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Django Reinhardt
byJeffAarons
Popular Lessons
17EssentialJazzGuitarChords
ForBeginners
251JazzGuitarLicks
JoePassBlues
Born GuitarLicks&Lessons
JazzChordProgressions
January23,1910inLiberchies,Belgium
DjangoReinhardtGuitarLicks
Died
2Djangoguitarlicks,aVIandoneminorlick.
May16,1953inFountainebleau,France
SummertimeGuitarChordStudy
ActiveYears
DiscussDjangoReinhardt@thisthreadinthe
Influences JazzGuitarForum
EddieLang
AllTheThingsYouAre:
LouisArmstrong HarmonicAnalysis
GuitarGear
Comping:ThereWillNeverBe
DjangoReinhardt'sGuitars AnotherYou
AboutSelmerGuitars,theonlybrandofguitars
Djangousedthroughouthiscareer.
WesMontgomeryStyleChord
Solos
JeanBaptiste"Django"ReinhardtwasaGypsyjazzguitaristfrom
Belgium,whocanbeeasilyconsideredoneofthetop5,alltime PlayingChordMelodyJazz
"Jazzattractedme Guitar
influentialguitaristsinhistory.HeisarguablyequaltoCharlie
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Christian,butintermsofthepreelectricera,Djangoreignsasthe becauseinitIfounda
numberonecatalyst.
formalperfectionand
InWoodyAllen's1999film,SweetandLowdown,themain
character(playedbySeanPenn)isavirtuosoguitarist,obviously instrumentalprecisionthat
inspiredbyDjango.Themovieusedastrongguitarbasedscore
Iadmireinclassical
recordedbythetalentedHowardAlden.EventhoughPenn
courageouslyattemptedtofakethefingering,anyexperienced music,butwhichpopular
guitaristcouldeasilyseehewaswayoffthemark.However,the
musicdoesn'thave."
importantaspecttothis,ishowlegendaryDjangohasbecome,
asbothavirtuosomusicianandcultherowhosurvivedahorrible DjangoReinhardt
burnaccidentandyetovercamehishandicapandstillmastered
theguitar,takingittoanewlevelofunparalleledimprovisational
prowess.
Biography
FAQ
BornJanuary1910inLiberchies(Belgium),DjangoReinhardtwasraisedwithinthenomadiclifeofa
Whatisagoodguitartoplay
Romgypsycaravan,followingthevariousGypsytribestotransientlocationswithprimitiveconditions. jazz?
Reinhardt'snicknamewas"Django",theRomaniwordfor"Iawake".Reinhardtneversetfootinareal
houseordecenthabitablestructureuntilhewas20,butgrewuplivingintheignominiousslumsand
squalorofouterParisneartheChoisyGate. Whatisthebestjazzguitaramp?
Djangodevelopedastronginterestinmusicwhichresultedinhisfirst
instrumentalescapadesonviolinandbanjo.Beingexposedtothe
GypsymusicmixedwithavastarrayofEuropeangenres,hepicked HowdoImixjazzandblues?
upandabsorbedahugepalletofharmonictonalitiesatanearlyage.
DjangoReinhardtquicklybecamefacileontheviolinandswitchedto
guitarinhisearlyteens.Byage13hewasalreadyperformingwith Whatareguitarmodesandhow
accordionistGuerinointheRueMonge.PlayingaroundtheParis canIusethem?
environsandastonishinglistenerswithhisprodigiousskillsonthe
guitarandviolin,heplayedwithnumeroussmallbandseventually
YoungDjangowithBanjo recordingwithaccordionistJeanVaissadeontheIdealLabel. HowcanIplaygypsyjazzguitar
inthestyleofDjangoReinhardt?
Gypsy Jazz
Whatarearpeggiosandhowcan
Ilearn/usethem?
GypsyJazz(akaGypsySwingakaJazzManouche)isthejazzstylemadefamousbyDjango,
originatinginFranceinthe1930s.
HowDoIPlaytheChordsofTake
Mostgypsyjazzbandsexistonlyofstringinstruments.Thedrumisreplacedby2rhythmguitarsthat theATrain?
areplayedusingaspecifictechniquecalled"lapompe".Thisspecialkindofstrummingisdoneby
playingafastupdownstrumfollowedbyadownstrum.
