The joy of Django's music is the complete lack of pretention. He played for himself and that's why it's stood the test of time. The humility of the phrasings and progessions is something almost unknown in modern music.
Nice to see a breakdown of this song. Years back, I rescued a dog who was a bait dog in a fighting ring and thus so traumatized from his former life that we had a hard time getting him to calm down. Ended up listening to Django one day (this one in particular), and he just laid his big ol head on my lap, and finally relaxed. Sadly, he passed away a couple years ago. This song became our song, and it will always be special to me.
Hello from France, many thanks for your clear and rich explanations about Django's skill. I have been playing guitare for many years, listened to thousands different styles and players but when I hear guitarists like Django I have the feeling like if I had stayed at the level of a kindergarten😊
Unfortunately most modern gypsy players are doing that. They are all flash and speed. They forgot what made Django amazing. The finesse and the melody.
@@leescuderi8331 In the late 70's, Frank Zappa had a humorous column in Guitar Player Magazine. I'm often reminded of one article entitled, "Good Guitar Stuff, or Pathetic Lick Spewage?". lol
@leescuderi8331 this is exactly what music is: the expression of emotions. Music is a language of emotions, and one can tell stories with it. Many guitar players who are considered as virtuoses play braindead arpeggios backward and forwards, emotionless, scales up and down at insanely speed, and a bended last note. Which is pretty poor and it has nothing to do with music.
The sad thing is, that these sweeper/arpeggio/scale wankers only play what the audience wants to hear today. The reason is that people have forgotten about how to find the focus listening to a story that lasts longer than a few seconds due to modern media consumption and all these multitasking sh....
I attended Antoine Boyer's online masterclass last month and he played us I'll see you in my dreams by Django Reinhard on his laptop and said that "Django was the most complete guitar player of all time, he had volume, he had feel, he had rhythm and every piece of Django Reinhardt is a masterclass in music."
The most compelling aspect of this amazing solo - all the technical and musical mastery aside - is that Django is having fun. Some of those little riffs and repetitions are like little jokes and pieces of whimsy. As magnificent as they are, they're not to be taken seriously, except as the virtuoso displays they obviously are. Django, I think, wants you laughing along with him. It's an invitation to be joyful. I think this is important to note (pun!) as too may musicians (generalising!) are way too serious.
great comment! Yes music and visual Art has ton of fun as well for example Picasso's last 20yrs he basically was having fun painting like a child.I actually find those works more charming.
well-said. You are among the best describing what goes on in Django’s head. Although we are not him, but what else can one feel the music piece he produced - it’s nothing but want you to go down and dance your night away! Having fun! Django was not just one of the most brilliant musicians in the world, what he really wanted was for the whole world to be happy (don’t worry, be happy) like him.
100%. reckon if you asked him to play it again it would be about...70% similar. hmmm, lets do it THIS way this time! ooh, lets invert that one, and flip that backwards and accent the downbeat. to me it sounds like well structured doodling... theres the theme, play with it. only stopping cus well... gotta stop sometime... sigh. live? this might go for hours...
I have to be honest, being a very average player most of this was over my head, but how enjoyable to hear such wonderful improvision and explained by someone who knows what he is talking about...wonderful
Thank you for this great presentation. So many aspiring guitarists - like myself (and I am 80 yrs. old) - are completely bewildered by Django's incredible abilities and range of creativity. Many professional/great guitarists of today, and, yesteryear, have all claimed to have been inspired by Django's playing, i.e.: Charlie Bird, Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts, Herb Ellis and so many others have all acknowledged this fact. The great Paco de Lucia, who was my idol, also made mention to me of his complete astonishment as to how Django could perform with such precision whilst improvising. Paco, also added, that the guitar is a real bitch to play, and that it never got easier no matter how advanced one's playing had become.
Fantastic, man. Thank you so much, Lucas. I love Django and have for many years. As a player, I appreciate the in-depth breakdown of what he's actually doing that makes his playing so magical and timeless...in spite of his perceived handycap. You've made it easier to explain his music to friends who aren't really musicians but appreciate good music.
Have loved Django and the gypsy jazz sound since my youth. I’m in my mid 60’s and didn’t really delve into the intricacies of the Grappelli & Django sound until my 30’s. I will forever be in awe of their talents, especially with Django’s handicap. Thank you for your deep appreciation of this legendary artist, especially by someone with your expertise
The look on your face was of someone savoring a delicious treat. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” Thank you.
There's something awe-inspiring about seeing and hearing the people who deeply impress the people who deeply impress me. I've learned most of what I know about Django Reinhardt from both you and Willie Nelson, and I'm always excited to learn more.
Firstly, that was an absolutely brilliant demonstration and analysis of Django's amazing solo. Showing how the fingering would look if we had a closeup of his hand was a stroke of genius, and probably a real challenge! I share your love and admiration for Django's playing and musical creativity. It often leaves me shaking my head in disbelief and wonder. His use of rhythm is an important component in making his melodic playing so memorable. The damage done to his hand by the fire forced him to adapt a playing technique used in India by Vina and Sitar players of primarily using just the index and middle fingers. Django obviously expanded that to play on all 6 strings of the guitar. I also find it interesting that there is a historical and cultural connection between Gypsies and India. Thanks for this wonderful video and I hope you make more like it. 🤞😎
I have been playing guitar since about 1976 & remember reading time & time again from many of the great players the influence Django had on them. I can definitely see why. On a side note. The great Gary Moore, while having the use of all his fingers, played most all of his solos with his first & middle fingers. All of his lightning fast runs are with those two fingers only. It always amazed me.
Jazz is like a legal, low-key addictive, mind-altering drug. The first dose doesn't make that big of an impression, usually. You may not even like it. You may not like it the 10th time nor even the 50th time. But with each listen, you learn more, you experience more, and you hear more. Eventually, you realize that it's starting to make sense, and the more sense it makes, the more you want to really know it at a fundamental level. Just like other drugs, most people will never try it. But unlike other drugs, you can indulge this one basically for free. ...or you can become an audiophile jazz addict and spend all of your money on it.
@@craenor I love music, and I'm open to any genera, I preferred Blues because It sounds friendly and humble. Jazz with its complicated texture always sounded too much for me, but thanks to people like Lucas who have shared their knowledge with generosity, I'm getting the idea behind it.
Please do make more videos like this. breakdown of music pieces and guitarists, their playing style, etc. thank you, Mr. Brar, you are a great inspiration to me.
Gotta say this kind of video really hits different, it's like setting aside the meme part and becoming more human while you show how much you fucking love music, and that's something to empathize with
I've heard Django Reinhardt's name mentioned a thousand times before, but I have never checked him out, and now finally seeing this, it has floored me, what a master.
Feeling your passion is so pleasant and refreshing :) Seeing someone who's loving something this much is just wonderful. Django Reinhardt is an absolute legend, same goes for you Sir, have a wonderful day
What made Django a ledgend who will always be held in awe by guitarists in not just his awesome technique and complete complete command of the fretboard it's his abstract musical mind and the ability to play any musical idea that entered his head instantly and flawlessly no mater how fast or complicated
Your reaction and analysis of bars 85-87 is palpably exquisite. Thanks for the video and being SO PRESENT in your presentation and discussion of Django's music. It is quite special and rare on TH-cam. Merci beaucoup!!
There are different versions of the story floating around, but the first one I heard was around 40 years ago, and I'm inclined to think the Django version is the original (over the Jimi Hendrix and Charlie Parker versions), largely due to Stephane Grapelli telling the story. Stephane told a story about a party to which Andres Segovia and Django Reinhardt had both been invited to play. Segovia was on-time, had his instrument, and played his set. Django arrived three hours late and without a guitar. Segovia, being a guitar snob, wouldn't lend Django his guitar, so someone ran out to fetch an old guitar and pick. Django played with pick and fingers and amazed everyone with his tone and musicality. Segovia in particular was stunned, and asked Django where he could purchase the sheet music for the piece he'd just played. Django just laughed and said 'Nowhere, I've just composed it!'
