I recently did some recording for a jingle and worked on some sites doing SEO in the Charlotte area
When I grab a guitar it reminds me of the many creative things that can be done on line, in a studio, and in life.
Here are some interesting points:
Why do some guitar players tune the entire instrument down a step or two?
Jimi Hendrix usually played one step down. In those days he didn’t need to tune to a standard keyboard so he had the luxury of tuning his Stratocaster down a step. He liked the sound and feel better.
The guitar strings are looser when there is less tension and that feel can make a big difference in the playability of any guitar. Leo Kottke is another player who often often uses looser tunings.
What about Nashville Players?
They have done everything you can think of to guitars. Many studios like to use a Nashville guitar strung with all high strings to get a certain percussive rhythm sound in the background. Years of experimentation and trial and error have resulted in Nashville’s unique sound.
Many pickers use alternate tunings, alternate strings on the guitars, combinations of strings like replacing the wound G string with unwound, or buying a couple of sets of strings at different gauges and replacing certain strings with a heavier or lighter gauge.
Open Tuning?
Players like Joni Mitchel, Leo Kottke, and Michael Hedges have used open tuning with great success. That is- tuning the guitar so that an unfretted strum will make a chord. Then using one finger to bar at a certain fret…say the fifth, then the seventh, to create full chords.
Other Guitar Techniques
Some specialty players have been able to manipulate the guitar while it is being played by twisting the tuning keys, using slides of course and tapping to creat unique signature sounds.
Thumbs Carsllile played a regular guitar in his lap pressing the fret board decades before Stanley Jordan. His unique sound was a great contribution.
Lenny Breau used lots of techniques that astonished people for years. You can find him on the net and hear recordings of this amazing guitar player.
Experiment. Find new ways of bending, squeezing, coaxing notes. You can get inspiration by listening to Monte Montgomery.
Kyle Whitford is a guitar player who records commercial production music. He is also a marketing professional. His SEO work in the Charlotte NC area helps rank websites.
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