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Thread: It's not the instrument...

  1. #1
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default It's not the instrument...

    ...it's what you do with it!

    Cool story about a Tone Poets - type project involving a $100 guitar bought on eBay: http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2...0-mile-odyssey
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    Registered User G7MOF's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    I must be a musical sassanack, I've never heard of any of those bands or musicians!!!
    I never fail at anything, I just succeed at doing things that never work....


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  3. #3

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by G7MOF View Post
    I must be a musical sassanack, I've never heard of any of those bands or musicians!!!
    Well, (sharp, frith and cline)...not exactly bluegrass

  4. #4
    poor excuse for anything Charlieshafer's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    I love that! But, as much as I'd like to say this has changed my perspective on what I really need to make great things happen, I still want expensive stuff that way overshoots my abilities. Now we just sit and wait for people to chime in with "that ain't no part of nothin'", eh Cat?

  5. #5

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Wow. Some of my favourite guitarists involved in this project. Fred Frith being top of the list. And no not exactly bluegrass although Frith also plays a mean fiddle.

  6. #6
    Registered User Randi Gormley's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Pretty cool story. Reminded me slightly (oh, so slightly) of the mandolin project where cafe-ers took an old, messed-up mandolin and had a bunch of top-line luthiers rebuild it. Musicians are a pretty enterprising bunch when given the chance.
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  7. #7

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by Charlieshafer View Post
    I love that! But, as much as I'd like to say this has changed my perspective on what I really need to make great things happen, I still want expensive stuff that way overshoots my abilities.
    Well we all like spensive stuff. But, I'm sure many of us also have that vision that compels us to "speak with whatever we have in our hands" (in this case, it helps that they can plug it in ; )

    BTW, WRT this (and not particularly cynically)--I haven't read nor listened to what these guys actually did with the guitar...but, all of them (Sharp, Frith and Cline) are known for their "outside" deconstruction of form and technique--a la Keith Rowe, Derek Bailey school...another beater guitar is another instrument to "prepare" in whatever fashion moves them...Lindley keeps a quiver of Hora bouzoukis, for example

    FWIW, for a "bluegrass" take, see Eugene Chadbourne
    Last edited by catmandu2; Dec-05-2012 at 10:26am.

  8. #8
    poor excuse for anything Charlieshafer's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    There are a lot of parallels here, not just what can be done with a cheap instrument, but what can be done with a baby-simple pentatonic scale song in the hands of a bunch of different people. I really do love the basic concept here, hot the music's in the head and hands, not in some piece o' wood, even if it can be plugged in.

  9. #9
    Registered User John Duncan's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    As Dad says, "Its not the arrow, its the indian."
    My Youtube Channel: http://bit.ly/1F9sJ8G

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  11. #10

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by Charlieshafer View Post
    There are a lot of parallels here, not just what can be done with a cheap instrument, but what can be done with a baby-simple pentatonic scale song in the hands of a bunch of different people. I really do love the basic concept here, hot the music's in the head and hands, not in some piece o' wood, even if it can be plugged in.
    I'm not demeaning the project Charlie--I haven't listened yet. Sounds interesting for sure (and I love those guys)

  12. #11
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    If you haven't listened to it yet why post at all?

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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    It's not the paintbrush, but the artist !

  14. #13
    poor excuse for anything Charlieshafer's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by catmandu2 View Post
    I'm not demeaning the project Charlie--I haven't listened yet. Sounds interesting for sure (and I love those guys)
    I never thought you were!

  15. #14

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bluejay View Post
    If you haven't listened to it yet why post at all?
    Boy, i think the holiday season must be getting to some of us : (

  16. #15
    poor excuse for anything Charlieshafer's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by catmandu2 View Post
    Boy, i think the holiday season must be getting to some of us : (
    no fooling! and for what, the world's going to end in a couple of weeks, anyway. can't we all just get along for two stinkin' weeks?

  17. #16

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by Charlieshafer View Post
    no fooling! and for what, the world's going to end in a couple of weeks, anyway. can't we all just get along for two stinkin' weeks?
    Nope, not if it means listening to any jazz! ; )

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  19. #17

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Let's get a Rogue and start the $50 mandolin project.

  20. #18

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bluejay View Post
    If you haven't listened to it yet why post at all?
    FYI Bluejay...I just listened to the 7:19" NPR piece. And now that I've actually heard the piece, I've nothing further to add: the musical contributions made by those mentioned in that piece--Fedder, Marston, and Starobin--are not only congruent with my intuition, but was confirmed explicitly by Mr Marston--namely, that the guitar lacked quality and therefore inspired/required a more ascetic, "deconstructionist" approach

    Just thought you'd like to know ; )

  21. #19
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Well.... with a good pro setup you can make even a cheap electric, solid body instrument play reasonably OK. Then, you just have the pickups to worry about, and if you push those through enough FX by the time you've finished, you can't hardly tell anything much about what the thing really sounds like. Just saying. Not quite so easy with an acoustic instrument recorded using a mic.

    There are some very decent sounding 'cheap' instruments around these days, though. Many more than there used to be. Does not mean that's all you are ever going to want, or need.... Oh, yes, Dec 21. I forgot about that and went a bought a set of extra long-life batteries yesterday
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  22. #20

    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Quote Originally Posted by almeriastrings View Post
    ...push those through enough FX by the time you've finished, you can't hardly tell anything

    ... Oh, yes, Dec 21
    Yes, that's exactly what one of them (Fedder or Marston I believe) did--adding the chorus/chimes/envelope FX; which was my point that--with a pickup--there is tremendous capability for even a $100 guitar (especially if one is given to this sort of approach in the first place, as these guys are...I'm sure some of them busted out the steel, so that horrible set-up wouldn't even be an impediment)

    Maybe that helps explain why this holiday season appears especially stressful for some...I've noticed motorists on the road lately particularly aggressive/hostile/vacant

  23. #21
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    And I was jumping to Lance, "It's not about the Bike", Armstrong ..
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  24. #22
    mandolin slinger Steve Ostrander's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    It's not the clubs, it's the swing, but I keep buying new clubs and hoping...
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  25. #23
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Guitar culture is has a lot of that mostest with the leastest stuff. Young hot shots showing off on guiatars they claim to have found in the men's room Port Authority Bus Terminal with a jute chord for a strap and a used pillow case for a case. I make six figures programming operating systems, but l play the blues, on a crappy guitar for authenticity.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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  26. #24
    its a very very long song Jim's Avatar
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    Default Re: It's not the instrument...

    Dave Lindley could have done better with it.
    Jim Richmond

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