Django question . .

[farmerjones]

- saw him on some very old film footage. Left hand up close.

Did he use a standard guitar tuning?

i'll try to find the link back . . . .

[Bob Perrey]

Django used the standard EADGBE tuning. In one of his "Improvisations," he begins with open strings (standard tuning) and goes on melodically from there. Considering the unique technique Django developed because of the limitations of the ring and pinkie fingers on the left hand, other tunings might have proved problematic. Standard drop-D tuning, for instance, would have involved long reaches with the pinkie to play chords, reaches difficult or impossible for his injured hand. In standard tuning Django did a lot of 9th chords and two- and three-note chords, and he did his famous runs up and down, rather than across the fingerboard, sometimes picking at tremolo speed while simply sliding up the board on single and multiple notes. The magic of Django's playing was in his right-hand technique. Best wishes.

[John McGann]

Django used the standard EADGBE tuning. In one of his "Improvisations," he begins with open strings (standard tuning) and goes on melodically from there. Considering the unique technique Django developed because of the limitations of the ring and pinkie fingers on the left hand, other tunings might have proved problematic. Standard drop-D tuning, for instance, would have involved long reaches with the pinkie to play chords, reaches difficult or impossible for his injured hand. In standard tuning Django did a lot of 9th chords and two- and three-note chords, and he did his famous runs up and down, rather than across the fingerboard, sometimes picking at tremolo speed while simply sliding up the board on single and multiple notes. The magic of Django's playing was in his right-hand technique. Best wishes.

Django played plenty of 6 string chords as well, as you'll hear in his solo tracks called "Improvisation" (there are 6 different ones from various eras, the one you mentioned with the open strings is #1, and sheer genius as usual!).

A common 6/9 chord voicing he played was:

A6/9: 577677 (AEAC#F#B)

thumb on 6th string
barre 5th and 4th with middle (2nd) finger
1st finger 3rd string
'the claw' damaged 3rd and 4th barring at 7th

He could use 'the claw' for chord forms.

His middle finger was as long as my leg!

[farmerjones]

Thanks for the get-back Bob & John,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY

i can hear that heavy pick. (rumored it was a trowser button?)
Quite the right hand indeed.

I heard Jerry Garcia playing with Grisman, seemed like he was going to pick the string right off the boards too. i never had the muscle or the guts.

Thanks again

[Paul Hostetter]

I'm really glad that John put up that very telling photo. You can see his full chord thing/all-four-fingers+thumb in full swing (pun intended) in the J'attendrai clip.

[mandocrucian]

FWIW: Playing 2-finger, ala Django, style isn't nearly as "hard" (technically) as everybody seems to think it is.

My brother Erik and I used to do "limitation 'games'" all the time, even onstage, such as being restricted to using only certain LH fingers, or not using particular strings, etc. These exercises force your mind to adapt to new situations, positions, fingerings etc. and will help you to escape 'the box' (both literally and figuratively).

Using only the index and middle fingers actually simplifies your fingering, You have only three choices - open string, index or middle. And you are using your two strongest fingers. In the process you learn all about alternate "stretch fingerings" and you are continually practicing your shifting until that becomes as fast as if you used the ring and pinky fingers.

Plus... it can be visually entertaining from the audience point of view. You can have a "mock contest" with your onstage cohorts.... "That's nice Bubba, but I can play that tune with one finger!" Eventually you (both end up playing only with the extended middle finger) - which can be dedicated to the heckler standing at the bar.

British rock session guitarist Chris Spedding was another primarily 2-finger fretter. He injured his hand somehow and ignored the doctor's orders to rest the hand and compounded the damage and subsequently was reduced to playing with the first two fingers. Jon Mark (Mark-Almond, John Mayall) tore off one of his fingers falling out of a tree during his Mark-Almond band years.

(For an even more challanging mental exercise, try playing overhand, reversing the direction of the fingers on the neck - pinky closest to the nut, index closest to the bridge.)

Niles H

[cdoodle]

Could anyone please tell me what the strings should be for a "Django" tuning on a quatro / tenor guitar?

Many thanks!

[cdoodle]

Apologies, I mean to say "tuning" -- what is the order of strings for a Django tuning on a quatro?
Thanks again

[Paul Hostetter]

I've heard of a cuatro (two main types, quite dissimilar) but never a quatro. What are you talking about? Django Reinhardt played the guitar.

[Glassweb]

The magic of Django's playing was in his right-hand technique. [/QUOTE]

no lack of magic in his left hand either. check out John Jorgensen on You Tube; struggling to hammer out Django's amazing uptempo break on "Limehouse Blues" using all five of his digits! that Django was able to play the same lines at that speed with only two fingers is nothing short of amazing. not to mention his orchestral, roaring chord solo towards the end of the break. yes, Django's right hand was exceptional, but the left was no slouch either!

[cdoodle]

I've heard of a cuatro (two main types, quite dissimilar) but never a quatro. What are you talking about? Django Reinhardt played the guitar.

Thanks for responding. I am building a cigar box guitar as a Christmas gift, but am not a musician myself so please excuse my misspelling. Fortunately, I think I will have enough room for 6 strings, after all.

[John McGann]

Thanks for responding. I am building a cigar box guitar as a Christmas gift, but am not a musician myself so please excuse my misspelling. Fortunately, I think I will have enough room for 6 strings, after all.

If you don't have room for (low to high) EADGBE, the top (highest pitched) DGBE will probably be the most practical...

However, since it's a gift, you might make it octave mandolin and go GDAE low to high, especially if you keep the scale length 23" or shorter...