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View Full Version : Tenor guitars, what type of music



Canuck
Nov-18-2008, 12:05pm
What type of music are tenor guitars mainly used for ? Any sound clips anywhere ?

Michael Wolf
Nov-18-2008, 12:54pm
They were originally intended for Tenorbanjo players in Jazz Orchestras, so that they could deliver guitar sound to keep their jobs.
Then they seem to be in use in Texas Swing Music as a rhythm instrument.
Recently they're finding their way into irish and scottish tune playing.
And they are used in brazilian Choro as a melody instrument, but not very commonly.
On tenorguitarregistry you'll find a link collection where you can hear them played in different genres: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/tenorguitarregistry/

Charles E.
Nov-18-2008, 8:03pm
Michael is right about the cross over aspect of the tenor guitar to the banjo. It was used in early jazz, i.e Eddie Condon, Tiny Grimes etc. It was also used in early country music, i.e Delmore Bros.
If you go to yuotube and type in 'tenor guitar' you will see everything from Irish to singer-song writers and beyond.

Charles E.
Nov-18-2008, 8:55pm
oops, it would be YouTube.

Martin Jonas
Nov-18-2008, 11:14pm
Probably the biggest name playing tenor guitar at the moment is Seth Lakeman, who is a Top Ten album chart artist in the UK, playing folk-based acoustic material on tenor guitar. Check this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx-ZdSLaUOY&feature=related) clip for an acoustic performance of his song "The White Hare" on solo tenor guitar. A somewhat less stridently-strummed song from the same official promo video shoot is here (http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=YX8z95Ndtz8&feature=related). Lots of other Seth Lakeman clips on Youtube.

Martin

Michael Wolf
Nov-19-2008, 6:52am
Here are two threats with Tenorguitar videos. Not all videos do mention the Tenor in the text, so it's sometimes not easy to find on youtube. For example Ani DiFranco is playing a Tenor sometimes.
The collection on tenorguitarregistry is very nice to have, but you have to be registered.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40480&highlight=videos

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43453&highlight=tenor

Canuck
Nov-19-2008, 11:30am
Thanks for all the links. Very interesting. I had no idea....
Sure like the tone of Seth Lakeman's guitar. Wonder what brand it may be ?

Michael Wolf
Nov-19-2008, 2:30pm
I think itīs a old Martin

Martin Jonas
Nov-20-2008, 12:48am
He used to play a 1950 Martin 5-15, but he now plays an all-koa replica made by English luthier Stuart Ketchin. Youy can see it at his web site here (http://www.woodburnguitars.co.uk/KittyJay.htm), and indeed buy your own if you wish for 700 Pounds (not a bad deal, I'd say, and it includes a 150 Pounds donation to a charity of Stuart's choosing).

The guitar in the Youtube clips looks like the old Martin, though, not the koa replica. I think the koa instrument is in this (http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=U05b6egB5jY&feature=related) clip from the Sharon Osbourne show, which also includes a really rather intriguing looking two-point solid-body e-mando. I wonder who the maker of that one is (a Gibson EM-200?).

Martin