Volume 1 Gypsy Jazz Soloing Etudes PDF Edition

francadulcey@gmail.
com Larrea 1334, 23, Buenos Aires, X, 1117

francadulcey@gmail.com Larrea 1334, 23, Buenos Aires, X, 1117
VOLUME ONE
GYPSYJAZZGUITAR
SOLOINGETUDES
Learn Guitar Soloing Strategies & Techniques For 8 Essential Gypsy Jazz Standards
REMIHARRIS
Gypsy Jazz Guitar Soloing Etudes – Volume One

Learn Guitar Soloing Strategies & Techniques For 8 Essential Gypsy Jazz Standards
ISBN: 978-1-78933-420-3
Published by www.fundamental-changes.com
Copyright © 2023 Remi Harris
Edited by Tim Pettingale
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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................................4
Get the Audio..............................................................................................................................................5
An Overview of My Approach......................................................................................................................6
Chapter One – All of Me............................................................................................................................ 10
Chapter Two – Autumn Leaves.................................................................................................................. 23
Chapter Three – Coquette......................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter Four – Danse Norvégienne.......................................................................................................... 42
Chapter Five – Dark Eyes........................................................................................................................... 49
Chapter Six – Dinette................................................................................................................................ 57
Chapter Seven – Django’s Tiger................................................................................................................ 67
Chapter Eight – Minor Swing.................................................................................................................... 75
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................... 82
Introduction
Welcome to the first volume of Gypsy Jazz Guitar Etudes. Like any language, learning how to speak the
vocabulary of Gypsy jazz is best achieved through “conversation” rather than reading a dictionary. In my first
book for Fundamental Changes, 100 Gypsy Jazz Licks for Guitar, we learned dozens of authentic licks that
can be played over static chords, and over the major and minor II V I sequences that crop up frequently in this
music. In this book, we’re going to take things a step further.
Gypsy jazz is built on the idea of playing relatively simply tunes then improvising over the chord changes, and
while it’s essential to have a collection of phrases that just work in your library of ideas, it’s also important to
learn the skill of constructing a solo.
It’s important to have something to say over your favourite tunes and strategies for navigating the chord
changes, and that’s what this book is all about. Three volumes are planned, and throughout the course of the
series you’ll learn to solo over the all-time great Gypsy jazz standards, plus a number of jazz standards that
have found their way into the Gypsy jazz repertoire.
For each one of these etudes, I’ve generally played a solo over two choruses of the changes. Each solo is then
broken down into chunks and explained in detail. Each “chunk” represents a complete idea (i.e. a lick over a
few bars that has a clear beginning, middle and end). This means that when you come to the difficult bridge
section of a popular tune, for example, you’ll have a something ideal to play over it, plus an explanation of
why it works. Over time, you’ll not only add to your library of licks, you’ll grow your understanding of the
harmony of this music too.
I hope you have fun with this selection of tunes.
Remi
4
Get the Audio & Video
The audio files for this book are available to download for free from www.fundamental-changes.com. The
link is in the top right-hand corner. Simply select this book title from the drop-down menu and follow the
instructions to get the audio.
We recommend that you download the files directly to your computer, not to your tablet, and extract them
there before adding them to your media library. You can then put them on your tablet or smart phone. On the
download page, there is a help PDF, and we also provide technical support via the contact form.
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Get the Video:

