Press feedback – “Gypsyjazz Guitar”

This is what the Press and buyers write about “Gypsyjazz Guitar”:

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15.03.2016 – Gitarrenbuch-check.de – Rezensent: MP
[…]Bertino Rodmann is introducing a book on Gypsy-Jazz/Jazz-Manouche. We talk about the traditional Gypsy-Jazz, like it has been played in the beginning of the 20. century beeing made famous by Django Reinhardt. This kind of Sinti-Music with its roots in Flamenco, Csardas, Musette Waltzes and it´s Crossover to contemporary Jazz/Swing of that time is one thing for sure: hard to play. Rodmann steps up to the interested player by starting at a compareably low Level.[…]
[…]Conclusion: Rodmann wants to introduce the style and the corresponding way of living, which he does preferably well.
Musically there is a first strong focus on the Rhythguitar. Rodmann is building up from a low, easy Level and leads the interested player to the first Standards like Minor Swing … Also in the section on sologuitar Rodmann starts very low and leads thru easy playable examples, very good to follow. This is the strength of the book: Rodmann delivers a book on Jazz-Manouche, which is easyly to follow for guitarrists that know how to play already.[…]
[…]For beginners in Jazz Manouche this book by Bertino Rodmann is a great choice in my opinion. But we speak about players that already know how to play their instruments and beginners of Jazz-Manouche, so NOT for beginners on the guitar! […]

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06.04.2014 – Klaus Kronwinkel – Private buyer
[…]The book “Gypsyjazz Guitar – A tribute to Gypsyjazz” belongs to the best books that i have found in this genre: clearly structured, intelligently sortedand didactically introducing easy Rhythm-exercises, followed by Songs to practise with to understand the exercises.
In the second part of the book Rodmann is introducing the solotechnique, also starting off with some basic exercises, ending up in 7 fully transcribed Solos by Django Reinhard (5) and 2 more Songs of the Author. In between packed with Tipps & Tricks, Sololicks by Django and other known players … All in all i have to say: absolutely reccomendable book for months full of learning!

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09. Oktober 2013 – Amazon Kundenrezension – Jan Westphal
[…] . . . this is a successful work. Starting with easy Bluesprogressions the world of the Jazzharmonics is introduced, while first only a few and bit by bit more and more of the triads or seventh chords are substituted. As fast as you may think you only play “Ninths” or extended decreased chords – fortunately, in “finger-friendly” Gypsyjazzversions which mostly are played without Barreé.
Of course there is a great introduction to “La Pompe”-rhythm – it dont mean a thing if it aint got that swing…

As in the world of Jazz commonly, nevertheless in JazzManouche in the style of Django Reinhardt the same, nothing works without improvisation – therefor scales and arpeggios are explained and treated as well.
Additionally the is staffnotation and TABs of some classic tunes like Minor Swing, Douce Ambiance and a couple of songs that have been composed by Rodmann, just wihout impros. That is stuff to practise for years! Practise, practise is nessesary, this book is the great introduction to it.
The two parts in the book diveded into rhythmics- and soloing are logical. Theory will only be explained if nessesary for the material to play it well, very good!

Rodmann is a great player and songwriter,  but he could have added a few more “simple” songs for guys with big fingers like me… 
but i can´t play Minor Swing off staffnotation right away. That means practise for weeks if not months until first parts are accomplished. Did i mention yet that this is no book for beginners? 🙂

All in all: a great methodbook to reccommend, without yes or no. Go ahed and buy it!

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01. Oktober 2013 – Recencion Magazin “Quintette” (NL), Issue Sept. 2013 – HotClub de France Netherlands
[…]Myself i play a bit of guitar, but no gypsy jazz. Because of that i wanted to get deeper into that issue, and i think i can get along with the book very well. So i started to read full of enthusiasm. […]What i found was that is it very well structured. All things are explained very clearly understandable. It surely raises the expectation that there will be a second issue of “Gypsyjazz Guitar”. After working a while with the book i got much more confident beeing more sure to sit in with other Gypsyjazz Guitarrists, as it shows all the necessary basics needed.[…]

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25. August 2013 – Amazon Kundenrezension – ilchmann1
[…]A great book, but just for advanced guitarrists, but THOSE will have their fun with it … and their real working trouble….[…]

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22. April 2013 – Amazon Kundenrezension – (flylo)
[…] A first class introduction of the style – this book is a crack for beginners. Powerful, fun, its intuitive, clever and writtenreally  interesting. In ten years probably standard reading for jazz-manouche beginners. Five stars and hopefully a part 2 to expect. […]