Whatisthebebopscaleandwhat
Theleadguitar(andviolin)areplayedinavirtuose,chromaticstylewithaheavyswingfeel(see canIdowithit?
DjangoReinhardt'sguitartechniquefurtherbelow).
Mostgypsymusicianscouldn'treadmusic,theirmusicaltraditionwaspasseddownfromtheolder HowtoPlayBlueBossaChords?
generationtotheyounger.Beginningplayerswereusuallytaughtbyafamilymemberandbylistening
torecordings.
HowcanIplaythechordsofa
The Accident bluesinajazzyway?
Django'scareercametoascreaminghaltonNovember2,1928,
whenhewas18yearsold.Duetoanaccident,Djangoigniteda "Byfarthemost
fireballthatengulfedthetrailerhousewhereheandhisfirstwife For Beginners
astonishingguitarplayer
Florine"Bella"Mayerlived.Florinemadeandsoldimitation
IntroductiontotheMinorBlues
flowerswithpaperandcelluloid,bothhighlyflammable.Returning everhasgottobeDjango Scale
fromagig,Djangoknockedoveracandleandthefirequickly
Reinhardt...Djangowas
spread...
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WIththehelpfromneighborsandfamily,theybothbarely HowtoReadJazzChordChanges
quitesuperhuman,there's
scrambledtosafety.Djangowasseriouslyburned,hisrightleg
wasparalyzedandthethirdandfourthfingersofhislefthand nothingnormalabouthim
severelydamaged.
asapersonoraplayer..." 5JazzyPentatonicScalePatterns
Itwasduringhisperiodofconvalescencethatheagain
JeffBeck
demonstratedman'spropensityforperseveranceagainstallodds.
Withhisthirdandfourthdigitsbadlymangledbytheburns,
BesameMuchoChords
shrinkingthetendons,hecouldonlyusehisfirsttwofingerstofretnotes,whilehisburntfingers
werebarelyabletofretnotesonthefirsttwostringsonly.
ItwasduringthislongrecoveryperiodthatDjango'ssheerwillpoweranddetermination,motivatedhim
5EssentialJazzGuitarSoloing
toconfigureanentirelynewfingeringsysteminorderforhimtoplaywithfacilityashedidbefore,but
Patterns
onlywithtwofingersfreedupforsinglelinesoloing.
Totheamazementofall,heperseveredandcameoutstrongerandbetterthanever,especiallyafter
hearingLouisArmstrong's"DallasBlues"onanold78record.Soonaftertheaccidenthediscovered 5ClassiciiVILicks
jazzandstrovetofindasmanyrecordsofArmstrong,DukeEllington,EddieLangandJoeVenutias
hecould.EddieLang'sstylefiguresprominentlyinDjango'sfreeswingingyetmelodiclines.
Top50JazzGuitarBooks
Top100JazzGuitarAlbums
Beforetheaccident,Django'sworkandstylewasvery
muchinfluencedbythe"musette"styleofotherGypsy
guitarplayerslikeGusthiMalha.Afterdiscoveringjazz,
hetriedtoplaythisnewstyleinthemusetteclubs
whereheusuallygigged,butthiswasnotappreciated
there...
Tofindmindlikemusicians,heoftenvisitedtheHot
ClubofParis,wherein1934Reinhardteventuallyhad
thegoodfortunetorunintoStephanGrappelli,agreat
swingviolinist,whouponplayingwithDjango,
QuintetteduHotClubdeFrance discoveredthattheycreatedimmediatesynergy.Asa
resultoftheirhistoricalmeeting,thetwoformedanall
stringensemblecalledQuintetteduHotClubdeFrance
("TheQuintetoftheHotClubofFrance")featuringDjango,Grappelli,RogerChaput(rhythmguitar),
LouisVola(bass)andDjango'sbrotherJosephReinhardt(rhythmguitarduringDjango'ssolos).
Duringthemidandlate30s,DjangoandGrappelli'sbandwassopopular,theywereaskedtorecord
theirfirstrecordwithasmallcompanycalledUltraphone.Therecordingincludesclassicssuchas
TigerRag,Dinah,OhLadybeGood,andISawStars.Therecordimmediatelyreceivedrave
reviewsandwaseventuallyexportedtotheUS.
