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Archtops, f-holes and recapturing a special sound

4/20/2012

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I can’t help it – archtop f-hole style guitars are just intriguing to me. Not that I have any real use for one as a practical matter. They sound great amplified if you play traditional jazz or old school country, rockabilly or even some 1960s rock. Right now I have a 1960 Gretsch Double Anniversary that sounds great and plays wonderfully but it doesn’t really have a “fit” in the style of music that I’ve been performing for the last few years (finger style jazz, bossa nova, finger style blues and my own arrangements of pop tunes). So it’s for sale and whoever ends up with it and plays any of the styles of music I mentioned above will be thrilled.

However, I’m not talking about f-hole archtops with electronics. The ones that really catch my eye are the acoustic versions. It’s important to remember that back in the 1920s and 30s especially, and right up into the mid 1950s acoustic f-hole style guitars were far more popular and common than those with round sound holes. There’s a definite reason for this. Until a practical and affordable true electric guitar came along in the late 40s – the Gibson ES-150 and the very early Fender solid bodies – guitar was almost always viewed as an instrument to accompany voices or other single tone instruments that functioned as the lead or solo. Those old f-hole archtops were designed to be as loud as possible but things that we expect today from acoustic guitars like sustain, resonance and clarity were an afterthought at best. In fact those old guitars were almost a percussion instrument, with the player often strumming steadily on the beat, chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk, what became known as “four to the bar” accompaniment. This meant that in 4/4 time the guitarist would strum down once on each beat. Regardless of the type of music played, whether it be big band jazz or in smaller jazz groups, traditional country such as was played by groups like the Carter Family, or as a single accompanying instrument for vocal groups, the guitarist’s job was to keep a steady beat and be part of the “bottom” of the arrangement.

There were exceptions of course. One of the first great jazz guitar single note improvisers, Django Reinhardt played f-hole acoustics on occasion but was much better known for his soloing on his huge Selmer Maccaferri guitar, which helped him overcome the problem of low volume. The Maccaferri had a very small oval shaped sound hole and a trapeze style bridge with a very long saddle to transmit vibration over the maximum amount of surface area. Still, while certainly loud, that guitar had very little in the way of sustain or resonance. Guitarist Eddie Lang, considered by many to be the Father of Modern Jazz Guitar, brought fame to the iconic Gibson L-4 and L-5, and his single note playing was far, far ahead of its time. It’s important to remember that most of the well known recordings of these two great players were done with relatively small groups in which it was feasible to expect to be heard when it was solo time for the guitar.

Guitar makers realized that their goal was to produce a loud, percussive sounding guitar that would be essentially part of the rhythm section of a band or a purely accompanying instrument and they accomplished this in a number of ways. Instead of gluing many braces to the inside of the back of the f-hole guitar or on the underside of its top, they took to using curved pieces of arched wood, the better to amplify the sound without bracing to impede the volume and also to allow the instrument to vibrate more freely. This is the way violins and orchestral string instruments have been made for hundreds of years and it worked. Unfortunately however, carving out and thinning a thick piece of flat wood to attain an arch is time consuming and requires a very skilled hand. This is why, even back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s (thought by many to be the golden age of acoustic arch tops) those instruments were quite expensive. In short order the manufacturers began using laminates that could easily be steamed and shaped to attain the arched backs and tops. This resulted in much less expensive guitars but also considerably inferior ones in terms of both sound and fit and finish. But the average person could afford one of these, perhaps from the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog, and they sounded good enough to warrant the production of many tens of thousands of these instruments from the 1940s right into the late 1960s when what we think of as acoustic guitars – those with round sound holes and braced bodies – pushed those old f-hole plywood archtops to the brink of extinction. Gibson, Guild and others continued to produce fine quality arch-tops however, especially for the jazz community and classic rock and rollers discovered the cool sounds of thinner hollow bodies with f-hole like the ES series from Gibson. The blues guys always preferred hollow body, f-hole guitars, both acoustic and electric. It’s impossible to imagine the great B.B. King without “Lucille” in his arms!

In the last ten years or so, many younger guitarists who are into retro country, Americana or old blues have rediscovered the archtop f-hole acoustic. The best known player of one of these is David Rawlings, partner and lead guitarist with singer/songwriter Gillian Welsh. David’s 1935 Epiphone Olympic is an integral part of their sound and this small guitar, once almost an afterthought in the vintage guitar market has skyrocketed in price as people discovered what it could sound like in the hands of a master. The Godin Guitar Company in Canada a few years ago began producing their “5th Avenue” series of very reasonably priced (laminated birch) archtop f-hole acoustics. On the other end of the price spectrum, boutique makers of archtops have appeared almost over night and their stunningly beautiful instruments can cost many, many thousands of dollars.

