Django Reinhardt was a brilliant musician with incredible virtuosity on the guitar. Unfortunately, in an accident while performing, he lost several fingers on his left hand. This not only affected his ability to play the guitar, but it also affected his ability to write music and conduct orchestras. He continued to perform and compose throughout his career, but it was clear that he had to find a way to compensate for his disability.
One solution that Django found was to use a slide rule and pen rather than fingers on his left hand when conducting orchestras or writing music. He also developed techniques for compensating for the loss of accuracy and speed that came with not having fingers on his left hand. All in all, Django Reinhardt’s injury was a major setback in his career, but he persevered and ultimately became one of the most celebrated musicians of all time.
Once, Django Reinhardt was playing at the Paris Olympia when he lost four fingers – two on each hand – in a freak accident. He was soundly booed by the audience and continued playing with his remaining digits.
The accident occurred when Reinhardt’s strings got caught in his guitar’s tuning pegs. The strings pulled on the little finger and ring finger on each hand, breaking them off at the second knuckle. He finished the concert with one hand.
Reinhardt’s injury didn’t stop him from performing; he simply used a different set of strings on that hand. He also developed a unique way of playing with only five fingers, bending and vibrating the strings with his thumbnail and first two fingers.
Django Reinhardt cause of death: a stroke