A performance video of every full solo in this book is available at:
https://geni.us/gypsyjazzetudes
Or scan the QR code below:
5
An Overview of My Approach
In my first book, 100 Gypsy Jazz Guitar Licks, I explained my approach to improvising over chord changes
in some detail. Here, I’ll give just a brief overview of my approach, so you can understand how I think when
presented with a set of chord changes, and learn the simple concept I use to create lines.
Whenever I post videos online, the question I’m most often asked is, “What scale did you use to play that
line?” It might surprise you to know that scales are not usually my primary thought when I’m playing.
When I compose or improvise licks, I generally think in terms of chord tones and chord movements. I may
play ideas that are scale-based from time to time, but my main focus is on the individual chord tones and how
they relate to the root note of the chord and/or the home key of the chord sequence.
A good way to start thinking like this is to focus on specific chord shapes, the chord tones that make up those
shapes, and the other chord tones that are located nearby.
First, we need to visualise a chord shape and think of all its notes in relation to the root note of that chord. Let’s
say it’s a Dm7 chord. We could choose to base our melodic ideas around the common shape below.
The chord tones illustrated above are the “strong” notes of the chord – the root, b3, 5th and b7. These are all
safe notes we can rest on and create melodies with.
But all the notes that surround the chord tones are available to use when soloing too. Each plays a slightly
different role and will create a different sound in relation to the chord.
The diagram below shows all the potential passing notes in easy reach of the chord shape, beginning on the
fifth string where the root is located.
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Of course, on its own, this diagram looks very intimidating! So, let’s break it down.
We can split these passing notes into two groups:
1. Repeated chord tones/extended notes
2. Chromatic notes
First, some of these notes will just be repeated chord tones, while others will be extended tones. This is shown
in the grid below. Within this shape are repeats of the root, b3, 5th and b7. Then we have the 6th, 9th and 11th
extended tones. These extensions will add a different colour to the sound of the basic Dm7 without going
outside the harmony.
Here’s a simple lick based on the above shape that uses a combination of chord tones and extended notes. It
ends on the G (11th) note on the second string to create a Dm11 sound.
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Chord visualisation exercise 1
So, the first way in which we can invent a lick around a chord shape is to understand where the chord tones
and extensions are located in relation to the root note.
The second group of passing notes – those that are neither chord tones nor extensions – are chromatic notes
i.e. they don’t belong to the parent chord. The diagram below shows the chromatic note options in relation to
the root of the chord.
Extensions like the 6th, 9th and 11th are not too far away from the basic chord tones, so we can rest on those
notes and they will create a different colour of minor chord.
Others, like the b5, b9, or the use of the major 3rd over a chord that has a minor chord, create a sound much
further away from the basic tones, so we tend not to rest on these notes unless we are going for a more
“outside” or altered sound. However, they are still useful as passing notes to create tension and release. We
can use them to target the strong chord tones and extensions.
When we combine these two sets of colours, we can compose licks that weave in and out of the harmony
creating tension and release. Work through this longer lick and identify which extended and chromatic notes
I’ve used to embellish the basic Dm7 chord shape.
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Chord visualisation exercise 2
Have a go at creating a couple of licks of your own around this chord shape.
• First, compose a line that uses only chord tones and extensions.
• Next, introduce some chromatic passing notes.
A great tip here is to aim to play chord tones/extensions mostly on downbeats and chromatic passing notes
mostly on up beats. If you play chord tones on the strong beats of the bar most of the time, your licks will
sound grounded, no matter how many chromatic embellishments you add.
This idea can be applied to any chord shape you know.
In the chapters that follow, I’ll often point out the chord shapes I had in mind when I played a specific lick, so
you can see how the idea was originated. Then you can experiment with that shape and see what ideas of your
own you can invent.
If this concept is new to you and you’d like to dig deeper into it, check out 100 Gypsy Jazz Guitar Licks,
published by Fundamental Changes.
9
Chapter One – All of Me
All of Me was composed by Detroit-based writing partners Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons. It’s first
performance was via a radio broadcast from Detroit’s well-known Fisher Theatre in 1931, sung by vaudeville
star Belle Baker. The story may have been embellished over the years, but it is said that Baker had recently
lost her husband and, when singing the lyrics (which tell a story of personal loss), she broke down, giving a
very emotional performance. The press picked up on the story and soon the song was a hit as it gripped the
nation’s interest.
Louis Armstrong and Count Basie soon recorded versions of the tune to cement its popularity and Frank
Sinatra’s version assured its place in the broader public consciousness. Willy Nelson reached a broader
audience still with his version on the album Stardust in 1978. The song has been recorded over 2,000 times by
a who’s who of jazz and popular music.
Django Reinhardt’s recording of this tune can be found on a number of different compilations of his music.
You’ll hear that he approached it at a fairly relaxed pace, but it is typically played much faster at Gypsy jazz
jam sessions. I’ve gone with the latter, quicker tempo, as it’s best for you to be prepared for a more challenging
workout if you get up to play this tune!
Check out these versions of the tune too.
Notable recordings
Django Reinhardt – The Incredible Django Reinhardt
Jimmy Rosenberg – Swinging with Jimmy (with Biréli Lagrène and Angelo Debarre)
Stephane Wrembel – The Django Experiment IV
Although originally written in the key of Bb Major by the composers, All of Me is typically played in C Major,
and that is the key used here. I improvised a solo over two choruses of the form and below is the whole solo,
broken down into individual ideas.
You’ll notice that some of the licks here are presented as four-bar ideas and others as eight-bar ideas. When
breaking down the solo, I wanted to pull out “complete” lines for you to study i.e. phrases that have a clear
beginning, middle and end. The point of these etudes is to show you how to navigate a series of chord changes
and these longer phrases will help you to form some strategies to play through the changes.
Each idea is explained, so not only will you learn some licks over this tune, you’ll understand how to apply
the ideas for yourself. You can work on these concepts in your practice times and begin to develop your own
licks/phrases, and ways of moving between chords.
Let’s get started.
In the overview section I explained how I visualise chord shapes on the fretboard, then work with the notes
around them. Have a listen to the audio track for Example 1a, then look at the chord shapes below. These are
the shapes I had in mind when playing the line. The chord changes move from Cmaj7 to E7, and there are two
useful shapes for these chords located close together in this zone of the neck.
10
For most of the C major part of this line, your first finger will hover around the 7th fret and you’ll play notes
at the 10th fret with your fourth finger. But to begin the lick, play the C note on the first string, 8th fret, with
the first finger, then slide it down to the 7th to get in position for the rest of the lick.
Bars 1-2 and the first half of bar three are all found within the Cmaj7 shape above. However, the first two
notes in bar three are also the root and 5th of E7. Finding notes that are shared by multiple chords within a
sequence is a good way of flowing naturally between changes without sounding like you’re jumping from
chord to chord.
E7 is built from the notes E, G#, B and D. In the second half of bar three we move from the note A to G# (the
3rd of E7). As well as the root note, the 3rd of a chord is a strong identifying note – it can tell us whether the
chord is a major or minor chord type.
Example 1a
When chord changes occur in a piece of music, targeting strong chord tones to signal the change is a key way
of outlining the harmony. It’s a great strategy to learn because it will help your lines to sound grounded and
well connected to the music you’re improvising over.
This idea is used over the change from E7 to A7 at the beginning of the next example. I’m still visualising the
E7 shape used in the previous example, plus this A7 voicing located in the same position on the neck.
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Rather than play the root note of the E7 chord, I opted for the 5th (B) on the fourth string, 9th fret. After
playing this note I slipped into the E7 shape above.
To signal the change to A7, I targeted the 3rd of the chord again. A7 is constructed A, C# E, G, so I aimed for
the C# note. Notice that I used two notes below the 3rd of A7 to walk up to it chromatically. This is a sound
commonly heard in jazz – you can use notes that are in, or from outside, the scale to target a chord tone.
Generally, to ground the harmony, we want to play strong chord tones on the beat (as here, where the C# note
falls on beat 2 of bar one). But we can also break this “rule” to add a bit of tension to our lines. On beat 3 of the
same bar, I play a Bb note over the A7 chord. Refer back to the overview section and you’ll recall that we can
potentially play any note around the chord shape. Some of these notes will be extensions of the chord, while
others will be chromatic passing notes.
Here, the Bb note is the b9 of A7. It implies an A7b9 harmony, but this is quickly resolved, and we play the A
root note before the end of the bar.
The last three notes of bar one are referred to in jazz as an enclosure. The A root is our target note, and we
play a note above it, then a note below it, before we play the A. The notes either side enclose the target note.
Example 1b
If you can strongly visualise a chord shape on the fretboard then you can target any chord tone with your lines.
Still working around the same E7 shape, Example 1c begins by playing the b7 (D) of the chord, then walks up
the third string to play the E root note on beat 1 of bar one. We then walk back down to play the b7 again on
beat 3. Although this line contains several passing notes, it’s the chord tones played on the beat that pop out.
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In bar two a new idea is introduced that is an important concept in Gypsy jazz. If you’ve listened to even a
small amount of this music, you’ll probably have noticed that diminished chord arpeggios are played a lot. The
style of Gypsy jazz lends itself to this sound, and the use of the diminished was a signature of Django’s playing.
A common technique is to play a diminished 7 arpeggio launched from the 3rd of a dominant chord. For E7,
that’s a G# note. G#dim7 has the notes G#, B, D, and F. Starting with the G# on beat 2 of bar two, you’ll
see that I play the notes of the arpeggio in order, and continue to repeat the arpeggio into the higher octave,
stopping on the note D.
Some chord visualisation will help us understand why this idea works. Study the diagram below from left to
right for a moment.
We begin with the basic E7 shape we’ve been using. If we raise the note on the second string a half step, we
form an E7b9 chord (grid two).
The third chord grid shows that we can add a B note (5th of E7) on the top string at the 7th fret to create a
fuller sounding E7b9 voicing.
The final grid shows that if we remove the E root note, we’re left with a G#dim7 arpeggio.
Jazz musicians have called this concept the dominant-diminished connection, where we visualise a diminished
7 arpeggio sitting on top of a dominant chord and use it to play over that chord.
Note that the band don’t have to be playing an E7b9 for you to do this. You can play a G#dim7 arpeggio over
a plain E7 chord and it will still create the trademark Django sound.
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Example 1c
In the next part of the solo, to play over the Cmaj7 chord in bar one, I’m visualising the chord shape below,
with the C root note on the third string. It’s helpful to be able to visualise inversions of chords, and not just
voicings where the root is the lowest note played. This is a second inversion (a chord in which the 5th is the
lowest note played) and it’s a useful shape in this context as it’s located close to the E7 shape we’ve been using.
Notice in bar four that the line picks out the 3rd (G#) from our E7 shape to spell the harmony.
