Webster: chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
Webster by Django Reinhardt, key of DS (swing), form A A B 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
Webster is a Django Reinhardt composition captured on his later recordings with Stéphane Grappelli (notably the Rome sessions of 1949–50). Part of Django's substantial body of originals, it's a swinging AABA vehicle for improvisation.
The sound: E♭ major with a Gm and diminished (G♭°7) colour, a Fm–B7 twist, and a chain of dominants (C7, B♭7, E♭7) plus an F7 that keep the harmony turning; bright, bebop-tinged swing.
Practising it: outline the ii–Vs into E♭ and A♭, drill the E♭ major and G minor arpeggios, and chase the dominants by resolving 7ths downward. A confident medium-up swing suits the AABA form.
Webster chords: the grille
A : | E♭ | Gm G♭° | Fm | B7 | Fm | C7 | Fm B♭7 | E♭ |
B : | E♭7 | E♭7 | A♭ | A♭ | F7 | F7 | Fm | B♭7 |
Chords used
E♭ · Gm · G♭° · Fm · B7 · C7 · B♭7 · E♭7 · A♭ · F7
Play along
Open the interactive grille for Webster: 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.