Intro to Gypsy Jazz Guitar

by John Jorgenson

Someone has finally, absolutely gotten it right and that someone is John Jorgenson in his new book Intro To Gypsy Jazz. We learn to play in many ways - listening, watching, reading, imitating and the hard work of repetition. While no single one is the "answer", all are essential to learning; still, most teaching aids are one-dimensional in that they typically provide either a reading or watching experience but not both.

John has combined three ingredients that make his book an absolute winner - the book itself, a cd and a dvd. At first glance, the book seems like (and frankly is) like many other books; a nice 64 pages of fundamental Gypsy Jazz rhythm (the first half) and arpeggios and a few licks (the second half). But what makes the book come alive is the dvd, which is presented in a student/teacher format. John gives a full 2-hour lesson, demonstrating techniques and then having a student repeat them. Sound boring? Absolutely not! Rather than blasting through the lesson at warp speed as most teaching dvd's do, this well thought-out format allows you to hear and see an idea, slowly, up to speed and then see the student try it. If you're new to Gypsy Jazz, you'll find the student a kindred soul; if you've been playing for a while, you'll find John's solos fun to copy.

The cd has 13 backing tracks, allowing you to practice your rhythm chops and then wail away with ideas gathered from the dvd. The dvd consists of much more than a lesson, however. John talks about, and demonstrates, the differences in sound between a D-hole and oval-hole Gypsy guitar, and a flat-top. He discusses what and how to practice. And if you're into copping licks, there are plenty to steal.

If you're new to Gypsy Jazz, this is the package to get (notice I didn't say "book" because this is much more than that).