Intro To Gypsy Jazz Guitar with John Jorgenson Paperback – March 25, 2005

This is excellent. Don't pass it up. In this one, the basic 1-4-5 blues progression is the starting point for a hands on demo walkthrough of how to take this basic progression and fill it in with more robust substitutions and exciting sounding background comping. The 9th, dim, aug and 6th cords are pressented in an easy to digest, follow, and incorporate series of demo's. The instructor describes what is going on so you can create this type of movement in your own arrangements.The teaching style of having a "live" student asking questions during the dvd instruction, tries to create the feel that you are sitting in on an actual lesson. This works really well here as the instructor and student have good chemistry and the exchange keeps the information from becoming dry. It also helps pace the demo's as the teacher plays, then the student and teacher play together, which actually helps give you a bit more time to play along without having to continually replay demos that often seem a bit too short for new material on some of the other dvd's I've had.I'm about half way through on this dvd today, and already I am here ordering the next level intermediate dvd cause this one is that good - I want to keep on learning from this guy! The pressentation is really well done, and the notation materials are excellent. The "book", is a full sized book - which is beyond the norm - this is not just a collection of "reminder" highlight notes in a half size booket insert, as comes with some other dvd video instructions. In addition to being full sized, these materials are well organized, easy to read, and include narrative text and explainations.Bottom line: very nice instructional product of a really great and useful topic. In fact, even if you don't want to play this particular style in depth, the chord substitution theory is well worth the time and price of this product.

I've had this product for only two days and I'm burning through it. I once had a professor that said something like: People that understand a topic best can explain it in the simplest terms. That rings true with Jorgenson's approach. I don't site read music, but I understand basic harmonic theory. Most of the chords weren't too foreign to me. I'd spent a little time with some other Gypsy Jazz learning material, but was very quickly bewildered and exhausted by the effort. With this stuff, on the second day (some 2 hours into the material) I was already playing solos along with the practice CD.I think there is a skill spectrum where this set can be most effective. The student on the DVD, Brad Davis, picks things up faster than I can. He's a pro and a really good player. I think he's at the top of the spectrum and I'm probably near the bottom. This set is for intermediate players, at least. If you are a guitar beginner, certainly pick something else.I almost bought a cheaper learning DVD for Gypsy Jazz, but then I caught this on checkout (Thanks Amazon!). It's more expensive, but in this case, it's entirely worth it. I'm finally getting close to my dream of being able to play music by the most important jazz guitar player of all time. That's just plain cool and Jorgenson deserves some kind of educational award. I've purchased a good deal of instructional DVDs for guitar by all kinds of players and I think this is the best one. There's a difference between being a really good player and being a great teacher; Jorgenson is both.I can't wait to devour this first "beginning" pack so I can get to the second.

Firstly, this is not a beginner's book/CD/DVD. It also does not teach you to play "songs". This is a theory package, very well done and informative. It gives you the "building blocks" needed to enter into the fascinating world of Gypsy Jazz guitar. If you have an interest in this genre, this is a great place to start, but I would strongly recommend that you have some guitar experience under your belt before embarking on this journey. Be prepared for learning new chord fingerings and solo fingerings. Remember, when Django Reinhardt invented this style, he had no use of his third and fourth fingers of his left hand (tendon injuries sustained from burns). He used his thumb for some chords as he was unable to play bar chords (a slight stumbling block if you are strong on playing bar chords) and his soloing was very linear, utilizing his first and second fingers (it does make a lot of sense when you do it.) This volume does not really get into Django's technique or soloing as it is mainly focused at getting the "rhythm" of this style under your belt first. I am looking forward to the intermediate package which delves deeper into the world of Gypsy Jazz.

As a book to learn gypsy jazz skills is why I purchased it and it was complete with cd "s.

I wish this guy would come out with a new DVD every month. This one might actually teach beginners something. The advanced guys also for that matter. This is not the cover you will receive, they send the match to intermediate. Don't know why they can't show the correct picture. Word to the wise: if you are in a hurry for this thing, spring for the shipping. I don't know why, but when you opt for free shipping Amazon holds the order for about a week. I've run into this time and time again. They make a lot more on a $100 order with free shipping than they do on a $5 book with $3 shipping but the latter will go out the same day and the big order drags on for two weeks. Go figure. Anyway, this is a great book for anyone wanting to learn to play, jazz of other forms. Obviously you don't need to adhere to the standard Gypsy rhythm if you are not interested in Gypsy jazz. Buy both of his books, you won't be disappointed.

I've been playing the guitar for over fifteen years now so, I am not exactly what you would call a beginner but, like a lot of guitarist I have concentrated mainly on Rock n Roll, blues and a little Jazz. Most guitarists have heard of Django Reinhardt and are amazed by what he was capable of doing using just two fingers alot of the time. Trying to transcribe and play like Django with four fingers and a thumb is a mammoth task and because of this I wanted a book that would steer me in the right direction. I have tried Robin Nolan's online courses and own Ian Cruickshank's book but, have found 'Intro to Gypsy Jazz Guitar' to be the best foundation course so far.I wouldn't recommend this for beginners of the instrument as some knowledge and playing ability is needed to get started but, if you are a competent guitarist in another style and fancy something new then this for you. John Jorgenson is one hell of a player and his teaching style is unassuming, thorough and best of all fun. The accompanying CD and DVD are high quality and make the process a lot easier.If you are looking for transcribed solos look elsewhere but if you're looking for a firm grounding in the all important rhythm technique, arpeggios and something to add some spice to your lead licks, buy this.

This book offers a great route into gypsy jazz and is definitely the first port of call for those new to the genre. As a speciality area, Jorgenson does a good job of taking the reader step by step through things such as rhythmic strumming patterns before moving onto jazzy chords and alteration.The quality of the accompanying sound track is very useful as well. Most examples can be listened to first to get a good idea of what you are trying to achieve for that chapter.One slight criticism is that Jorgenson throws in a few embellishments during the examples which he doesn't mention in the book. These can be slightly off putting if you are a total beginner expecting a straight 4/4 rhythm all the way through, only to hear a slight variation in the strumming pattern during the turnaround. But as most musicians will emphasise, trying to imitate what you hear can really prove a learning experience in itself.I would wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Best book on Gypsy Jazz Guitar I have seen and the accompanying video is brilliant. I can't see anybody regretting getting this if they are into playing this music.

This book is a great introduction to gypsy jazz especially fir the absolute beginnerEverything is clearly laid out and the DVD is really concise and Jorge comes across very knowledgable and explains it well to his buddyAs a seasoned guitarist I would of given this book 5 stars but because I got through it quite quickly I only gave it 4 stars

Great book