MetaFilter posts tagged with music and guitar

I wish I was special

flatluigi — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:04:48 -0800

Every so often, the Opie and Anthony radio show run a Homeless Shopping Spree, where they take some homeless people off the streets and take them out to an upscale mall to buy clothes for them. This year, a man who calls himself Mustard mentioned to them that he used to be a musician, so they gave him a guitar.

Someone who once had a lot of free time # 12 & 34: Brian's huge chordlist collection

y2karl — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:50:36 -0800

I had this concept--after a strange dream, while scoping out the I Dreamed I Saw st. Augustine tab in my just-in-case-it-disappears downloaded dylanchords, of ...St. Augustine as a slow moody slide in Open D ala Blind Texas Marlin. But then I got to wondering whether someone might have a chord dictionary online where a few variations on a first position B Minor in Open D might be found. Voila! Achtung, Baby! Behold Brian's huge chordlist collection. Oh, man, he's got your standard and open tunings on guitar plus mandolin, uke, banjos, bouzouki, pipa and lute. A living room guitarist's must have, no doubt, although a few more open tunings for pipa would have been nice... I keed, I keed on that last there, of course... But last night, I actually did dream that I was riding the bus and hanging with the Bobster himself (my first celebrity dream in near a decade, too! Whoo hoo!) and feeling a great deal of diffidence in his presence. Especially when we were in that faded millionare's row there, with a few half size tyrannosaurs stalking the grounds of the mansion next door. All the while talking to various cats who flopped over on the sidewalk when we passed. This is what I get for not leaving the radio on with the BBC Overnight on. Instead the usual round the clock Siberian methane release global warming nightmare, I get downsized purple striped tyrannosaurs and B. Dylan. Well, it was a step up of sorts but, man, was he cranky... Anyhow and all the same, I'll let you be in my dream if you blah blah woof woof in your dream. And whatever, all the same etc. --Brian's huge chordlist collection is no doubt quite possibly an asset for the 82nd Couchborne living room geetar players virtual legion and, hence, therefore best of the web. And who knows who, what, when, where else rates such an encomium ? Christmas in the Heart already tabbed, perhaps ? Man, talk about OCD completist detailing, though...

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.

bluestab's blog meets AfricanAfrican aka NegroArtist.com

y2karl — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:20:15 -0800

Chanteur puissant à la voix rocailleuse. And here is bluestab's blog And here, via Babelfish is bluestab's blog in an English of sorts. Then, while, looking for mp3s to match the tabs, I came across the universe of African American history and culture that is AfricanAfrican aka NegroArtist.com, a site so big it has two URLs. [Billy Mays] But, wait--that's not all! [/Billy Mays] Then, while looking for in the commons mp3s for any of the titles in bluestab's blog , I stumble upon a treasure trove of such in the 5000 series pages at Document Records. , the completist's completist pre-war jazz and blues label, And found even more even more in the Rare Recordings and Video page of AfricanAfrican, a small universe of texts, music and motion pictures of and on the African American experience. I am overwhelmed. Yoda says I: Truly a Labor of Love this is. And between the two--voila! We have a post!

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

Musical sorting algorithms

Combustible Edison Lighthouse — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:17:17 -0800

Musical sorting algorithms. [via]

Pete Townshend Guitar Contest

marxchivist — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:04:30 -0800

The Who: Maximum Windmill Guitar Contest

um miss may i have a dance with you please?

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:34:02 -0800

S. E. Rogie: Go easy with me. Combining Calypso (Nor weigh me lek dat ) with West African rhythms and West American pickin' (I Wish I Was a Cowboy) the King of Palm Wine Guitar Music played live at the 100 Club in London in 1994 right before the release of his final album, Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana. More: Don't touch me tomato My Lovely Elizabeth Clua Koonde

Van Shipley and slide guitar music in India

nickyskye — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:37:43 -0800

Van Shipley was the first electric guitarist in India. The name Van Shipley is Methodist, he [was] from Lucknow [Uttar Pradesh, India]. He designed his own electric eight string steel guitar in the 1940's. The reason he did this was that he'd studied Indian classical music under Ustad Alaudin Khan, the leading classical musician in India, who was also a contemporary of Ravi Shankar. He also studied the violin with a German teacher... so he made an eight string guitar, instead of a five string. His guitar was a solid guitar, designed to his style at the time, it was futuristic. Van Shipley "Aawara Hun" & "Mujhe Kisi Se Pyar Ho Gaya" -.mp3 Van Shipley - Hum Donon Do Premi Duniya chor Chale -.mp3 More clips of Van Shipley's music from the excellent site, Hamara CD, packed with free gem sound clips from the Indian subcontinent, where you can also customize your own cd. Steel Guitar In India, Country Music From Another Country! l Debashish Bhattacharya is another Indian slide guitar musician who plays classical Indian music on the Hawaiian guitar, introduced to India through the music of Tau Moe l Indian Classical music on Hawaiian guitar l Another example of Indian classical music on Hawaiian guitar l Interview and concert footage of legendary world blues and slide guitar master Bob Brozman.