Grapelli was Reinhardts buddy. Literally was in a band with him. Reinhardt showed up, by his account, three hours late for a gig. Not prepared for the gig as he didn't even bring his guitar. Why? This is kind of glossed over. Did he have to rush a little old lady who had a heart attack to the hospital by carrying her there and in the excitement left his guitar in the ER? Or did he get drunk and pass out and not wake up in time for the gig and was to sloshed to remember to bring his guitar. Context matters. Anyway, to shorten this up, why did Segovia owe him any favors? Because, in my own opinion, little old lady rushed to ER, sure use my guitar. (which is likely classical and strung with nylon strings). Dude was just late because he got drunk the night before. Yeah that's a your problem. But it was Reinhards buddy so we're not given a full account. Just Segovia was a snob. (which he apparently didn't speak kindly of jazz or jazz musicians) Also, pretty damned sure he knew that Reinhard was a jazz guitarist and probably never asked for the sheet music to begin with.
@@Fektthis It wasn't a gig, it was a party. And based on the story, I'd wager that Django probably wasn't expecting to play. As for Segovia, at the time, he was arguably the world's greatest guitarist. From this, we can infer two things: (1) he was always looking for new repertoire, and (b) he probably believed at least some of his own hype. That's kind of how snobs are born.
Thank you for covering Django's work, I really enjoyed it! As a french guy, I always loved his music and his ability to play really fast with only two fingers!! Also, I didn't know how to read music, he was just playing all day everyday. A once in a lifetime genius.
Really enjoyed that, I've been playing guitar for over 30 years I couldn't even come close to Django and I have 4 fingers to fret the notes. I can never get over the tremendous speed Django played those notes, completely mind blowing
I love how he'll slide up on one string with one finger but make it sound like he's playing across the fretboard with individual fingers as you and I would. Some of the modern guitarists on youtube are also astounding. I've been watching a guy called Damian Salazar since he was a kid and although he can be a bit manic at times, his knowledge and technique and his ability to improvise/compose in real time is just astounding. He never plays anything the same twice but it always sounds as if he's spent hours composing it but he's not. I can't listen to some of his stuff but then some of it I could listen to all day.
@@truthseeker7794 I spotted this guy called Kent Nishisurma on TH-cam. So talented great guitar skills. There is so much amateur talent out there who will probably never be famous.
@@eugenebell3166 I agree my friend but fame is not everything. Damian who I mentioned earlier has had some fame but he's happy with what he has. He's known worldwide and he makes very good money playing on the street and playing on the street is what he loves. He will play for 8 hours straight some days and is the happiest guitarist I've ever seen. He's wrote a book to accompany his online guitar course. My friend Michael Shulman enjoyed some fame when he lived in New York for 10 years. He was an electric neo classical shred violinist (not everyones cup of tea) but he's incredibly gifted. He's calmed down a little now as he can only play acoustic violin now he lives in Germany. Amplified music is not allowed on the street in the city where he lives. Yes the kids on youtube are so gifted and are able to learn very quickly using the many tutorials that are now available for free on line. There was nothing like this when I was a kid. I took me about 8 years to master the guitar and now at the age of 63 I am slowly getting back into after many years of not playing. Of course, I'll never get the technique back I had as an 18 year old but as you and I both know, guitar is like a drug that we can't give up. I look forward to listening to Kent Nishisurma. Thanks.
@@truthseeker7794 You make some very good points. I agree it's not essentially about fame it's the pleasure of mastering musical skills, and the satisfaction of doing it, it's music which matters. The addiction is still as strong for me, I can't walk by my guitar and ignore it, I have to pick it up and play it I'm now 64 and I started learning classical guitar many years ago. Started off wanting to learn a few chords, and progressed to a grade 5, never saw that coming. I now play contemporary music/jazz more but my classical guitar skills have been a great help to learn other types of guitar music. I have also taught my three daughters how to read music and play guitar, they are now addicts too. When I was 20 a guy who I worked with played piano, he would have been about my age now, he said to me, if you can play an instrument you are never alone, and he was right, I can pass hours alone practising a new piece, and feel no loneliness. As you say, it's not all about fame, I would be lost without music. Take care my friend.
Lucas thank you for posting this - Wonderful that you did so ! - Django Reinhardt - cop HIS licks - study HIS soul - catch up to HIS speed - build the whole direction towards HIS style - AND still no one will ever have HIS ideas ideas ! And on top of this all the 2 finger trip is astonishing ! HE is / was one time around - AND a very true story here - I had read that Duke Ellington's drummer said - that Django is a musician that comes around once every 100 years !
You may just be right! This solo brought tears to my eyes, it was so amazing! In fact, I don’t know if I believe it was improv. It sounds as “composed” as ANY SOLO I have ever heard! Guitar or ANY instrument! There were no “dead spots” no confused runs, not even any hesitations. How’s that possible? If it was indeed improvised, then Django needs to be listed right up there with Mozart and Bach in the genius category. Thanks so much.
I hear what you are saying but I know a guy who can improve flawless rock solos to songs he’s never heard before. It’s astounding. And he’s just some dude that plays in his bedroom.
@@mrhyde2250 I’m (was) a guitarist and like that guy in his bedroom, I can do that also. But I CAN’T (and I suspect the same with your bedroom guy) do it to the level actual “composition” like Django can.
@@globyois I would have to disagree but you’d have to take my word for it. Flawless. Composed. Etc. Just like here. And actually way more complex. His buddy attended GIT and is always pissed off about how much better my his playing is then his own “educated” playing.
The parallel is pretty fitting imo, since Bach at his times was mostly know for being a legendary improviser (if I'm not being wrong his compositions really became popular only with Romanticism, well after his death)
Excellent! A very comprehensive account of this brilliant solo. Playing in the moment reminds me of Eddie Van Halen's seminal guitar solo in Michael Jackson's 'Billy Jean'. He came to the studio, listened to the song, played 3 different solo's, then left. All within an hour. The solo on the single was the very first take. Incredible!
Thank you. This is a masterclass. Being a fan of Django long before your mother was born. I can say you gave me and all of us a magical pathway to his true genius... Even Hendrix played some riff from petit nuage... the gypsy soul.
great video, thank you for talking about this Django tune which is one of my favourite tunes from him. Listened to it for countless times, never get tired of it and it always touches my sould as if I listned to it for the first time. All Django's tunes are timeless, every time I listen to them I hear something new, a new thought, a new idea, a new feeling.
I feel you bro! I feel you… You are my favourite musician for real, ever. And your vision about music is so inspirational to me. With this analysis, I questioned my own taste of guitar solos and found out this is the kind I play (or at least try to play, and of course cannot do so 🥲) and want to improve (dedicate) myself to do so. Thanks a million times 🙏
I really enjoy this style of content and I loved hearing your thoughts on the song and how jango played it, all the notation and tabs as well were very helpful. Honestly this is my favourite Django tune and seeing your expression just listening to the song was priceless and a joy to watch, great video!
Great video. For me, the attraction of Django is the joy in his music. His playing is not ostentatious and he is not afraid to use repetition that naturally compliments his absolute dexterity. I have an album of his somewhere which I shall be digging out tomorrow
The timeless brilliance of Jango Rheinhart’s guitar playing. Must be considered as secondary to his personal drive to achieve to his own ears, the sound of perfection that must have seemed elusive to him. Following his accident with burning cellophane, the pain and memory of that loss. Drove him to find a remedy, no matter how hard or long it took for him to restore. What god had given him.?!!!
Ive always loved Django and have great appreciation for his skill, but I have never had it broken down in the way that you have. I now appreciate him even more..if that's possible! Ive been told that its the space between the notes that's the most important. Django illustrates this perfectly. Ive tried to play some of his work, but my skills just aren't there yet. One day maybe but it would only ever be a cheap imitation! What a lovely video..thanks Lucas. Nice to have you back! :o) xx
I had the good fortune to attend a Stephan Grappelli concert in the late 1970's, supporting him was the 'Diz Dizzly Trio' who had studied the Django catalog and they played exceptionally well! The musicality and beautiful logic of Django's playing is soothing like a Bach piece, it appeals to our brains. Nice work sir.
