La Pompe The heartbeat of Gypsy Jazz

La Pompe

The Heartbeat of Gypsy Jazz Accompaniment

You love Gypsy Jazz and wish to play it
freely and joyfully.

When you hear La Pompe – whether it’s Django or other Gypsy Jazz guitarists – you dream of sounding just like that.
Ever wondered how they get that unique sound? What are those “Gypsy Chords” they’re playing? What are those inversions and voicings?

Accompaniment is the most crucial part of Gypsy Jazz playing.

Playing great La Pompe improves your understanding of the form and groove of the song,
sets the structure for your improvisation, and makes you the player everyone wants to jam with (there’s nothing more annoying than playing with someone who doesn’t swing).
La Pompe combines the harmony player’s role with the drummer’s, So there’s something in it for any Jazz guitarist, regardless of your style. Master it at any tempo, and you can play anything in Jazz and even use it in your solos.

The Ultimate Course For Gypsy Jazz Accompaniment

La Pompe: Mastering the Heartbeat of Gypsy Jazz

Master the art of that iconic percussive strumming, infusing your playing with the same infectious energy that brought Gypsy jazz to life with the ultimate course for aspiring guitarists and music enthusiasts eager to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Gypsy jazz accompaniment.

The course will lead you through
these 4 gradual steps:

Step #1: Down Stroke La Pompe

There is not only one style of La Pompe. In fact, there are a few.
And Django used them all to convey a different feeling to different songs or to different parts of the same song.
It all begins with the two primary downstrokes, which form the core of this style and have been embraced by many modern guitarists as their primary, if not sole, accompaniment technique. You’ll master the movements behind these two downstrokes.
These movements are like the dance behind your rhythm infusing your La Pompe with swing and bounce. You’ll start by concentrating on your right hand, playing over one chord. Then, you'll progress to practicing the fluidity of your groove as you change chords.

Step#3: Traditional (up-stroke) La Pompe

The more traditional way to play La Pompe, as performed by Django and other Gypsy Jazz luminaries, includes an upstroke on the swing accent. This creates a distinct syncopated rhythm that is both energetic and infectious. It's a more complicated style of La Pompe that can be challenging to grasp.

We'll break it down into 7 easy steps to help you play it correctly. Once you've mastered this style of La Pompe along with its various variations, you'll gain the freedom to improvise in your accompaniment, allowing you to convey the feel that you want for any song or specific section.

Step#4: Chord Progressions and Rhythm Kicks

There are common chord progressions that repeat again and again in many songs. Mastering these progressions and getting them into your muscle memory will make it so much easier for you to learn new songs.

Incorporating rhythm kicks into your playing adds depth, excitement, and authenticity to your Gypsy jazz accompaniment. They add a distinctive flair to your playing and are a crucial component of the Gypsy jazz accompaniment style. It allows you to express yourself creatively, adding your unique touch to the music.

Whether you're strumming as part of a group or accompanying your own solos, rhythm kicks elevate your playing and immerse you in the heart of Gypsy jazz's rhythmic charm.

When you get through the course you will:

Have great swinging La Pompe!
Be in demand at jam sessions making fellow musicians eager to play with you
Develop impeccable timing and syncopation, essential for keeping the rhythm alive and driving the melody forward.
Know what pick to use, how to hold the pick and the correct hand position
Confidently substitute hard chords with easier chord shapes.
Have all the chord shapes and voicings you need to play Django’s songs.
Know how to play Django’s turnarounds
Know how to play rhythm kicks, variations and how to play cool intros and endings.

How it works

La Pompe: The Heartbeat of Gypsy Jazz Accompaniment is a fully “Learn at your own Pace” digital course. It offers5 hours of video lessons divided into 7 modules, taking you step by step from:

the very basics of La Pompe movements

through chords, chord progressions

up to playing complete songs with various La Pompe styles, rhythm kicks, and chord substitutes, just like a pro

We start with the basics to ensure a common background.
Video play-alongs and charts will be provided, and you’ll gain immediate access upon signing up.