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7. März 2013 – Amazon.de (Kunden-Rezension) – (Don Juandre)
[…] Great  ***** […]

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6. Januar 2013 – Amazon.de (Kunden-Rezension) – (Norbert Schikowski)
[…] Bertino Rodmann´s book cant be much better… it is structured very well. Logically built up. In the first part Rhytmexecises in understandable form, everything of course also on CD in top quality! Then the 2nd part also treats Solos, Arpeggios, scales etc. Of course also in detail about Restroke Picking.
Now am finally infected by Django Rheinhard”s music. I immediately bought “Gypsjazz Guitar” once more as a present. Everything is formed with marks, Tabs and chord charts also graphically done very well. […]

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3. November 2012 – Amazon.de (Kunden-Rezension) – (Leseratte12345) –
[…]”…up to now I already had some books about Gypsyjazz. Finally, here I have found what I had always dreamt of: more sensibly didactic construction, valuable information on Gypsyjazz guitars, cultural backgrounds about Sintis” […]

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“Chords-online” (www.chords-online.de), Notendiscount –
Käufer Günter writes am 04.09.2012: Fulfills all my expectations!—Käufer Thomas writes am 23.05.2012[…]”Everyone should have this book in his collection! This methodbook is really built up well structured. It starts off with the basic description of Gypsyjazz, next basic rhythm with exercises one can understand very easily.
After the basics it is about to get more complicated, building up slowly. Staffnotations of all tunes for soloing are added next i. e. playalongs for achieving the typical gypsy feeling. If you want to go beyond that next are licks & tricks, and especially the lick of famopus players like Bireli or Stochelo and of course Django complete the book. I can only deeply recommend the book – i am sure you´ll have lots of fun with it.”

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Jazz-Magazine, Issue 03/2012
(…) Jazz-Manouche or Gypsy-Swing, Gypsy-Jazz or Sinti-Jazz is the music of Django Reinhardt and Jazz of the Sinti and Roma-Musicians. (…)Gypsyjazz-Guitarrist Bertino Rodmann is trying to offer a real authentic introduction into this special guitar-style.  Advanced guitarrists may work thru different types of techniques with staffnotations and TABs about the issues of rhythm- and sologuitar: Comping, La-Pompe-Rhythm, Dead Notes, Gypsychords, Voicings, Chord Substitution, Reststroke- and Arpeggio-Picking, Sweptstroke, Solo-Licks and much more. (…)… and the CD convinces just by itself…(…)

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Planet.TT-Technology, Issue 02/12 –
Released under the title “Gypsyjazz Guitar, Volume 1, A Tribute to Gypsyjazz” by Bertino Rodmann, Alfred Music Publishing offers  the first methodbook about Jazz-Manouche or Gypsyjazz. Because the play-techniques were in Sinti tradition only transmitted orally, this methodbook also offers to non-Sinti musicians a source of access to these special technologies of rhythm- and solo playing. Of course there are also transcriptions of pieces from Django Reinhardt’s feather – finally, he is the protagonist of this style. Harri Stojka will not need it any more, but to all other Django-enthusiasts this book is really reccomended.

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“Gitarre & Bass”,· Issue Nr. 02/12 (Seite 26), February 2012 –
“Gypsyjazz Guitar Vol. 1 – a tribute to Gypsyjazz – is an introduction to the style of the Jazzmanouche. On 148 sides and with an enclosed, very substantially produced audio-CD author Bertino Rodmann has successfully tried to document the complete spectrum of Gypsyjazz and to educationally explain it well. […] A technically demanding music. And, hence, Bertino Rodmann successful book is also nothing for beginners. But every interested basic-educated and willing to learn advanced guitarist is here about to learn many rhythm exercises, explanation of harmonious connections, an introduction to the arpeggio play-tricks and standards like for example “Minor Swing” or “Swing 48″ the music of Django Reinhardt (7 tunes in all). One can only be curious on the announced second part very much, particularly as there is not so much good literature for this genre…” (www.gitarrebass.de)

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“Akustik Gitarre”,  Issue Nr. 02/12, February 2012 –
“[…]
Author Bertino Rodmann has now put together the basics of Gypsy-Jazz in the way of Django Reinhardts playing into a book.
Remarkable: all the basics are explained very systematically and detailed as organized the same.
One may not believe that its possible to put down this issue into an ordered concept. But it works – and the attached CD combines and illustrates all 89 examples authentically in the Gypsyjazz-style […] The Notation of the book is well done, there are staffnotations as tabs and paralell also chordcharts.
[…] Summary: the one who wants to learn Gypsy-Jazz methodically is in need of this book. It starts off very easy and works itself thru Original-Tunes into real complex fields – all made up in a paedagogical way all for guitar. Well done!”

