Song Rig
Place de Brouckère
Django Reinhardt · Django Reinhardt · 1942
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
Wartime Django — recorded in occupied Paris with limited resources, this session captures a rawer, more direct sound than the pre-war recordings. The acoustic resonance is more exposed, every nuance of touch and vibrato more audible.
Signal Chain
- 1Selmer-Maccaferri Modèle Jazz guitar
- 2Acoustic — recorded directly to disc
- 3Heavier strings than earlier recordings (wartime string shortage)
Amp Settings
The wartime recording conditions produced a more compressed, closer-miked sound than the pre-war recordings. The heavier strings Django was forced to use during the occupation actually gave the guitar a slightly fuller, warmer tone despite the circumstances.
Technique
How to Play It
Even more rhythmically dominant than pre-war recordings — without Stephane Grappelli, Django carried more of the harmonic and melodic responsibility. His chord vocabulary in these solo and small-group pieces shows the full extent of his self-developed harmonic language.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
Gitane or Dupont Gypsy Jazz guitar → acoustic close-miked recording → rest-stroke picking with a very stiff triangular Gypsy Jazz pick (the correct pick is as important as the guitar for this style).
Your Gear
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