When we arrive at bars 5-6, this line is based around the same A7 shape used in Example 1b, and the ascending
line in bar six is an A7 arpeggio. The lick ends over a Dm7 chord. I think you’ll easily find where the Dm7
shape is located without me pointing it out. All three shapes are located in the 5-7 fret range.
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Example 1d
In the next section of the tune a common chord progression happens. The harmony moves to chord IV in the
key of C Major – played here as Fmaj7. Then the quality of that chord is changed from major to minor.
The resulting Fm6 chord moves down a half step to Em7 (chord III in the key of C), followed by A7 (a
dominant version of chord VI).
This is followed by a II V movement to take us back to C major.
Variations and fragments of this sequence crop up in many jazz standards and even some Beatles tunes.
In bars 1-2, the melodic line is built around these two chord shapes.
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Fmaj7 is constructed F, A, C, E, and Fm6 is F, Ab, C, D. The obvious distinguishing notes to go for here are
the 3rds and the movement from A to Ab, which occurs at the end of bar one/beginning of bar two.
In bar five, the lick played over the Dm7 chord is based around a standard, sixth string root Dm7 barre chord
at the 10th fret.
When it comes to the G7 chord in bar six, you’ll notice there is a descending chromatic movement on the
second string, which gives the lick an angular sound. One way of understanding this phrase is to say we’re
targeting the G root note on the second string, 8th fret, approaching it from above. But you can also view this
lick as moving through three variations of G7, like this:
These closely related voicings have that exact movement on the second string, and if you were just comping
chords over this tune you could play these shapes in order.
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Example 1e
I’m sure you’re beginning to get the idea by now, but the next line is based around the two closely connected
chord shapes below. Examine the notes being played and you’ll see that they are within easy reach of the
chords being visualised.
This chapter is foundational in helping you to relate melodic ideas to the chords underlying them, so I’m
pointing out everything. In subsequent chapters, I won’t spell out every shape being used, unless it’s one we’ve
not encountered before or is useful to discuss a specific concept. You can do some detective work and figure
out those shapes yourself! It will help to grow your knowledge and give you the skill of being able to analyse
a lick.
This lick is a “question and answer” idea. The question phrase happens in the pickup bar/bar one on the top
string, then this musical statement is answered in bars 2-3, where similar phrasing is used on the second string.
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The idea here is to climb up chromatically and hit a chord tone on beat 1 of the bar. In bar one, the target note is
the G (the 3rd of Cmaj7) on beat 1. In bar two, it’s the D note (the b7 of E7) on beat 4&. This D note is played
early, anticipating the chord change, and is held into bar three.
Example 1f
The lick over the A7 bars of the next example can be a bit tricky at tempo, so play through it very slowly a
couple of times to begin with and work out how you’ll move your fingers. In bar one, you’ll play a hammer-
on/pull-off (using the first and third fingers) then immediately slide down a fret with the first finger. You’ll
play a similar movement on the second string as that phrase spans the bar line. Aim to get these legato phrases
sounding smooth and fluid.
The whole, two-bar A7 phrase moves between these two A7 shapes:
Example 1g
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To create some contrast in the solo, it’s time to break up the single-note lines and play something different.
An effective way of achieving this is to play small chord forms to outline the harmony, and to do so in a way
that is rhythmically interesting.
In bars 1-2 we’re playing a fragment of the 12th fret E7 barre chord illustrated in Example 1e. These three
notes omit the E root. It’s not necessary to play the root, as the backing has that covered.
In bars 3-4 we’re using a fragment of the Am7 voicing below, omitting the top string. This gives us a compact
three-note voicing that contains the root, b3 and b7.
Rhythmically, all the chord stabs are syncopated. In each bar, the first stab is an 1/8th note and falls on beat 2&.
Count, “1 and 2 and.”
The second stab is a 1/4 note and falls on beat 4. Putting both together, count,
“1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.”
Don’t forget to hold the second stab slightly longer. Listen to the audio and you’ll get the idea.
In bars 5-6, a fast trill is played for the D7 chord. This is executed by strumming just the top four strings very
rapidly and is known as tremolo picking. It requires down-up strumming across all four strings, beginning
with a downstroke.
When picking, my hand usually floats in one position over the strings, near the sound hole. For tremolo
picking, I loosen my wrist a little more and hold my hand slightly further away from the strings. This helps to
relax the picking hand further and get the strumming speed up.
In bars 7-8, the Dm7 to G7 chord change is spiced up a little, with Dm9 and G13b9 voicings.
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Example 1h
This line also begins with a question and answer phrase. In the pickup bar/bar one, the question is stated, and
in bars 2-3 the answer comes, moved over a string set. The question phrase begins with an enclosure, playing
notes below and above the target note of C, which falls on beat 1 of bar one. Similarly, the answer phrase
echoes the phrasing and uses an enclosure to target the E root note of E7.
The lick in bar four is a staple phrase from bebop jazz and the vocabulary of Charlie Parker. It’s designed to
weave around the chord tones of A7 until it lands on the C# note on beat 1 of bar five (the 3rd of the chord).
The next note (Bb on the top string) is the b9 of the chord, which we hang onto for a second before resolving
to the A root note.
In bar six, the descending run first spells an A7 arpeggio, then a C#dim7 arpeggio (the diminished arpeggio
built on the 3rd of the dominant 7).
Can you identify and play the chord shapes that this line was built around?
Hints:
For the C major chord, it’s the shape we’ve used before in the fret 7-10 zone.
This time for the E7 chord, it’s a common 7th fret bar chord with the root note on the fifth string.
For the A7 and Dm7 chords, it’s the 5th fret bar chords we’ve used before.
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Example 1i
Now we come to the final eight bars of the solo. The line begins in the pickup bar and we need to outline the
F major to F minor chord change again. Over the Fmaj7, the simple phrase moves between D and C notes. C
is the 5th of Fmaj7, and D is the 6th. It suggests that the harmony is either Fmaj7 (F, A, C, E) or F6 (F, A, C,
D). The sound of the 6th interval is used often in Gypsy jazz.
The 3rd interval is used to move from F major to F minor (A to Ab). You’ll likely know the common Fm7 barre
chord with its root note on the fifth string, 8th fret. Notes around that shape are used to create the melodic line.
An Eb/D# note is raised a half step at the beginning of bar three, so we move smoothly from the b7 of Fm7
(Eb) to the root of Em7.
To bring the solo to a conclusion, we end by spelling out the changes with chord fragments, punctuated with
notes in between. Hold down full barre chord shapes at the 5th fret for the A7 and Dm7 chords, and at the
3rd fret for G7. They are standard barre chord shapes. The embellishment notes can be reached while holding
down the chords.
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Example 1j
Now you’ve practiced every part of the solo etude, work on joining all these ideas together and playing the
full, two-chorus solo.
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Chapter Two – Autumn Leaves
The music for Autumn Leaves was composed by Joseph Kosma in 1945. The original lyrics were written in
French by poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert and titled Les Feuilles Mortes. Two years later, celebrated
lyricist and songwriter Johnny Mercer penned the English lyrics.
One of the most well-known jazz standards of all time, there have been more than 1,000 commercial recordings
of the tune by everyone from Doris Day and Nat King Cole, to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, plus countless
other jazz greats.
Autumn Leaves is often one of the first tunes learned by students new to jazz, because it has a simple, diatonic
melody, and contains both major and minor ii V I chord sequences. It’s a great introduction to understanding
and navigating jazz harmony and is ideal for soloing practice. Add its French origins to its accessibility as a
piece of music, and it’s easy to see why it’s a must-know Gypsy jazz standard.
Have a listen to these versions of it.
Notable recordings
Stochelo Rosenberg – Seresta
Joscho Stephan – Sundowner
Frank Vignola – The Living Room Sessions (with David Grisman and Robin Nolan)
As mentioned in the previous chapter, I won’t spell out every chord shape I’m thinking of from now on, as it
will help your progress to do some detective work and figure out the chord voicings for yourself. However,
I’ll mention the chord shapes when relevant, and it’s worth noting here that it’s possible to play voicings for
all seven of these chords in a five-fret zone on the neck. Here are the shapes I was visualising to build the line
around.
NB: you might find it easier to play this Gm6 voicing with the first finger barring the top four strings at the
5th fret.
There are no big playing challenges here, but sticking closely to the chord shapes and highlighting important
chord tones gives the improvised lines a solid grounding and makes the harmony clear to the listener.
23
We start with a chromatic descent into an Eb note, which is the b3 of the Cm7. This Eb note is played on the
4& of the pick-up bar, anticipating the chord. Placing notes on this off beat, just before the chord arrives, is a
nice way to add a sense of swing and bounce to your phrases.
At the end of bar one, the Bb note (the b7 of Cm7) moves down a half step to A on beat 1 of bar two, which hits
the strong sounding 3rd of the F7 chord. Another half step movement, this time using a chromatic approach
note, targets a D note on beat 1 of bar three (the 3rd of Bbmaj7). You can take some liberties with the “in
between” notes in your solos, as long as you keep hitting chord tones on strong beats.
Example 2a
When you listen to the full solo etude, you’ll notice that the last bar of the previous example and the first bar
of this one dovetail together, as my aim is always to give you complete ideas with a clear beginning and end.
In Example 2b, I want to point out a common technique borrowed from modern jazz, which happens in bar
one, called implied harmony. The original chord changes for Autumn Leaves have G minor for two bars before
changing to C minor. Implied harmony means to we introduce a chord change that’s not written on the chart
to enrich the harmony, so here Gm6 becomes G7.
Although there are many ways to imply harmony in jazz, this idea is particularly common. It works well
because G7 is the V chord in the key of C Minor and naturally wants to resolve to the Cm7 chord. So, we have
a smooth, Gm6 to G7 to Cm7 set of changes. Although I’ve written G7 on the chord changes below, so you
can see where it happens, normally it won’t be written on a chord chart. Also, the band probably won’t play a
G7 chord, but as the soloist you can imply that the chord change exists and make a feature of it.
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Example 2b
Check out the next lick and see if you can identify the chord shapes the idea is constructed around. I’ll give
you the first one – this common Am7b5 at the 12th fret.
Hint: after this chord, play a standard D7 sixth string root barre chord at the 10th fret.
For the line over Gm6, we start with a fifth string root G minor shape at the 10th fret, but the lick transitions
all the way down the neck to a 3rd fret, sixth string root G minor.
Example 2c
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As the minor ii V i section of the tune repeats (Am7b5 – D7 – Gm6), in this line I actually play the Am7b5
chord before jumping up into 10th position to work around the same D7 shape as the previous example. The
lick over D7 ends on a Bb note at the end of bar two. Here we are anticipating the Gm6 chord by playing its
b3 ahead of the beat. Notice in bar four that the G7 harmony is hinted at again.
Example 2d
In the next example, the lick that begins in the pickup bar, played over Cm7 uses this shape:
This is a common Gypsy jazz phrase and, if you like to think scalically, the notes come from the C Harmonic
Minor scale (C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B). The diagram below shows how the harmonic minor fits around the chord
shape. The harmonic minor has just one note different to the natural minor scale (a B instead of Bb), which
gives it its unique flavour, and it really lends itself to this genre of music. Experiment with the scale over this
