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Hi, I am new here. I've just been watching this classic clip of Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti:
I am very struck by how Lang seems to pump his arm back and forth along the strings as he plays rhythm - towards the fingerboard for the bass strings on 1 and 3, and much further towards the bridge for the treble strings on 2 and 4. I've never seen anyone else do this and I guess he had particular sweet spots which he liked to hit on the different strings. Or was it just a bit of clowning? Does anyone know more about this style, and does anyone else use this technique?
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09-23-2017 12:12 PM
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yes, i think you are totally right. In the most old school jazz comping and also gypsy jazz, the players tried to have a big sound on 1 and 3 and a short and treble sound on 2 and 4. I know some Big Band Guitar Players who like to play exactly the same as in the video.
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Great clip.
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Freddie Green used to do something similar sometimes?
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Thanks for your replies, that is interesting. I have certainly been enjoying trying out this strumming style. And now I have another one for you - similar but not the same - from this clip of The Dime Notes (guitarist Dave Kelbie). . At times he appears to be doing an UPWARD strum on 1 and 3, and down on 2 and 4 - coupled with quite a lot of movement up and down the string. Again, I have never seen anyone do this before. It feels, and sounds, great when I try it. I enjoy these subtle variations in sound.
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sorry. This dime notes strumming thing sounds really annoying to me. A bit noisy for me. But its only personal view ;-).
But do you really think he strums the downbeat with an upstroke? For me it sounds that he strums the 1 and 3 with downstroke and the 2 and 4 with upstroke. But he makes a lot of noises while he doing this because he hit more the guitar than the strings. So i think he don't need guitar strings a piece of wood would be enough :-DLast edited by ginod; 10-01-2017 at 05:16 AM.
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Originally Posted by hboyde
It's a pretty extreme right hand. Sounds great though!Last edited by christianm77; 10-01-2017 at 10:20 AM.
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Also Martin Wheatley, who I have worked with a little, is considered an expert in the Eddie Lang and Freddie Green styles and he does the moving hand thing as we see in the film footage.
Last edited by christianm77; 10-01-2017 at 10:20 AM.
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Spats is great as well
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Originally Posted by ginod
The thing is as he's playing in a group with piano, I guess he figures it's more important to be percussive than to supply harmony.
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many thanks for all the comments and thoughts everyone, and for turning me on to a couple of excellent guitarists that I had not previously heard of
meanwhile I am enjoying all these ways of creating different sounds and feels within a 4/4 rhythm strum
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OK - update. I spoke to David Horniblow (clarinetist with the Dime Notes) today - he was depping for the Hot Club of Jupiter, one of my bands - and he says that it's hard to see but Kelbie uses a downstroke each time. Apparently it's based on a 1920's New Orleans guy but he couldn't recall the name...
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Originally Posted by christianm77
Probably Danny Barker. He played with Bechet and was one of the first to develop that method of strumming, calling it 'figure-of-eight' or more informally 'rigmarolle'. It seems that Barker was the Barry Harris of New Orleans, acting as a mentor to the Marsalis family, Steve Masakowski (who now owns DB's main guitar) and many others.
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Originally Posted by christianm77
Many thanks again !
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Originally Posted by PMB
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Here is Danny Barker doing his thing at 3:52.
This concert is great!Last edited by clebergf; 10-09-2017 at 09:39 PM.
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Originally Posted by clebergf
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Originally Posted by ginod
I don't know where it's coming from.
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Originally Posted by hboyde
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There are great lessons from Matt Munisteri at Peghead Nation that worth be checked.
Early Jazz and Swing Guitar Lessons - Technique for Swing and Early Jazz | Peghead Nation
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Love watching him play in the movie "White Christmas," just a quick little part, but he was SMOOTH!
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Reviving an old thread just to say the loud clicking is the bass player not the guitar. He's doing rockabilly slap bass.
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