MetaFilter posts tagged with guitar

Early Paul Simon

RussHy — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:09:38 -0800

SLYT: Paul Simon and his brother play Davy Graham's 'Anji'.

pretty pickings

madamjujujive — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:42:06 -0800

20 pretty painted guitars. (via Nag on the Lake) More painted guitars: Music Saves Lives - Gibson Guitar Project GZ Guitars Luna's Henna Guitars Prior thread on 50 painted Dean Guitars, a tribute to Dimebag Darrell

Robot Guitar Technicians 2008 A.D.

awfurby — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:17:30 -0800

Having always found the process of setting up a guitar slightly intimidating, I am so glad that there's now a robot that can do it for me. Plek is a German-designed system for mechanically adjusting the setup of your guitar. Short video here. I wonder what happens when the robot guitar tech meets the robot guitar?

That ain't doubling on flute. This is doubling on flute.

No-sword — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:58:31 -0800

Two flutes at once. Two guitars at once. (Honorable mentions.) Two recorders at once, 100% nose-powered. Two trumpets at once (breakdown at three).Two harps at once. Two saxophones at once. (Bonus: Clarinet/sax unos.) (Double-link YouTube filter in honor of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's birthday this week.)

Hiram Bullock dead

KevinSkomsvold — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:19:18 -0800

Hiram Bullock, original guitarist for Paul Shaffer's "Worlds Most Dangerous Band" died on July 25th. He was a fixture in the early days of David Letterman's show. The cause of death was not disclosed but Bullock had been undergoing treatment for cancer and was known to have had drug problems. Bullock was 52. Apologies in advance for the obit post. I feel just a bit older after hearing this news. He was an awesome guitar player.

Wrath of the Grapevine: The Roots of John Fahey

y2karl — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:33:04 -0800

So, about 9 months ago I started working on this compilation... Until yesterday, however, I hadn't seen a tracklist from the mysterious 10-cd set called the VrootzBox, so this is not a derivative work, however similar it may be...I should mention that not all of these songs are songs that he covered or copped licks from. Most of the music he has made mention to, though a few of the songs were recorded after his formative years and one or two he never would have heard. But they are presented to give an illustration of the styles he drew from (such as gamelan, which he grew up playing in his neighbor's back yard).

Wrath of the Grapevine: The Roots of John Fahey
via FaheyGuitarPlayers

Best Experienced with Headphones On

netbros — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:21:20 -0800

Leslie Low is an indie improv-based musician singer/songwriter. This site has songs from his two solo albums, Volcanoes, moody instrumental music mixing striking melodies, organic sounds, odd rhythm structures and laptop noise elements; and Worms, with solo guitar and voice delivering haunting intense acoustic numbers about death, retreating from the world and seeking refuge in a quiet place behind the woods. Low is also the front man for Singapore indie space rock and electronica band The Observatory. Bangkok performance by The Observatory.

Three Giants of Brazilian Guitar

ornate insect — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:54:14 -0800

Three of the giants of Brazilian guitar were Laurindo Almeida (1917-1995; wiki here), Luiz Bonfa (1922-2001; wiki here), and Baden Powell (1937-2000; wiki here). Here is Laurindo Almeida w/the MJQ playing One Note Samba; here is Luiz Bonfa playing the theme from Black Orpheus (which he composed); and here is Baden Powell playing Samba Triste. --You can learn more about Almeida here. For recordings, I would recommend the marvellous duets w/Bud Shank (which predate the famous Stan Getz bossa records as a modern jazz/Brazilian fusion; Getz also recorded w/Almeida and also w/Bonfa). Other recordings here. --Bonfa did so many great records, it's hard to know where to begin. The first three listed here are good. See also here (he did a legendary and amazing "latin jazz fusion" record called Jacaranda that is out-of-print). Here are some more Bonfa YT clips, well worth watching: here and here and briefly playing Desafinado (w/Getz) and see also here and here. --You can learn more about Baden Powell here. These YT clips are quite good: here and here. Baden Powell did some amazing records: the MPS recordings are oustanding, but here are some others (the recordings w/Vinicius de Moraes--Os Afro Sambas/Vontade--are legendary). A good all around site for Brazilian music is this one as well, but there are other sites too. It's a rich music, and there's a lot of it. I may do some other posts in the future on other Brazilian artists.

Are You Ready To Baroque

motty — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:33:24 -0800

In addition to violins, violas and cellos, there are also Stradivarius guitars. Two still exist: one in South Dakota and one in the Ashmolean in Oxford (see a reproduction of the Oxford one here). These are Baroque guitars, strung a little like modern ones without the low E string and with the other five strings doubled. Instructions for Baroque guitar. Courteous and friendly Reader, as thou hast seene before what my good will hath beene to pleasure thee in the practise of the Lute, so heere in this ~~booke~~ poste thou mayest perceave my endevoure continued to acquant thee likewise with the stately Orpharion...

This Band Rips

netbros — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:35:56 -0800

Smooth Jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music or instrumental pop, is generally described as a genre that utilizes instruments and improvisation traditionally associated with jazz and stylistic influences drawn from mostly R&B, but also funk and pop. Since the late 1980s and into the 1990s, it has become successful as a radio format. [source wikipedia] The average smooth jazz track is on the "downtempo" (most widely played tracks are in the 90–105 BPM range) side, layering a lead, melody-playing instrument (saxophones, guitars, piano) over a backdrop that tends to consist of programmed rhythms and various pads and/or samples. Although many people and record companies group smooth and contemporary jazz together, both genres are slightly different in the way they serve the listener. Smooth jazz is generally considered background music, whereas "serious" jazz is seen as demanding the listener's undivided attention. Following are some of my favorite Smooth Jazz bands and tracks. Enjoy. Tourist in Paradise -- The Rippingtons Together Tonight -- Brian Culbertson Rollin -- Fourplay Notorious -- Boney James and Rick Braun Do You Miss Me -- Mindi Abair Midnight in Manhattan -- Peter White and Dave Koz Return of the Eagle -- Craig Chaquico It's All Good -- Brian Simpson Well, that's enough from me. Do you have any of your own favorites you'd like to add?