chord during your next practice time.
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I’ll point out the chord shape used for F7 here as we are making a small alteration to the harmony. Instead of
a regular F7 shape, we’re using this F7b9 form:
This shape is great to connect the Cm7 and Bbmaj7 chords. Play those three chords in sequence and you’ll spot
a nice descending chromatic line on the second string.
Example 2e
Here’s another reminder of our strategy to play chord tones on the strong beats of the bar. Slightly anticipating
beat 1 of bar one, we simply play the A root note of Am7b5, then aim for the 3rd of D7 (F#) on beat 1 of bar
two. The line over D7 then leads to a D note on beat 1 of bar three, the 5th of Gm7.
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Let’s examine the line played over D7 for a moment. It uses the less common D7 shape below. This is an
inversion of D7 (it contains all the notes of D7, but the D root is not the lowest note in the voicing). It’s known
as a second inversion, in which the 5th of the chord is the lowest note. Hold the shape down and you’ll see that
the first four notes of the lick are all accessible with the fourth finger.
To introduce a bit of surprise into the line, the next four notes include an intervallic leap on the top string,
which breaks out of the shape. This is repeated over the Gm7 chord before we fall back into a 10th position
Gm7 chord shape.
Example 2f
At first sight, the next part of the solo looks complex, but if we break down the busiest bars and think about
the chord shapes that underpin the idea, it begins to make much more sense.
We start with a Gm6 lick in the pick-up bar, where I play a simple enclosure idea that targets the D chord tone
(5th) and uses the notes either side of it (Db and Eb).
In bar one, we play a standard Am7b5 shape at the 5th fret, which is followed by a D7b9 voicing that has the
5th (A) in the bass. This shape carries over into bar two, and the melody notes are built around it.
In bar three, you can probably easily visualise the G minor barre chord at the 3rd fret that the line is built on.
Listen to the audio and you’ll likely recognise the sound of the diminished arpeggio in bar four over G7. It’s
the dominant-diminished connection idea we looked at previously – to play a diminished arpeggio built on the
3rd of a dominant 7 chord. For a G7 chord that equals a Ddim7 arpeggio (D, F, Ab, B). Here, we’re launching
it from its Ab note.
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Example 2g
Take a moment to analyse the first three bars of the next example and see if you can identify the chord shapes
underlying the melodic line.
Refer back to Example 2a and you’ll discover the Ebmaj7 and Am7b5 shapes. Over bar two, the note played
on the second string, 4th fret should tell you that we need to visualise a D7b9 shape here, and the Gm6 in bar
three is easy to identify.
The hardest part of this lick is the descending triplet run that begins partway through bar three and continues
through bar four. I use strict down-up alternate picking to play this line. The challenge with an idea like this is
that we are playing 1/8th note triplets, but often there are four notes per string, which means we have to split
a triplet across strings and still keep the line sounding smooth. The best way to learn this is to play through it
slowly and sound out each three-note unit separately, to get the sound of the phrases in your head.
Work out a fingering that is comfortable and efficient, with minimal position changing. At the beginning of
bar four, it feels comfortable/efficient to me to play the note on the second string, 3rd fret with the first finger,
then jump the first finger onto the third string, 5th fret, play that note, before sliding it back to the 4th fret. This
movement gets the fretting hand in the right position for the rest of the lick.
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Example 2h
In bar one of this line, the Am7b5 chord sounds ahead of the opening lick, so you know exactly what shape it’s
based around, and in bar two the D7 chord shape is hinted at. What shape are we using in bar three?
Example 2i
Can you visualise the two chord shapes used to open this line? It’s this standard G7 shape…
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…followed by a sixth string root Cm7 barre chord at the 8th fret.
The Bbmaj7 line can be viewed as moving between these two shapes:
Example 2j
Here’s another challenging 1/8th note triplet lick to finish off the solo. It’s based around two shapes you’ve
encountered already: Am7b5 with a fifth string root at the 12th fret, and a sixth string root D7 barre chord at
the 10th fret.
I suggest you first play the Am7b5 chord to visualise it, then slowly play the line in bar one. Then pause and
play the D7 chord, followed by the line in bar two. This is a great way to build the connection between the
chord shape and the line.
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Example 2k
When you’re confident, put on the backing track for this chapter and work on the whole etude.
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Chapter Three – Coquette
Coquette is the oldest tune we’ve looked at so far, dating back to 1928. It was originally composed as a foxtrot
by John Waldo Green (writer of the jazz standard Body and Soul) and Carmen Lombardo, with lyrics added by
Gus Kahn. Many versions of the tune were recorded before Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli tackled
it in 1946.
It’s another Gypsy jazz standard that has been widely recorded and, in the late 1990s, even Paul McCartney
recorded a version in the style of Fats Domino. In fact, there is a persistent myth that Coquette was written by
Fats Domino, but when he released his version in 1958, the tune was already 30 years old by then. You can
hear Django’s version on the album L’inoubliable.
Coquette is a bright, swinging tune usually played in the key of D Major. It has a simple, memorable melody,
which has no doubt added to its popularity over the years.
Notable recordings
Andreas Öberg – Andreas, Ritary & Yorgui
Jimmy Rosenberg – The One and Only (with Biréli Lagrène and Angelo Debarre)
Django Reinhardt – Souvenirs
Jazz is an improvised art form based around a framework that has chords and a melody. Once the melody has
been stated, it’s up to the musicians to create new melodic ideas over the harmony. In times gone by, musicians
were taught to improvise simply by taking the melody and varying it – perhaps by altering just a couple of
notes, or by keeping the same notes and altering the phrasing. This way of playing results in a highly melodic
approach that sticks close to the composer’s intentions for the tune.
This is the approach I took with the etude for Coquette. The tune has a bright, upbeat feeling, and it’s in a major
key. Without actually playing the melody at any point, I’ve tried to reflect the phrasing and feel in a way that
suits the song. Because of the approach, you’ll hear more motifs and question and answer phrases in this piece,
which we’ll discuss as we go through it.
The only chord you’ve not encountered before in this piece is D6. Rather than point out every D6 shape as it
arises, I’ll give you each voicing variation now, and you can refer back to this diagram to work out which is
being used at various points in the solo. From left to right, we’ll refer to them as shape 1, shape 2, etc.
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We start with a simple phrase that sticks close to how the melody is phrased and shares a couple of its notes.
Notice that the phrasing of the lick in bar three is echoed in bar seven.
Example 3a
In contrast to the simplicity of the previous idea, this line is a little busier. In the pickup bar, over the Em7 to
A7 change, the melodic line arises from a fifth string root Em7 barre chord at the 7th fret.
For the D6 bars, we’re moving between shape 3 and shape 2 of the D6 chord voicings.
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Example 3b
In the next part of the solo, we spice up the harmony a little by playing more of an “outside” sound over the
A7 chord. Rather than play a straight A7, tension is added with the help of a common A7#5 shape:
The #5 note in this chord is the F on the second string. Without it, it’s just a regular A7 chord, so the F gives
this chord its character. The #5 sound is anticipated near the end of bar one, before the A7 chord sounds, then
in bar two, a chromatic run down is built around the above shape. Remember our guideline of placing chord
tones on strong beats? Although there are a lot of passing notes in bar two, A, G and E chord tones of A7 fall
on beats 2, 3 and 4.
Can you see which D6 shape the line in bar three is built around?
Example 3c
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In Chapter Two, when playing over a sixth string root minor 7 barre chord, I pointed out a common harmonic
minor scale lick that can be played, and here is a similar idea in bar one. Visualise an Am7 barre chord at the
5th fret. Compared to the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor has a raised 7th degree, which means it
always has a note a half step below the root note. In the A Harmonic Minor scale, that movement is G# to A.
You can see the G# note in bar one, and how it fits around the barre chord shape.
In bar three, a G6 chord crops up. Take D6 shape 4 from the earlier chord diagram and transpose it to have a
G bass note. This is the shape used to form the line.
Example 3d
This is another example of a question and answer phrase. In bars 1-2, a melodic statement is played, posing the
question. In bars 3-4 the answer comes. The lick contains both elements of what we might consider a question-
answer melody: first, it uses similar rhythmic values and descending phrasing. Second, the parts are played
in different registers on the guitar, which makes it sound like a conversation between two different voices. If
you’re ever stuck for ideas about what to play, repeating a phrase in a different register and varying it slightly
is a great way to generate melodic ideas.
Example 3e
Here is slightly different approach to the same idea. For this lick, think shape 3 for D6. The whole line is
based around this zone of the fretboard. Rather than a question and answer phrase, I’d call this a motif. A motif
simply means an idea that is repeated. One way of creating a motif is to play a repetitive idea that continues
while the chords change underneath, as here, similar to an ostinato in classical music.
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You’ll see this idea is constructed around just two notes on the fourth string, B and A. To keep things interesting,
I alter the rhythm of how they are played and also use displacement – the idea of moving a phrase to a different
part of the bar.
Restricting yourself to just a few notes, or to playing in a single zone of the fretboard, is a great way to force
yourself to get creative. Imposing limitations on ourselves means we have to work harder to come up with
something good.
Example 3f
This example begins with a simple motif before stretching out into a more complex line. The majority of this
line is based around standard Em7 and A7 chords shapes you’ve encountered before at the 12th fret. In bars
5-6 most of this line is built around just the E minor shape, until we hit the C# note on the fourth string, 11th
fret – the 3rd of the A7 chord.
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Example 3g
At the end of the previous example, a motif began in bar eight that dovetails with the next example. We’ve
seen that one way of creating a motif is to repeat the same notes while the chords change underneath. Another
approach is to take a phrase and change one note each time a chord change occurs.
Often, the notes that are changed will be to do with highlighting chord tones. But they don’t have to be – just
altering the phrase slightly will alert the listener that the harmony is changing, and we can choose spicier
notes. The motif is stated in bar one over the D6 chord. In bar two, one note is changed over the Em7 chord.
It’s actually the b5 of the chord and implies an Em7b5 harmony. When we get to the A7 chord, the same note
is altered again, while the others remain the same. This time, the altered note is the #9 of the chord for an
A7#9 sound.
Example 3h
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The next idea features another fast 1/8th note triplet run. The run begins at the end of the pickup bar and the
whole idea through bars 1-2 is based around this chord movement:
The Am7 chord is an inversion (with the 3rd, C, in the bass) and is closely connected to the D7 barre chord at
the 10th fret.
The key to playing runs of this nature is to stay relaxed and try not to tense up too much. The best way to
practice something like this is to repeat the phrase over and over with a metronome at a tempo that you find
easy to play. Then, gradually push the tempo up in small increments, stopping for repetitions on each bpm.
If you find yourself tensing up or struggling to play, back off the tempo until you’re in a window that feels
comfortable. Gradually, over time, you will find that your ability to play at higher tempos improves. Another
thing I recommend is to always warm up with something easy before attempting the more technical playing. I