Outdoor fucking starts today

daHIFI — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:20:30 -0800

The First of May Jonathan Coulton's ode to the 'coming' of spring (SLYT). NSFW language. Coulton's Last.fm page. More MP3s here. Coulton wrote the 'Still Alive' song from Portal and also works with John Hodgman. Jon on Twitter.

On-the-fly harmonizing

flatluigi — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:14:49 -0800

Looping, live: David Ford, Imogen Heap, KT Tunstall x2, Dub FX, Ed Alleyne-Johnson

Fuzz!

awfurby — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:38:48 -0800

You know that guitar sound at the start of "Touch Me I'm Sick"? Or when Keith plays the big riff in "Satisfaction"? That's fuzz. I love fuzz, and I was very happy to stumble across this fine documentary about fuzz pedals and their makers. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7, Part 8 Should be enough there to sustain your interest for a while... (Previously...)

Guitar crack

baphomet — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:42:05 -0800

Guitar chord progression generator. Guitar chord charts. Have fun!

Online to Onstage

netbros — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:36:07 -0800

Guitar Noise is a free guitar lesson website with hundreds of articles, tips and reviews for students of this versatile instrument. Whether you are a beginner, a lefty, a bass player or a singer, Guitar Noise has lessons on nearly everything and anything to do with the guitar. There are many talented musicians out there. The artist profiles section includes interviews with dozens. The forums, blog and podcasts help you keep up with this thriving community.

Real guitars are't just for old people

darkripper — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:52:45 -0800

Little Big Star (free software, currently in beta - video) it's the first guitar rythm game with support for real instruments. In the next months two more products of the same kind should be released, Disney Star Guitar and Guitar Rising. Real istruments or - at least - more realistic fake ones; is this the future of the genre? No one knows yet if this kind of software will help people to learn or get better at playing, but it will sure turn the difficulty up to eleven. [bonus track: Don't forget you can also use your rockband drums as electronic drums but you might want to buy a second set.]

Story From North America

ludwig_van — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:33:09 -0800

Story From North America. A boy learns to appreciate life in all its forms via song.

This is Hank William's guitar. I try to do the right thing with the guitar. You don't want to stink with Hank's guitar.

jimmythefish — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:54:08 -0800

The Martin D-28. You have heard it thousands of times before. Its modest appearance belies its history and influence; there have been several changes in its design and construction over the years, but it remains largely the same since its introduction in 1934. It is known as the standard by which all steel-stringed deadnought-sized guitars are measured, made by C.F. Martin & Company in Nazareth, Pennsylvania (now in their 175th year). Originally introduced with scalloped bracing to maximize bass response and volume in unamplified venues, the construction and positioning of the bracing moved away from the soundhole in the late 1930's, and the braces became non-scalloped in 1945. These changes served to strengthen the guitar in response to players' tendencies to use heavier and heavier strings to further increase volume. The only other major change in the construction of the guitar came in 1969 when the availability of highly-prized Brazilian Rosewood, used in the back and sides, became scarce enough to force the switch to the (widely-regarded as a lesser tonewood) East Indian Rosewood. Due to their age (guitars are generally regarded to improve with sound as the get older), their construction and their rarity, the pre-war D-28 is often referred to as a 'holy grail' of acoustic guitars. Models often sell for six-figure sums when they do appear on the market. Due to this demand, C.F. Martin & Company construct a D-28 Authentic 1937 guitar, made with the same methods and materials as were available in that year (including the use of horse hide glue). Famous Martin D-28's in regular use include Hank Williams' 1941 model owned and still gigged by Neil Young, and Clarence White's unique 1934 model now owned and played by bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice.

Guitar heroes

fearfulsymmetry — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:29:35 -0800

The website to tie in with the BBC series Imagine: The Story Of The Guitar has video interviews with The Edge, Bob Brozman, Johnny Marr, Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Charlotte Hatherley and BB King. Forget Guitar Hero, it takes a lot to be a pro. There's a bit more on youtube.

The majestic Synthaxe

colinmarshall — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:46:50 -0800

In the wide world of synthesizer guitars, the Synthaxe may well be the choicest both in its aesthetics and its raw awesomeness could. John Hollis tells us what we're missing. Some guy demonstrates it. Allan Holdsworth whips it out in concert. Also, a music video from Lee Ritenour's Synthaxe-heavy Earth Run album.

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?

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.

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?