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Post by grayn on Sept 22, 2023 12:49:55 GMT
Referring to previous posts, here is little Jimmy Rosenberg (aged 11) playing on a Washburn electro.
Some player.
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Post by grayn on Sept 20, 2023 6:12:02 GMT
He did have a lovely tone to his voice. R.I.P.
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Post by grayn on Sept 17, 2023 8:01:00 GMT
Those new tuners do look a lot nicer. Love the buttons. Love that Autumn Leaves classic, as well. Some very nice improv there, with some tasty left hand vibrato. I deffo need to work on improv. Here's a rather exotic beauty. Milan Ciz F Hole Gypsy Jazz Manouche Skellig Michael.
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Post by grayn on Sept 15, 2023 19:27:06 GMT
Be very interested to see the new tuners and the old. Bass can add a lot to the G.J. sound, IMO. Just need a fiddle player now. I've been working on an original tune. Also been playing with different picks and improving my playing position. Very much going with the traditional arm and hand positioning. Pick wise, although I enjoy the feel of a very thick plectrum, the tone never sounds right to me. I find the best for me is 1 to 1.4. Loads to learn and so far it's been fun. Pagelli Gitane Nouveaux. Ermmm!
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Post by grayn on Sept 12, 2023 15:20:59 GMT
Nice playing delb0y. It's a really nice tune, too. I agree that the more melodic (slower) players have a lot to offer. Some the the acrobatics I see some G.J. guitarists do, reminds me of some metal players and can be a little OTT. It's the phrasing that is the most important, to my ears.
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Post by grayn on Sept 10, 2023 12:04:56 GMT
I went ahead and replaced the factory strings on my recently acquired Gitane D500. I had a very old packet of Argentine strings (10 to 45). The factory strings were OK but didn't feel and sound like I had remembered from my previous dabble into the world of Gypsy Jazz guitars. I thought perhaps the 10s may be a bit light for a D-hole guitar but now they are on, they are definitely OK, gauge wise. And now they are on, I instantly remembered how they felt and sounded in the past. A very smooth, less jangly tone and to my ears, very much suited to a heavier plectrum and the G.J. style of playing. Yeah, I am very happy with this set of Argentines.
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Post by grayn on Sept 9, 2023 8:56:05 GMT
I see your point on the loudness front. I guess it's all a matter of getting a style that suits one's aims and abilities. I'll never be great at this style but hope to get where I feel confident and can enjoy myself. It would be great to play G.J. live and get people on their feet and moving.
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Post by grayn on Sept 8, 2023 16:58:44 GMT
I agree with everything you say about the D500. Well done for learning the chorus of Swing Gitane. It's a great tune and you played it well. One thing you do, that I am trying to work on too, is you play too softly. I am using a heavier plectrum than I am used to and find with a far more aggressive technique, that G.J. tone is coming out more. Long way to go but I am finding that that simple adjustment is helping quite a lot. I say simple but with a heavy pick and light strings, control is the order of the day. I too am thinking of new strings, though the D'addario Gypsy Jazz on it are fine. I have used Argentines before and seem to remember, they had quite a different sound and feel to these D'addarios. With the shorter scale I think 11s may be the way to go. This Patenotte is rather cute, I think.
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Post by grayn on Sept 8, 2023 9:54:21 GMT
This video proves your point. The rhythm guitar being a 12-string dread, strung with 6 strings (Ibanez?). It doesn't seem that long ago when Jimmy Rosenberg was Little Jimmy Rosenberg, a child prodigy on the G.J. guitar. He's a great player and his dad, on rhythm, is no slouch. I think any guitar with a decent amount of middle and good projection would do but as you say, these G.J. guitars are so damn cool to look at and play. There's a vid of the excellent Bireli Lagrene playing G.J. on a nylon string but it didn't sound right to me.
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Post by grayn on Sept 7, 2023 10:39:11 GMT
Love to hear your views on the D500. I was looking in my string drawer this morning and noticed I have an unused but very old (15 years+) set of Argentine strings, by Savarez. I wonder if they are still OK to use? They are 10 to 45 though, so might be a little light for a shorter scale D-hole guitar. Here's a couple of vids of the grand master himself. It's great to see him playing, with the narration and how he very occasionally makes use of his injured finger. This is a wonderful piece of musical history. One of Django's most well know tunes. Here's a pic of Django's brother, Joseph. Playing a very unconventional G.J. guitar. And a rather nice Favino-Replica-D-Hole- by JWC.
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Post by grayn on Sept 6, 2023 13:55:05 GMT
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Post by grayn on Aug 22, 2023 6:25:42 GMT
Interesting video but I can't see the point in the instrument itself. All that string tuning, arm and hand stretching and it doesn't sound as good as a guitar or a good keyboard.
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Post by grayn on Aug 4, 2023 19:39:27 GMT
I came across a video of TC Helicon's V100 acoustic combo, a couple of weeks ago. I was particularly impressed by the vocal harmony section, in which you can get 2-part harmonies to your voice, that are arranged to go with whatever chords your guitar plays. Nothing new, I know but it seemed very nicely done, with simple controls. Then I read that the combo didn't sound that great in general, compared to ohers on the market. So I thought about just getting the TCH Harmony Singer pedal, that does the same thing, but these were harder to find than a public toilet. So I read up on all that is available and found that one of my regular shops (Promenade Music) had the Boss VE-8 Acoustic Singer unit in. Now this looked the business, as it is basically a pre-amp for both vocals and acoustic guitar, with separate controls for each, plus just about anything you might need to enhance your vocal and guitar signal. Including reverbs, choruses, acoustic resonance and anti-feedback phasing, for guitar and reverbs, enhancements and most importantly, 1 or 2 part harmony, for your vocal. So I went over this morning and got the pedal but I also needed a new amp for it to do it's magic. I wasn't sure whether to go for combos, like Roland's AC33 and Cube Street EX or just an active powered cab. I was leaning toward a combo but the guys at Prom said what was the point, with the VE-8, I had all the controls I needed already, I just needed a power amp/cab. And fortunately for me, they had a a virtually unused, preowned Yamaha DXR12, active cab in. Now this is a serious peice of kit. 3 input channels, covering all types of connections, in and out. And most importantly, the clarity and quality of the sound is truly superb. Without reading any manuals, well I am a bloke, I connected everything up and was immediately impressed by how awesome the guitar (Taylor GTE) sounded. Crystal clear and very full. So I knew the Yamaha was doing it's job. This set up sounded so much bigger and better than any acoustic guitar combo I had heard and that even includes Acus, who in my book are by far the best combos. So now it was onto the VE-8. I kept it simple, with a tad of reverb on the guitar and turned the vocal harmony knob to the one above and one below setting. Impressive? Yes. I soon learnt from my rookie mistakes too. Don't have the harmonies too loud and don't listen to them overly or your voice starts to follow them and that can lead to disaster. Also, as I heard/saw in a video for another harmony pedal, sing confidently, for if you don't, the VE-8 loses it's confidence and again, it turns out badly. So yes, like anything worthwhile, you have to learn how to do it properly. Do so and you may impress yourself and others. The DRX12 and VE-8 are an awesome combination and I look forward to using all they have to offer.
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Post by grayn on Jul 26, 2023 5:12:25 GMT
I went into the Manchester PMT yesterday, to buy a twelver. It must be 10 years at least, since my last time there. Have to say, the guy who served me (in his 40s) was very helpful and knew his stuff. Came away happy with the service and the twelver.
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Post by grayn on Jul 17, 2023 18:12:31 GMT
Excellent tune and playing. Jaunty with some real sophistication. Thanks for posting.
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