The Guitar Thread

[dankityd]

On acoustic you should try keeping the same strings on forever. They'll squeak less over time. Better strumming tone usually in recordings too. And the coated Elixir strings are a little better in this department but the coating wears off over time.

[michaeldean]

Just joining this thread... I've heard some professional recordings with what I would consider "horrendous" string squeak (Acoustic Alchemy comes to mind). I guess it's a matter of what the producer thinks is acceptable.Ditto everything about Knopfler & Gilmour (sp?) - two of the finest. I swear, David Gilmour can squeeze more music out of one note than anyone else I've ever heard. The guy is without peer when it comes to "musicality" (as opposed to "how many notes can I play?"). It's something I struggle with constantly - the urge to "prove" I can really burn it up...Another really "musical" soloist is a session player named Michael Landow. He did solos on several of James Taylor's more recent albums. Really tasty stuff - he uses a lot of chords and partial chords in his solos. Very nice.And, of course, if you're talking about melodic solos you have to include Larry Carlton. He's got 2 of the solos on my list of top 5 guitar solos of all time: "Kid Charlemagne" & "Third world man" (both by Steely Dan). His solo on "Third world man" is, perhaps, the most hauntingly beautiful electric guitar solo I've ever heard. It still gives me chills.

[horacejesse]

Speaking of Carlton. I have watched his instruction video and he is the best teacher of all the guitarists whose videos I have watched (probably watched about fifteen of these things). He also performs a song with full band at the very end of the video which is one of my favorite guitar performances of all time. All through the performance I feel I am on the verge of identifying the song he is playing, but I never have been able to pin it down, although I always feel strongly that it is something I have heard before. Maybe it is one of his own tunes that simply reminds me of something else.Anyway, the song is a slow one. Larry has a swell effect on. The notes would soon run away to feedback if he did not stop them. He shows extraordinary control and feel in this piece. If anyone could give Gilmore a run for getting the most out of one note, it would probably be Larry.Welcome to the ongoing discussion Michael and Dan.

[michaeldean]

Horace, Which video was that? He must have more than one, 'cause that doesn't sound like the one I have...

[horacejesse]

I always wondered how Nato Lima was doing it. Was he using a flatpick or classical finderstyle? Thanks to the miracle of YouTube, I no longer have to wonder.I have been a big fan of Los Indios Tabajaras since I was a young teenager. Back then the redwood tree General Sherman was little more than a sapling.They had a couple of pieces like Flight Of The Bumblebee, Minute Waltz and Fantasy Impromptu, that were super fast. I believed he was playing it with a flatpick, but I knew how fast some flamenco players can move i and m fingers, so I could not be sure.YouTube gave the answer. Nato was using a flatpick on Bumblebee. It was white, so you could see it clearly. But I still would not be surprised if he was playing fingerstyle on many other tunes.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdYF5gZckmk