wow, chimorh, wasn't expecting such a passionate response! it seemed like interest had died down around here about the Givone method and there didn't seem to be much to really talk about. Plus the truth is that while the first Givone book seems to call for a bit ( or some might even say "a lot") of support, it turns out that Givone's volume two, the "25 pieces", needs absolutely zero support.. and about half of our group had moved on to volume two, so why carry on?
anyway, I'm delighted to hear that you're experiencing success with the Givone method! And I totally agree that the "one-two" combination of about a year of "Gypsy Picking" for the right hand followed by about a year of Givone for the left hand makes a real powerhouse introduction to this style.
But the truth is that yours is one of a very few responses requesting the continuance of the support group, so I think I'm going to suggest that whenever you feel it beneficial, you either email me at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><!-- e -->, or else send me a personal message via djangobooks.com
You'll find volume two really different, it's not so much geared to working on the shapes as teaching you some killer licks (based on the shapes- you'll quickly recognize them,) that are going to give you a real workout. I still can't play most of these licks at speed yet, but can manage them at around 120 bpm, sometimes even up to 145 though I find that taxing and my accuracy becomes pretty iffy.
The licks are very tasty and sound totally in the tradition, in fact a month or so ago, a fella wrote in to ask if one of them really came from Django! (Answer--- as far as I know, no, but yes, it sure does sound like something Django might have played.)
Well, good luck, buddy, and stay in touch!
Will
Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
I'm also coming to this late (56) and wish that I'd discovered this music and that all the wealth of instructional material/forums/etc. existed back then.
But I'm still having fun with it none-the-less so I guess that's what it is really all about.
Oh, yeah, chimorh, I forgot to say.. I, too, love flamenco guitar. After gypsy jazz, it's the coolest sound in the world!
Now if only some smart person out there ***ahem** Dennis Chang **ahem** were to market an instructional book that was like "Idiot's guide to playing cool flamenco licks using a plectrum", well! I'd totally, totally, TOTALLY buy that book...
Just sayin'...
Will
Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
So would I Will....I wonder if Raphael Fays might produce a book...he's ventured into Flamenco. Thanks for your encouragement and yours Bones. I'll definitely get the 25 pieces.....another 20 years and I'll be invited to Samois sur Seine. What a daunting place ....listening to all those kids flowing effortlessly through the changes...Were they born with it?......Ah well!!!....thanks again....I'll be reading you in all the old familiar places!
So would I Will....I wonder if Raphael Fays might produce a book...he's ventured into Flamenco. Thanks for your encouragement and yours Bones. I'll definitely get the 25 pieces.....another 20 years and I'll be invited to Samois sur Seine. What a daunting place ....listening to all those kids flowing effortlessly through the changes...Were they born with it?......Ah well!!!....thanks again....I'll be reading you in all the old familiar places!
Just a thought, but saw Alfonso Ponticelli in concert last night. If you don't know him, you should obtain his work. He's seriously steeped in flamenco, as well as eastern european, "straight" gypsy sound. I studied with him briefly a while back and gotten to know him on a personal basis over the last year or so. An unbelievably gifted player, and good man to boot.
This is a little late, but here's a more recent video of me playing Django's Tiger. For some reason VLC kept randomly failing to play the entire backing track so it abruptly ends about half way through, but I think the video is still a pretty good example of what even a beginner like myself can do with the Givone forms.
Comments
anyway, I'm delighted to hear that you're experiencing success with the Givone method! And I totally agree that the "one-two" combination of about a year of "Gypsy Picking" for the right hand followed by about a year of Givone for the left hand makes a real powerhouse introduction to this style.
But the truth is that yours is one of a very few responses requesting the continuance of the support group, so I think I'm going to suggest that whenever you feel it beneficial, you either email me at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><!-- e -->, or else send me a personal message via djangobooks.com
You'll find volume two really different, it's not so much geared to working on the shapes as teaching you some killer licks (based on the shapes- you'll quickly recognize them,) that are going to give you a real workout. I still can't play most of these licks at speed yet, but can manage them at around 120 bpm, sometimes even up to 145 though I find that taxing and my accuracy becomes pretty iffy.
The licks are very tasty and sound totally in the tradition, in fact a month or so ago, a fella wrote in to ask if one of them really came from Django! (Answer--- as far as I know, no, but yes, it sure does sound like something Django might have played.)
Well, good luck, buddy, and stay in touch!
Will
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
I'm also coming to this late (56) and wish that I'd discovered this music and that all the wealth of instructional material/forums/etc. existed back then.
But I'm still having fun with it none-the-less so I guess that's what it is really all about.
Keep after it!
Now if only some smart person out there ***ahem** Dennis Chang **ahem** were to market an instructional book that was like "Idiot's guide to playing cool flamenco licks using a plectrum", well! I'd totally, totally, TOTALLY buy that book...
Just sayin'...
Will
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
Just a thought, but saw Alfonso Ponticelli in concert last night. If you don't know him, you should obtain his work. He's seriously steeped in flamenco, as well as eastern european, "straight" gypsy sound. I studied with him briefly a while back and gotten to know him on a personal basis over the last year or so. An unbelievably gifted player, and good man to boot.
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
http://videobam.com/MONfa
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
Here I thought Mr Horowitz was going to close this sucker down!
But apparently it's a zombie which can only be killed with a golden stake through the heart...
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."