They were excellent, I helped stage multiple concerts with them. Diz let me play his guitar and I felt a direct link to Django, my favorite of all time. Stephane was so gracious and humble and seeing him on at least 10 occasions was a joy to behold. What masters.
Michael Gorman and David Collin:.. You wouldn't believe this...About 8 months ago, Martin Taylor on Facebook flagged up a photo with himself, Stephane and Diz Disley taken late 70s/early 80s. I noticed that Diz played a large D hole Selmer guitar which you most probably saw in the concert you went to. In this photo, Martin had a Gibson super 400. During the late 80s/early 90s, living in London, on Saturdays I visit music shops, in this instance, I visited Hanks in Denmark St (very well known shop amongst professional s). During the visit there was a Selmer large D hole Maccaferri guitar and inquired about it.......the owner said it belonged to Diz Disley. I asked if I could play and was given permission!!! I have to say it was very difficult to play, at that time I only played for about 5 years and self taught (still today never had a guitar lesson). The serial number was 734. YES I noted it, I'm in tech and engineering and yes... details matter to me😀. I posted this to Martin about the guitar (including the serial number) and Martin's reply was that he bought the guitar from Diz Disley, had it for a time and then had it for sale (the time I actually played it😀). Martin said the guitar is now in an exhibition in California. Michael, if it was the large D hole Selmer you saw Diz Disley play in the concert and David, was it the large D hole Selmer you played to confirm things? then I actually played that same guitar in a guitar shop in London many years later 😀
Have been a guitarist most of my life, self-taught so to speak, Other than playing with other individuals and groups occasionally throughout life. As time went on not being a technical player, had received many compliments through the years. But still never a master most certainly. It is all for the spiritual internal pleasure. And listening to this type of music as well as your in-depth explanations and such, it is most inspiring! Thank you so much , just found your channel today and subscribed👍 thanks again stay well keep up the great work and have a beautiful day!👍👍🙏
Arpeggios are really strong in gypsy jazz in general. I can never get enough of it. It just brings the whole song so much together. Takes a lot of practice to know all the variations, especially that quickly.
There was no musical genius like Django before he came along or since his passing. Pure genius, absolute perfection. Who could not listen to his records for hours on end?
Lucas - You're teaching jazz technique. I think that's wonderful, for you and your viewers. So many classical musicians get stuck on the page. They can play the most beautiful themes, and they know them by heart. Take away the page, and tell them "swing it", and they look like a deer caught in the headlights. It's all technique, and connecting arpeggios is one of our favorites. Learning to cut down those arpeggios into 3,4,5,and 6 note phrases is another, and Django was a master of this one because of his handicap, and because of his gift for rhythmic interpretation. He was a master at finding the rhythmic accents of swing or "hot jazz" and wrote all the textbooks, like Louis Armstrong taught us all how to swing New Orleans Jazz style. Another handicapped jazz musician of merit who plays a very different, modern style is Pat Martino. Do you know his story? Maybe so. Essentially, he had to relearn to play with his opposite hand. Thanks for introducing Django. Your videos have been fascinating lately and we are sympatico here, as we both discovered his playing at the same age! 😎 Best wishes.
Probably the last one but only an educated guess. I also guess that he already had the ideas in head before improvising. What I mean by that is that he combined ideas probably already being in his head. Again, just a guess. Sadly, we can't ask him...
We can all do the same improvisational trick every time we speak. It all happens in our brain first then we simply speak the words that express our thoughts. We don’t have to think about subject, object, verb or any other grammar or even what vocabulary to use, it just comes out. Now, all I need to do is replicate that using my guitar instead of my voice!
@@asarcadyn2414 idk man, i think you should dig into music theory if you want to play like that. my experience smoking weed and "feeling it" like rockstar doesnt get you very far.
Django was a huge musical talent and almost certainly the greatest guitarist before the public back in the days of swing , but now there are hundreds of players who can copy him note for note . Love the transcriptions by the way .
when I learned this piece I failed to notice the way django used all those rhythmic motifs (I also failed to get that glissando to work). Thankyou for giving me a new way of getting to appreciate his genius and to understand his playing.
I've played as a novice for years. My father was a genius jazz and classical guitarist (long gone now), but I has surgery on my left hand and can no longer play bar chords with the nimbleness I once had. It's beyond frustrating, so my wonder and amazement at Django can't be understated. And your review is more heartfelt than many I've seen. You can see your respect for the player's true talent and then with only two fingers. You enjoyed it as much as we did. Good stuff
sometimes the handicaps the weaknesses the defeats trigger the spark that ignites the genius within us. Django has been able to see it and make the most of it. every time I listen to Django I am mesmerized.
I watched this video about 5 times and I have to say that really enjoyed your interpretation of Django’s style. Really well done! I was first exposed to Django in my teens when I was taking guitar lessons from Sal Salvatore back in the late 60’s. I was told that he was a gypsy and was injured in a fire in his wagon when he was a young man. What an absolutely amazing talent he had! People that say that Jimmy Hendrix was the greatest guitar player obviously never heard Django play. I love Hendrix….but there is no comparison. Thank you for your video. It was wonderful.
His Improvisation no. 2 is one of my favorite pieces of his, one of the few fingerstyle things he ever did. And Blues Clare might be my very favorite, he managed to repeat a descending chromatic line in both C and Ab, it’s remarkable. Great analysis of what is widely regarded as his best recording ever.
Lucky is the one who has this teacher, yes. Articulate, reflective, persuasive, appreciative, grateful for his craft and generous to so explicitly share his love and knowledge of Django's style and technique. Thanks for sharing !
I live in Invercargill New Zealand growing up my father always played jango Reinhardt music I really didn’t appreciate it at that time. After seeing him playing with his two fingers on you tube the skill and mastery he had over the guitar just amazing. Thanks I really enjoyed your video
I had the same reaction when I first heard this solo and realized that it was improvised. My appreciation for it grew even more when I attempted to learn it by ear. It took a while, as I was just starting to learn gypsy jazz, but it was so rewarding in the end.
Django's way of phrasing, is just so alien to anything else on guitar. I doubt such a unique style would have developed today, with so much commnication across the globe. It's almost like clarinett phrases and his physical limitation have probably made him think in a different way as well. The imitation video you have done is worth a million!
I can not play a guitar but bought a Django and Grapelli greatest hits CD back in the nineties and fell in love with this form of Jazz and just love this analysis and enthusiastic utube vid on now Django did this. Excellent❤😊
I had to smile to myself every time you showed the sheet music of what was being played, Django wouldn't have been able to read a single note of it, he was strictly by ear. Thank you for bringing me such pleasure with your videos.
@@nathanbegel4505 When he came to the states, besides his problems with the unions here at the time, he also had problems in the recording studio trying to convey his music to said studio musicians, it was said to be very frustrating to him and went back home. Sadly, he died of a stroke at age 43 in 1953, yeah, he was only 43.
@@creamwobbly I totally understand, how can I play a fiddle but yet lose it on a piano and or the drums. And then again one could be like Rimsky-korsakov who suffered from synesthesia, an affliction that when you hear music it causes you to see colors.
Thank you, Lucas! I love Django and love you! You have stimulated me to learn guitar again, although I am a theoretical physicist. And you know what? After a year of training I am preparing my first Bossa Nova program! Thank you! Your videos are great. And yes, I am in the start of my way, so the improvising technique and arpegioring are in front of me yet. Please continue do this interesting and sometimes funny stuff it is really working!
I've always theorized that the physics of Django's two finger playing were a significant factor in the way he articulated the notes in his solos - the time between notes as compared to a player using four fingers. Incredible.
My favorite part of the video is your enthusiasm along with your ability to express what it is you love about this piece with so much clarity. My second favorite part is your beautiful clear crisp playing and your impeccable tone.
