Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: The Gypsy jazz sound could be improved (please)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Posts
    1

    Default The Gypsy jazz sound could be improved (please)

    ... unfortunately it is the one I REALLY need.
    I know this has been probably already asked but : COULD YOU IMPROVE IT PLEASE ?
    I know midi Gypsy guitar are never going to sound great... but it is so bad it is impossible to play in that iRealPro style .
    Apart from that... I love iReal !

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    222

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Klmoub View Post
    ... unfortunately it is the one I REALLY need.
    I know this has been probably already asked but : COULD YOU IMPROVE IT PLEASE ?
    I know midi Gypsy guitar are never going to sound great... but it is so bad it is impossible to play in that iRealPro style .
    Apart from that... I love iReal !
    I first downloaded iReal Pro back when it was called iReal B mostly for playing Gypsy Jazz guitar. I deleted the app twice before finally realizing it's potential in learning fiddle tunes on Mandolin. The Bluegrass sounds aren't as good as say "Strum Machine" but, for practicing a tune up to speed, iReal Pro is still my favorite.

    I don't know if any of the following will help as I don't know what exactly you don't like about the Gypsy Jazz settings but when I'm learning a tune, especially if I'm trying to work up a solo derangement, or at least trying to develop smooth transitions from rhythm to solo accompaniment, I like to try to minimize instrumentation as I progress. For instance, I start off trying to find a tempo and rhythm that I prefer. Often this involves finding a bass line and rhythm accompaniment that works for me. If I don't like the guitar chord accompaniment generated by iReal Pro then I'll change it to piano or Rhodes or something like that and work on nailing down my la pompe within the bass and or drums. That way I don't find myself dependent on the iReal Pro version of whatever gypsy swing rhythm I want. Once I feel comfortable generating my own rhythm within the iReal Pro framework then I work on playing the melody and transitioning back and forth between rhythm and melody. Eventually, I try to pair it down to just bass and drums or some other kind of rhythmic instrumentation. Then the real test is to eliminate iReal Pro entirely for my own solo derangement. Or in some cases, I'm now just more comfortable playing the tune that I can now jam along at speed with a Robin Nolan Trio, Pearl Django, or whatever instructional book/CD is popular these days.

    I dunno, the rhythm should really be in your head and just rely on iReal Pro as a guide post along the way. I hope this helps.

  3. #3

    Default

    Many users mute the drums when using the GJ style. I prefer the "Nylon Guitar".
    It was never intended as a “performance” style. Updates to styles and features are always under consideration.
    Still beats the socks off a metronome!
    Thanks for sharing your ideas.
    )BOB

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Posts
    1,945

    Default

    I agree, some styles could be improved. There are two styles ("house" and "virtual" funk that I never use because it just doesn't work or fit with any song I have). I usually use some other jazz styles for gypsy tunes because they just sound much better. However, by adjusting the mixer setting and instrumentation, we still can improve a bit the overall sound for each style

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    222

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pdxdjazz View Post
    Many users mute the drums when using the GJ style. I prefer the "Nylon Guitar".
    I prefer the squeaks of Hedgehogs.

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Scotter View Post
    I prefer the squeaks of Hedgehogs.
    They don’t squeak as much after they’ve worn-in a bit.
    )BOB

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    222

    Default

    Hey, I never let a limited understanding of music theory and limited musical competency stop me from starting my own Gypsy Jazz trio called The Hot Club of Port Charlotte. Ya know, Dunning-Kruger effect and all that... I was the rate limiting step in the band with only minimally competent chord comping on my Gitane Grande Bouche SelMac and occasional vocals while the lead guitar player played sublime stuff. We made it through a couple of practice sessions for an impending coffee house gig before the double bass player suggested we try playing some of the tunes with a Latin beat. D'oh! I was so out of my league. Unfortunately, at the time, the Robin Nolan Trio hadn't yet released their third set of books featuring latin rhythms and Hurricane Charley devastated our county resulting in the other guitar player moving to Colorado and the HCPC withered away in the aftermath.

    But my suggestions above were truly offered in earnest. Like CyrilleB suggested, I've had luck playing around with other Jazz styles offered by iReal Pro. Fiddling with the mixer and instrumentation are key in finding your groove within the mix. I believe that some of the limitations of iReal Pro, at least as far as practice is concerned, are typically more within the player than iReal Pro. For instance, when I decided to start playing some music again after a long hiatus, I found myself using iReal Pro again to work up some Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin that Matt Flinner was teaching in one of his courses. Matt typically features a web page with slow videos showing pick direction and includes mP3s at slow, medium, and fast tempos. I noticed that Matt swings like Jethro Burns even on fiddle tunes on the medium and faster tempos. As I became better at learning to swing those notes I was a little frustrated at the lack of swing of the bass and rhythm accompaniment that I would choose from the mixer. I initially thought that there should be a "Swing Slider" to opt for how much you'd like the rhythm to swing before it slowly dawned on me that it was mostly dependent upon me in how I played in relation to the bass line. I've learned that in some case it helps to remove the chordal accompaniment. In other cases, I'll actually try a different musical style to find the kind of bass line AND/OR rhythmic accompaniment to nail the groove that I'm looking for. As mentioned in my original post, with enough practice I find that I don't need iReal Pro at all which, to me anyway, is kind of the real value of iReal Pro.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    518

    Default

    I think its the best one we have for turning off the drums .. G Jazz has no drums anyway . We should have the option for another string like the Bluegrass style . Irish drum would be cool for future updates
    Don't post a playlist as the songs in a Realbook if the changes aren't from the book.
    If you do transcribe changes from a book put it in the title RB1, RB2, GGB, Sher, etc

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Do you have any questions?

Check out our Support page

Sign up to our newsletter
Join us