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Musiker Magazine 01/2011
(…”… in the last time many actual hitproductions like Caro Emerald or Zaz merely used the Gypsyjazz-Guitar again in their productions, a guitarstyle which was influenced by great Django Reinhardt´s way of playing. If you are interested in that you need to learn these techniques.
(…)The Frankfurt based Gypsyjazz-Guitarrist Bertino Rodmann with his book “Gypsyjazz Guitar – A Tribute to Gypsyjazz” published by Alfred Music Publishing, has now released a basic introduction into this traditionally trasmitted style of playing Jazz-Manouche.
On 148 pages with an attached very authentic playalong-CD, Rodmann succeded to work out clearly the stylistic specialties of Rhythm- and  Sologuitar and at the same time to provide the respect to the ancient traditions of the Sinti.
(…)Detailed and with significant examples the La-Pompe-Rhythm, special Voicings and the Compingtechnique the same as chord-Substitutions for Rhythmguitar as well as picking-techniques (Pickings), Licks, Riffs, Scales and Arpeggios for Sologuitar are presented. These you may as well practise to the Playalongs of original Django Reinhardt-tunes on the attached 75-minute Audio-CD or be worked out with the original solo-transcriptions.
(…)With “Gypsyjazz Guitar, Volume 1, A Tribute to Gypsyjazz” Bertino Rodmann really has succeeded to present a recommendable instructions-book for the guitarists who would like to get into the genre of the Gypsy jazz and Gypsy swing. Basic knowledge in playing the guitar surely are presumed. Not for beginners.(…)

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30. Dezember 2011 – Amazon.de (Kunden-Rezension) – (Klaus Brier)
[…]”The book of Bertino Rodmann simply inspires me. The book is structured clearly, the exercises are clear and by the attached CD everything comes to life very much.
The learning steps do not demand too much of me, the exercises are played on the CD, divided into an area for rhythm guitar, an area for solo guitar which brings very near the play-techniques of the Gypsyjazz-guitar. The book is simply great, the play joy wakes up and one notices that Bertino Rodmann is an absolutely experienced guitarist. Everything together, explanations, construction, sound examples of the exercises on the CD – just super!!! Everything simply fits.”[…]

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“Gitarre aktuell”, Heft Nr. 115, Dezember 2011 –
“The book “Gypsyjazz Guitar” Volume 1″ is not only a methodbook or an “introduction to the style of the Jazzmanouche” as it is in the subtitle, it is an unlimited confession of the author Bertino Rodmann to the music of Django Reinhardt.
 (…)… the prospective customer finds out how the author has come to this music. Most which got into contact in any manner with the music of the “Quintette du Hot club de France” of the 1930s or 1940s and had an “aerial” for it had already gone to ruin with the first sounds, but at the latest “thunderstruck” with the first Solo by Django Reinhardt and this style. And these were not a few! (…) …and with it this guitar style – maybe even comparably with the classical one or the finger style – would not be conceivable without certain “Typicals” which Rodmann exactly summarises detailed into his 150 page book incl. CD. (…) For his explanation  Rodmann offers a bright palette of significant examples inside both parts, innto whic the book has been structured, adding a 75-minute CD, to demonstrate all exercises as well as playalongs. (…) Compared to other guitar-styles here you find a clearly much stronger structured division into “Rhythm Guitar” (Part I.) and “Solo Guitar” (Part 2).
Therefore, everybody can imagine that on the one part rhythm exercises (right hand) and chord cadenzas (left hand) are in the center for the first part of the book, for second then in the essentials scales, Arpeggien, numerous “Licks” about different chords and not least the guidance of the Plektrum-playing with melody. (…) All examples are broken up by some original pieces of Reinhardt / Grappelli like the famous »Minor swing «, “Douce Ambiance”, the “modern” “Swing 48” and jazzblues in major and minor keys, as well as two original compositions of Rodmann, that may to be called the “Tribute to Django”.

The rather stringent part with “tips and tricks” is complemented by technology, articulation and phrasing.

