|
Paul's Manouche
Masterclass - Gypsy Jazz Guitar Workshop
  Paul
holds regular Tuition schools in Walsall in the West Midlands and it is
a great opportunity to receive first class instruction from this world
respected guitarist and an opportunity download from him a deal of his
personal recollections and anecdotes regarding the music he loves and
promotes.
His dexterity, musicianship, intricate skills, historical interest and
enthusiasm are a joy to absorb. If you are a serious student you could
have no finer teacher than Maestro Paul Vernon Chester in the
demanding and delicate delights of Manouche Swing Jazz.
 Paul's Next Scheduled Workshop is on
-
Saturday 5th July 2008
@
St. Martin’s Church Hall
Daffodil Road
Walsall
West Midlands
WS5 3DQ
Times - 10.30am till 4.30pm
Book early to avoid disappointment - attendance numbers are
limited.
Contact 01922 612456 or
Paul Vernon Chester by email
|
The influence of
music reaches into all areas of our lives. Both a science and an
art it has been shown to increase mental ability and stimulate
our emotions. The teaching of both listening and playing skills
enhances all our lives.
Paul's Workshops
are set up to help educate and inspire a new generation of
musicians and audiences though lectures, performances and
workshops in schools, colleges and youth centres. The projects
provide insight into Manouche Swing Jazz and demonstrates
how jazz improvisation is performed. The workshop is
structured as follows and Paul's aim is to keep the presentation
informal:
The cost of the day is reasonable for such quality Tution and
includes a booklet, chord charts, lunchtime snack and lots of
interesting additional material.
The Workshop
is usually divided into two sessions within the day, Rhythm
and Solo. Nick Mellor assists throughout the day and
all areas covered are clearly demonstrated. The abilities of
students are quickly established in order to focus on individual
improvement agendas. Activities are designed to enable you to
work in group, duo and individual formats. Tuition provided is
designed to challenge and will cover all of the key elements of
Gypsy Jazz. The day is not heavily theoretical and employs
the 'Gypsy Tradition' of demonstration and assimilation.
Essential elements however, are enthusiasm, love of the music,
fun, and a real desire to improve your personal best! The whole
programme is based on Paul's own route to this music, which he
invites you to follow! Paul and Nick will perform a set
during the lunch break. The workshops are a regular feature of
Paul's year and are gaining in popularity to the point where he
is running additional sessions. The day is overseen by Karen,
Paul's wife, who welcomes you and ensures the day runs smoothly.
For students without a 'Gypsy Guitar' there will be instruments
available for you to play.
Rhythm Guitar Techniques - Nick Mellor
-
 Chord
Knowledge
- Triads
- Chord Substitution
- Voicing
- Comping
- Right Hand - technique/stroke
variation
- Building Tension
- De-cluttering
- Chord Rolls
Solo Guitar Techniques - Paul Vernon Chester
-
 Octaves
-
Vibrato
-
Harmonics
-
Note Bending
-
Harmony
-
Runs
-
Arpeggios
-
Damping
-
Pauses
-
Attack
-
Restraint
Other Considerations
Starts and Endings
Tags
Mood
Contrast
Repertoire Construction
Energy Waste
Performance Confidence
Building a Solo.
Pick Technique.
The Guitar.
The Setting!
Chosen for its fine live acoustics that add to
the ambience.
^The Workshop of June 2007
Student Comments:-
The
Walsall Workshop was excellent, worth every penny. Paul is not
only a superb musician but an excellent teacher (that is his day
job of course), Nick was brilliant also. I've plenty of chord
theory homework to do. Warren.
This is just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoyed
Saturday's workshop. I'm really enjoying
the new CD - Duets for Django'. Thanks to Paul, Nick and Karen
for a good day. - Malcolm.
Thanks for a
wonderful Saturday. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I learned
a lot again from yourself and Nick, but it’s more than just
that, it’s about being in the company of people who share my
massive interest in Gypsy Jazz and being able to talk with them
about the subject. I look forward to the next workshop and
hope to reflect more improvement. Thanks to Karen for doing
the food and looking after us. - John
|
|
 Django's
Playing
Some writers have argued that Django's physical handicap
actually made him a better guitarist than had he the use
of all four fingers on his fretting hand. Unable to play
the linear, scale-driven lines that fall all too easily
under the fingers of most guitarists, Django's limited
mobility forced him to view the fingerboard more
vertically than horizontally. Blessed with exceptionally
large hands and long fingers (one famous photo shows him
fretting the high E through A strings of his guitar at
the 14th fret with his middle finger from the second
knuckle down), he had the strength and stretch to make
wide intervals with just his first two fingers. He
invented the use of octave runs as a soloing device on
guitar, another example of taking his two-fingered
limitation and making it a musical asset. Moving beyond
that, he frequently used double stop runs in colourful
intervals to generate tonal tension and resolution in
his solos. Django literally developed a new vocabulary
for lead guitar, making wide interval jumps across the
strings as often as he moved up and down the strings
individually. When he did remain on one string, it was
typically for a blistering chromatic run that might
start on the first fret and run all the way up to the
13th fret. Always aware of the slightest nuance of tone,
Django honed each note perfectly, often incorporating a
beautifully modulated finger vibrato or a skilfully
executed blues bend or slur to add emotional strength to
his playing. As the Django repertoire books written by
guitarist Robin Nolan show clearly, most of Django's
chord positions were simple three note chords, but his
musical genius enabled him to create diminished,
suspended and augmented chords that beautifully fit the
melodies he played by adding open string notes as
needed. Although a total illiterate musically who
couldn't name any chords, he always knew what chord
formation he needed to create the musical effect he
desired, either a sweet, lush chord or a jarring,
angular punctuation chord, to set the mood.