Hey Lucas! Big fan. I just wanna say that you inspire into playing guitar more and more. Im just a little youngster and it's a bit hard sometimes but you keep motivating me so thank you! love ya :D
Hi, Lucas Well done! In addition to being a beautiful and in-depth analysis of a song that is not easy to interpret, you have managed, in my opinion, to be (as usual ...) very motivational. Keep up the good work for me today you are the best youtuber guitarist / teacher on the net👍👍👍
To answer the question often found here about theoretical knowledge of Django and many Sinti in general: My mentor is the son of a cousin of Django, Bobi Reinhardt, a quite wellknown guitarist here. He knows the notes on the fretboard and he knows the general chord names. Em7b5 for example is either G minor or E minor for him, depending on the context. He doesn’t know what inversions are, but plays them all the time: „It’s the same chord, just the other way round.“ Or: „Ah, you call that a dominant?“, plays a G and a D chord: „My father taught me these are brothers.“ I told that the violinist of the band I play with; she’s a studied professional, and she is amazed how Sinti handle theory: „That’s probably the most intelligent thing I’ve ever heard about the relation of chords.“ When Bobi teaches me a new piece and I say „Ah, well, that’s a D7b9“, his answer is always: „Yeah, you can do the maths at home if you like“ :-)
Great comment, after years of struggling with piano transcripts of Brazilian guitar songs, I found a Brazilian book of the same music written by a guitarist composer. The music all made sense, the chords and lines were written on guitar and the changes were "brothers" in shape and linkage that could only have been imagined on a guitar for efficiency and connectivity of moving patterns. This is intuitive essence of improvisation for the pure untrained musician.
@@davidcollin1436 Yes, I know what you mean. As you mentioned piano transcripts: According to Dietrich Schulz-Köhn, Django also was a quite good piano player. It would be interesting to know about his approach on this instrument…
First time i listened to this solo a tear appeared...Django is a gem......he influenced every great guitarist. CHET ATKINS concidered Django as the most influential guitarist. DJANGO was also a WW2 hero....though he was in England at the time he left and joined the Partisans. Got arrested and was sent for execution with others. A german soldier recognised him and told him...The World has more to loose from your death than Germany has to earn..and he set him free.....Django also composed classical music. He could not read or write in his own lanquage French and of course the same goes with music. At the age of eight he played the violin and he recorded profesionally in a studio. Burned his fingers at the age of 18. Lucas that is another great video of yours. You are a fine musician...thanks a lot....
Perhaps Django was also a keen percussionist, he seems as free to 'noodle' through rhythmic motifs in a similar way one can improvise across the scales. You can definitely feel the power of him overcoming his adversity. Lovely, thank you.
When i was in my late teens, i first heard a record of Django playing with his cohorts. I was a self taught guitarist, who only ever played improvised pieces, i thought my technique was okay........I listened very carefully to the entire record and put my guitar aside for a year. If he could play as well as that with 2 fingers, well......
Sir, it is unthinkable that someone could master Django’s play ability to slow down each segment of I’ll see you in my dreams and explain the fingering so well ! I am a 76 year old Rroma and have tried to play Gypsy Jazz since I was a a boy and still can’t do it.The other Rroma can’t explain what is going on as well as you have. It’s like Jango became the music as he jumped from string to string, a very gifted man by God. He helped teach the world that Rroma are a nationality and not a band of thief’s. Thank you for your tutorial, very helpful indeed. Please post more.
OH MYYYY God!! I just found a video of Django here on you Tube-After years of hearing him, reading his history and then actually seeing him was a complete Joy! And now, seeing you -All I can say is you have my most sincere and heartfelt thanks for this video!! Thank You Thank You!!! A Most Brilliant Video!! Subscribed!
This got me a bit emotional. I've thought for years what a shame we don't have more video of Django. Your work today is the closest we've ever come. Maybe someday a video avatar of Django, with AI trained by your hands, will be able to give us a near-life experience.
@@creamwobbly I was talking about a Django deepfake that plays along to real Django soundtracks. Given current tooling, I estimate it would take a few months to do one song as proof of concept. Getting the research grant together would be harder than the actual work.
Oh man that's crazy. I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to see the way he played up close in such detail. What genius he was. And what a genius you are to figure all this out and how generous to share it. ❤
When I first saw the title of your post I thought, whatever it is, it won't be as good as I'll See You In My Dreams by Django Reinhardt! I was moved by your masterclass. Thank you so much.
I grew up in the 50's and remember my folks sitting in front of the radio listening to the Sons of the Pioneers and Bob Wills!...One evening, Les Paul and Mary Ford were on the air and my folks were blown away by them...Not long after, I remember hearing Django and the Gypsy Kings...It was the happiest, most foot tapping music I had ever heard!...I've been a Django fan for over 70 years and never get tired of hearing his music!... I'm not technical, I'm in it for the enjoyment, but this video was awesome and a great insight into one of MY favorite musicians!...Just sayin'!
An old neighbor of mine, jazz piano player by the way, introduced me to the music of Django. I was hooked for life. Whenever I need a little pick-me-up Django gets the job done in a minute and always brings a smile on my face. From disbelieve what he could do with those hands. Amazingly unique.
The joy of Django's music is the complete lack of pretention. He played for himself and that's why it's stood the test of time. The humility of the phrasings and progessions is something almost unknown in modern music.
Your comment makes up for his lack of pretension. "The humility of the phrasings and progressions..." Oh, please! 🤮🤣
Nice to see a breakdown of this song. Years back, I rescued a dog who was a bait dog in a fighting ring and thus so traumatized from his former life that we had a hard time getting him to calm down. Ended up listening to Django one day (this one in particular), and he just laid his big ol head on my lap, and finally relaxed. Sadly, he passed away a couple years ago. This song became our song, and it will always be special to me.
Hello from France, many thanks for your clear and rich explanations about Django's skill. I have been playing guitare for many years, listened to thousands different styles and players but when I hear guitarists like Django I have the feeling like if I had stayed at the level of a kindergarten😊
I've loved Django's playing for 60 years but until today I have never seen such a close analysis,. Thanks Lucas.
Django would be stoked to know that someone talked this in-depth about his improvised solo this many years later, breaking it down.
Hmm, I wonder. I more imagine him shrugging his shoulders while lining up his next billiard shot.
@@jaelge billiard
(god is in the details)
@@Ana_crusis:
Appreciate your bringing attention to my mistype, even though it was likely an attempt at snideness rather than consideration : - )
@@jaelge it was a mere pointing out of a typo. No snideness intended. The phrase in brackets is an attempt at humour :)
@@Ana_crusis:
Fair enough, Sir. My apologies then. Everyone (most everyone) are such smartarses theese days. LOL!
"You hear so many guitarists playing fast things...without telling a story."
Muy excelente!
Unfortunately most modern gypsy players are doing that. They are all flash and speed. They forgot what made Django amazing. The finesse and the melody.
@@leescuderi8331 In the late 70's, Frank Zappa had a humorous column in Guitar Player Magazine.
I'm often reminded of one article entitled, "Good Guitar Stuff, or Pathetic Lick Spewage?". lol
@leescuderi8331 this is exactly what music is: the expression of emotions. Music is a language of emotions, and one can tell stories with it. Many guitar players who are considered as virtuoses play braindead arpeggios backward and forwards, emotionless, scales up and down at insanely speed, and a bended last note. Which is pretty poor and it has nothing to do with music.
The sad thing is, that these sweeper/arpeggio/scale wankers only play what the audience wants to hear today. The reason is that people have forgotten about how to find the focus listening to a story that lasts longer than a few seconds due to modern media consumption and all these multitasking sh....
Exacto
OMG you went to the next level: visuals and lead sheets with the music. Excellent!
One more thing...youve put something into this presentation that is key...love
I attended Antoine Boyer's online masterclass last month and he played us I'll see you in my dreams by Django Reinhard on his laptop and said that "Django was the most complete guitar player of all time, he had volume, he had feel, he had rhythm and every piece of Django Reinhardt is a masterclass in music."
@@yacktenebreux oh i cant )))
Sooo true sir thx
All he didn't have was a 3rd and 4th finger lol
@@tommyphillips8547 he did it all with what he had.
Anyone can play a laptop...
