"La Gitane": one of the most challenging tunes you can learn on a guitar!

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

So, do you agree this waltz is challenging? If not please point me to another one that is even more challenging, I might make a video about it!

[@thirdcoastswing5334]

Def a hard one ! Notes noir was a crazy 1 !

[@jorgebermejo3708]

Grean interpretation, Christiaan! 👏👏 For me the most difficult waltz is Manège by Angelo debarre, his cromatic lines are also a great warmup exercise...

[@cburgess2805]

La Manouche is the hardest

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

@C Burgess you have a link for me to check that one out?

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

@Third Coast Swing that is a good one indeed though i think La Gitane is harder because of some very specific phrases which have a high chance of going wrong, even after a lot of practice.

[@AcousticWisdom]

I love this tune and your explanations. I also love the phrase “percentage play.” When I show something to my students and they are having a real hard time with something I’ll come up with an alternative and they think it’s cheating and they won’t do it. I feel like they would do an alt phrase if I say it’s not cheating it’s a percentage play. Students love it when something has a clever name. Works every time. Thank you!

[@SvenJungbeck]

Hi Christiaan 😊First of all: congrats, the performance is great! Also the explanations are so detailed! I learned it in a wrong and sloppy way decades ago and just catch up. I have one additional advice for people with my problems concerning the first phrase of the A section. To close the gap btw metronome slow tempo to real performance I tried to play it Legato ( where I got the timing right and ) and than somehow force the right hand onto the notes. By doing both, metronome controlled picking plus what I described, i am now getting there. By the way the last a note on the g string after the triplet still drives me crazy 😂 But this video is just great! Christiaan rocks, guys! Gefeliciteerd 💪🏻

[@marcus2515]

Yes! The Option play for higher percentages is a good original concept to learning these challenging songs. Until of course one gets up close to original technique level. It also looks at the phrases 3D or like how these great players may have evolved from. Point - no one is born out of the womb playing iconic phrases Great stuff!

[@thirdcoastswing5334]

Yea man ! You do the beginning accurately. I hear everyone play it differently. The whole tune sounds great man ! ❤🎻

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Glad you like it, that beginning lick is a tough one to pull off!

[@DougMunro]

Hi Christiaan! You are a brilliant teacher! and a great player!

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Wow, thank you man!

[@Wyrdo999]

This was fantastic!!! Even though it's not a waltz I'd Love you to do one of the versions of "Swing Gitane." I have been playing Gypsy Jazz for 2.5 yrs now and I started learning form you,. Although I started with a jazz background, gypsy jazz is a totally different genre, and I have personally found the best way to learn is by copying the lines. I have learned Joe Pass songs note for note, and transcribing Angelo Debarre and copying his lines has been WAY more difficult. There's no real transcriptions? I'm up to 1:06 note for note in video 1 and I'm learning the beginning of the second video also cause his lines are SO GREAT. his use of octaves in his solos are INCREDIBLE!!! When I first started improvising to the gypsy jazz style, I felt my solos and improvisation literally sucked, and it wasn't until I started copying the lines, that made a light go on in my consciousness allowing me to improvise freely in a good sounding way. Another great waltz would be Passion waltz. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6WTZJ1rhtmMaqM kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX3Oaqp5iLuffpo

[@Fitzliputzli23]

Bravo, Christaan! I work on this one some 2 years. Still struggle with the "double-downstroke-lick" at 2:14. Although it is a standard triplet lick in gypsy jazz I just don't get this down at higher speed.

[@j.garnergtr]

Bravo! Great execution. Good tempo too. This one is a beast. Been playing it a year or so, and there are places I still trip up. I learned from Tchan Tchou version. His picking is godly. Great job, bro!

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Thanks a lot!

[@awaywithpaul3423]

I like the concept of percentage play. Is it ok to “simplify” bits of songs and even maybe rearrange parts to make it flow easier or is that considered a bad thing to do in certain songs? (Ie are certain songs like this, to be played as written or can one modify ?)

[@garethjones7223]

Love all these videos so much, Christian, and I'm realllly working hard this winter with your videos! Am I correct in seeing an incorrect transcription for what you're playing at 12:46? Your triplets are different than what's notated?

[@7thson678]

thanks again Maestro.