never start my day with anything technically challenging!
Example 3i
To break up the single-note soloing, here’s a chordal passage that speaks for itself!
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Example 3j
The next example has the final eight bars of the solo. In bar two, the line over Em7 uses this shape, rather than
the standard 7th fret barre chord:
This shape dovetails nicely with a 5th fret A7 barre chord.
Notice the A#/Bb note at the beginning of bar five. It creates an A7b9 sound over the A7 chord.
In bar six, we conclude with a “stock ending” phrase. You’ll have heard this before because it’s one of those
phrases that just works and does the job!
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Example 3k
Have fun connecting these ideas together to play the full solo.
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Chapter Four – Danse Norvégienne
Django Reinhardt played a broad spectrum of music before he began playing jazz. His jazz influences included
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang, but he also took inspiration from folk and
classical music. The Gypsy jazz standard Danse Norvégienne is a reworking of Danse Norvégienne Nr.2
written by Edvard Grieg – one of the great Romantic era classical composers. Grieg himself often incorporated
melodies from traditional Norwegian folk music into his compositions and he wrote four Norwegian dances
for piano in 1883.
Danse Norvégienne has a sweet, playful melody when converted into the Gypsy jazz style. Check out Django’s
stunning solo on his version on the album Swing 48, which can be found on Spotify.
Like Django’s version, we’ll play this as a ballad in the key of D Major. It has a rich sounding harmony with
several extended or altered chords.
Notable recordings
Django Reinhardt – Souvenirs
Adrien Moignard – Adrien Moignard Trio Live
Biréli Lagrène – Move
In jazz it’s very common to set up a tune by playing the last part of the chord sequence, so in this example I’ve
used the last two bars as an introduction. After a short ascending run, the form of the tune begins in bar three.
To begin with, the chords alternate between D and Gm6. In the key of D Major, the G chord would normally
be major rather than minor, but the Gm6 adds a melancholy quality that suits the mood of the tune.
The melodic line in bars 3-4 is built around the shapes below – a standard D shape, and an inversion of Gm6
(G, Bb, D, E) with the 6th (E) as the lowest note.
The line targets a single chord tone of Gm6 each time that chord is played. First, a Bb (b3) and then the G root,
though this is played an octave lower than the G in the chord voicing.
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In bar five, over the Bm7 chord we play a melodic line that implies that chord could be a B7. Although not
written into the chord changes, this is the device we discussed in an earlier chapter, where a minor chord is
changed to a dominant chord, so that we can view it as a V chord, then resolve it to a I chord.
In this case, it implies the movement from B7 (V) to Em7 (i), briefly suggesting an E Minor tonality rather
than D Major.
Example 4a
As the tune moves along, another chord is used from the key of E Minor – the aim of which is to introduce
a ii V movement. Look at any jazz standard and you’ll see that it’s full of ii V cadences. They are one of the
most important sounds in jazz and often substituted or superimposed into chord sequences to create different
harmonic variations. Often, the aim of such a change is to add in extra dominant 7 chords, over which there
are lots more options to play melodic lines that include altered notes.
In Example 4b you’ll first play the F#m7b5 chord shape I had in mind, and you can probably see that it makes
sense to base the B7 melodic line around a sixth string root B7 barre chord at the 7th fret. The lick in bar one
has a slight classical Baroque feel to it, which seemed in keeping with the origins of the tune. Notice that B7
chord tones (B, D#, F#, A) are falling on the strong beats. The same is true for the Em7 and A7 chords in
bar two.
The quick descending run in bar three is based on a B7 arpeggio. We arrive on the top string with a C note,
which is the b9 of B7. This shifts down to the root note, and from there we descend a B7 arpeggio until the end
of the bar. The last two notes of the arpeggio (F# and D#) fall either side of the root of the next chord (Em7).
If you land on this E note with your first finger, you’ll be able to plant the Em7 bar chord played next.
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Example 4b
When soloing, never be afraid of leaving space. Because we guitarists don’t need to breathe between phrases
like horn players, it’s all too easy to fill a solo with notes. Singing along to your playing will immediately
improve your phrasing as it will force you to pause for breath. This is a great way to practice, even if you don’t
do it in front of people or at gigs. You can even sing under your breath if you don’t feel comfortable singing
aloud, and don’t worry if you not singing perfectly in tune, it’s more about using your breath to guide you to
play in phrases. Try to speak with your guitar.
Moving between registers, rather than playing in one position, is a simple but effective way to add depth and
variation to your playing. Here’s a simple, low register line that focuses on highlighting specific intervals of
the chords. In bar one, the A note is the 5th of D, and it’s a nice movement to use a chromatic note to target the
B note which is the 3rd of the G chord. To fit the melody to the Gm6 chord, all we need to do is flatten that B
to Bb for the b3.
Example 4c
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When we studied the tune Coquette, a D6 chord was a major feature of that tune and we looked at a series of
voicings across the neck, around which we built melodic lines. Refresh your memory with the diagram below.
In the pickup bar and bar one, visualise shapes 4 and 5 above (reading from left to right). The line begins
around shape 4 and moves up into shape 5. From shape 5, we stretch up to an A note (the 5th), and from there,
moving a half step higher gets us to Bb, the b3 of Gm6. Wherever we can use half step chord resolutions, they
are a great way to spell out the harmony with minimal movement and make our lines sound more purposeful.
In bars 1-2, each time the Gm6 chord occurs, we are playing around this common inversion shape (transposed
into the top register):
The above chord shapes will eventually repeat across the fretboard (although we’ll quickly run out of neck),
and in bar three the D6 line can be viewed as based around shape 5, moving into shape 1, transposed up an
octave into the high register.
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Example 4d
The next example is a long, descending line played over the F#m7b5 to B7 chord change. This line is played in
1/16th note triplets and the idea is to create a long, flowing line that floats over the underlying ballad rhythm.
After playing the first three notes, it’s best to think of this line in groups of six notes, then join them all together.
The lick is based around the 7th position, so allow your first finger to hover around 7th fret and drop briefly
into 6th position near the end of bar one.
In bar two, hold down a fifth string root Em7 barre chord while picking out the notes around it.
Example 4e
For the next part of the etude, if you hold down these chord shapes for bars1-2, the notes will fall around them.
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When we get to bar three, I’m using a simple substitution idea over the movement from D to D7. The idea is to
view the D7 as a V chord and imply that it is preceded by its ii chord (Am). This opens up a new chord shape
that is useful for transitioning higher up the fretboard.
On beat 2& of bar three, there is a chromatic approach note (C#), then the next four notes (C, E, G, B) spell a
Cmaj7 arpeggio. Look at the diagram below and you’ll see a familiar shape for Cmaj7. If we were to add an A
root note to that shape, it would spell an Am9 chord, and it makes the ii V sound (Am to D7).
The lick in bar three moves from the substitute Cmaj7 shape, through the Am7 shape above, and into a
standard D7 barre chord at the 10th fret. Play through the chords first to visualise the shapes, then play the line.
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Example 4f
We end the solo with a more challenging 1/32nd note run. Think standard 5th and 6th string root chord shapes
for this line. You’ve played them all before, so don’t be daunted by the number of notes! The B7 descending
run, for instance, fits easily around a standard 7th fret, sixth string root B7 barre chord. Break that line down
into groups of four notes and play through them slowly to learn the run.
Example 4g
Once you’ve practiced all the individual sections, work on bringing together the whole etude.
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Chapter Five – Dark Eyes
Like many old tunes, the precise origins of Dark Eyes are difficult to pin down, but it is widely accepted to be
a “Russian romance” tune (describing a genre of Russian folk music that is both sentimental and has hints of
Gypsy influence) based on the melody of Florian Hermann’s Valse Hommage, first published in 1879.
Django recorded this tune three times under its French title Les Yeux Noirs, twice in 1940 and again in 1947.
Despite its romantic beginnings, Django tended to play this song fairly up tempo. You can hear his original
performance with the The Quintet du Hot Club de France on Best of Djangologie (this version appears on
several other recordings and compilations). Also check out the later, faster version on Electric Django: Radio
Recordings 1947 which has a challenging, virtuosic solo!
Notable recordings
Django Reinhardt – The Incredible Django Reinhardt
Stephane Wrembel – Introducing Stephane Wrembel
Stochelo Rosenberg – Seresta
Dark Eyes has a fairly simple harmonic structure and is usually played in the key of D Minor. When the tempo
is this brisk, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just playing lots of notes, so for this solo I aimed to play strong
melodic motifs with pauses in between and, when it came to playing fast, I opted for sequenced-type licks
rather than passages with lots of chromatic passing notes.
The opening lick in Example 5a is based around standard 5th position A7 and Dm7 barre chords. When I’m
playing over a minor key tune, the mood of the piece affects the notes I tend to reach for around the chord
shapes. Although I don’t change my basic approach (any notes within easy reach of the shape are options), I
find myself going for the notes that are evocative of the minor Gypsy jazz vocabulary.
So, in this lick, we play a line that dances around the root note of the A7 chord, first on the sixth string, then
on the first. For those who like to think in terms of scales and prefer to experiment that way, this lick could be
seen as coming from the D Hungarian Minor scale, which has the notes D, E, F, G#, A, Bb, C#.
If you play it over an A7 chord (chord V in the key of D Minor), it has the lovely G# note a half step below the
root, which is what I’m emphasising here.
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Example 5a
Example 5a was essentially a motif and it’s repeated in Example 5b. The only difference is that the motif ends
over a Bb6 chord this time, so the end of the phase is altered to accommodate it. The final G note is the 6th of
the chord.
Example 5b
Here’s a similar phrasing idea. In bar one, the ascending run states the motif. It’s repeated in bar three, but
notice that the idea starts in a different place in the bar. This is known as rhythmic displacement and simply
means repeating an idea from a different starting point. This is quite an effective strategy as the idea will have
a different effect depending on where you choose to place it in the bar.
Each time the motif ends, the final two notes of the phrase spell different chord tones. Over Gm6 it’s Bb and
G (the b3 and root). Over Dm6 it’s A and F (5th and b3).
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Example 5c
Over the next two examples, the intensity of the solo begins to build with a couple of faster runs. In Example
5d the ascending/descending run is based around two common A7 chord shapes, both with root notes at the
12th fret. The latter is the standard barre chord shape. The first shape is the one shown below.
Remember the dominant-diminished connection we discussed earlier? Here it is again. The diagram shows
how a standard A7 can be changed to an A7b9 chord which, in its full version, has a C#dim7 arpeggio sitting
on top. Play through the lick slowly and listen to the note choices and you’ll hear the diminished sound. The
colourful sounding notes are from C#dim7 (C#, E, G, A#/Bb).
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Example 5d
The previous idea was a complex motif and here is the restatement of the idea in Example 5e, again using notes
from the C#dim7 arpeggio.
Example 5e
In the next two examples the solo hits its high point and we have some fast sequencing ideas. A “sequence”
can describe the way notes are grouped together (e.g. a climbing a scale four notes from the root, then going
