2020-03-01 Total Guitar

TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2020

78

JAM

TRACK

G

ypsy jazz is widely associated

with Romani guitarist Django

Reinhardt, who pioneered the

genre in Paris during the 1930s.

Now best remembered for his

collaborations with violinist

Stéphane Grappelli, Django was

a musical genius, and his playing

style continues to inspire jazz

guitarists such as Angelo Debarre,

Jimmy Rosenberg, Remi Harris

and Biréli Lagrène to this day.

This style of jazz is a slick musical

form that demands good technique.

Uptempo solos tend to be based on

wide-interval arpeggios and fast scale

runs, and regular chord stabs outline

the progressions with each lick. Of

course, this means that you have to

know the progressions inside out.

Our Jam Track shouldn’t pose

too much of a challenge, but tougher

diminished chords and fast changes

are commonplace in the style. Take

a look at the chord chart, practise

playing through the chords, and

work out two or three voicings for

each before you start soloing.

JAM TRACK PLAY GUITAR WITH A BAND!

GYPSY JAZZ

Channel the smooth, technical playing

style of Django Reinhardt with TG’s

gypsy jazz walk-through

Guitars and backing

Ph

Capone

Photography

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

CHORDS

F

ive chords is all you need if you want to play

along with this month’s backing track.

They’re all barre chords though, so, if the

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to some open chords instead – we’ve provided

both here. Most importantly, listen to our backing

track for a standard Gypsy jazz rhythm groove

and try to join in with the swinging uptempo feel.

SCALES

T

ypically of Gypsy jazz, there are a fair number of scale

options here. A natural minor and A blues scales both

work well over the Am and Dm chords, and you can switch

to A harmonic minor over the E7. When you reach the A7 and B7

chords try using an arpeggio – simply play a lick using notes

from the chord shapes.

Am

1

4

Dm

1

2

1

3 4

Am

1 1 1

3 4

3

4

5 1 1 1

4

1 1

2

3

1

4 4

A naturalminorscale A blues scale

3 3

1

1

1

4

3

1 1 2 1

4

4

5 1

X

5

E7

1

4

1

3

X

7 1

A7

1 1 1

3

5 1

2

B7

1 1 1

3

7 1

2 2

XO O

Dm

1

3

XXO

2

E7

4

5

2

1

3

X X

A7

2 3

XO OO

B7

3 4

XO

2

1

4 4

2

4

A harmonic minorscale

(^33)
2
1
2
4
3
1 1 2 2
1
4
4 4
3
4
3
3
3