MetaFilter posts tagged with Guitar and musician

Debashish Bhattacharya, slide guitarist from India

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:10:01 -0800

Have you heard the Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya? He's really very very very very good. Here's the Debashish Bhattacharya official site, and the Wiki page. See also: nickyskye's excellent post from June 2009 on Indian slide guitarist Van Shipley.

Rory Block

Joe Beese — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:19:10 -0800

Aurora "Rory" Block has staked her claim to be one of America's top acoustic blues women, an interpreter of the great Delta blues singers, a slide guitarist par excellence, and also a talented songwriter on her own account. - AllMusic

Salih Korkut Peker, strings man from Turkey.

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:56:05 -0800

Whether on fretless electric guitar or fretless Turkish banjo, mister Salih Korkut Peker sounds mighty fine. And here he is again on banjo, getting down on some Turkish grooves with percussionist Gencer Savaş. Sweet! [note: see hoverovers for link descriptions] And just for good measure (and, you know, to give the drummer some...), here's percussionist Gencer Savaş again, with three other folks (in funny hats!) in a charming rendition of "Sazendeler". Straight outta Turkey!

Joe Maphis, King of the Strings.

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:23:49 -0800

I tell you what, buddy, that ol' Joe Maphis fellow outta Bakersfield, he was one fast picker. Yup, fast as greased lightning and smooth as gaht-damn silk on that double-neck Mosrite guitar. He and the missus have a little advice for you, too: Don't Make Love In a Buggy. And though Joe was mainly a picker, he did pen one memorable little country ditty which you might've heard in some honky tonk along the line: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music). [note: see hoverovers for link descriptions] Here's the Joe Maphis MySpace page. As usual, a number of tunes to listen to here, on the player, including a straight up bluegrass banjo number. More YouTube instrumentals from Joe and sidekick Larry Collins: Flying Fingers and Early American. And this straight-up rock'n'roll number (which finds Maphis on a single neck Mosrite), Ramrod. Maphis worked quite a bit with rockabilly/country chanteuse Wanda Jackson. Catch his groovy solo in this clip of Wanda's Cool Love, and in this little gem, I Gotta Know. Plus Wanda's Hard Headed Woman. Here's Joe backing up Bobby Helms on that singer's cover of Hank William's Long Gone Daddy. Straight Outta Compton! Here's an older Joe, workin' it on out on acoustic, from a record he made with Merle Travis. The Joe Maphis Wikipedia page. The Mosrite Guitars Wikipedia page. Maphis' sidekick Larry Collins is featured in many of the posted YT clips. Here's a Wikipedia page on him and his sister Lorrie Collins, known as The Collins Kids. And here they are doing their rockabilly thing on Rockaway Rock. Following the Collins Kids on this same clip, Joe is seen in yet another duet with Larry Collins, once again sharing that doubleneck Mosrite. And here's the Collins Kids with a decidedly sultrier number, Rock Boppin' Baby, and a rockabilly version of Blue Moon of Kentucky. And here's little Larry, all growed up and still plucking that double neck, sharing the stage with Deke Dickerson just last year, doing Hurricane.

The great Doc Watson.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:10:56 -0800

Doc Wat son: his warm and unprepossessing voice and rolling guitar stylings (both flatpicking and fingerpicking) are treasures of American music. The following video clips will be a treat for any Watson fan, but especially for guitar players: they feature closeup shots of Doc's left hand fretwork as well as insets of his right hand picking. So, without further ado: Deep River Blues, Blue Railroad Train, Black Mountain Rag and Bluebell. See also: Earl Scruggs & Doc Watson (and sons) play "John Hardy". Doc & Merle Watson play "Tom Dooley". Chet Atkins and Doc Watson: 1, 2, 3.

Richard Thompson and his exquisite songs.

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:44:03 -0800

Singer/songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson: songs of bittersweet longing, sublime eloquence, dark exuberance and ominous allusion. Richard Thompson has a dedicated following, and consequently there are a lot of Thompson clips on YouTube. I selected these four to post here, though, because as TV spots (BBC) their quality is excellent, and because they showcase his acoustic guitar playing. Not that I don't love his electric guitar work: in fact I I am a huge fan of his electric aesthetic, particularly his soloing, but I think his acoustic guitar accompaniment is the perfect foil for his voice. I think he's one of our finest living songwriters, actually, and I hope you enjoy these clips. There's one more from the same BBC performances, Vincent Black Lightning 1952, which I certainly would've included in the FPP, but for the fact that it would've been a double, from none other than the esteemed and now-seemingly-departed vronsky. Here's hoping you'll come riding back to MeFi, vron!

A Resource For and About Songwriters

netbros — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:53:39 -0800

The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource is the place for songwriting tips, tools, interactivities and connecting with other songwriters around the world. See the section about musical instruments or get into the guitar player's guide. Start communicating with other musicians and songwriters in the forums and check out the music reviews. Lots to do, see, hear, learn, and most of all, enjoy.

UkeTube: Roy Smeck

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:30:50 -0800

You really shouldn't miss the snazzy ukulele stylings of the great Roy Smeck, strummer and showman extraordinaire, who was not only fast as greased lightning, but for whom the ukulele also occasionally functioned as a wind or percussion instrument. The man was indeed a wizard of the strings: just give him a slide and watch him lay down that Hawaiian sound. And as you'll see here, he was still going strong in his later years. [most links to YouTube]

The unstoppable Herr Reichel

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 07:32:24 -0800

Hans Rei chel (previously) is a man of many talents. His own site (flash/sound) is fun (often funny) and chock full of agreeably wacky sounds, but can take some time to navigate. Reichel hasn't made it easy for you if you happen to be in a hurry. You may well get stuck somewhere and just give up. That'd be a shame, though, cause you'd miss getting acquainted with the guitars he makes and plays. Or how he designs fonts. The mixing board shenanigans are not to be missed (once you get past those curious little fellows in the brown hats), plus you can sorta kinda play his daxophone yourself. And of course conduct your own little ensemble of meercats when one of them finally comes out of hiding and says "Hallo! Play with me".

Speak the rhythm all alone, Spoonman

KevinSkomsvold — Wed, 03 May 2006 00:00:16 -0800

Video of guitarist who plays slide with a spoon held in his mouth.

cheaily — Mon, 13 Nov 2000 20:34:53 -0800

It's not political. But it's rather useful. Free (accurate!) tuning software for the guitarists out there.