Paul “Pazzo” Mehling continues his “nuts and bolts” exploration of Gypsy
jazz and swing guitar techniques, putting all those scales, warm-ups
and exercises you did on DVD 1 to practical use. His Hot Club of San
Francisco band mate, Evan Price, helps out on rhythm guitar and shares
his unique perspective in an informative conversation with Paul.
Rhythm playing comes to the forefront as Pazzo reviews some archetypal
progressions that every swing player needs to know. He shows a variety
of chord shapes and inversions, navigating around the fingerboard and
demonstrating a
G Minor Blues, the Cycle of Fifths (
Sweet Georgia Brown), variations on the 6-2-5 progression and the ubiquitous
I Got Rhythm changes, among others.
Once you’ve learned the rhythm parts, Paul shows you how to solo over
the progressions by playing single-string arpeggios, chromatic runs,
scales, licks, harmonics and other very hot improvisational tools. His
original tune, Don’t Panic, a Gypsy-inspired tour de force,
combines all the elements and will challenge any aspiring guitarist in
building stamina, dexterity and fretboard knowledge.