back to the second note in the scale and climbing four notes from there, etc.) or a phrasing idea, where the
same rhythmic phrase is repeated, though the notes may change.
We take the latter approach here. Bars 3-4 hint at a sequencing idea that is expressed fully in Example 5g,
with all the notes arranged on the top string. To play this trill idea, anchor your first finger at the 13th fret and,
after executing the first triplet hammer-on/pull-off, slide the first finger down one fret to the 12th. Now play
the second hammer-on/pull-off, then slide the first finger down to the 10th fret to play a similar phrase over
Dm6 in bar four.
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Example 5f
Example 5g expands on the previous idea, playing the sequenced lick in different locations on the top string
as the chords change.
The note choices create different colours or tensions over the chords. In bar one, the focal point of the phrase
is the E note at the 12th fret, the 5th of A7, and the phrase moves a half step either side of it. The resulting F
and Eb/D# notes are the #5 and b5 of the A7.
Over the Dm6 chord we have a D root note and an E, which suggests a Dm9 sound.
When we get back to A7, the sequence is moved down and now the focal point is the D note at the 10th fret.
This is an extended chord tone (the 11th), but the C# note a half step below it is the 3rd of the chord.
Finally, when we reach Bb6, the focal point is the C note at the 8th fret (the 9th), paired with the Bb root note
at the 6th fret.
Notice in the sequence that sometimes the notes are separated by half steps and sometimes whole steps, so
you’ll need to make small adjustments in the fretting hand.
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Example 5g
To end this chorus of the tune, it’s time to dial back the intensity and add some space into the phrasing before
we begin a new idea for the final chorus.
In bar five we have an example of superimposing or suggesting a chord which isn’t necessarily included in the
main changes of the tune. The chord is a Bb dominant, which we are superimposing onto the A7 chord.
The G note at the beginning of the bar is the 13th of Bb7, and the note it’s bending to (Ab) is the b7. I often
connect these notes (13th and b7) with a bend, as I like the sound of the microtones found in between the two.
Although bending strings is more commonly associated with blues or rock playing, Django used this technique
to great effect.
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Example 5h
Now we move to a new idea as we get into the final 16-bar chorus. Example 5i spells out the harmony with
octaves. As the idea begins over A7, notice that we’re still highlighting that Hungarian minor G# to A root
note movement.
Example 5i
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And, finally, to bring a solo to a close, it’s always effective to spell out the chord changes, creating some
rhythmic interest. You’ll have heard the final lick before – it’s a staple Gypsy jazz chromatic approach idea
and a 100% reliable way to end a tune!
Example 5j
Now that you’ve practiced every section of the solo, have a go at piecing it all together.
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Chapter Six – Dinette
The tune Dinette is a Django original and is a contrafact i.e. a new melody written over the chord changes to
an existing tune. In this case, the source material was the tune Dinah.
In everyday French usage, the term dinette usually means a very small or even a pretend diner (as in jeu de
dinette – literally, a toy kitchen for children). In one of Django’s versions of this tune he plays a musical pun,
quoting the melody of Dinah i.e. Dinah/diner. You can hear this particular version on Djangologie Vol.19
1949-1950.
Notable recordings
Django Reinhardt / Quintette du Hot Club de France – Djangologie Vol.12 / 1940-1941
Adrien Moignard – Generation Django
Babik Reinhardt – Babik joue Django
Dinette is played in the key of Ab Major. To start this solo etude, we’ll play some variations of a common
turnaround progression. You’ll frequently see the I vi ii V sequence in jazz standards. In the key of Ab Major
that’s Ab6 – Fm7 – Bbm7 – Eb7. It’s called a turnaround because each chord resolves nicely to the next and
the whole thing just rolls around. It’s frequently used at the end of a jazz blues, to turn the tune around to the
beginning, and you may recognise it as the A section chords of every “rhythm changes” tune.
Rather than play this sequence straight, I added a couple of substitution ideas. The first “substitution” is really
an inversion – an Ab major chord (Ab, C, Eb), but voiced with the C in the bass. It’s arranged so that we can
start with a chromatic descending bassline. Voiced in this way, the chord sounds like a Cmb6 chord.
Notice that the notes on the G string also descend chromatically. We lower both outer notes of the previous
chord to play Bm6 at the 7th fret. This is a substitution for the Fm7 chord that’s often used here. The next
chord, Bbm7 is the unchanged ii chord of the I vi ii V, followed by its V chord, Eb7.
In bars 3-4, the idea is to replace the descending bassline pattern with an ascending one. The I chord, played
here as an Ab5 (Ab, Eb, Ab) anticipates the beat, so appears at the end of bar two. This is followed by an
Adim7 chord at the 5th fret, played with a stripped-down voicing.
This substitution is replacing the Fm7 chord. An idea used by many jazz guitarists is to play diminished
voicings as connecting chords. So here, we have Ab6 – Adim7 – Bbm7. The diminished sound wants to
resolve a half step up (or down), so it’s useful as a passing chord if you want to transition between two other
chords. It works because if the bass player is playing the original F note, superimposing Adim7 on top makes
an overall F7b9 sound – and it’s very common in jazz to play the vi chord in the I vi ii V as a dominant, rather
than a minor chord.
A similar substitution idea in the tune’s original chord changes occurs in bar eight. The Bdim7 chord is placed
there to resolve down a half step to the Bbm7.
57
Example 6a
After the chordal passage in the previous example, the solo started with a simple melodic idea that continues
in Example 6b. The approach throughout this line is to target strong chord tones, and at the end of bar one,
a chromatic walk up lands on a G note on beat 1 of bar two (the 3rd of Eb7). At the end of bar two, a similar
chromatic approach targets a C note for the Ab chord (the 3rd).
Example 6b
It’s worth pointing out the chord shapes I had in mind for the beginning of the next part of the solo. Take a
look at them below.
58
The first is a standard Ab major barre chord at the 4th fret. The second is a first inversion Ab major (voiced
with the 3rd in the bass). Take away the highest note in this voicing and you’ll see it’s the first chord we played
in the introduction to the solo. The line in bar one starts with the standard barre shape, then moves into the
inversion. We’re back in the second shape when the chord changes back to Ab in bar three.
The line in bar four spells a Bdim7 arpeggio, disguised slightly by sliding into the notes.
Example 6c
The next example opens with a line built around the two chord shapes below. In bar one, you can see we’re
really just playing the shape, whereas bar two uses some passing notes.
59
In bar four, this line is formed around a standard C7 barre chord at the 8th fret and ends with an Ab note, the
b3 of Fm7.
Example 6d
The last note of Example 6d is the same note at the beginning of Example 6e, included to make melodic sense
of the idea. This line takes place over the middle eight of the tune, which has more of a minor feel. In bars 1-4
the new chords are simply highlighted.
In bars 5-8, the melodic line moves through the following sequence of chord shapes, sticking quite closely to
the notes of each form. In bar seven, the Eb dominant chord change that is coming up is anticipated ahead of
the beat with the first Eb7 shape. Try playing the line slowly while holding down the shapes, and only break
out of each shape when you’re forced to.
60
Example 6e
The next example is played mostly in the high register of the neck, so I’ll spell out for you the chord shapes
I’m visualising to play this part.
As you’ve done before, take a moment to just play through the chord shapes, then visualise how the notes fit
around them.
61
Example 6f
This example begins with an Ab6 chord stab, but the melodic line jumps up into a higher shape of Abmaj7,
with the root note at the 11th fret.
For the Bdim7 chord in bar four, the line is based around the 12th fret shape seen in the previous exercise. In
bar five, the line ends on the cool sounding 11th of the Bb minor chord.
62
Example 6g
The first part of Example 6h is built around the two chord shapes below. Once again, we are chord tone
targeting with the line, as approach notes are used to target the 3rd (G) of Eb7. In bar two, the line also picks
out the b7 (Db) of Eb7. A chromatic approach is also used to get us to the 3rd of Ab in bar three. The 3rd is
always a very strong interval to aim for, because it immediately tells us whether the underlying chord is of a
major/dominant type (major 3rd) or minor (b3).
63
Example 6h
For the next section of the solo I improvised a motif spontaneously that evolved into a longer melodic idea.
The idea began by targeting the 3rd (C) of the Ab chord from a half step below. That B note is the tense
sounding #9 against the Ab major harmony. In bar two, however, the B note is the b7 of the Db7 chord, and we
approach it from a half step below with a Bb. Over this chord, the Bb is the #5. The original motif is repeated
when the chord changes back to Ab.
The motif is played one more time in bar four, adapted for the Bdim7 chord, where the root note is targeted
from a half step below before the line breaks away from the idea.
Example 6i
Now we are back into the middle eight for one more time. The opening phrase is based around a 1st fret F
minor barre chord, as I’m sure you can see. The open E note played in anticipation of bar 2 is the 3rd of the C7
chord, and the E note in bar three hints at a harmony of Fm(Maj7), which has the notes F, Ab, C, E.
This line could also be interpreted as coming from the F Hungarian Minor scale, aka the Gypsy Minor (F,
G, Ab, B, C, Db, E). As you can see, it contains the tense sounding E note, and also a B – the equally tense
sounding #11 interval. Both are great sounding tensions, compared to the expected Eb and Bb of the natural
minor scale.
64
See if you can identify the chord shapes I had in mind for the line spanning bars 6-8.
Example 6j
The solo concludes with a simple motif played on the top strings, punctuated with chord stabs. Make sure to
listen to the audio and get the rhythms down, as nearly all the chords are syncopated.
65
Example 6k
66
Chapter Seven – Django’s Tiger
Django’s Tiger is a piece by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, first released on January 31st 1946,
and credited to “Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France avec Stéphane Grappelly” (with
Stéphane’s surname spelled incorrectly).
Django’s Tiger is another contrafact, so-called because it is based on an improvisation of the earlier tune Tiger
Rag, recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917. Django recorded the tune in London in 1946,
when he was reunited with Stéphane Grappelli after the The Quintet du Hot Club de France was put on hold
by World War II. They had to be accompanied on the session by London-based musicians when the French
musicians they had expected to play with failed to obtain visas in time for the trip.
This recording of the tune appears on numerous Django compilation albums, but a nice remastered version can
be heard on Echoes of France from 2000. Also check out these other excellent versions.
Notable recordings
Angelo DeBarre – Angelo DeBarre: Live in Paris
Dorado Schmitt – Family
Gonzalo Bergara and Adrien Moignard – Clasico
Django’s Tiger is in the key of A Major and is usually played at a brisk tempo. As a Django original, it’s a
regular feature of Gypsy jazz jam sessions and is a must-know tune.
Here’s a simple melodic line to get us started on the solo. Essentially, the chord progression in the first eight
bars just moves from chord I (A major) to chord ii (Bm7) in the key of A Major, but a chromatic approach
chord is written into the changes. The Bm7 is approached from two steps above. The passing C#m7 chord
belongs to the key signature, but the Cm7 does not.
This helps us in forming a melodic line because we can simply follow the changes to outline the harmony. We
could choose any note from the first chord in this sequence and keep lowering it a half step to spell the changes
– I chose to play the 5th (G# to G to F#).
67
Example 7a
A substitution that Django added to this sequence, which isn’t usually found in Tiger Rag, is the idea of raising
the E7 V chord a half step to F7. For the first part of this line, visualise a standard 7th fret E7 barre chord. Now
visualise this shape up one fret for the F7 chord. For the Bm7 and E7 chords, we’re using the obvious 7th fret
simple shap20es as our framework.
Example 7b
68
In Gypsy jazz, it’s common for rhythm players to use simple three-note voicings for chords, and mostly voiced
