Breakdown
In this lesson Jarrod teaches you how to play the rhythm part of the Gypsy Jazz standard 'Lulu Swing'. You'll cover some great movable chord shapes and the distinctive Gypsy Jazz strumming pattern 'La Pompe'.
The Chords
Jarrod is using some really nice sounding jazz chords here using shapes that run into each other to give you some really smooth sounding chord changes. Check out the video to see Jarrod explaining the theory in detail. If the chord theory is all new to you or you'd like to brush up on it, check out our free Theory Essentials Course. Here are the chord boxes for this song:
The Strumming
At first listen this may sound like a simple strumming pattern, just down on every beat, however, Jarrod is actually using a Gypsy Jazz technique called 'La Pompe'. Along with using only downstrokes and a pick, there are two important points of technique to consider. The first is that after every strum you should gently lift your fingers to mute the strings. Don't take them away from the fretboard, just stop the chord ringing out. This gives a really percussive and driving feel to your rhythm.
The second point is to try to accent beats 2 and 4, to do this play slightly louder or harder on these beats, or softer on beats 1 and 3. Really listen to what you're playing to tune in the exact intensity you need to strum with to get the same sound as Jarrod!