A high-energy minor-key study where rhythmic clarity and a secure roadmap matter more than sheer speed.
If you study one thing
Practise one four-bar passage using quarter-note chord tones.
William P. Gottlieb / Library of Congress Aquarium, New York, N.Y. · circa November 1946 · Photo credits
Chart keyD minor (Gypsy Jazz Essentials study setting)
FormConfirm head, breaks and solo chorus against the chosen version
FeelSwing
Meter4/4
MusicDjango Reinhardt
Guide coverage11 / 12 sections present
Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-18T10:57:16Z by admin. Coverage measures presence, not accuracy. Content review does not certify rights or musical perfection.
See what is here and what is missing
✓ Recording evidence
✓ Key & form
○ Chart
✓ History
✓ Playing notes
✓ Practice plan
✓ Backing track
✓ Django recording
✓ Django solo study aid
✓ Photograph
✓ Sources
✓ Difficulty
Django's Recordings
Django recordings for this tune. Uploader dates and take labels remain source claims; only an evidenced exact association enables a row’s Listen control.
2 historical recording entries · source text preserved
Entry
Year
Recording / session / release evidence
Listen
01
1940
Vendredi 13,OSW 149-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 310, Classics 852, Affinity AFS 1003, Jazz Time 252707-2, Music Memoria 31005, EMI 780671-2, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set).","13/12/40 - Paris - QHCF+ - Hubert Rostaing (cl), Alix Combelle (cl,ts) Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g), Tony Rovira (b), Pierre Fouad (d)"
—
02
1947
Vendredi 13,"Fremeaux FA 314, Vogue 228E 6006, Vogue 668003-2, Legacy 411(""Lucky 13"")","7-15-22/9/47 - Paris - Souvenirs de Django - Django Reinhardt (elg), Hubert Rostaing (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)"
—
A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
History & Listening
The archive preserves a December 1940 entry and a later Souvenirs de Django entry whose raw text lists several September 1947 dates. The inherited derived year remains 1947; no exact session date is newly chosen. Naxos credits Django as composer on the existing listening reference. The Adrien Tarraga solo study remains in place, alongside proposed Rosenberg/van Hemert and Rosenberg/Fapy performances.
Tune details
Music: Django Reinhardt
Documented in archive: 1940
Original key: Not established
Study level: Advanced; minor-key swing and fast form control
Melody & head
Compare how the two modern ensembles keep the minor-key line clear at speed, then return to the historical recording for articulation.
The 1947 raw date text is a grouped historical reference. It does not establish an exact video-to-session match.
Study the inherited Django recording evidence
Compare how the two modern ensembles keep the minor-key line clear at speed, then return to the historical recording for articulation.
Session evidence
Vendredi 13,OSW 149-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 310, Classics 852, Affinity AFS 1003, Jazz Time 252707-2, Music Memoria 31005, EMI 780671-2, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set).","13/12/40 - Paris - QHCF+ - Hubert Rostaing (cl), Alix Combelle (cl,ts) Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g), Tony Rovira (b), Pierre Fouad (d)"
No readable owned grid is present. A creator-labelled D-minor backing establishes one study setting, not the original key of every version. Confirm the minor cadences and any breaks with the chosen arrangement before playing full choruses. Use the contrast between F natural in D minor and C-sharp in its A7 dominant to make resolutions clear. Check the video key before playing with the chart.
Chart & Form
No readable owned grid is present. A creator-labelled D-minor backing establishes one study setting, not the original key of every version. Confirm the minor cadences and any breaks with the chosen arrangement before playing full choruses. Use the contrast between F natural in D minor and C-sharp in its A7 dominant to make resolutions clear.
Inherited chart is preserved verbatim as historical study material, not silently corrected or newly authenticated. Check the specific caveats below and match the arrangement and key to the selected video. External teaching material remains on its creator’s site.
No readable chord chart has been added for this title.
Swing · 210 BPM · 3m49s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.
Creator-provided play-along; instrumentation and feel vary by selection. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.