Bonus!

Accompaniment Mastery:
This special Bonus includes video play-alongs for 7 songs,
where you join me to play the Accompaniment for the solos heard in the background.
Each song is taught step by step, featuring unique intros and outros, along with charts for reference.

Testimonials

Play

Yaakov Hoter

Django Reinhardt’s music ignited my guitar passion at age 13. My journey spans Blues, Rock, Pop, Arabic Oud, Jazz, and Gypsy Jazz. Throughout it all, one thing has remained crystal clear to me – music is a universal language, free from the constraints of style or genre.

I’ve collaborated with renowned musicians like Bireli Lagrene and Martin Taylor, gracing international festivals. My academic journey includes a music college degree and a Music Academy bachelor’s. I document my musical journey at gypsyandjazz.com, helping thousands of players around the globe play the way they love and love the way they play.

“I had loads of classes with really wonderful professional players but nothing compares. The way Yaakov introduces you to Django’s style is unique, very helpful and highly entertaining. I’d never have imagined to be able to pick it up in such a short time. Taking Yaakovs Gypsy Jazz course is like having a friend in your practicing room.”

Wolfgang eisenhuth

“Yaakov is an absolutely brilliant teacher. His unique teaching method and style give a very effective mix of learning by doing and understanding. I can now play and learn, alone, at jam sessions and at workshops. Yaakov’s lessons are so much fun; they excite my interest and hold it! I’m learning to play and learning to learn. ”

Donna Radin

“My development as a guitarist due to the 32 lessons I took with Yaakov is much more than I had hoped for. Beyond learning just how to swing and how to play jazz songs, I can now improvise to any kind of music. Following all your tips…really works. Your approach hits the mark. Your generosity was always felt. Blessings to you. ”

Jai . C . SALT

“I picked up books/tabs/dvd’s and various courses. about 8 years had gone by and my playing was between beginner and intermediate and I practiced 4 hours a day! Then I stumbled upon Yaakov Hoter. WOW!!.. somebody who explained the Gypsy language better than ANYONE! If ONLY I had found this 8 years ago! Get lessons from YAAKOV, you will not regret it ”

Ian Randell

“I always talked about Django Reinhardt with admiration but never understood how he did it…time moves on and and I found Yaakov Hoters Gypsy Jazz courses. It is the best way to learn. Yaakov is a great teacher with great patience to teach you and to tell you the little secrets you need to know.”

Andrew Wells

“I’m a big fan of Django and Yaakov. I’ve bought a lot of lessons from his website and I’ve learnt a lot with them…All of them are very well organized and helpful. Easy to understand and come with a pdf explanation. Thank you very much Yaakov!! ”

Django Eddie

“Yaakov’s bootcamp has taken my learning experience to the next level. I had never recorded my playing on video before nor shared it online with others. But using my cellphone I was ready to go in seconds, not minutes. With the help of Yaakov and his online group I suddenly see lots of improvements in a short period of time. I now enjoy every step along the way. Thank you Yaakov”

Kai Ole Shultz

“As a Gypsy Jazz beginner I am blown away that my technique has improved so drastically in such a short time – a testament to Yaakov’s fantastic teaching. Yaakov provides attentive and precise feedback on individual technique and areas to improve. The opportunity to watch him work with other students is inspiring and I gained much insight from common difficulties many if us share. I highly recommend Yaakov’s live workshops and courses.”

Thomas Loiselle

“The Live Bootcamps are something to look forward to all week. When you attend a live meeting there is an excitement that you get from Yaakov directly answering your comments live and actually using your name to invite you on to share what you’ve learned. It’s makes everything so much more real and personal to have one of the world’s top gypsy jazz teachers directly helping give you personal tips, directions, and goals. ”

TOM SHOPTAW

“Having learned picking from you, a surprising benefit is that the tone that I have achieved really helps for everything related to ear training. I can learn and remember so many phrases and tunes because I can play them clearly and precisely. Because of your guidance, I know what to work on to improve. Thank you for the wonderful start and I look forward to joining more bootcamps in the future!”

