Comments

• Jazzaferri Victoria B.C.Moderator Dunn Ultrafox, DuPont MDC20 Gretsch Chet Atkins CG

  August 2014 Posts: 3,707

  You hit it on the head Jon, electric and acoustic are different instruments with the same fretboard.

  The Magic really starts to happen when you can play it with your eyes closed
• crookedpinky Glasgow✭✭✭✭ Alex Bishop D Hole, Altamira M & JWC D hole

  August 2014 edited August 2014 Posts: 921

  I still play a bit of fingerstyle blues, celtic and classical but find it difficult to get the fingers going after 6 years of learning to hold and use a plectrum. I find it difficult to get out of gypsy picking if I go back to playing rock, blues and jazz on an electric guitar but the gyspy stuff has in some ways - through the chord shapes used - made fingerpicking and playing blues much more musical and fluid.

  always learning
• JSanta NY✭✭✭ Dupont, Gaffiero, AJL

  August 2014 Posts: 262

  I used to be heavily into Progressive Metal (Dream Theater et al), but for the past two years have focused only on jazz. Now that I have my Altamira, I split my practicing between the two. I'm also hoping to obtain an Alto Sax in the near future.
• DragonPL Maryland✭✭ Dupont MD 50-XL (Favino), Michael Dunn Stardust, Castelluccia Tears, Yunzhi gypsy jazz guitar, Gitane DG-320, DG-250M and DG-250

  August 2014 edited August 2014 Posts: 172

  I started out with metal (Metallica) etc. and than got into shred stuff (Yngwie, Jason Becker etc......) and I owe a lot to that period for learning technique and theory (no matter what any one says about the shred players). Started as a jazz major in college but actually playing a Vinnie Moore tune on top of regular material for the semester finals I got hauled in to the classical guitar major (and the jazz teacher wasn't very good). I discovered Django stuff around that time through our man Dennis C. cir. early 2000's, it was some shred guitar list/forum that Dennis was really publicizing the genre. He sent me a lot of Rosenberg stuff.
  I practiced it a lot but no players in the Maryland area I knew were into gypsy jazz and being a classical guitar major I was told "none of that Django stuff" when I fiddled with it in guitar ensemble so I lost focus. I picked it back up heavily few years ago and haven't looked back since. But really owe a lot of guitar-music knowledge to the shred and classical degree learnings.
• kevingcox Nova Scotia✭✭✭✭ Dupont MD50

  August 2014 Posts: 298

  I'll admit to basically only listening to gypsy swing or more traditional vaguely gypsy-style musics (Balkan, klezmer, etc.) anymore. I used to listen to other stuff, grew up on Beatles, discovered punk and alternative rock/metal and indy folk, then more electronic type stuff with lots of groove, sampling, and rap (and yes, rap is music).
  
  I was never into blues, jazz, or classic rock. In fact I hated guitar solos, they just sounded like wank to me, so I gave up on guitar until I discovered gypsy jazz. I don't know why but I just feel like it has more potential to say something. I don't much bother with anything else these days, most of what I hear outside the loosely defined genre bores or irritates me.

  
• Craig Denney Columbus, Ohio✭✭ 2011 Zwinakis

  August 2014 Posts: 43

  These days I only listen to bluegrass and GJ. As a youngster and teen I was into 80's rock/metal, then got into jazz, then bluegrass, and just got into the GJ style a year ago.
  
  It's a nice change going from mediums on a Martin to lights on a GJ guitar
  

  kevingcox wrote: »

  I'll admit to basically only listening to gypsy swing or more traditional vaguely gypsy-style musics (Balkan, klezmer, etc.) anymore. I used to listen to other stuff, grew up on Beatles, discovered punk and alternative rock/metal and indy folk, then more electronic type stuff with lots of groove, sampling, and rap (and yes, rap is music).
  
  I was never into blues, jazz, or classic rock. In fact I hated guitar solos, they just sounded like wank to me, so I gave up on guitar until I discovered gypsy jazz. I don't know why but I just feel like it has more potential to say something. I don't much bother with anything else these days, most of what I hear outside the loosely defined genre bores or irritates me.

  
  I like what you said about GJ having more potential to say something. I totally agree!
  
  It really irks me to listen to the radio anymore...just can't do it. And when people tell me they mostly listen to Top 40, or Pop... all I can think is... "WHY!!!???"
  
  
• anthon_74 Marin county, CA✭✭✭✭ Alta Mira M 01

  August 2014 edited August 2014 Posts: 561

  For years I was primarily a singer songwriter in the styles of David Bowie, John Lennon, Nine inch nails, Tom Waits, and so on. Basically classic rock meets 70's glam meets 80's progressive meets 90's grunge. But after focusing on django for the last 10 plus years, I'm finally now combining Gypsy swing with the aforementioned rock and roll styles.
  
  Hopefully something good comes out of it.
  
  cheers !
  Anthony
  
• jazzygtr Stillwater, MN✭✭ Gibson J-35

  August 2014 Posts: 80

  I have been either leading groups or sitting in with others for some 30 years or so. Most of my playing has come from Eric Clapton, B.B. King and of course The Beatles (still some of my favorite song-writers). But as of a few months ago I have sold every piece of equipment I own other than a single acoustic guitar, acoustic amp, mic and digital recorder. My primary interest these days real just revolves around GJ. I'm so board with all of the other styles I have played over the years that I haven't really gone back enough to see how one has affected the other, but out side of GJ I can say that Frank Vignola and his take on mixing Jazz, GJ and Blues has certainly been influencing me, along with some of what Tommy Emmanuel does (I LOVED their duet album Just Between Frets).
  
  My only guitar right now is a Gibson J-35, but hoping to add a Altamira M01D or the like by the end of the year (thanks to Michael's good advice).
  
  David

  Warning There was an error rendering this rich post.
• AmundLauritzen ✭✭✭✭

  August 2014 Posts: 236

  I started out as a metal guitarist at 16 when I started playing, had a brief time of trying to play Joe Satriani style music at 18-19, started playing bebop at 20 and got into Django music at around 23-24 and I've been playing Django music now for about three years.
  
  So I've tried a few different things, and I'm glad I've experimented with different styles.
  But the thing is: The music of Django is like crack cocaine. Once you get a taste, anything else seems so bland in comparison. Sure, I get the urge some times to just mess around with other styles, but if I go a day or two without playing or listening to Django music, I really notice something lacking.
  
  
• anthon_74 Marin county, CA✭✭✭✭ Alta Mira M 01

  August 2014 Posts: 561

  AmundLauritzen wrote: »

  The music of Django is like crack cocaine. Once you get a taste, anything else seems so bland in comparison.
  

  
  I find playing django so compelling because it's so much fun and exhilarating to play it. It's like a ride at an amusement park. It also feels like you can really channel into the spirit of Django when you play his music.
  I play rock and roll for an entirely different experience. But more and more, Gypsy swing rhythm is infused in my rock songs.