What to Play in the Music Shop?

[petev3.1]

This is what I'd like to be able to do in the music shop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg7-T4TalO4

** Please start the video at exactly 3.57 and no earlier **

The whole thing is wonderful.

[Wonks]

Video with 3.57 start

[Sam Spoons]

Actually, that is what I play when I go into a guitar shop.... Admittedly Angelo plays it a bit better than me.....

Hosting The Gypsies of Bohemia at my usual venue tonight. They're probably not quite as good as Angelo, but are quite a lot better than me (cue "I know my place" sketch with Cleese and the two Ronnies)

[IvanSC]

Might I suggest you grow a pencil-thin moustache? Seems to be a common thing among the better manouche players....

[rz]

I always play 'Stairway to Heaven'..... just to annoy the arrogant pricks who work there.

[tea for two]

Probably around 98, I went into a guitar boutique.
Several folk milling around, a few were strumming well known tunes,
someone was playing a solo stonkingly well.

For some reason I sat down picked up a Gibson.
Out of nowhere two intricate Swing Manouche chords appeared from my fingers.
The Proprietor world weary kindly gent in his 50s probably heard it all before
stopped in his tracks looked at me in wonderment.

I gently put the Gibson down , quietly walked out the door.
Remember a Master never feels any urge to prove.

Of course I never returned for the proprietor would realised I'm a fraud
I don't play guitar.

[Sam Spoons]

Oh, and the acoustic trio are currently working on a (non-gypsy jazz) arrangement of Stairway To Heaven....... Not sure we'll ever play it in a music shop though.

[zenguitar]

In the good old days when the internet didn't have all the answers and very few people realised that Kashmir was in DADGAD I would pick up a guitar and discretely retune it, then work through the key riffs of Kashmir. Within a few bars a salesman would appear and watch carefully where I put my fingers. Then when he was distracted by a customer I would play a few other things, but especially my rendition of Fairport Convention's version of Dylan's 'I'll keep it with mine' which I could play in standard tuning or in DADGAD. Then when the salesman wasn't looking I would retune to standard tuning.

It never took long until the salesman picked up the same guitar and tested the fingering he'd memorised only to discover that it sounded wrong. And if he did talk to me, I would play 'I'll keep it with mine' in standard tuning and the salesman never noticed that it was a whole tone higher. It always convinced them that Kashmir was in standard tuning

In the early 80's I lived in Central London and spent a lot of Saturdays in the guitar shops in Denmark Street. I spent many hours playing and the secret was that I played my own pieces that I was working on. And I think that's why in over 5 years I was never asked to stop playing, and was often offered other guitars/amps to try. Staff in guitar shops hear so many songs ad nausium that something original is really refreshing. It doesn't have to be good, it just has to be competent and different.

Andy

[ef37a]

This....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LFpgDUybPg

Always makes me smile but you would have to bring a loop of that mad, off beat drum!

Dave.

[Sam Spoons]

That's great Dave, got me thinking of a Bluegrass version (just as soon as I've worked out the gypsy jazz arrangement)

[djangodeadman]

Maybe I'm weird, but I just play things that will help me judge whether or not I like the sound and feel of the guitar. I'm probably not really capable of impressing with my widdly-widdly technique and certainly not aiming to do so.

[One Horse Town]

I normally head for a stage piano, play a Chopin Mazurka at breakneck speed before, appropriately enough, launching into Bennie and the Jets. I find it makes all the guitarists and staff look depressed at their lack of talent.

[Sam Spoons]

You known I do exactly the same (well, Hammond organ patch and Toccata and Fugue in Dm followed by Emerson's America) then the applause and shouts for 'more' morph into my wife telling me it's time to wake up.

[petev3.1]

Video with 3.57 start

That was neat. How do you do this?

[petev3.1]

Actually, that is what I play when I go into a guitar shop.... Admittedly Angelo plays it a bit better than me.....

