? http://home.earthlink.net/~exmouse/hj/guitar.html
"page not found"
Here seems not to work

[lukejazz]

Looks like that link died - sorry. It really was pretty darn funny. Wish I'd had copied the page content.

[Swing This!]

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit, Genius hits a target no one else can see!" A. Schaupenauer

[cgratham]

[Genius is something is something you are born with. You need to assiduously develop it but you cannot practice to became a genius.

I would tend to agree with you Teddy, but this article from Scientific American suggests that that experts are made, not born. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00010347-101C-14C1-8F9E83414B7F4945&sc=I100322

Perhaps its just splitting hairs regarding the difference between genius and expert.

Chris

[Ganondorf]

so then velvet goldmine,if you say that this technique works, surely you yourself by now must have an amazing ear and have endless ideas travel through your fingers onto your fingerboard with superb clarity!

p.s might want to take a look at this link aswell;

http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/801.htm

[wirralgitane]

wth? so what your saying is learn by ear because thats how it was done in the past & you'll probably stumble apon new ideas like maybe most of the great impro's did! and be a better player? and just watch what others do instead of 'read' theory. See and hear the notes etc
If you don't get it in about 18months that will tell you if you have any musical genius i guess.
Well, i'm marking today's date, 20th march 2007 i'm gonna get some duck tape (really i am) when i get up, rap me fingers up and practice everyday all day for 18months

[dlloyd]

Okay, I know this is years old, but as it's at the top...

Take the best Django record you got, sit there and play along wiht it.
BUT, thsi is the most impornent thing, FORGET the chords, FORGET the head, FORGET EVRYTHING you know about the song. Now when you have freed your mind. Picture the whole guitar as a libiary of tunes, try to use the tones to create rythm and harmony. This will practise both your ear and fingers. Then always try to play as fast as Django, even though it sounds bad, do an overkill play, the first day it might sound bad, but then from out of nowhere you will grasp it. Rember, Django did not have tabluatures nor chordcharts, he could not read notes. This is how Django bacame the meanset swinger in the world, don´t you want to be the second meanest swinger in the world?

That is not how Django became a great player.

He was born into an extremely musical family and culture. He was given first a violin, then a banjo-guitar when very young. He was surrounded by musicians who taught him how to play. Music was the main entertainment his family and friends had, so it's inevitable he practiced for hours every day. Furthermore, he played professionally from a young age and had been doing so for years when he had his accident.

Forget the nonsense about Django not knowing any theory. He certainly knew how to construct chords and the appropriate scales and arpeggios to play over them.

[Rich]

Everyone has their own approach to learning. I wouldn't worry about whether or not you are a musical genius or not.

However I would recommend working out the stuff you want to play by ear.. get a program like "transcribe!" http://www.seventhstring.com/ so you can slow down solos without losing the pitch. This will develop ears so you link the sounds in your head with the positions on the fretboard.. which is essential when improvising.

Tabs have no way of showing the phrasing of a riff either. I remember starting out not understanding why even though i was playing exactly the same notes (from the tab) of a django riff, it sounded nothing like when he played it. Took me a while to realise it's the phrasing of the notes (i.e. how much space he leaves between each note and where he plays the notes in the bar). To work out a riff you want to learn actually sing it out loud.. or whistle/scat it or something.. then try and play it on the guitar.. this helps you to understand how the riff is phrased. Memorising tab will make your playing sound robotic.. and you'll probably have a hard time playing it in time at all.

http://www.serendipity-band.com/misc/manouche/src/jeu-ternaire-en.htm The video on that page shows the difference the phrasing of a riff can make.

The whole taping up two fingers idea is an interesting one to put urself into django's shoes.. but at the end of the day you have 4 fingers! So use them all..

If you are really serious about playing this music I personally think the Gypsy Picking book is essential. It's the right hand that gives django and all the gypsy players that bounce in their playing.. its also a very effeicient way to play (much less strain on the right hand when done properly). Though it does take about 6 months of sitting in front of a mirror trying to play all the songs you used to be able to play fine.. but its worth it when you get it down.

[Thrip]

So Velvet Goldmine, it's been a couple of years. How's your method working out for you?

[devinci]

Yeh Goldmine hows it been working for you, ey, ey?!

[wirralgitane]

yeah i'd like to know aswel! i've just been cained by me manager in work, "er why is your fingers tapped together?" lol me:..."its just to improve my gypsy jazz boss,"... "oh rite, ok". If he played he would understand