Description
They don't call it "hot guitar" for nothing! The driving style pioneered by Django Reinhardt and other Gypsy players became one of the dominant sounds in jazz during the thirties and forties, and its influence is still strongly felt today. Paul Mehling knows the style as well as anyone, and he takes it apart in detail for the learning player.
A band won't swing without a strong rhythm section, and the powerful guitar accompaniment that typifies the Gypsy style is the foundation of this terrific lesson. Starting with basic four-to-the-bar comping and damping, Paul takes you through a variety of accompanyment ideas: arpeggios, "splayed" chords, "the gallop," chord tremolo, right hand speed and other advanced techniques.
You'll gain an understanding of the particular harmonic structures of this music through chord voicings, progressions, and accompaniments to classics such as "Minor Blues," "Orie ntal Shuffle" and "I'll See You In My Dreams." Paul also provides invaluable advice on learning from recordings, use of the metronome, and a look at his rare Maurice DuPont guitars. Includes some hot jamming with Paul and Tony Mandraccia, rhythm guitar.
Customer Reviews:
good solid teaching resource.......2006-02-11
Well executed and conceived, though a bit toward the beginning intermediate player... not heavy on theory or scales...
a real good place to start.
Met and exceeded expectations.......2005-03-29
There is a plethora of Jazz teachers, methods and approaches out there - all catering to different skill-levels. This makes it difficult to guess what instruction material will be perfect for what you want to learn. This lesson from leading Gypsy Jazz guitarist Paul Mehling was the happy exception to the rule. The DVD delivers precisely what it promises: a no-nonsense, comprehensive primer to the art of Gypsy-style swing comping.
Actually, I was amazed at the amount of information that Mehling is able to present in a mere hour, including strumming patterns (giving both right-hand and left-hand techniques), chord voicings, connections between accompaniment and lead, bass-like patterns, a brief overview of Gypsy guitar types and some really catchy 2-guitar demos. All this is done in style, with Mehling often referring back to "the" source, the legendary Django Reinhardt. I heard no out-of style voicings, anachronistic "cool-jazz" type dissonances or any other obvious departures from Django's style.
Also, Mehling provides a vast number of practical exercises, practice tips and (what I found especially valuable), points the musician in the right direction as far as self-development in this style. Mehling does not just give a set of pre-canned techniques, but he presents the musical reasoning behind his choices and encourages the student to use musical sense and theory to find more voicings and chord-patterns (within the confines of the style, of course). All this, he does while providing sensible recommendations and suggesting an appropriate pace of study and progress ("don't overshoot and try to sound like Django in a week...").
The accompanying booklet is extremely informative as it presents all the chords that Mehling uses on the video. I would not consider this video to be for beginners, because it assumes a healthy amount of musical knowledge, structural understanding and technical "chops." But for anyone else, it's gold.
I am extremely pleased with this DVD, which I will continue studying diligently. Bravo, Paul Mehling.
Swing Rhythm 101.......2005-02-22
This dvd is great for getting your feet wet in this complex form. Basic strums are covered, as well as some great tricks like splaying chords, "galloping", etc. You'll work through "I'll See You In My Dreams" and "Oriental Shuffle", offering some very useful voicings. Included is a booklet with charts/diagrams. Paul Mehling is a great teacher, and has a very down-to-earth approach that's easy to follow and understand. Definitely worth the price.
Description
In the world of Gypsy Jazz, the original Quintette of the Hot Club of France achieved an energy output seldom equaled or surpassed for 7 decades or so. Django wanted to have two rhythm guitars behind him when he soloed to give him a full sound. Then when Grappelli soloed, Django would interject himself between Grappelli and the rhythm guitar section. From this vantage point, he would "push" Grappelli with a series of well placed shots, shuffles, and turnarounds that would have the effect of driving the group to a greater energy output as the song approached its conclusion. In this DVD, the classic 4-to-the-bar rhythm is broken down into four separate unsable styles. After that, Django's syncopated rhythm shots are analyzed and presented by example from a simple backbeat to 2-bar long syncopated strums. My own philosophy is that the rhythm guitar section is the most important component of the Gypsy Jazz group. The rhythm guitar should be in a position to drive and not follow the group. The information contained in this DVD will give you the rhythmic tools to infuse the sound with the energy that this genre of music deserves. Remember that rhythm guitar is NOT "second fiddle."
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DVD
DVD
General
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Learn To Play Django-Style Gypsy Jazz Guitar #2
The Best of Django Reinhardt: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Guitar Styles and Techniques of a Jazz Giant
Mel Bay Introduction to Gypsy Jazz Guitar: John Jorgenson (Book/CD/DVD Set)
Mel Bay L'Esprit Manouche: A Comprehensive Study of Gypsy Jazz Guitar
Django Reinhardt - The Definitive Collection: Guitar Recorded Versions