Soon,DjangoandGrappellibecameasensationinbothEuropeandNorthAmericawiththousandsof
wouldbeguitarists,pickingupaninstrument,tryingtoemulatethemercurialDjango.Djangoand
GrappellicontinuedtorecordwithotherlabelsaswellsuchasDeccaandHMV.
AsDjangocontinuedtotourandrecord,healsobecameagiftedcomposerwiththeoccasional
collaborationofGrappelli,penningsuchstandardsasNuages,Daphne,Manoirdemesrevesand
thefreneticMinorSwingplusatributetohisrecordinglabelStompingattheDecca.
Django'srecordingspermeatedeveryfacetofjazz,swingandpopularrecordingstronglyinfluencing
manyofAmerica'sprominentjazzplayers,composersandevensingers.Hismusichelpedtodevelop
Americancountrywesternswingalongwithmainstreamjazzswingandtothisday,hasitsimprinton
thesweepinglandscapeofmusicalgenres.
CharlieChristianclearlyassimilatedasmuchofDjango'sincrediblesolodynamicsashecouldinorder
todevelophisownuniquegraspofjazzimprovisation.So,whileperformingandrecording,
unbeknownsttothehumbleGypsy,hewascreatinglegionsoffollowersthatwouldforeveralterthe
landscapeofguitar.
World War II
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In1939,whilethebandwastouringEngland,WWIIraiseditsbrutalheadandwiththeNaziinvasions
ofEurope,DjangooptedtoreturnhometoFranceandsomehowsurvivethewaronthemainland.
Duringthisphase,hereplacedGrappelli(whoremainedbehindBritain)andproceededtotourand
recordtothedelightofhisinternationalaudience.
In1941DjangomarriedhissecondwifeSophieZieglerandin1944theirsonBabikReinhardtwas
born.Babikbecamearespectedguitaristhimself,buthewasnottaughtbyhisfather,whowantedhim
tolearnpiano.Insteadhelearnedtoplayguitarwiththehelpofvariousfamilymembers.
Here'savideoofBabikReinhardtplayingDjango'stuneNuages(withChristianEscoude):
ItwasamiraclethatDjangoReinhardtsurvivedWOIIunharmedbecausebothgypsiesandjazz
musiciansweresoughtafterandmurderedbytheNazis.Itissaidthathestoodundertheprotectionof
DietrichSchulzaka"DoktorJazz",aGermanofficerwhoadmiredjazzmusic.
WhenFrancewasfinallyliberatedandthewarcametoaneventualclose,Reinhardtbroughtover
luminarieslikeMelPowell,PeanutsHuckoandRayMcKinleytoperformwithhisbandandeventually,
GrappellireturnedtoplayinDjango'sfamousorchestrauntil1946whenDjango'scareermadeaslight
detourtotheUnitedStates.
Duke Ellington
In1946DjangowasaskedtotourwiththelegendaryDukeEllington.StephaneGrappelliandtherest
ofthebandwerealsoinvitedforthistour,butDjangonevertoldthemandwentonhisown.Django
performedontheelectricguitar(anEpiphoneZephyrorGibsonL5,dependingonthesource)forthe
firsttimeduringthistour.Hedidn'tbringhisownguitartotheStatesbecausehethoughtguitar
builderswouldbefightingoverwho'sguitarhewouldplay.UnfortunatelyforDjangothiswasn'tthe
caseandhewasforcedtoborrowaguitarfromafriend.
Accordingtomanyobserversandbaseduponhisperformancesthatwererecordedduringthisperiod,
hisplayingdidn'tdemonstratethefluid,creativeconsistencyhewasknownfor,probablyduetothe
factthathedidn'tfindaguitarhewascomfortablewith.AfterthetourwithEllington,Djangoplayed
soloforacoupleofweeksincafesaroundNY,buthesoongottiredoftheStatesandreturnedto
France.ThistripwasDjango'sonlyvisittotheUS.
ListentoDjangoReinhardtplayingHoneysuckleRosewithDuke'sband(onelectricguitar):
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DuringhisreunionperformanceswithGrappelli,Django
againflaredhisbrilliantenergizedswingwork,thehallmark
ofhisstyleandusingsubtleextractsofthenewBop
soundsfromacrosstheatlantic,hismusicsoaredagainto
thedelightoflistenersandfanseverywhere.
