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My Favorite Recordings – Linc Chamberland – ” A Place Within”

Introduction

I’ve been collecting records and compact discs since I was nine years old;  so I have quite  a collection of music! This is the first in a series of articles highlighting my favorite recordings. This is not a “best of all” list but simply some commentary on recordings that had a deep and lasting influence on me. The articles will cover all genres of music. Enjoy!

Linc Chamberland – ” A Place Within”

The year was 1977 and as usual I was walking into the teaching studio of Guitar Guru Dick Longale on Goodman street in Rochester, New York on a Saturday afternoon.  Usually when I walked in, Dick was busy teaching a student and I would take a seat on the couch and observe. I always liked to get there early to watch and pick up something new. Anyway, this particular afternoon something was different. There was Dick and three of his students huddled around Dick’s old stereo phonograph player. It was obvious something new, different and exciting was happening. They were listening to Linc Chamberland ‘s ” A Place Within”.

 Dick’s ear was bent towards one of the speakers and he was mumbling something about quartal harmony. Dick kept playing “Stella by Starlight” over and over and was focused on Linc’s guitar comping  supporting Dave Liebman’s tenor . I myself, was startled by what I heard……very modern sounding comping and a flurry of machine gun modal line guitar solos. It was kind of like listening to Coltrane ….but on guitar. After a half a hour of playing and replaying “Stella”, Dick turned his attention to Linc’s trio version of “What’s New”. I picked up the album cover and there was picture of a bearded Linc Chamberlain looking like some kind of “jazz monk” ……… I was intrigued. As soon as I left Dick’s studio I drove all the way to Ithaca to a music store near Cornell University and purchased the record.

“A Place Within” – Linc Chamberland
“A Place Within” was recorded for Muse Records in 1976 and released in 1977. It has never been released on CD as far as I have determined. You can, however, find some ripped selections from the record on YouTube.  It is worth checking out.
Linc Chamberland
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Road Tested Method Book Review: “Getting Into Gypsy Jazz Guitar” by Stephane Wrembel

Introduction

When it comes to exploring new method books, I have to admit that I am a “method book junkie”.  I am always on the look out for new approaches to the guitar to satisfy my curiosity and knowledge quest.  This is the first article in a series of reviews I will do on method books I have successfully “road tested” after months of practice.

 “Getting Into Gypsy Jazz Guitar” by Stephane Wrembel

The Gypsy Jazz Guitar style was almost entirely invented by the great guitarist Django Reinhardt. In recent years Gypsy Jazz has reached widespread popularity with many new and exciting players.

 

My mentor and guitar teacher, Dick Longale was a great admirer of Django and spent some time with Django as GI in Paris right after the war ended. I have always had a fascination with this music and desire to explore the unique style. I was looking for a methodology to transition from Bop jazz guitar to the Gypsy guitar.  After acquiring a Dell Arte Gypsy Jazz guitar in a great deal, the time was right to get started and Stephane Wrembel’s method book “Getting into Gypsy Jazz Guitar” published by Mel Bay was exactly what was needed!

 