The most compelling aspect of this amazing solo - all the technical and musical mastery aside - is that Django is having fun. Some of those little riffs and repetitions are like little jokes and pieces of whimsy. As magnificent as they are, they're not to be taken seriously, except as the virtuoso displays they obviously are. Django, I think, wants you laughing along with him. It's an invitation to be joyful. I think this is important to note (pun!) as too may musicians (generalising!) are way too serious.
great comment! Yes music and visual Art has ton of fun as well for example Picasso's last 20yrs he basically was having fun painting like a child.I actually find those works more charming.
well-said. You are among the best describing what goes on in Django’s head. Although we are not him, but what else can one feel the music piece he produced - it’s nothing but want you to go down and dance your night away! Having fun! Django was not just one of the most brilliant musicians in the world, what he really wanted was for the whole world to be happy (don’t worry, be happy) like him.
That's why we say: playing an instrument. It's playing. Playing should be fun because it's the opposite of serious.
Yep fun. That’s why I named my two guitars Fun in Welsh like my Welsh Corgi, for Fun!
100%. reckon if you asked him to play it again it would be about...70% similar. hmmm, lets do it THIS way this time! ooh, lets invert that one, and flip that backwards and accent the downbeat.
to me it sounds like well structured doodling... theres the theme, play with it. only stopping cus well... gotta stop sometime... sigh.
live? this might go for hours...
Can you please do more of these? I adore Django & learned so much from this analysis.
I have to be honest, being a very average player most of this was over my head, but how enjoyable to hear such wonderful improvision and explained by someone who knows what he is talking about...wonderful
Thank you for this great presentation. So many aspiring guitarists - like myself (and I am 80 yrs. old) - are completely bewildered by Django's incredible abilities and range of creativity. Many professional/great guitarists of today, and, yesteryear, have all claimed to have been inspired by Django's playing, i.e.: Charlie Bird, Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts, Herb Ellis and so many others have all acknowledged this fact. The great Paco de Lucia, who was my idol, also made mention to me of his complete astonishment as to how Django could perform with such precision whilst improvising. Paco, also added, that the guitar is a real bitch to play, and that it never got easier no matter how advanced one's playing had become.
Were you jamming with Paco when he said that to you?
Fantastic, man. Thank you so much, Lucas. I love Django and have for many years. As a player, I appreciate the in-depth breakdown of what he's actually doing that makes his playing so magical and timeless...in spite of his perceived handycap. You've made it easier to explain his music to friends who aren't really musicians but appreciate good music.
Have loved Django and the gypsy jazz sound since my youth. I’m in my mid 60’s and didn’t really delve into the intricacies of the Grappelli & Django sound until my 30’s. I will forever be in awe of their talents, especially with Django’s handicap. Thank you for your deep appreciation of this legendary artist, especially by someone with your expertise
The look on your face was of someone savoring a delicious treat. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” Thank you.
There's something awe-inspiring about seeing and hearing the people who deeply impress the people who deeply impress me.
I've learned most of what I know about Django Reinhardt from both you and Willie Nelson, and I'm always excited to learn more.
I’ve never enjoyed Django more. Your love and enthusiasm added so much to my experience! 💜
I remember buying his complete works at the age of 14 on cd. Truly inspirational... and alongside stephane grappelli... Just other- worldly!
They way Stephane phrased was incredible. A perfect compliment to django
🎸 laureate 🎸 hit=
th-cam.com/video/bEIa1vk9dtU/w-d-xo.html
Firstly, that was an absolutely brilliant demonstration and analysis of Django's amazing solo. Showing how the fingering would look if we had a closeup of his hand was a stroke of genius, and probably a real challenge!
I share your love and admiration for Django's playing and musical creativity. It often leaves me shaking my head in disbelief and wonder. His use of rhythm is an important component in making his melodic playing so memorable.
The damage done to his hand by the fire forced him to adapt a playing technique used in India by Vina and Sitar players of primarily using just the index and middle fingers. Django obviously expanded that to play on all 6 strings of the guitar. I also find it interesting that there is a historical and cultural connection between Gypsies and India.
Thanks for this wonderful video and I hope you make more like it. 🤞😎
It really was. Very informative and enjoyable. I was sitting here by myself with the biggest smile on my face. It just tickled me so much. So joyful.
I have been playing guitar since about 1976 & remember reading time & time again from many of the great players the influence Django had on them. I can definitely see why. On a side note. The great Gary Moore, while having the use of all his fingers, played most all of his solos with his first & middle fingers. All of his lightning fast runs are with those two fingers only. It always amazed me.
@@leskobrandon691 I didn't know that about Gary Moore. Will have to check out some videos. Thanks
Never liked jazz, but listening to your interpretation about the great Django's music opened my eyes. Thank you so much
Jazz is like a legal, low-key addictive, mind-altering drug.
The first dose doesn't make that big of an impression, usually. You may not even like it. You may not like it the 10th time nor even the 50th time.
But with each listen, you learn more, you experience more, and you hear more.
Eventually, you realize that it's starting to make sense, and the more sense it makes, the more you want to really know it at a fundamental level.
Just like other drugs, most people will never try it.
But unlike other drugs, you can indulge this one basically for free.
...or you can become an audiophile jazz addict and spend all of your money on it.
@@craenor I love music, and I'm open to any genera, I preferred Blues because It sounds friendly and humble. Jazz with its complicated texture always sounded too much for me, but thanks to people like Lucas who have shared their knowledge with generosity, I'm getting the idea behind it.
Same. I also don't like too much complexity in music. I just feel like less technique feels more natural. That's just me.
🎸 laureate 🎸 hit=
th-cam.com/video/bEIa1vk9dtU/w-d-xo.html
@@creamwobbly check out hank williams, turnpike troubadours, charley crockett. Lots of good country out there for those with an open mind
Please do make more videos like this.
breakdown of music pieces and guitarists, their playing style, etc.
thank you, Mr. Brar, you are a great inspiration to me.
Gotta say this kind of video really hits different, it's like setting aside the meme part and becoming more human while you show how much you fucking love music, and that's something to empathize with
I've heard Django Reinhardt's name mentioned a thousand times before,
but I have never checked him out, and now finally seeing this, it has floored me,
what a master.
Feeling your passion is so pleasant and refreshing :) Seeing someone who's loving something this much is just wonderful. Django Reinhardt is an absolute legend, same goes for you Sir, have a wonderful day
What made Django a ledgend who will always be held in awe by guitarists in not just his awesome technique and complete complete command of the fretboard it's his abstract musical mind and the ability to play any musical idea that entered his head instantly and flawlessly no mater how fast or complicated
Your reaction and analysis of bars 85-87 is palpably exquisite. Thanks for the video and being SO PRESENT in your presentation and discussion of Django's music. It is quite special and rare on TH-cam. Merci beaucoup!!
There are different versions of the story floating around, but the first one I heard was around 40 years ago, and I'm inclined to think the Django version is the original (over the Jimi Hendrix and Charlie Parker versions), largely due to Stephane Grapelli telling the story.
Stephane told a story about a party to which Andres Segovia and Django Reinhardt had both been invited to play. Segovia was on-time, had his instrument, and played his set. Django arrived three hours late and without a guitar. Segovia, being a guitar snob, wouldn't lend Django his guitar, so someone ran out to fetch an old guitar and pick. Django played with pick and fingers and amazed everyone with his tone and musicality. Segovia in particular was stunned, and asked Django where he could purchase the sheet music for the piece he'd just played. Django just laughed and said 'Nowhere, I've just composed it!'
BASED
Wow this Segovia dude didn't know he was a guitar snob and he had the nerve to ask him about his music 😳
Grapelli was Reinhardts buddy. Literally was in a band with him.
Reinhardt showed up, by his account, three hours late for a gig. Not prepared for the gig as he didn't even bring his guitar. Why? This is kind of glossed over. Did he have to rush a little old lady who had a heart attack to the hospital by carrying her there and in the excitement left his guitar in the ER? Or did he get drunk and pass out and not wake up in time for the gig and was to sloshed to remember to bring his guitar. Context matters.
Anyway, to shorten this up, why did Segovia owe him any favors? Because, in my own opinion, little old lady rushed to ER, sure use my guitar. (which is likely classical and strung with nylon strings). Dude was just late because he got drunk the night before. Yeah that's a your problem.