on the lowest three or four strings. Straight major and minor voicings are normally replaced by major 6 and
minor 6, or minor 7 voicings. In bars 1-3 of this example, you’ll see a repeating F# note. There is no F# in a
regular A major chord or Amaj7, but there is one in an A6 chord, and below is the shape I was thinking about
while improvising.
Notice in this chord shape that the 5th has been omitted, so we’re left with the root (A), 6th (F#) and 3rd (C#).
As an aside, if you wanted to turn this chord into an Am6, all you have to do is lower the C# note on the third
string by a half step.
Example 7c
The next eight-bar section completes the first chorus of the solo and serves as a kind of long turnaround for
the song. For the D6 and D#dim7 chords, visualise the shapes below. When we transfer a major 6 chord onto
the middle strings with a fifth string root, it’s common to play this four-note voicing which adds a 9th into the
chord, D6 and D6/9 are often interchangeable. From there, it’s easy to move into the diminished 7 shape, also
voiced on the middle strings.
69
The line played over the F#7 chord transitions between these two shapes in order to move into 7th position,
ready to play around a Bm7 sixth string root barre chord.
Example 7d
70
In the next example, it’s worth pointing out the less common E7 voicing at the 9th fret that the opening phrase
is based around. It’s an inversion with the B (5th) as the lowest note. Once you hold down this shape, you can
see that the notes are easily accessible around it.
For the melodic line spanning several bars of A major, we move between two shapes. Again, in order to really
visualise the chord shapes and see how the notes are formed around them, hold down the chords and have a
slow play through of the line.
71
Example 7e
In the next example we’re playing a long-form motif. The idea begins in the pickup bar and spans bars 1-2.
Then the idea is adapted for the F7 chord in bars 3-4.
The line over E7 is constructed around a sixth string root barre chord at the 12th fret, then we need to visualise
this being moved up a half step for the F7 chord. From there, the underlying chords are a fifth string root Bm7
barre chord at the 14th fret and back to the previously used E7, 12th fret shape.
Let me explain the idea that occurs in bars 7-8 here. The original harmony is simply two bars of A major. If we
wanted, we could make this a I vi ii V turnaround and play A – F#m7 – Bm7 – E7.
For variety, I played a common modern jazz substitution here based on the I vi ii V. The idea is to play the I
chord (A), then play the b5 of every other chord in the sequence. So, C is b5 interval below F#, F is a b5 below
B, and Bb is a b5 below E. This idea is reminiscent of the great John Coltrane.
72
Example 7f
This example opens with a line based around a fifth string root A major barre chord at the 12th fret. Notice the
chord tone targeting as we move from Em7 to A7 in bars 5-6, landing on C# (3rd of A7). The D6 line is based
around the 5th fret D6/9 shape we saw in Example 7d.
73
Example 7g
The final part of the solo begins in the same D6/9 and D#dim7 shapes as Example 7d. As we transition from
D#dim7 to A/E, we target the root note on the top string. As the chord changes to F#7, it feels natural to aim
chromatically for the 5th (C#) of that chord.
Can you work out and visualise the chord shapes for the rest of the line?
Example 7h
74
Chapter Eight – Minor Swing
Minor Swing was written by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli and recorded by The Quintet of the Hot
Club of France in 1937. It is considered by many to be Django’s most popular and instantly recognisable tune.
Django recorded the tune several times throughout his career, but the original 1937 version with Stéphane
Grappelli is considered by most to be the definitive recording.
Interestingly, Minor Swing has two different melodies, one used as an intro and the other as an outro. There is
no melody over the actual soloing changes, although Django’s improvised solos on this tune are so melodic
and memorable that people often quote parts of his playing in their solos.
Minor Swing is based on the three chords of a minor blues in the key of A Minor. Because of its harmonic
simplicity, this tune is often the first to be learned by students new to Gypsy jazz. It’s a great vehicle for
jamming over and trying out licks and ideas.
Notable recordings
Django Reinhardt – Nuages (Remastered 2020)
Martin Taylor – Spirit of Django
The Gary Potter Quartet – Le QuecumBar Live in London
Minor Swing has just three chords, A minor, D minor and E7. Because there are only three chords, and most
of the shapes used are common ones, we won’t discuss the chord shapes in detail in this chapter. Instead, we’ll
focus on the melodic ideas and how they are created and applied.
This first example has a two-bar introduction (it’s normal to begin the tune with an intro of some sort, usually
ending with an E7, ready to resolve to chord I of the progression) and the solo begins in bar three.
In bar four, this line works around a 5th fret A minor 7 barre chord, with the root note on the sixth string. It
might be hard to see how this lick arose from this shape initially, but try playing the exact same thing using the
top three strings (start on the B note on the third string, 4th fret) and you’ll see it’s actually very close to the
chord shape, I’ve just moved the lick down into the low register.
The A minor lick lands on an F note for the D minor chord (the b3). For the E7 line, visualise a fifth string
root barre chord at the 7th fret. The idea was to weave around the E root note to begin with, before ascending
an E7 arpeggio (E, G#, B, D).
75
Example 8a
The minor 6 is an important sound in Gypsy jazz and Minor Swing is the ideal vehicle to test it out. The lick
in bar one here is based around a 10th fret Dm7 barre chord, but we’re highlighting a B note, which is the 6th
(Dm6 has the notes D, F, A, B).
Notice that the lines played over the Dm and Am chords are a question and answer phrase. Think 7th fret barre
chord for the E7 line, with the root on the fifth string.
Example 8b
76
The next example features a couple of long descending runs. Over Am in bar one, the opening phrase targets an
E note, the 5th of the chord, from a half step below. As with previous ideas, this line could be seen as coming
from the A Hungarian Minor scale, aka the Gypsy Minor scale, which has the notes A, B, C, D#, E, F, G#.
In bar two, the descending phrase over Am is a simple, repeating A minor triad (A, C, E), but played A, E,
C – root, 5th, b3. Reordering the notes in this way allows us to play a flowing line that quickly moves down
the neck.
For the E7 bars, this line is formed around the sixth string root, 12th fret barre chord. It contains several
chromatic passing notes, which are always useful to fill out a bar when we want to play a continuous stream
of 1/8th notes.
Example 8c
Take a look at the lick in bar one of this idea. Imagine playing a standard, open position D minor chord on
the top three strings – possibly one of the first chords you learned on the guitar when you ventured into minor
keys. Now move that three-note chord up into the high register, so that your first finger is on the first string,
13th fret, rather than the 1st. This is the shape the line is built around and, if you hold down the shape, you’ll
see that most of the notes are easily accessible from it.
To transition to the Am chord in bar three, a simple half step movement targets the b3 of the chord, and we
play a bluesy lick for this chord.
For the E7 chord, we’re playing around with the 5th (B), moving a half step above to C and back. In bar six,
all the notes can be found in the A Gypsy Minor scale mentioned in Example 8b, but don’t let that phase you.
Remember that we’re just visualising a plain E7, 7th fret barre chord, and choosing notes around it that we like
the sound of because they create a certain colour.
77
Example 8d
After playing some chords to punch out the harmony, the descending run over E7 uses a chromatic pattern.
Notice that it uses the fret pattern 10, 9, 8, 7 on each of the top three strings. The way I often approach using
chromatics in my lines is to play strong chord tones on strong beats. Notice in this run that the 7th (D), 5th (B)
and the 9th (F#) of E7 all fall on down beats. Having these notes on strong beats means you can still hear the
chord (in this case E9) within the chromatic run.
Example 8e
78
Standard barre chord shapes also guide this melodic line. We’re using shapes at the 5th fret for both Dm
and Am, and some half step movements help us to weave around the chord tones without losing sight of the
harmony. Notice in bar four the colourful sounding F# note over the Am chord. It’s the 6th and captures our
attention because it’s played in the lower register.
This time, over the E7 chord, we play a G#dim7 arpeggio (a diminished 7 arpeggio built from the 3rd of the
dominant 7 chord).
Example 8f
The next line might look a little intimidating on paper, but it’s actually based on a very simple idea. The focal
point of the line is the E chord tone (5th of Am) on the first string, 12th fret. Think of this as a pedal tone (a
note that we keep returning to, while other notes change around it). To launch the lick, we play the open E
string, then focus on the 12th fret. Notice that the majority of notes in bars 1-3 are on the first string.
We hit an F note when the chord changes to Dm, which is its b3, then begin to break out of the pedal tone idea.
The line over E7 begins with an enclosure. We play the E root note, then notes a half step above and below,
before playing the root again. After that we play an ascending E7 arpeggio.
The idea of picking a chord tone, enclosing it, then playing a straight arpeggio afterwards is one that has been
used by countless jazz musicians. It’s helpful to analyse an idea like this, because it can appear complex until
we break it down and find that it’s actually quite a simple idea. Try it out on some different chords, repeating
the formula of enclosure + arpeggio.
79
Example 8g
We end the solo with some chordal work, which is always a good way to signal that your solo is coming to
a conclusion. We can use different variations of chords to create a chord-based lick, much like the great Wes
Montgomery did in many of his solos. First, a Dm9 to Dm7 movement.
Over the Am chord, we’re essentially playing a Cadd9 voicing to begin with. This chord shape is interchangeable
with Am, as three of its notes (C, E, G) are shared. The D note, which isn’t in an Am chord, is the 11th of Am.
In other words, if we added an A bass note to this voicing, we’d be playing an Am11.
On beat 2 of bar three, we change voicing to what you’ll recognise as a straight C major chord. Again, because
the bass note being played underneath it is an A, it makes the chord function like an Am7. In bar four, we have
a different Am7 voicing at the 5th fret.
In bars 5-6, the solo draws to a close with a little nod to Django! Django began his famous Minor Swing
solo with a similar chord lick. It begins at the end of bar four with an Adim7 arpeggio, which moves into an
E7b9b13 voicing at the end of bar five. In bar six, moving one note changes this voicing to E7b9 on beat 1&.
Then we move this chord shape down a minor 3rd to play an inversion of E7b9.
It sounds much more complicated than it is in reality. Play through the chords in order and you’ll immediately
get the sound. Using diminished shapes to connect ideas is a mainstay of modern jazz guitar and was used by
Django, Wes, Joe Pass and many more.
80
Example 8h
81
Conclusion
Well done for reaching the end of this book! We’ve covered a lot of ground and learned lots of melodic ideas
we can play over eight must-know tunes from the Gypsy jazz repertoire – a mix of Django staples, plus a
couple of jazz standards that are always played by Gypsy jazz artists and tend to feature at jam sessions.
As well as learning some authentic vocabulary, I hope I’ve managed to pass on some tools for creating your
own licks. Throughout the book, you’ve had lots of practice at visualising chord shapes and seeing how
melodic lines can be constructed around them. Take this idea into your practice times and explore it more
deeply.
Start with just one chord, say an Am7. Play the chord, then pick out notes around it. Pick a note at random
and see if you can identify whether it’s a chord tone, an extended note, or a chromatic note. Now, start
experimenting and see if you can create a phrase.
When you’ve worked with one chord shape for a while, find a different voicing of Am7 and start again,
exploring the notes around it and constructing musical phrases that weave inside and outside of the shape.
Repeat the exercise until you run out of chord voicings.
Now, pick a new chord – perhaps one that works with Am7, such as D7, and start the process again. This
approach will ensure that your melodic phrases sound grounded (because they are closely based around
chords), and fresh (playing around multiple voicings of each chord will keep things creative).
Finally, listen to as many versions of each tune as you can. Hearing what other musicians make of a tune will
always give you a fresh perspective and spark new ideas.
Have fun!
Remi
82
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com Larrea 1334, 23, Buenos Aires, X, 1117