Intheearly50sDjangobecameincreasinglysecludedand
onlyoccasionallyperformedorrecorded.Hebecamevery
unpredictable,notshowingupforconcertsorforgetting
hisguitar.
Django'splaqueinSamoissurSeine
In1951,DjangosemiretiredtothesmallFrenchvillage,
SamoissurSeine.Shortlyafterrecordinghislastsession(Djangology),Djangodiedofabrain
hemorrhageinMay1953.
Django'sguitartechniquewas100%unique.Firstandforemost,hehadtohandleallsinglelinesolos
withtwofingers.
Djangoemployedchordsthatwherenotusedatthattime.Hewasabletofingerjustaboutanychord
voicingheneededusinghistwocurledinfingerstofretnotesontheuppertwostringsBandE,while
histwohealthyfingershandledthemidandbassstrings.Unusedstringswereoftenmutedbytheleft
hand.Standardminorandmajorchordswerenotused,butreplacedbyminor6,major6andmajor
6/9.Dominantsoftenhadb9andb13tensions.
Hehadanamazinglydexterouspickinghandandwasabletomaximizeitsuse,compensatingforhis
twofingeredsolos.Harmonically,consideringtheera,Djangowasveryadvanced.
Someimportantelementsofhisguitarstyle:
Arpeggios:Djangousedalotofarpeggiosinhissolos.Sometimesheletsallarpeggionotes
precedebyaleadingtone,likeinthisexampleonaGtriadarpeggio:
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Chromatism:chromaticnotesareanimportantaspectofthegypsysound.
Thediminishedsound:diminishedarpeggiosandchordswereoftenused,forexampleover
dominantchords(BdiminishedarpeggiooverG7,resultsinaG7b9sound).Playingall
diminishedchordinversionsafteroneanotherisalsoapopulartechnique.
Glissando:aslidethatresultsinarapidseriesofascendingordescendingnotes.
Octaves:Djangowasoneofthefirstguitariststoemployoctaves.
Stringbends
Django's Legacy
Django'shistoricalimportanceisbeyondclichwordslikelegacy,hehaseasilybeenoneofthe
mostinfluentialguitaristsinjazz.Arguably,theonlyEuropeanjazzmusicianstorendersucha
broadandallinclusiveinfluencemightbeJoeZawinul,JanHammer,JohnMcLaughlinandothersbut
DjangohadbyfarthemostprestigiousinfluenceonAmericanjazzguitaristsandmusiciansingeneral.
PioneerslikeLesPaul,JohnnySmith,CharlieChristianandWesMontgomeryallsaluteDjangoasone
oftheirprimaryinfluences.Addtothatlistliterallyalltheremaininggreatsofjazzguitaralongwith
blues,rock,country,folk,countryswing,andbluegrassplayersandyouhaveanentireplethoraof
musiciansmovedandinspiredbytheingenious,virtuoseworkofDjangoReinhardt.
DjangoReinhardtisperhapsthemostfamousEuropeanjazzmusician.Hewasbornin
Belgium,butlivedmostofhisliveinFrance.
Afteranaccidenthewasleftwithonly2fullyfunctionalfingersonhislefthand(besideshis
thumb).Hehadtoreinventhisentirefingeringsystem.
HisbandQuintetteduHotClubdeFrance,featuringthefamousviolinplayerStephane
Grappelli,wasasensationinEuropeandtheStates.
BesidesalittleelectricexcursionwhenhewastouringwithDukeEllington,Djangosolelyplayed
acousticSelmerguitarsduringhisentirecareer
Django'smostpopularcompositions:Nuages,MinorSwing,Djangology,Swing'42,Belleville
DjangoReinhardtcouldnotreadmusic.
Reinhardt'snickname"Django"istheRomaniwordfor"Iawake".
Django'ssonBabikandhisgrandsonDavidarerespectedjazzguitaristsaswell.
DjangoReinhardtreachedthe66thplaceinthe2005electionofTheGreatestBelgian.
There'sastarnamedafterDjango.
BarneyKesselownedoneofDjangoReinhardt'sguitars.Itdidn'tstayintunethoughand
Barneyhadproblemsplayingchordsonit.
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