PAUL MEHLING

Just the Gypsy in his soul: Mehling strikes up the band with his Dell Arte Modele Pazzo

Guitarist Paul Mehling, leader of the Hot Club of San Francisco for 11 years, has released seven CDs in the gypsy-swing tradition of Django Reinhardt & the Hot Club de France. Mehling is a multi-instrumentalist, playing violin, mandolin, and tenor and plectrum banjos, as well as the guitar. He's not only one of the leading players in the gypsy-swing tradition — he is equally respected as a teacher of this unique style. He has already produced two videos for Homespun Tapes — one on rhythm techniques and one on soloing, and he has a third volume (dealing specifically with right-hand techniques) due out this year.

Mehling is here in Guitarviews to talk about the importance of solidifying your sense of rhythm. Having played several gigs as a rhythm guitarist in his Hot Club of San Francisco, I can vouch for his metric fortitude and his sense of swing. Take it away, Paul....

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How to "Disappear Yourself" into a Recorded Track, or Make Your Metronome "Disappear"
By Paul Mehling
In the same way that you can become part of any band you play with, so too can you become part of the band on your favorite recordings — by disappearing into the track. Turn it up loud and tape yourself playing with the recording so you can listen back objectively, if need be. You can be your own teacher. When I practice along with a recording, I always try to hear what the guitarist is doing (either while on rhythm or soloing) and try to copy it absolutely exactly, so that I can't hear myself. The same holds when practicing with the metronome: If you play so perfectly on the beat that you can't hear your metronome's click anymore, you've effectively made your metronome disappear!

The best proof that this works is an experience I had in a Metro station in Paris a few years back, watching two gypsy guitarists that were busking for money. One was teaching the other the chords to "All of Me," and the second one wasn't getting it. I watched for like 10 or 15 minutes. Train after train came and went, as they sat in the station trying to get this tune together. Though I had a train to catch, I stayed and watched them — and they eventually noticed me watching. Little did they know that this was like a dream come true for me, stumbling upon a situation like this! "So," I said in my broken French, "may I try?" The lead player looked at the rhythm player, and then looked back at me with one of those shrug-the-shoulders-and-blow-a-silent-puff-of-air gestures — the universal sign for "Yeah, sure." The rhythm guy handed me his guitar, the lead guy just sort of stared at me, and so I counted "Un, deux...." and we started in. He played all these great, crazy solos, and then gave me the nod to take a couple choruses. All in all, it was good. After we finished, the lead guy looked at me and said, "Where did you learn to play like that?????!!!!!" "The same way you did," I told him, "listening to Django Reinhardt records!" He shook my hand in immediate complicit musical connectedness.

Isn't love grand.

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To jump to the official Web site of Mehling's band the Hot Club of San Francisco click here.