Minor Swing has long been considered an integral part of gypsy jazz repertoire. Django Reinhardt recorded it a couple of times with Stephane Grappelli and it quickly became one of the most-played tunes at jam sessions around the world.
The chord progression in this piece is easy enough for beginners, yet its harmony may not always match up perfectly.
1. Am6
The A minor 6 chord is a popular chord used in Gypsy jazz music, consisting of the 1st, b3rd, 5th and 6th notes from A major scale. By adding in this sixth note it adds subtle jazz elements that distinguish it from regular major chords.
Minor sixth chords can be utilized anywhere regular minor chords can. They’re particularly useful in progressions that feature line cliches – stepwise lines that move against an unchanging chord – as this creates stepwise motion against it.
There are various voicings of an A minor six chord, each featuring different fingering and sound characteristics. Please see the chart below for further details.
2. Dm6
D minor sixth chords (Dmin6) can be formed by adding a 6th interval note to an otherwise regular minor chord, and producing notes such as D, F and A as their basis. On this page you’ll find various voicings of this chord as well as an interactive piano keyboard reference chart for ease of reference.
These voicings are all relatively basic, sometimes forgoing the presence of bass notes altogether. This practice is frequently seen in jazz and other styles to allow an instrument dedicated to basses (such as double basses) to retain ownership over lower frequency notes.
Scott presents two variations of the Dmin6 chord for gypsy jazz rhythm guitar: one is suitable for beginners to intermediate players; while a more challenging etude suited for students working on their jazz chordal skills. Both etudes feature chord changes from Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s seminal composition “Minor Swing”.
3. E7
Minor Swing has long been associated with gypsy jazz performances. This 16 bar progression provides an ideal platform for improvisation and is frequently employed during performances of this style of jazz music.
This chord can be formed by fretting the first and second strings with your index finger while leaving the third (thicker one) open – similar to an E-major chord but with one key difference: when playing its seventh note a perfect fourth up it has more tension-filled sound.
If the above formation doesn’t sit comfortably with you, try playing it using just your ring and pinky fingers on the top two strings instead of using all six fingers as shown above. This gives the chord a distinct sound while simultaneously strengthening those two fingers simultaneously. Although more difficult than its counterparts to play, this chord will add tension and excitement to any of your improvisations!
4. F7
An F dominant 7 chord can help bring rock-inspired tones into your minor swing playing, broadening your chordal vocabulary and providing a fuller sound for smaller ensembles.
Gypsy jazz typically adds the major 6th note to chords so they become A minor 6 chords (Am6 chords). This creates stronger and more powerful feelings within these chords and also provides them with their distinctive characteristic sound, setting this style of jazz apart from others.
This last minor swing chord study is more harmonically advanced than its counterparts and requires greater improvisational ability; however, this etude can still be played effectively by two guitarists at beginner or intermediate levels in duo situations.