Video Link -
Django Playing in 1939 J'attandrais
A tireless worker, he endlessly developed a trailblazing
right hand technique, as well. Django was the first to
frequently utilize what is now called sweep picking,
where a run is played with the pick pushing through
three or more strings sequentially with either a down or
upstroke. His tremolo rivalled that of the great Italian
mandolin virtuosi, a skill that he utilized on full
chords and well as individual notes to great effect.
Django preferred the thickest, stiffest picks he could
find, generally using natural tortoise shell. But he
never let his equipment dominate his creative skills.
Delauney's book, for instance, cites one example where
he showed up for a gig without a pick and proceeded to
break off the tooth of a comb and used that as a
substitute plectrum for the night! - Some Comb, Some
tooth eh - was a
nit comb or poetic licence.
Django's Rhythm Techniques
Listen to this finger
busting tirade from Django - Mystery Pacific (Mystery
Train - long before Presley) this was recorded on 26th April
1937 and
appears to end abruptly when Django hits the buffers -
due to finger fatigue perhaps rather than a loss of
invention.. So you wanted to lay down a rhythmic
pulse just like a train on the tracks eh - try emulating this........................... |
|
Mystery Pacific - MP3 -
4.46Mb
The Fellowship of the Fret
Have you ever stopped to think what being a fretted instrumentalist can
mean? Have you ever considered your instrument as an exclusive
membership token to what is, perhaps, one of the most exclusive groups
in existence? .The name of the Fellowship – well it has no name except
for one word frequently heard; “The Fret’’ It is a brotherhood
(and sisterhood, too) despite its unofficial nature, It has its
conflicts and disagreements and will continue to have them as long as
fretted instruments and their owners are in being. In no other section
of the musical world exists this parallel and if proof be needed one has
only to attend a Fellowship Gathering.
I do not remember reading exactly what constitutes a Gathering. To the
uninitiated the word Fellowship may conjure up images of strange rituals
and mysticisms, at best, an exclusive meeting of some nebulous body
known vaguely as “The Fellowship” whose activities are not for the
average musician. Until one has attended such an event one cannot fully
realise the meaning of this phrase; “The Fellowship of the Fret”
The Fellowship is not noted for its numerical strength in fraternity.
Perhaps because of the small numbers, the majority of fretted instrument
players are known to each other without the existence of a National
Body. Outside this comparatively small circle it can be difficult
to understand how universal membership of the Fellowship is.
Let us take a look inside the hallowed space where a fraternity of the
fret is in full swing. Everyone present is the owner of (or is
associated with) a fretted instrument. Here you may talk freely of
nuts, bridges, machine heads, wire wounds, guts and nylons and be fully
understood for some 6 hours. One may listen to or ignore the many
contests which are the often reason (not to mention the excuse) for this
gathering beneath one roof of more players of the “Round Hole, Petite
Bouche, Archtop Guitars and other kindred Instruments than one hitherto
imagined.
In the tuning area we may see a fantastic collection of oddly shaped
cases ancient and modern and—with the popularity of the electric
instrument still on the increase - a variety of ancient and modern
amplifiers. One feels free to talk, without introduction to other
instrumentalists.
There may, perhaps, be a small, hardy minority able to sit through the
entire proceedings without becoming bored but constant repetition of
some of the test pieces makes this unlikely. Despite this there is
something for everyone, if taken in not-too-large doses, and one does
not need to remain in the performance zone the whole of the time. I
well remember the impact of my first gathering three years ago. At that
time I knew but few of “The Fellowship” and it is true to say that on
arrival I knew only one person present. On leaving, however, I had
increased the number of my acquaintances and have continued to do so at
each successive event. For me this is the part I look forward to most
of all; the regular meeting with friends.
Friends who, I know, will not be bored by constant talk of things
associated with music—from players to performances; instruments to
amplifiers.
So many feel compelled to re-attend the “Fellowship of the Fret”
Acknowledgements to Jeffrey Pocock for
this article. Frodo of the Fret
|
![[Under Construction]](images/AnimatedGif/undercon.gif)