Ashok Thirumurthi

“Another fine workshop from Yaakov, this time on the oh so important element of rhythm in Gypsy Jazz, Yaakov has the ability to focus on the basic movements, really breaks it down, so you can build from the bottom up. All this without getting academic, and keeping it fun. If you are a student like me, who can play a fair bit already, but need structure, you can’t go wrong with a workshop like this!”

Karel van Bezooijen

“Yaakov´s live online Bootcamp was a very useful. Keeping up with the others students progress was both – fun and motivating. I think the online live workshop gave all members a boost in their playing and our progress during these sessions was impressive. Yaakov was always there with his answers and comments: he knows exactly what advice to give to improve your playing”

Volker Bräth

“I enjoyed it so much and was making substantial progress with my improvisation skills. Until joining the program, my solos consisted of noodling with a scale through the changes. The structure of the program taught me how to approach soloing using these techniques. My goal went from stringing together arpeggios at blazing speeds to creating melodic statements that applied my current skills and came from the music inside of me. Thanks so much, Yaakov!”

Brad Smadly

“Simply put, learning the fundamentals of gypsy jazz from Yaakov has done wonders for my confidence and ability to improvise. Now I’m very much enjoying my daily practice, creating lines and swinging out. If you’re passionate about learning how to play Gypsy Jazz, I couldn’t recommend Yaakov’s courses and bootcamps more. I consider the progress I’ve made in such a relatively short time and the guidance I’ve been given invaluable. Worth every penny. Thanks again Yaakov!”

Jordan Corney

“You have a great system of turning the knowledge I have into something that I can use and if I don’t have the knowledge, you are giving it to me so it’s usable. Learning this process has changed everything in my playing. I like my own sound and solos better and people are asking me to come back and play with them again which is a pretty good indicator that I’m doing something right and and it’s all thanks to you Yaakov!”

Carol

“I’m finally able to see the endless patterns on the fretboard and relax, finding so many ways to explore vaguely repeating motifs that sound good to the ear. Fewer notes, better notes, more meaning and beauty to the soloing. Loving it, and again – that’s for your help! Yaakov ”

Douglas Stewar

“I have been following yaakov’s course over 4 weeks and it has really been a crucial breakthrough for me. When Yaakov explained about simplifying chord progressions, keeping the shape and using triads, it all fell into place. I have developed more in the last month than in the previous 30 years ”

Lars Nørregaard

“Improvisation in music is like abstract painting in art. Yaakov is teaching some stuff that might seem unteachable. Very inspiring. As you go through it everything starts making sense. The system is quite simple. Also, Yaakov’s genuine personality makes a huge difference; if you trust your teacher – it’s easy to trust the process.”

Natalia Yazell

FAQs

I'm a Beginner/ Advanced player- Is it for me?

This course is suitable for all levels. It’s how the Gypsy luminaries play La Pompe and It’s how I learned it as a professional musician. It’s great for guitar beginners as they’ll improve their chord playing together with learning this enchanting accompaniment style and it suits advanced guitarists who want to adopt the authentic La Pompe accompaniment to their playing.

The beauty of this process is that it lays down the framework for your Gypsy Jazz Accompaniment, no matter what your playing skills are.

I already have so many things to practice, and I haven't even finished some of your other courses....

Well… if you are not satisfied with the way your La Pompe sounds, this course is crucial for you to play Gypsy Jazz. Your accompaniment is the most crucial part of your Gypsy Jazz playing. Playing great La Pompe improves your understanding of the form and groove of the song, sets the structure for your improvisation and gets you to be a player that everyone wants to play with (there isn’t a more annoying thing than playing with someone who doesn’t swing).
So this course will actually help you complete the other courses you have. Playing great accompaniment is definitely a must learn skill, before you learn anything else.