But it was Reinhards buddy so we're not given a full account. Just Segovia was a snob. (which he apparently didn't speak kindly of jazz or jazz musicians) Also, pretty damned sure he knew that Reinhard was a jazz guitarist and probably never asked for the sheet music to begin with.
@@Fektthis It wasn't a gig, it was a party. And based on the story, I'd wager that Django probably wasn't expecting to play. As for Segovia, at the time, he was arguably the world's greatest guitarist. From this, we can infer two things: (1) he was always looking for new repertoire, and (b) he probably believed at least some of his own hype. That's kind of how snobs are born.
Segovia, for all his talents as a player, was pretty well known to be an elitist douchebag. Not hard to believe the story…
This is the most wholesome video about Django Reinhardt I've ever watched in my life. Thank you.
The first time I heard Django Reinhardt I was floored .I couldn't believe that his playing abilities were what they were..incredible.
...and with only two fingers
Ànd can't read or write@@leescuderi8331
He truly was unique. No other guitarist has his otherworldly talent.
Thank you for covering Django's work, I really enjoyed it! As a french guy, I always loved his music and his ability to play really fast with only two fingers!! Also, I didn't know how to read music, he was just playing all day everyday. A once in a lifetime genius.
Ridiculous! Outlandish! I am blown away and humbled. Was not familiar with Reinhardt until I came across this. Thank you and I'm definitely subscribed
Really enjoyed that, I've been playing guitar for over 30 years I couldn't even come close to Django and I have 4 fingers to fret the notes. I can never get over the tremendous speed Django played those notes, completely mind blowing
I love how he'll slide up on one string with one finger but make it sound like he's playing across the fretboard with individual fingers as you and I would. Some of the modern guitarists on youtube are also astounding. I've been watching a guy called Damian Salazar since he was a kid and although he can be a bit manic at times, his knowledge and technique and his ability to improvise/compose in real time is just astounding. He never plays anything the same twice but it always sounds as if he's spent hours composing it but he's not. I can't listen to some of his stuff but then some of it I could listen to all day.
@@truthseeker7794 I spotted this guy called Kent Nishisurma on TH-cam. So talented great guitar skills. There is so much amateur talent out there who will probably never be famous.
@@eugenebell3166 I agree my friend but fame is not everything. Damian who I mentioned earlier has had some fame but he's happy with what he has. He's known worldwide and he makes very good money playing on the street and playing on the street is what he loves. He will play for 8 hours straight some days and is the happiest guitarist I've ever seen. He's wrote a book to accompany his online guitar course. My friend Michael Shulman enjoyed some fame when he lived in New York for 10 years. He was an electric neo classical shred violinist (not everyones cup of tea) but he's incredibly gifted. He's calmed down a little now as he can only play acoustic violin now he lives in Germany. Amplified music is not allowed on the street in the city where he lives. Yes the kids on youtube are so gifted and are able to learn very quickly using the many tutorials that are now available for free on line. There was nothing like this when I was a kid. I took me about 8 years to master the guitar and now at the age of 63 I am slowly getting back into after many years of not playing. Of course, I'll never get the technique back I had as an 18 year old but as you and I both know, guitar is like a drug that we can't give up. I look forward to listening to Kent Nishisurma. Thanks.
@@truthseeker7794 You make some very good points. I agree it's not essentially about fame it's the pleasure of mastering musical skills, and the satisfaction of doing it, it's music which matters. The addiction is still as strong for me, I can't walk by my guitar and ignore it, I have to pick it up and play it I'm now 64 and I started learning classical guitar many years ago. Started off wanting to learn a few chords, and progressed to a grade 5, never saw that coming. I now play contemporary music/jazz more but my classical guitar skills have been a great help to learn other types of guitar music. I have also taught my three daughters how to read music and play guitar, they are now addicts too. When I was 20 a guy who I worked with played piano, he would have been about my age now, he said to me, if you can play an instrument you are never alone, and he was right, I can pass hours alone practising a new piece, and feel no loneliness. As you say, it's not all about fame, I would be lost without music. Take care my friend.
Lucas thank you for posting this - Wonderful that you did so ! - Django Reinhardt - cop HIS licks - study HIS soul - catch up to HIS speed - build the whole direction towards HIS style - AND still no one will ever have HIS ideas ideas ! And on top of this all the 2 finger trip is astonishing ! HE is / was one time around - AND a very true story here - I had read that Duke Ellington's drummer said - that Django is a musician that comes around once every 100 years !
You may just be right! This solo brought tears to my eyes, it was so amazing! In fact, I don’t know if I believe it was improv. It sounds as “composed” as ANY SOLO I have ever heard! Guitar or ANY instrument! There were no “dead spots” no confused runs, not even any hesitations.
How’s that possible?
If it was indeed improvised, then Django needs to be listed right up there with Mozart and Bach in the genius category.
Thanks so much.
Agreed
I hear what you are saying but I know a guy who can improve flawless rock solos to songs he’s never heard before. It’s astounding. And he’s just some dude that plays in his bedroom.
@@mrhyde2250 I’m (was) a guitarist and like that guy in his bedroom, I can do that also.
But I CAN’T (and I suspect the same with your bedroom guy) do it to the level actual “composition” like Django can.
@@globyois I would have to disagree but you’d have to take my word for it. Flawless. Composed. Etc. Just like here. And actually way more complex. His buddy attended GIT and is always pissed off about how much better my his playing is then his own “educated” playing.
The parallel is pretty fitting imo, since Bach at his times was mostly know for being a legendary improviser (if I'm not being wrong his compositions really became popular only with Romanticism, well after his death)
Excellent! A very comprehensive account of this brilliant solo.
Playing in the moment reminds me of Eddie Van Halen's seminal guitar solo in Michael Jackson's 'Billy Jean'.
He came to the studio, listened to the song, played 3 different solo's, then left. All within an hour. The solo on the single was the very first take. Incredible!
Thank you. This is a masterclass. Being a fan of Django long before your mother was born. I can say you gave me and all of us a magical pathway to his true genius... Even Hendrix played some riff from petit nuage... the gypsy soul.
great video, thank you for talking about this Django tune which is one of my favourite tunes from him. Listened to it for countless times, never get tired of it and it always touches my sould as if I listned to it for the first time. All Django's tunes are timeless, every time I listen to them I hear something new, a new thought, a new idea, a new feeling.
I feel you bro! I feel you… You are my favourite musician for real, ever. And your vision about music is so inspirational to me. With this analysis, I questioned my own taste of guitar solos and found out this is the kind I play (or at least try to play, and of course cannot do so 🥲) and want to improve (dedicate) myself to do so. Thanks a million times 🙏
Merci de partager ta passion pour ce musicien de génie, de façon si simple et si touchante.
I really enjoy this style of content and I loved hearing your thoughts on the song and how jango played it, all the notation and tabs as well were very helpful. Honestly this is my favourite Django tune and seeing your expression just listening to the song was priceless and a joy to watch, great video!
Great video. For me, the attraction of Django is the joy in his music. His playing is not ostentatious and he is not afraid to use repetition that naturally compliments his absolute dexterity. I have an album of his somewhere which I shall be digging out tomorrow
The timeless brilliance of Jango Rheinhart’s guitar playing. Must be considered as secondary to his personal drive to achieve to his own ears, the sound of perfection that must have seemed elusive to him. Following his accident with burning cellophane, the pain and memory of that loss. Drove him to find a remedy, no matter how hard or long it took for him to restore. What god had given him.?!!!
Ive always loved Django and have great appreciation for his skill, but I have never had it broken down in the way that you have. I now appreciate him even more..if that's possible! Ive been told that its the space between the notes that's the most important. Django illustrates this perfectly. Ive tried to play some of his work, but my skills just aren't there yet. One day maybe but it would only ever be a cheap imitation! What a lovely video..thanks Lucas. Nice to have you back! :o) xx
I had the good fortune to attend a Stephan Grappelli concert in the late 1970's, supporting him was the 'Diz Dizzly Trio' who had studied the Django catalog and they played exceptionally well! The musicality and beautiful logic of Django's playing is soothing like a Bach piece, it appeals to our brains. Nice work sir.