Hosting The Gypsies of Bohemia at my usual venue tonight. They're probably not quite as good as Angelo, but are quite a lot better than me (cue "I know my place" sketch with Cleese and the two Ronnies)

Ha.

Good trio! Yours must be an excellent venue. Is it local to them in Manchester?

I'm just getting into gypsy jazz - is this your style? I may ask for some tips.

[Exalted Wombat]

Gypsies of Bohemia sound great!

But am I the only one who doesn't relate to ANY of their list of "...stuff people know"?

[Sam Spoons]

No EW I'm nearly as bad as you but my excuse is that I'm much older that they are......

Pete, yes they live in Whalley Range and I'm near the Trafford Centre, venue is my local sports club. I'm still learning the GJ stuff (apparently the first 30 years are the hardest, I'm a couple of years in). I'm just starting an occasional Gypsy Jazz beginners jam session, once or twice a month at a couple of different venues around my area, are you from this neck of the woods?

My regular night is ManchesterAcoustic Guitar Society We meet regularly on the third Tuesday of each month. We only host one or two concerts a year, usually when one of us sees somebody we'd really like to see again (and, of course, we think out regulars would enjoy).

[petev3.1]

No EW I'm nearly as bad as you but my excuse is that I'm much older that they are......

Pete, yes they live in Whalley Range and I'm near the Trafford Centre, venue is my local sports club. I'm still learning the GJ stuff (apparently the first 30 years are the hardest, I'm a couple of years in). I'm just starting an occasional Gypsy Jazz beginners jam session, once or twice a month at a couple of different venues around my area, are you from this neck of the woods?

My regular night is ManchesterAcoustic Guitar Society We meet regularly on the third Tuesday of each month. We only host one or two concerts a year, usually when one of us sees somebody we'd really like to see again (and, of course, we think out regulars would enjoy).

Lol. I doubt I've got thirty years left in the tank, but doing things badly can also be fun. Murdering Bach and Sor is my more usual recreation. I wish I was able to get over from Holmfirth for a jam but I'm regrettably somewhat house-bound these days. But I'll be mentioning this to someone who might turn up.

[petev3.1]

Gypsies of Bohemia sound great!

But am I the only one who doesn't relate to ANY of their list of "...stuff people know"?

Phew. I thought it was just me.

[Sam Spoons]

At 62 I don't suppose I'll complete the task either but it's bloody good fun trying

[petev3.1]

At 62 I don't suppose I'll complete the task either but it's bloody good fun trying

Sure is. Do you know a good book full of riffs and chord sequences?

[Sam Spoons]

The Robin Nolan stuff is as good as I've found, it gives you heads (in TAB) and chords. The tunes are all available on youtube, often with chord sequences and as backing tracks. I'll post some links in a new thread for general consumption as I think I've derailed this one too much already

[caveman82]

In London, aside from Wunjos a lot of the other guitar shops are places where if you are a bald guy in an expensive suit they pander to your needs, even if those kind of guys don't know what their left hand is to their right hand.

Scruffier chaps like myself who know a few chords (or more), are treated with disdain even if they have inclination to buy a guitar or not.

[petev3.1]

The Robin Nolan stuff is as good as I've found, it gives you heads (in TAB) and chords. The tunes are all available on youtube, often with chord sequences and as backing tracks. I'll post some links in a new thread for general consumption as I think I've derailed this one too much already

Thanks. Not a user of tab and would rather have the dots but I'll check this out.

Don't worry, it can't be derailed since it isn't going anywhere in particular.

[Sam Spoons]

There're plenty of head sheets (melody line as notation and chord symbols) out there but the GJ chords are often different voicings to the standard jazz chords. Give this a try though Gypsy Fakebook but be aware that it doesn't have the proper gypsy jazz chords. You can get those from the Robin Nolan stuff though. There are loads of youtube vids too (more helpful to me as I have a decent ear but I'm not a good reader).