Vendredi 13 Django Reinhardt Solo Transcription, 1947
Adrien Tarraga
source-described; accuracy not independently verified
Creator presents a study of Django’s recorded solo. Use it alongside the original recording; exact transcription accuracy has not been independently reviewed.
No match is established in the current chart metadata.
Behind the photograph
Editorial reuse of a verified Gottlieb photograph already in the Djangopedia gallery. This image is not claimed to depict this tune or its recording session.
Part of William P. Gottlieb’s documented Aquarium photographs in New York, circa November 1946. The catalogue supplies the location and approximate date; this is not evidence of a particular tune being played.
C-sharp on A7 resolves toward D; do not carry it indiscriminately into every minor phrase.
Pitch choices
Begin with the named chord tones. Add passing notes only after the melody and cadence are secure.
Practise one four-bar passage using quarter-note chord tones. Repeat it with one offbeat entry and one full beat of silence. Rehearse the last phrase into the next chorus separately before moving toward the faster play-alongs.
Comping & voicings
Use smaller, lighter strokes as speed increases. Agree the breaks and avoid filling them automatically.
Voicing note sets
Compare a D-minor shell with the C-sharp–G guide tones of A7, keeping the melody register clear.
Keep the accompaniment clear
First establish an even pulse; add rhythmic variation only when the melody leaves space.
The 1947 raw date text is a grouped historical reference. It does not establish an exact video-to-session match.
Practice room
Begin at 100–120 bpm; proposed play-alongs 210 and 250 bpm
Your assignment
Practise one four-bar passage using quarter-note chord tones. Repeat it with one offbeat entry and one full beat of silence. Rehearse the last phrase into the next chorus separately before moving toward the faster play-alongs.
Loop these changes
Practise one four-bar passage using quarter-note chord tones.
Metronome
Count quarter notes first. Then place the click on beats 2 and 4 at half the click rate, keeping the phrase length unchanged.
Transposition
Move one short cadence to a nearby key by naming its chord tones, then return to the chosen study key.
At the session
D minor (Gypsy Jazz Essentials study setting); Confirm head, breaks and solo chorus against the chosen version. Agree the arrangement, pickup and ending before counting in.
Start together
Count a clear tempo and use the final cadence of the agreed arrangement.
Finish together
Cue the final tonic together; agree any tag before starting.
The 1947 raw date text is a grouped historical reference. It does not establish an exact video-to-session match.
The 1947 raw date text is a grouped historical reference. It does not establish an exact video-to-session match.
Arranging the tune
Solo guitar
Keep the melody uppermost and begin with a single bass note under each harmony. Compare a D-minor shell with the C-sharp–G guide tones of A7, keeping the melody register clear.
Trio or larger group
Use smaller, lighter strokes as speed increases. Agree the breaks and avoid filling them automatically.
Vocal considerations
No vocal arrangement is prescribed; use the instrumental melody as the phrasing reference.
Sources & credits
This player guide combines inherited recording evidence and editorial study notes. Musical study notes are editorial suggestions; compare them with the recording.
Vendredi 13 - Gypsy Jazz Backing Track 210 BPM - Django ReinhardtHot Club de FranceSwing · 210 BPM · 3m49s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-provided play-along; instrumentation and feel vary by selection. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.✓ Featured
Vendredi 13 - Gypsy Jazz Backing Track 250 BPM - Django ReinhardtHot Club de FranceSwing · 250 BPM · 3m13s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-provided play-along; instrumentation and feel vary by selection. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.Select video
Rosenberg Trio + Christiaan van Hemert - Vendredi 13Christiaan van HemertVideo available when checked; creator-described attribution.Performer attribution follows the video title and channel description. Proposed listening selection; no popularity ranking implied.✓ Featured
Rosenberg Trio & Fapy Lafertin - Vendredi 13 - Gipsy Festival Geilenkirchen 25.05.2013RhythmbreezeVideo available when checked; creator-described attribution.Performer attribution follows the video title and channel description. Proposed listening selection; no popularity ranking implied.Select video