They were excellent, I helped stage multiple concerts with them. Diz let me play his guitar and I felt a direct link to Django, my favorite of all time. Stephane was so gracious and humble and seeing him on at least 10 occasions was a joy to behold. What masters.
Michael Gorman and David Collin:.. You wouldn't believe this...About 8 months ago, Martin Taylor on Facebook flagged up a photo with himself, Stephane and Diz Disley taken late 70s/early 80s. I noticed that Diz played a large D hole Selmer guitar which you most probably saw in the concert you went to. In this photo, Martin had a Gibson super 400.
During the late 80s/early 90s, living in London, on Saturdays I visit music shops, in this instance, I visited Hanks in Denmark St (very well known shop amongst professional s). During the visit there was a Selmer large D hole Maccaferri guitar and inquired about it.......the owner said it belonged to Diz Disley. I asked if I could play and was given permission!!! I have to say it was very difficult to play, at that time I only played for about 5 years and self taught (still today never had a guitar lesson). The serial number was 734. YES I noted it, I'm in tech and engineering and yes... details matter to me😀. I posted this to Martin about the guitar (including the serial number)
and Martin's reply was that he bought the guitar from Diz Disley, had it for a time and then had it for sale (the time I actually played it😀). Martin said the guitar is now in an exhibition in California.
Michael, if it was the large D hole Selmer you saw Diz Disley play in the concert and David, was it the large D hole Selmer you played to confirm things? then I actually played that same guitar in a guitar shop in London many years later 😀
I just love synchronicities. How nice and superb for all of you.
Have been a guitarist most of my life, self-taught so to speak, Other than playing with other individuals and groups occasionally throughout life. As time went on not being a technical player, had received many compliments through the years. But still never a master most certainly. It is all for the spiritual internal pleasure. And listening to this type of music as well as your in-depth explanations and such, it is most inspiring! Thank you so much , just found your channel today and subscribed👍 thanks again stay well keep up the great work and have a beautiful day!👍👍🙏
Your love for music and guitar sweats through this video, and it is contagious ❤️ Thank you from France, Lucas !
Arpeggios are really strong in gypsy jazz in general. I can never get enough of it. It just brings the whole song so much together.
Takes a lot of practice to know all the variations, especially that quickly.
There was no musical genius like Django before he came along or since his passing. Pure genius, absolute perfection. Who could not listen to his records for hours on end?
Very true. Though, there are many great guitarists that play in his style. Nando Reinhardt is one that comes to my mind.
Rhandy Rhodes was a genius of guitar also
Lucas - You're teaching jazz technique. I think that's wonderful, for you and your viewers. So many classical musicians get stuck on the page. They can play the most beautiful themes, and they know them by heart. Take away the page, and tell them "swing it", and they look like a deer caught in the headlights.
It's all technique, and connecting arpeggios is one of our favorites. Learning to cut down those arpeggios into 3,4,5,and 6 note phrases is another, and Django was a master of this one because of his handicap, and because of his gift for rhythmic interpretation. He was a master at finding the rhythmic accents of swing or "hot jazz" and wrote all the textbooks, like Louis Armstrong taught us all how to swing New Orleans Jazz style.
Another handicapped jazz musician of merit who plays a very different, modern style is Pat Martino. Do you know his story? Maybe so. Essentially, he had to relearn to play with his opposite hand.
Thanks for introducing Django. Your videos have been fascinating lately and we are sympatico here, as we both discovered his playing at the same age! 😎 Best wishes.
Genious. I was always wondering, did he think of #11b9b5 etc. or simply played as thought as a result of millions hours of practice..
Наши на месте 💪😎
Probably the last one but only an educated guess. I also guess that he already had the ideas in head before improvising. What I mean by that is that he combined ideas probably already being in his head. Again, just a guess. Sadly, we can't ask him...
jazz guys are crazy. he definately knew the chord names
We can all do the same improvisational trick every time we speak. It all happens in our brain first then we simply speak the words that express our thoughts. We don’t have to think about subject, object, verb or any other grammar or even what vocabulary to use, it just comes out. Now, all I need to do is replicate that using my guitar instead of my voice!
@@asarcadyn2414 idk man, i think you should dig into music theory if you want to play like that. my experience smoking weed and "feeling it" like rockstar doesnt get you very far.
Django was a huge musical talent and almost certainly the greatest guitarist before the public back in the days of swing , but now there are hundreds of players who can copy him note for note . Love the transcriptions by the way .
when I learned this piece I failed to notice the way django used all those rhythmic motifs (I also failed to get that glissando to work). Thankyou for giving me a new way of getting to appreciate his genius and to understand his playing.
I've played as a novice for years. My father was a genius jazz and classical guitarist (long gone now), but I has surgery on my left hand and can no longer play bar chords with the nimbleness I once had. It's beyond frustrating, so my wonder and amazement at Django can't be understated. And your review is more heartfelt than many I've seen. You can see your respect for the player's true talent and then with only two fingers. You enjoyed it as much as we did. Good stuff
Great breakdown of this solo and soloing tips/learning points. Also enjoyed your obvious passion and admiration. Defo, more like this, loved it.
Hey man, you weren’t rambling too much…you gained a subscriber from this awesome vid that randomly came up in my feed. Gonna pass it along.
sometimes the handicaps the weaknesses the defeats trigger the spark that ignites the genius within us. Django has been able to see it and make the most of it. every time I listen to Django I am mesmerized.
I watched this video about 5 times and I have to say that really enjoyed your interpretation of Django’s style. Really well done! I was first exposed to Django in my teens when I was taking guitar lessons from Sal Salvatore back in the late 60’s. I was told that he was a gypsy and was injured in a fire in his wagon when he was a young man. What an absolutely amazing talent he had! People that say that Jimmy Hendrix was the greatest guitar player obviously never heard Django play. I love Hendrix….but there is no comparison. Thank you for your video. It was wonderful.
His Improvisation no. 2 is one of my favorite pieces of his, one of the few fingerstyle things he ever did. And Blues Clare might be my very favorite, he managed to repeat a descending chromatic line in both
C and Ab, it’s remarkable.
Great analysis of what is widely regarded as his best recording ever.
Lucky is the one who has this teacher, yes. Articulate, reflective, persuasive, appreciative, grateful for his craft and generous to so explicitly share his love and knowledge of Django's style and technique. Thanks for sharing !
I love Django. I love these types of videos. Thank you.
I live in Invercargill New Zealand growing up my father always played jango Reinhardt music I really didn’t appreciate it at that time. After seeing him playing with his two fingers on you tube the skill and mastery he had over the guitar just amazing. Thanks I really enjoyed your video
I had the same reaction when I first heard this solo and realized that it was improvised. My appreciation for it grew even more when I attempted to learn it by ear. It took a while, as I was just starting to learn gypsy jazz, but it was so rewarding in the end.
Django's way of phrasing, is just so alien to anything else on guitar. I doubt such a unique style would have developed today, with so much commnication across the globe. It's almost like clarinett phrases and his physical limitation have probably made him think in a different way as well. The imitation video you have done is worth a million!
Teşekkürler Lucas. Django gibi çok değerli bir gitaristi çok güzel analiz edip anlatmışsın. sayende çok şey öğreniyoruz.👍👏👏👏
I can not play a guitar but bought a Django and Grapelli greatest hits CD back in the nineties and fell in love with this form of Jazz and just love this analysis and enthusiastic utube vid on now Django did this. Excellent❤😊
I had to smile to myself every time you showed the sheet music of what was being played, Django wouldn't have been able to read a single note of it, he was strictly by ear.
Thank you for bringing me such pleasure with your videos.
Sheet music is a wonderful tool but not absolutely necessary to play music yeah 👍
@@nathanbegel4505
When he came to the states, besides his problems with the unions here at the time, he also had problems in the recording studio trying to convey his music to said studio musicians, it was said to be very frustrating to him and went back home.
Sadly, he died of a stroke at age 43 in 1953, yeah, he was only 43.
