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Django in June

Get Ready Musically

Here are some resources that will help you get in on the jamming and get the most out of classes at Django in June. If you are already an experienced player in the style, you're sure to fit right in. If this music is new to you, rest assured that you will not be the only newbie trying to make a flat-top sound like a Selmer. You won't find a better place to get your pieds wet and start to build a foundation in the style. Check out the resources listed below and make use of those that are most interesting and appropriate.

Just interested in the material for Django Camp 2013? Surf this way, mes amis.

 

A Few Tunes To Get You Started

For starters, here's a zip file containing lead sheets (in pdf format) to 11 standard Gypsy jazz tunes in standard notation and guitar TAB. I suggest you track down recordings of the tunes…working strictly from the lead sheets won't get you very far. They are:

Dark Eyes, Minor Swing, Django's Castle, Bossa Dorado, Minor Blues, Swing 42, Swing Gitan, Swing 39, Douce Ambiance, Djangology, Daphne

 

Some recommended American Swing Tunes

Just a few of the American Swing tunes you might want to learn and their recommended keys. If you are already a jazz guitarist, be sure to learn your basic Gypsy jazz chord voicings and rhythmic styles. More on that below.

All of Me (C), Limehouse Blues(G), Lady Be Good (G), It Don't Mean a Thing (Gm), I Can't Give You Anything But Love (G), Sweet Georgia Brown (G or F), Avalon (F), Sheik of Araby (Bb), Some of These Days (G), Rose Room (F)

 

A Second Tier of Tunes

The tunes listed above are among those that you'll encounter most often at GJ jams, so they are a great place to start. For those of you who already know them, however, here's a second-tier selection of just a few tunes we added in 2009.

 

Audio and Transcriptions by 2010 Teachers/Artists

On this page you'll find audio and transcriptions that were provided by the artists who taught at Django Camp in 2010.

 

Lead Sheets for Django Camp 2011

On this page you'll find lead sheets for some of the tunes that made up our core repertoire in 2011.

 

Lead Sheets for Django Camp 2012

On this page you'll find audio and lead sheets for some of the new tunes that will make up our core repertoire in 2012.

 

Lead Sheets for Django Camp 2013

On this page you'll find audio and lead sheets for some of the new tunes that will make up our core repertoire in 2013.

 

Other Online Resources

For play-along rhythm tracks and chord charts—in the 'Grilles' format typical of this style—to these and many other tunes you might want to check out these sites:

  • the Nuages de Swing website. Don't be intimidated if you don't speak French...just scroll down the list of tunes and download the tunes in whatever format you prefer, or click on the word grille for a chord chart.
  • You can find more of these grilles at another French website, Guitar Jazz Manouche.
  • Another site with lots of resources is maintained by Emiliano Cadoni: http://emicad.altervista.org/index.php
  • Our friend (and monster player) Stephane Wrembel has great play-along rhythm tracks on his website, too. Here's a link.
  • If you haven't played Gypsy style rhythm guitar before, one quick way to get some expert assistance is to go to Djangobooks and download one of Michael Horowitz's online lessons. (The lessons on La Pompe and Chord Voicings are where you want to start for rhythm playing.) He also has all the best GJ instructional books that have been published to date. In fact, he's written some of them!

 

 

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