"Getting Into Gypsy JAzz Guitar"
For the last six months I have been working with Stephane Wrembel’s method book “Getting into Gypsy Jazz Guitar”.  Currently there are several method books and videos on the market covering this style and I did purchase two other books which I will not mention at this time.  Of the three method books, I found Wrembel’s to be the clearest and most helpful to making the transition to Gypsy Jazz Guitar and building the proper basic foundation necessary for the style.  I must warn you that this book is not for guitar beginners but is perfect for intermediate guitarists with a good foundation of theory and improvisation who want to start studying the nuances of this remarkable style. Although I prefer standard musical notation, which the book includes, it also offers tablature as well as useful visual fretboard diagrams for those who do not read musical notation.
Stephane begins the journey by discussing and presenting valuable daily picking exercises for students to build chops for the “la plume”  right hand technique. In fact, I have found these picking exercises extremely valuable for improving any plectrum style (e.g. bluegrass, jazz etc.) requiring a strong, quick and accurate picking approach.
Stephane then covers some typical Gypsy style chord voices. I found that not all of the voicings would work for me due to thumb reach. I was able to find my own suitable voicings using the bottom four set of strings to achieve a similar sound. Stephane clearly discusses the importance of the minor 6th and minor 6/9 chords instead of the minor 7ths in this music.
I found Stephane’s beginning approach to improvisation using major and minor triad shapes very useful and similar to an approach I have studied for the music of Charlie Christian….. I found this to be a very interesting parallel.
Stephane’s coverage and presentation of  the various arpeggios was extremely helpful; especially his presentation of open arpeggios horizantally on the guitar neck.  Both the harmonic minor scale and diminished arpeggios are a very important and integral part of the Gypsy Jazz style and Stephane covers them thoroughly with many tasty lines to practice. I found these sections to be excellent.
The only drawback I have with the book is that there is very little information  regarding finger positions and the student is left to figure these out on his own.  Through trial and error I found that most of the “open” arpeggios are best played with the first and second finger (like Django) and the other exercises sound best when limited to three fingers. I avoided using the fourth finger as much as possible to get the proper sound and feel of the music. Getting the proper fingering made me back track several times.
Ed's Dell Arte Gypsy Jazz Guitar
I am still practicing and digesting the material in this book daily and I estimate it will probably take a year of concentrated daily effort to fully get the basics down properly……but it will be well worth it!
 “Getting into Gypsy Jazz Guitar” is a well thought out and extremely helpful book for those wanting to study the Gypsy style. I highly recommend it!
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Thoughts On Practicing………

“Anyone can learn to play the guitar  well who sincerely desires to do so.” – Aaron Shearer, Classical Guitarist and Educator.

My students often ask me how to “get good”.  The answer is easy, place your hands on the guitar and practice thoughtfully and consistently every day.  After over 43 years of studying the many aspects of music on the guitar I have discovered many things about progressing on the guitar.

Here are thoughts I share with my students:

  • Try to practice at least five to six times a week allowing one day for rest. It is better to practice a little bit every day than trying to do a marathon session once a week. Before I made my living as a musician and teacher,  I had to hold a serious day job. In order to progress on the guitar, I used to get up at 5:00 A.M. each morning to practice before I went to work. This worked best for me since I my mind was rested and I could absorb new material more easily. I was too tired after a hard days work at night to focus. This routine went on for many, many a year.  May be you are not a morning person but try to find some time every day to devote to thoughtful practice. Beginners should focus on a minimum of ½ hour and slowly build this up to longer sessions.

 

  • Find a quiet space where you can practice with out interruption. Try to free your mind of any anxieties before you start. I practiced mediation for several years to help calm my mind and gradually interwove the disciplined mind into my daily practices.  Your space should be comfortable with the proper chair, lighting and a solid music stand. Keep a tuner and metronome in your practice area.

 

  • Focus on small bits of material at each practice session. Play as slow as it takes to play any passage correctly. Isolate problem measures and practice them separately. Practice with a metronome to develop accurate time. At first working with a metronome may seem difficult but you will get it after a few tries. Be consistent and keep going back to the same material each practice session until the material is mastered effortlessly at the proper tempo.  This will take focus, discipline and especially patience but it will get easier after time and you will eventually quicken your pace of learning as each build block of technique is absorbed.

 

  • Have the right mindset. The material is not difficult, just unfamiliar. Believe that every note you play is beautiful and you will find the practice sessions very enjoyable instead of a “grueling march”. Be patient and kind to yourself!

 

  • Have specific goal  to achieve (e.g. learning a particular song or exercise,  learning all chord inversions on the same set of strings etc.) Keep track of what you practice at each session. I am in the habit of placing little pencil marks alongside each exercise to make sure I stay on point. I also keep a data base of what was covered in each practice session and look at reports to make sure I am using my time properly.  As your practice session time increases, segment the time period to focus on different areas such as reading, scales, performance preparation etc.

I could go on but these are some of the main points. Remember, learning to play the guitar is a wonderful journey with all kinds of rewards. It will take time and  keep in mind that it will never be completed totally so enjoy the scenery and the things and people you meet along the way!

Ed Acquesta