But finally a word of the author which is meant to be detailed, where he tries to advertise with high respect and to make clear the aesthetics and artistic quality of the Gypsyjazz Guitarplaying. This concern can be acchieved with the comprehensive and proper book from Rodmann. A glossary with descriptions all the same finish the book..”
(www.gitarre-aktuell.de/)

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3. Dezember 2011 – Amazon.de (Kunden-Rezension) – (Rudolf Hartmann)
[…]”I have got this book as a gift for birthday and cannot let go it ever since then anymore. For whom is this book? In any case NOT for guitars beginner, one should not bring quite about 3-4 years of guitars experience and already should have heared about “Jazz-Manouche”. (. . . ) …the author describes in an easy and understandable way a very complicated subject, with which I already had some “ahhhh. . . . . , this way it is played”-effects which I lacked with other literature to the subject of Gypsyjazz. (. . . ) I find it a very successful book in the introduction of Gypsyjazz with a lot of background information. It gives pleasure to work through the book.”[…]

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27. Nov. 2011 – gitarrenmagazin.de –
“(…)

How should one succeed in packing a stamped genre of intuition and tradition into a methodbook? Right from the beginning Rodman clarifies that he is aware of this rope dance and shows his book even as a beginning which cannot be entire and not “only valid”. This is likeable and as well completely undogmatic (. . . ) after this short introduction. . . it equally starts off with the first main part to Rythm and the first finger exercises. What i like is the fact that he goes forward rather purposefully,
 (…) … in this fiorst part everything is explained which is rather of relevance rythmically. Thanks to all the chords explainedas of their modulations the book excites here already, because the result immediately sounds like Gypsyjazz! (…) The second part is all about the solo guitar. The construction is very logical here and leads from chord decompositions and scales to examples how the masters of the GJ-scene have built up their Soli and it enables in such a way to get more and more feeling for this genre and to lend expression to this feeling also to the guitar. (. . . ) all together the book makes great fun and also because of the attached CD it is a very good learning help! (. . . ) Summary: The methodbook is built up well and gives pleasure. (. . . ) the book is also a recommendation for the Christmas table!” (www.gitarrenmagazin.de)

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22. Nov. 2011 – hotclubnews.de –
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On 148 sides and an enclosed, very good CD the complete spectrum of the play is presented. Nothing for guitar beginners, but for advaced guitarplayers that want to learn this style. (. . . ) it is nice that not only small rhythm exercises are made, but that in several titles of the master Django Reinhardt the learnt things may be tried out. Thus it mostly starts from a rather simple version to more complicated chord connections and substitutions. This also brings fun to the more skilled players. . . (. . . ) Is to be emphasised that a few sides are dedicated to the special use of arpeggios and scales in the Gypsyjazz. Also finds one some more “Trademarks” of known guitarists of the Gypsyjazz scene as a) the picture of different play-techniques and b) suggestions for own creations are set up. Of this I would have liked another 10 sides more. (. . . ) Summary: An absolutely successful first work of whic a second part makes sense. For justn 25 EUR the book is very recommendable and really an enrichment in our scene. Carry on!” (www.hotclubnews.de)

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15. Nov. 2011 – Gypsyguitar.de –
“The first guitar method “Gypsyjazz Guitar – A Tribute to Gypsyjazz” by Bertino Rodmann is here – a complete course – affectionately made with exercises which truely cover the whole style.  For the first time there is school on the market which offers an overview about the style, the specific features of the plays, the Rhytm “la pompe” and the Soloplaying as of some standard pieces. The course is directed to beginners who must be familiar, however, already with the instrument and are interested especially in this music style. The exercises of all areas are provided with practical Playalongs on the attached CD, so that one also finds the way, or if one is not able to read music there is Tabulatur all the same. Bertino has placed special value of the peculiarities of the style. Background information about known players of the genre, as well as cultural background information on guitars, culture of the Sinti and Roma completes the work. As an entrance the book is very well suitable, as well as deepening knowledge for the people who are already able to play something but as well for advancers who are able to play certainly already more than others may take one or the other suggestion from it. Successfully! Thanks Bertino” (www.gypsyguitar.de)

7. November 2011 – Amazon.de (Kunden-Rezension) – (Sebastian v. Kracht)
“(…) “Gypsyjazz Guitar” is a great book which knows how to provide the aimed contents in understandable form. Interesting, informatively, entertaining and instructively. (. . . ) though there are many books and also methodbooks about Gypsyjazz, however, afaik there was up to now no “authentic” guitar school with which one can get into the style. Assumed that one can already play the guitar also the “real” tricks are taught which were transmitted only orally amongst the Sinti commonly. (. . . ) of my knowledge  the author also offers Live-Workshops. If one is thru with the book, one can take part in such a masterclass and penetrate even further into the depths of the Gypsyjazz…”

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