Gypsy Guitar Course

Lesson 1 • Essential Music Theory Primer

Reviews intervals, major and minor scales, and chord construction relevant to Gypsy jazz. Gives students the theoretical language used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Posture and Right-Hand Setup

Establishes correct sitting position, right-arm angle, and pick grip for the Gypsy attack. Proper setup prevents injury and enables the signature percussive tone.

Lesson 3 • History and Style Overview

Traces Gypsy jazz from Django Reinhardt through modern players, defining its sonic identity. Provides cultural context that informs every technical choice in the course.

Lesson 1 • Dynamic Control and Groove

Develops volume shaping, accent variation, and subtle swing feel within la pompe. Teaches students to support soloists without overpowering the ensemble.

Lesson 2 • Understanding La Pompe

Defines the muted upstroke and accented downstroke that create la pompe's propulsive feel. Connects rhythmic function to the ensemble role of the rhythm guitarist.

Lesson 3 • Basic Chord Voicings for Comping

Introduces movable major, minor, and dominant seventh shapes used in Gypsy jazz comping. These voicings form the harmonic toolkit for all rhythm playing.

Lesson 1 • Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scale

Maps the minor pentatonic and blues scale across the neck in multiple positions. These scales provide the melodic foundation for Gypsy jazz improvisation.

Lesson 2 • Natural Minor and Harmonic Minor Scales

Introduces natural minor and harmonic minor scales essential to the Gypsy sound. The raised seventh of harmonic minor creates the characteristic tension over dominant chords.

Lesson 3 • Basic Melodic Phrasing

Teaches call-and-response phrasing, rhythmic motifs, and melodic contour over simple progressions. Students begin constructing musical sentences rather than running scales.

Lesson 1 • Diminished Chord Applications

Explores passing diminished chords, symmetrical diminished scale, and substitution uses. Diminished harmony is a hallmark of the Gypsy jazz sound.

Lesson 2 • Altered Dominant Chords

Introduces flat-nine, sharp-nine, and flat-thirteen alterations on dominant chords. These tensions resolve powerfully to tonic and are central to Gypsy jazz vocabulary.

Lesson 3 • Extended Chord Voicings

Covers ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chord shapes used in Gypsy jazz comping. Extended voicings add colour without cluttering the two-beat rhythmic texture.

Lesson 1 • Soloing Over Major Standards

Covers Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian modes applied to major-key jazz standards. Students navigate II–V–I progressions with smooth scale and arpeggio choices.

Lesson 2 • Soloing Over Minor Standards

Applies harmonic minor, Phrygian dominant, and diminished scales to minor-key tunes. Minor standards like 'Minor Swing' form are the backbone of Gypsy jazz repertoire.

Lesson 3 • Developing a Personal Solo Voice

Guides students to combine vocabulary into personal phrases and avoid mechanical scale running. Encourages motivic development and emotional storytelling in solos.

Lesson 1 • Enclosures and Chromatic Approaches

Teaches upper and lower chromatic enclosures targeting chord tones on strong beats. Enclosures are a defining bebop-influenced element of Gypsy jazz lines.

Lesson 2 • Ornaments and Embellishments

Covers hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and grace notes used in Gypsy jazz phrasing. These ornaments add expressiveness and authenticity to melodic lines.

Lesson 3 • Building a Lick Library

Organises learned vocabulary by harmonic function for quick retrieval during improvisation. A personal lick library accelerates fluency and stylistic consistency.

Lesson 1 • Full Solo Guitar Arrangement

Integrates chord melody, walking bass, and la pompe into a complete solo guitar piece. Students perform a polished arrangement demonstrating all advanced rhythm skills.

Lesson 2 • Chord Melody Arranging Basics

Teaches placing melody notes on top of chord voicings to create self-contained arrangements. Students arrange a simple Gypsy jazz theme as a chord melody study.

Lesson 3 • Walking Bass Lines on Guitar

Develops crotchet bass lines on lower strings combined with chord stabs on upper strings. This technique enables solo guitar performance without a bass player.

Lesson 1 • Core Gypsy Jazz Repertoire

Introduces the essential tunes every Gypsy jazz guitarist must know, including minor and major standards. Repertoire knowledge is the entry point to jam sessions and professional gigs.

Lesson 2 • Jam Session Strategies

Prepares students for open jam sessions by covering tune calls, key announcements, and tempo setting. Practical strategies reduce anxiety and build confidence in live settings.

Lesson 3 • Ensemble Playing and Interaction

Covers trading solos, supporting other soloists, and communicating cues within a Gypsy jazz group. Ensemble awareness transforms technical skill into collaborative music-making.