Valse des Niglos: chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
Valse des Niglos by Gusti Malha, key of E (valse), form A B A Trio A. Below is the full chord grid; on Haute Gitanerie you can play along with a scrolling chord ribbon, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and switch on a rhythm backing (la pompe) to practise your solos over the changes.
About
La Valse des Niglos ("the hedgehogs' waltz") is a manouche waltz by Gusti Malha, popularised by the Ferret brothers (Baro Ferret recorded it in 1939) and a cornerstone of the gypsy-swing valse repertoire.
The sound: a fast 3/4 in E minor that spins through minor and dominant colours (B7, E7, A minor) with the whirling, virtuosic drive of the French musette-valse tradition.
Practising it: the waltz feel comes first: a light, lilting three. Drill E harmonic minor and the B7 arpeggio, target the leading tone into Em, and build speed only once the arpeggios are clean and even.
Valse des Niglos chords: the grille
A : | Em | Em | Em | Em | Em | Em | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | Em | Em | Em | Em | Em | Em | E7 | E7 | Am | Am | Am | Am | Em | Em | C7 | B7 | Em | Em |
B : | D7 | D7 | G | A♭° | Am | D7 | G | G | D7 | D7 | G | G | Am | C7 | B7 | B7 | D7 | D7 | G | A♭° | Am | D7 | G | G | Am | C7 | B7 | B7 | Am | C7 | B7 | B7 |
Trio : | E | E | E | E | E | E° | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | E° | E | E | E | E | E | E7 | E7 | A | A | A | Am | E | E | F#7 | B7 | E | E |
Chords used
Em · B7 · E7 · Am · C7 · D7 · G · A♭° · E · E° · A · F#7
Videos, Valse des Niglos
Watch it played
- Valse des Niglos | Jazz Violin in Barcelona, Marta Sierra
Play along
Open the interactive grille for Valse des Niglos: loop any section, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and play over a rhythm accompaniment, with a real recorded pompe on featured tunes. In the browser, free.