Gypsy Jazz Guitar Soloing Etudes – Volume One

Copyright © 2023 Remi Harris

Edited by Tim Pettingale

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Get the Audio..............................................................................................................................................5

Chapter One – All of Me............................................................................................................................ 10

Chapter Two – Autumn Leaves.................................................................................................................. 23

Chapter Three – Coquette......................................................................................................................... 33

Chapter Four – Danse Norvégienne.......................................................................................................... 42

Chapter Five – Dark Eyes........................................................................................................................... 49

Chapter Six – Dinette................................................................................................................................ 57

Chapter Seven – Django’s Tiger................................................................................................................ 67

Chapter Eight – Minor Swing.................................................................................................................... 75

I hope you have fun with this selection of tunes.

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We can split these passing notes into two groups:

1. Repeated chord tones/extended notes

Chord visualisation exercise 1

Chord visualisation exercise 2

• Next, introduce some chromatic passing notes.

This idea can be applied to any chord shape you know.

Chapter One – All of Me

Check out these versions of the tune too.

Stephane Wrembel – The Django Experiment IV

Let’s get started.

This is followed by a II V movement to take us back to C major.

The whole, two-bar A7 phrase moves between these two A7 shapes:

Count, “1 and 2 and.”

“1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.”

Chapter Two – Autumn Leaves

Have a listen to these versions of it.

Joscho Stephan – Sundowner

Chapter Three – Coquette

Django Reinhardt – Souvenirs

This shape dovetails nicely with a 5th fret A7 barre chord.

Chapter Four – Danse Norvégienne

Adrien Moignard – Adrien Moignard Trio Live

Biréli Lagrène – Move

Chapter Five – Dark Eyes

Stephane Wrembel – Introducing Stephane Wrembel

Stochelo Rosenberg – Seresta

Chapter Six – Dinette

Adrien Moignard – Generation Django

Babik Reinhardt – Babik joue Django

Chapter Seven – Django’s Tiger

Dorado Schmitt – Family

Gonzalo Bergara and Adrien Moignard – Clasico

Chapter Eight – Minor Swing

Martin Taylor – Spirit of Django

The Gary Potter Quartet – Le QuecumBar Live in London

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