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Beginner Gypsy Jazz mechanics series

kungfumonk007kungfumonk007 ✭✭✭✭
edited March 2017 in Technique Posts: 421
Decided to start a new channel for kids/beginners. 11 videos covering all the basic mechanics from how to hold the pick to the various rotations and angles needed for gypsy jazz that beginners usually have to be shown. This probably won't be too helpful for people here since most are past the beginner stage. I made these with my kids in mind, but I think if you are coming from maybe the bluegrass world the first 6 on right hand technique might be helpful.

BucoNejcHugh Huffakerlewischang88Josechiky

Comments

  • bohemewarblerbohemewarbler St. Louis, MO✭✭✭✭ Jordan Wencek No.26, Altamira M01D-12 fret
    Posts: 243
    Hi Aaron, I like these mechanics tips. All of them very good.

    While you're at it, you might want to consider demonstrating the mechanics of la pompe.

    One problem I see with the mechanics of beginners is an improper left hand technique while playing rhythm. Instead of pressing and releasing pressure on the strings with each beat, I see a lot of them pressing on the strings on beats 1 and 3 and releasing that pressure on beats 2 and 4. I think it must feel awkward at first, and they figure it can't be right.

    A good demonstration of this press and release can be shown with this Adrien Moignard rhythm example, although he'll sometimes hold on the first beat when changing to a new chord.

    Josechiky
  • kungfumonk007kungfumonk007 ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2017 Posts: 421
    I know what you mean. La pompe is so hard to teach. I've got an ensemble of 3 homeschoolers ages 10, 10 and 14 I am teaching for free so I can do my evil GJ experiments on them :0). I just taught them how to choke on the first lesson and how to get the nice rich bassy sound and didn't teach them much else. By the third lesson we started playing and 2 of them were doing the upstroke and not in any weird way. I asked them who showed them to do that and they shrugged their shoulders and just said we just saw you doing it. I wonder if with la pompe it is better just to model and imitate rather than try to teach it technically. At least for me (maybe I'm just a bad teacher) I've failed pretty miserably when I've tried to break it down. thanks for the video of Adrien! That is such a great clear sound to study.
    Josechiky
  • Posts: 4,730
    Do it like Rino did at Django in june.
    It was a rhythm class. In which he kept claiming that you can't teach lapompe. And he was very adamant about it. Throughout which he told his own anecdotes about learning, played along with the stories so in the end it was a very good class, fun, informative and educational, all. But he kept saying "I can't teach you lapompe, it's impossible", "you can only learn by listening and playing ". It was so funny, I was chuckling during the entire class.
    Anyway, sorry for the interruption, I gotta check out the video, I need the tips as I started teaching myself.
    bohemewarblerJosechiky
    Every note wants to go somewhere-Kurt Rosenwinkel
  • BonesBones Moderator
    edited March 2017 Posts: 3,319
    I think it is a combination of both. Listening, watching, playing along, but also some key comments/critiques from someone who knows how to do it certainly helps avoid the common pitfalls. For example, there are many people who think they have a good la pompe (me included) but don't really and need to be told how to fix it. For myself in the beginning I thought I had it (a little knowledge is a dangerous thing) but as I got more experience I got to the point where I realized it really sucked. Couldn't figure it out but got some help from Gonzalo (who I really like his rhythm playing) and that helped a lot. Not sure if I could have improved much without actual lessons but maybe I am just slow on the uptake.
  • kungfumonk007kungfumonk007 ✭✭✭✭
    Posts: 421
    To teach my kids I just taught them Blues en Mineur, showed them how to do a short bassy choke and that was it. Then I just played with them and they started making the changes to match my la pompe basically on their own. I'm super impressed with them. I will get video next Tuesday. 2 of them just picked up the guitar for the first time and are just 10 years old.
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