[@AspergerL]

Stochelo and Debarre play a technicaly simplified version of how Tchan Tchou played this. They make it sound faster and more flashy but what they play is simplified. Tchan Tchou starts the first phrase on beat one, and going through the phrase, there are two upstrokes in between the e note on the first string and the d note one the second string. He finishes the first phrase with F (4th string) and G Ab A (third string), this A note is an upstroke that hits on beat one, so that the very first phrase has now been moved a little bit later rhytmically. So first time around it is from beat one F G F E D C Bb A, but evert next time it's A F G F E D C Bb A starting with an upstroke, and repeating the double upstroke between E and D. It is incredibly hard to hit an upstroke on the low A on beat one and then lower yourself playing a downstroke on the high F. Not to mention that Angelo and Stochelo simplify/change/skip all of the hardest Tchan Tchou parts from later in the song. I will intend to record Tchan Tchou version more or less note for note when i get the time.

[@AspergerL]

What I'm trying to say is there too much space in between the last A note of the first phrase and the high F note of when the phrase repeats in Stochelo versión compared to how Tchan Tchou played it

[@cartersmithgolf]

Such a great study for the budding GJazzer. All those tricky double downs and A7 to Dm 1st and 5th position runs are so useful for the Dark eyes lick library. Even the "Dolores" style major section can come in handy once under the fingers. It's a belter mate and a brave one to deep dive into. Bravo to you and happy Christmas. Hope to see you next year. x

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Thanks Stuart and yes let's meet next year!

[@johnrothfield6126]

use of the pinky at 23:00 !

[@MeanMike7]

Thanks, joined at the first tier and grabbed Part 1

[@onyxclubboys4749]

Beautifully played!

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Thank you very much!

[@timpannekeet6732]

I hurt my hands :) I can play the beginning but very slowly, but it's beautiful how you play

[@gurayozcana]

Bravo! Great playing 👏👏👏

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Thank you!

[@regularbloke7410]

nice playing

[@bibimblapblap]

If I got this down with alternate picking is it worth learning to do it with rest stroke / proper gypsy picking? I’m new to focusing on this genre exclusively

[@DamianMoody]

The last time the triplets happen at the end of section one it is a triple triplet, One on the '3' of the preceding bar and then the normal pattern moved down.

[@riffcrescendo1740]

Great!

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Thanks!

[@gabrielknoedt4142]

Loved the class .. but where is part C

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Exclusive to my Patreon members!

[@kevinkevin777]

Hi christiaan, I just want to say that I appreciate all the lessons that have made me a better player. Im 15 years old and I am self taught and these videos have been helping a lot. Thanks!

[@hedgehippy]

Thanks mate this is really helpful, as someone else commented, your playing is really improving Have you thought of doing a video on djangos waltz ? Pretty please🤔. Luv your videos im learning a lot, waltzes are my favourite, keep them coming, take care.

[@nurlesen816]

Great👍👍Vielen Dank..

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

Bitte sehr!

[@carlostupiggia4376]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@marcus2515]

It’s funny now how I was doing one little thing wrong in the first two systems now I see and corrected make the big difference and sounds right now

[@marcus2515]

On the second system I was missing the timing rest between the double A third string

[@rogerbinny641]

😂😂😂 be prepared for a lot of frustration

[@Baxtalo_Beng]

Love the “Never give up!” thumbnail, but I’m raising the white flag! No way I’m getting this even at 160bpm any time soon. Very challenging, but you play it cleanly at 200bpm! Wow!

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

220! 😏😏😏😏 You'll get there though, give it time (and a loooooot of practicing).

[@Baxtalo_Beng]

220! Impossible indeed!😮

[@123omairma]

Bedankt probeer het beetje voor beetje met tussen pauzes, je geef goed les en duidelijk om te zien

[@AspergerL]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/moaXdoanhK1ma7c This is the only guy I've ever heard play the Tchan Tchou version correctly.

[@ChristiaanvanHemert]

That's cool indeed. My version is based on Stochelo Rosenberg's version though!

[@AspergerL]

@@ChristiaanvanHemert I know, without a doubt you did a fantastic job transcribing his version. It's just certain details from Tchan Tchou are so interesting and difficult to play. You are a great musician and what you do is great, without a doubt

[@AspergerL]

Also, the only reason I'm writing all of this is because I consider La Gitane the greatest and for me the most inspirational manouche tune of all time :)

[@AspergerL]

By the way, LOVE your picking technique man, AMAZING

[@A.Lautner]

Great timing for this video filled with great content as i'm currently cutting my teeth on this beautiful waltz. That second note emphasis on the main theme (phrase 2) is pure gold, I can play it way more consistent now, thank you for that! What I don't understand is why you say you can't rest your pinky when you want to play the triplet in the intro. I think it's much easier and "higher percentage play" if you just rest the chord forming fingering while playing that triplet. I made a little video for demonstration: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2qplGCEmtJqj6M

[@georgefromjungle5211]

Funny, it was the easiest for me to learn lol !