Great Purchase

By: MLaws on 01/12/2012 12:27:46 PM

This is a great book - I tried studying some of these pieces by ear, which is great practice but sometimes very hard. I've had this book a month and already got 'Improvisation No 2' largely cracked. For me this has been a huge leap forward in a very short time. I was impressed that all learning angles are covered - traditional music notation, chord windows, tabs - plus a CD. The only down side was that the postage from the USA to UK added 30% to the overall price

Well worth having

By: Carl on 10/13/2011 11:40:49 AM

Pros: very interesting for fingerstyle guitarists

Cons: rather high shipping cost to europe

As a fingerstyle jazz/blues/ragtime guitarist I'm not a in-depth-connaisseur of Django's music but I came to know his solo work through YouTube and liked it. Via Tim Robinson's website I found out about this book and I ordered it. The book is very well presented and the transcriptions are accurate. The ringbinding is a plus. What I also like is that you have a lot of freedom in interpreting these pieces and making them your own. I would have preferred tablature with rhythmic notation just above the tablines instead of the standard notation but well...you can't have everything (hence the four stars ratings). The dadded cd is a tremendous bonus, saves you from buying a lot of others. The cd has no content listing anywhere though. All in all I'm very pleased with the book and it will keep me busy for years to come.

Unaccompanied Django

By: Rick on 10/01/2011 07:34:23 AM

I tried to obtain this book in the UK without success so ordered direct from the USA, very simple process - even accepted Paypal! Book arrived very quickly indeed. I am very impressed with both the book and the service I received. The book is excellent as it also has tabs for those of us unable to read music, so do yourself a favour and buy this book - I have never seen a better one.

Wise Purchase

By: Trev on 09/15/2011 05:46:45 AM

I was pleasantly surprised by this purchase.The ring binding is very practical. I have been acquiring Django books and transcriptions since the 1970,s and have not seen such complete transcriptions so far in the UK.The accompanying CD is a bonus.

Unaccompanied Django

By: scaley on 05/03/2011 01:37:22 PM

What an excellent value Michael's books are. He painstakingly is very detailed about what he does, and his books cover just about everything on the subject matter in one way or another. Intelligently researched, written and laid out, as well as the CD's that come with them. His exacting transcriptions of Django's work in particular is second to none!!!! I just wish I had more time to go through the book...hah.

Buy this now!

By: Randy on 04/25/2011 02:07:53 PM

Watching a person perform a Django Reinhardt solo on YouTube over three years ago inspired me to try to learn to play Gypsy Jazz guitar competently. I spent year one on the basics, i.e., music theory, fretboard layout, learning jazz chords and fundamentals, etc., and I bought courses, numerous instruction books and DVDs to get started moving forward. After two years of hard work, I got to a point where playing was no longer tedious but enjoyable, fun and "natural." I'd come a long way and the practice was paying off. However, many of the songs I really longed to play seemed out of reach. I figured it would take an untold number of years to play some of the solos at a level that I would be pleased with. In December 2010, I discovered and purchased Unaccompanied Django by Michael Horowitz. Right away, I realized I had found my "Rosetta Stone" for learning these beautiful Django solos — and in my lifetime at that! In the past five months, I've learned to play Echoes of Spain, Improvisation #1 and #2. When I say "learned to play," I don't mean I've mastered them on a level of a Stochelo Rosenberg, but I have memorized all of the notes and I can play them smoothly and well enough to give me GREAT pleasure. Isn't that what it's all about? From this point on, I'll only get better as I practice and continue to learn. That's an exciting prospect! These transcriptions are just dead on the money. Michael Horowitz has an uncanny ear and flawless attention to detail. For example, some time back I came across a tab for Improvisation #2 floating around on the Internet. It wasn't bad, but when I compared it side-by-side to Michael's work, it was an inaccurate transcription of what Django recorded in 1938. Close but no cigar. These transcriptions are rich with detailed, useful information as well, which greatly helps accelerate learning. Standard notation, tablature, specific chord fingerings, picking techniques, all make it possible for the student to learn these solos in an efficient, methodical way, measure by measure. You won't find this kind of information elsewhere. If you're reading this, you probably: 1) love Django's solos, and 2) want to learn play them. If so, then you need to purchase Unaccompanied Django now. With diligent, dedicated practice, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can learn to play these most beautiful pieces, beautifully!

unaccompanied django

By: the moose on 04/24/2011 04:46:26 AM

A fantastic learning experience,djangos solo performances brought to us on the page.If you are struggling to work out what django really played here it is laid out for you no more hours playing the cd over and over. great work by michael horowitz and a prompt and friendly service.

excellent purchase

By: capncruz on 04/23/2011 09:42:27 AM

i am teaching myself gypsy guitar and using rosenberg academy to guide me. i purchased this and several other books and have been very satisfied with every aspect.