Gypsy Jazz Guitar Picking Secrets: Master The Essential Picking Techniques of Django Reinhardt & Gyspy Jazz Guitar Legends

Denis Chang is one of the elite teachers of gypsy jazz on the planet. He is a precise, methodical, and comprehensive teacher, and this book has supplanted Michael Horowitz' excellent, but aging, Gypsy Picking as the new standard for this unique style of guitar picking. By the time you work your way to the end, you will have been taught the history, techniques, idioms, and vocabulary of this style, along with numerous examples and studies (always clearly explained) illustrating how to apply what you have learned to the repertoire of gypsy jazz. Whatever level you are at in your gypsy jazz journey, this book will have plenty for you. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Excellent resource to begin exploring the creativity of Django. Wish there were more instructional books organized as a series from beginner to advanced theory, improvisation, chord structure including both during his actual performances in tab and note structure.

Great book written by Dennis who knows all of the ins and outs of the genre from years of gigging studying and performing. Everything is clearly laid out to make it easier for the reader to digest, with exercises, explanations, and etudes plenty. Highly recommend!

This book is a great resource for anyone serious about playing Gypsy jazz guitar. Denis has spent years both studying Django's recordings and studying with European Gypsy guitarists. The technical instruction is clearly presented. There are lots of examples taken from the playing of experts, many exercises, and some etudes pulling it all together. While this right-hand style is typically presented as a rigid set of rules, Denis discusses exceptions and the thinking behind the options chosen in different situations. The etudes would be easier to read through if they were laid out on facing pages. Other than that, no complaints. Highly recommended.

Great guide to GJ guitar

Dennis does a wonderful job of guiding you into the world of Gypsy Jazz. The technique breakdowns are fantastic and the exercises that follow really help to showcase how it all works and the why as well. Highly recommended!

I wish I had found this book earlier, I could have saved a lot of $$$. Denis is very thorough in his teaching and gets to the heart of this beautiful music. Thank you Mr. Chang.

Molto dettagliato con suggerimenti ed una serie di frasi con anche indicato le plettrate consigliate

Solid information. Well researhed

This book builds greatly upon the great seminal work ‘Gypsy Picking’ by Michael Horowitz and is well worth the investment if you want to improve your ’Rest Picking’. Most players into the genre will know that Denis Chang is a hugely experienced guitarist and musician within the ‘Gypsy Jazz’ world - the founder and CEO of the ‘DC School of Music’ which has an impressive catalogue of ‘In the style of’ instructional streaming lessons from the cream of Gypsy Jazz musicians. Denis is effectively a ‘hub’ of GJ who is in a unique position to observe in detail the picking styles of the royalty of GJ guitar. His book is impressive in its detail (e.g., ghost notes!; individual variations from the rest picking ‘rules’) and emphasis upon musical examples in the style (as opposed to mechanical patterns) in the form of numerous examples and four special etudes that bring all the detail together. This work is a hugely impressive addition to the key publication by Michael Horowitz (founder of ‘Djangobooks’) of 20 years prior. GJ players will know the importance of the picking hand in obtaining the correct tone and feel in this style, and I can’t recommend this book enough to anybody wishing to pursue this style of playing in its authentic form. Buy it! You won’t be sorry.

This is probably the most detailed book on the subject, to date.There are very few out there who have done as much research into the history and current practitioners of this often misunderstood picking technique. It has been literally over a decade since the last publication on the topic was released, and the predecessor glossed over many details that led to myth and misunderstandings spreading through the community of "Gypsy picking" students.Denis' book addresses those misunderstandings and explains the minutiae of the technique and the micro-variations that exist between many of the top practitioners of this technique.This book seems poised to become the new bible of this topic, in the years to come. Fantastic resource.