@@creamwobbly
I totally understand, how can I play a fiddle but yet lose it on a piano and or the drums. And then again one could be like Rimsky-korsakov who suffered from synesthesia, an affliction that when you hear music it causes you to see colors.
@@davidcantwell2489 Yeah and music theory also really helps communicating
@@nathanbegel4505
Yeah it can be. David Bennett just did a video on "The music theory iceberg ", that's some deep chit man.
Thank you, Lucas! I love Django and love you! You have stimulated me to learn guitar again, although I am a theoretical physicist. And you know what? After a year of training I am preparing my first Bossa Nova program! Thank you! Your videos are great.
And yes, I am in the start of my way, so the improvising technique and arpegioring are in front of me yet.
Please continue do this interesting and sometimes funny stuff it is really working!
I've always theorized that the physics of Django's two finger playing were a significant factor in the way he articulated the notes in his solos - the time between notes as compared to a player using four fingers. Incredible.
i think that too
My favorite part of the video is your enthusiasm along with your ability to express what it is you love about this piece with so much clarity. My second favorite part is your beautiful clear crisp playing and your impeccable tone.
Hey Lucas! Big fan. I just wanna say that you inspire into playing guitar more and more. Im just a little youngster and it's a bit hard sometimes but you keep motivating me so thank you! love ya :D
What strikes me the most in this solo is the space and effortless buildup, and the frequent use of displacement of the motives. Great stuff!
Hi, Lucas Well done! In addition to being a beautiful and in-depth analysis of a song that is not easy to interpret, you have managed, in my opinion, to be (as usual ...) very motivational. Keep up the good work for me today you are the best youtuber guitarist / teacher on the net👍👍👍
I’ve always loved the sunny playfulness of his playing and his fluid technique.
To answer the question often found here about theoretical knowledge of Django and many Sinti in general: My mentor is the son of a cousin of Django, Bobi Reinhardt, a quite wellknown guitarist here. He knows the notes on the fretboard and he knows the general chord names. Em7b5 for example is either G minor or E minor for him, depending on the context. He doesn’t know what inversions are, but plays them all the time: „It’s the same chord, just the other way round.“ Or: „Ah, you call that a dominant?“, plays a G and a D chord: „My father taught me these are brothers.“ I told that the violinist of the band I play with; she’s a studied professional, and she is amazed how Sinti handle theory: „That’s probably the most intelligent thing I’ve ever heard about the relation of chords.“
When Bobi teaches me a new piece and I say „Ah, well, that’s a D7b9“, his answer is always: „Yeah, you can do the maths at home if you like“ :-)
Great comment, after years of struggling with piano transcripts of Brazilian guitar songs, I found a Brazilian book of the same music written by a guitarist composer. The music all made sense, the chords and lines were written on guitar and the changes were "brothers" in shape and linkage that could only have been imagined on a guitar for efficiency and connectivity of moving patterns. This is intuitive essence of improvisation for the pure untrained musician.
@@davidcollin1436 Yes, I know what you mean. As you mentioned piano transcripts: According to Dietrich Schulz-Köhn, Django also was a quite good piano player. It would be interesting to know about his approach on this instrument…
Thank you, Lucas, I appreciate all your effort in analyzing this iconic song and solo!
I never get bored of listening to Django Reinhardt, his brilliance cannot be over stated.
First time i listened to this solo a tear appeared...Django is a gem......he influenced every great guitarist. CHET ATKINS concidered Django as the most influential guitarist. DJANGO was also a WW2 hero....though he was in England at the time he left and joined the Partisans. Got arrested and was sent for execution with others. A german soldier recognised him and told him...The World has more to loose from your death than Germany has to earn..and he set him free.....Django also composed classical music. He could not read or write in his own lanquage French and of course the same goes with music. At the age of eight he played the violin and he recorded profesionally in a studio. Burned his fingers at the age of 18. Lucas that is another great video of yours. You are a fine musician...thanks a lot....
Perhaps Django was also a keen percussionist, he seems as free to 'noodle' through rhythmic motifs in a similar way one can improvise across the scales. You can definitely feel the power of him overcoming his adversity. Lovely, thank you.
Saying he was a keen percussionist doesn't surprise me at all. Good observation.
Best demonstration I have seen of Django's playing. Well done, and thank you. He is my favourite.
I'm not a big fan of jazz, but you have to acknowledge and admire the level of skill and musicality in Django's playing, it's almost otherworldly.
That was a delight, watching a genius fully appreciate another genius 😊
Django was amazing but so are you !
I’m absolutely loving your videos ❤
When i was in my late teens, i first heard a record of Django playing with his cohorts. I was a self taught guitarist, who only ever played improvised pieces, i thought my technique was okay........I listened very carefully to the entire record and put my guitar aside for a year. If he could play as well as that with 2 fingers, well......
Saw stephane grapphelli several times live and he would speak of this guy with so much love and respect. That was quite the duo
Sir, it is unthinkable that someone could master Django’s play ability to slow down each segment of I’ll see you in my dreams and explain the fingering so well !
I am a 76 year old Rroma and have tried to play Gypsy Jazz since I was a a boy and still can’t do it.The other Rroma can’t explain what is going on as well as you have.
It’s like Jango became the music as he jumped from string to string, a very gifted man by God.
He helped teach the world that Rroma are a nationality and not a band of thief’s.
Thank you for your tutorial, very helpful indeed.
Please post more.
OH MYYYY God!! I just found a video of Django here on you Tube-After years of hearing him, reading his history and then actually seeing him was a complete Joy! And now, seeing you -All I can say is you have my most sincere and heartfelt thanks for this video!! Thank You Thank You!!! A Most Brilliant Video!! Subscribed!
Django was a genius! Father of us all! And you are a great teacher!!!
This was an excellent analysis. Your love of music is infectious. I always find it entertaining to watch a master appreciate another master.
This got me a bit emotional. I've thought for years what a shame we don't have more video of Django. Your work today is the closest we've ever come. Maybe someday a video avatar of Django, with AI trained by your hands, will be able to give us a near-life experience.
@@creamwobbly I was talking about a Django deepfake that plays along to real Django soundtracks. Given current tooling, I estimate it would take a few months to do one song as proof of concept. Getting the research grant together would be harder than the actual work.
@@aarons3014 but why
Oh man that's crazy. I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to see the way he played up close in such detail. What genius he was. And what a genius you are to figure all this out and how generous to share it. ❤
In Django's music you can hear the links to the blues, rockabilly, swing and rock and roll. Thank you Lucas.
When I first saw the title of your post I thought, whatever it is, it won't be as good as I'll See You In My Dreams by Django Reinhardt! I was moved by your masterclass. Thank you so much.
Both Django recordings of "...Melancholy Baby" in the 30's are also great examples of his creative genius.
I am not a guitarist but videos you do Lucas very interesting and educational. I have a new appreciation for the guitar thank you.
Muy interesante análisis.Django fue un absoluto genio.🍾
I grew up in the 50's and remember my folks sitting in front of the radio listening to the Sons of the Pioneers and Bob Wills!...One evening, Les
Paul and Mary Ford were on the air and my folks were blown away by them...Not long after, I remember hearing Django and the Gypsy Kings...It
was the happiest, most foot tapping music I had ever heard!...I've been a Django fan for over 70 years and never get tired of hearing his music!...
I'm not technical, I'm in it for the enjoyment, but this video was awesome and a great insight into one of MY favorite musicians!...Just sayin'!
Perhaps the most beautiful piece illustration of this lovely song, I have forgotten he was
so good. Thank you for this.
An old neighbor of mine, jazz piano player by the way, introduced me to the music of Django. I was hooked for life. Whenever I need a little pick-me-up Django gets the job done in a minute and always brings a smile on my face. From disbelieve what he could do with those hands. Amazingly unique.
My father introduced me to Django’s music in 1956 and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s happy jazz.
My father, a music arranger, used the same phrase to distinguish it from the beeboppers. He always preferred Happy Jazz.
Thank you for this outstanding review of his solo. Brilliant! Also, you have phenomenal guitar playing abilities!!!