The archtop, f-hole design was obviously borrowed from the violin/viola/cello/bass world and while those guitars will never replace the round sound hole, braced acoustics we have today, they have their place in many kinds of music. If you haven’t tried one, pick one up the next time you’re in a big music store that may have one in stock. Chunk-chunk-chunk a few 6th and 9th chords and I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.

 

Peace & good music,

Gene

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Kids and guitars, Part 2

4/13/2012

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 OK, so I’ve stated why I believe a kid should wait until at least age 10 before starting to learn how to play guitar. I realize what I’ve said is open to debate but my opinion is based on many years of experience.
So let’s suppose you do have a 10-year-old who really wants to play. The first thing you MUST do is explain to them that they are going to have to practice regularly. That means at least four or five times between lessons and every day would be better. Although this is sometimes difficult and even impossible certain weeks it is vital for the simple fact that there is nothing a kid has ever done in every day life that compares to playing a guitar, at least from a purely physical standpoint. And that is vitally important to understand: in the purest sense, playing the guitar is exercise. Like any form of exercise, doing it frequently in moderate amounts is far more beneficial than doing a lot on an infrequent basis.

Also, as I mentioned last time, there’s no getting around the fact that at least for a few weeks it’s going to hurt a bit to press down on those strings. This is a tough one – kids are used to short term gratification with the expectation of success. To make a child understand that he or she has to keep at it even though it may take a few weeks to see substantial progress is often difficult. This of course is part of my job – to evaluate a kid’s progress and not overwhelm him while still looking for and expecting progress, all the while offering encouragement. But remember – I only see that child once a week and I want him to look forward to his lesson, not dread it. I understand that some weeks are going to better than others in terms of the amount of practice time but the parent who’s writing that check every month should reasonably expect that their child will get better. The key there is offering support and encouragement on a daily basis and figuring out how to remind a child to practice without it seeming like nagging. A challenge, for sure!

So if you feel the child can at least somewhat understand his responsibility and the issue of practicing has been resolved it’s time to pick out a guitar. I could write 10,000 words about this but I’ll boil that down to one simple fact. I have seen bad guitars do more to discourage beginners, young and old alike than every other cause of discouragement combined. If a child has to struggle with a guitar because the strings are too high to press down effectively, or just simply that the instrument is too big to hold comfortably he has two big strikes against him before he plays much of anything.

Start by selecting a guitar that is small enough to be held without too much effort. For most kids that means something like a ¾ size instrument, or one that is “concert” size. A reputable dealer or an experienced relative or friend who plays should be able to help with this. Avoid jumbo or “dreadnaught” size guitars as they are difficult to reach around to play and the neck is often too long for young arms and hands to control.

Consider starting with an instrument that has nylon or at least light or extra light gauge steel strings. These are somewhat easier on young, tender finger tips. One proviso here – avoid full size “classical” guitars because while they have nylon strings the width of the neck makes reaching around it difficult for small hands. So what you gain with nylon vs. steel is negated by the wide, usually thick neck. You can put nylon strings on a guitar that is supposed to have steel but you will lose some of the sound (volume, sustain, resonance) of the guitar because it is heavily braced internally to deal with the much higher stress and pressure of steel strings. This may be a viable, short-term solution however; you can always re-string the guitar with steel as the student becomes more experienced and his or her fingers get stronger.

If the child is going to be learning on Uncle Joe’s old guitar that’s been sitting in the closet for ten years, be sure to take it to the teacher before the first lesson to find out if it is viable. I say to go BEFORE the first lesson because on occasion I’ve had young students arrive with Uncle Joe’s old clunker and after being excited for their first guitar lesson be hugely disappointed to hear me have to tell them that the guitar they’ve brought is functionally unplayable. Not a good first impression of learning how to play the guitar!

Finally, explain to the child that they are going to try lessons for one month, then decide if they want to continue. This will “cut to the chase” for all concerned. A kid should know after a month whether playing the guitar is something they truly want to do. Assuming the answer is yes, stay aware of how long and how much a child is practicing and give encouragement at every opportunity. Everyone learns at different rates. A kid who is an average student at best in school can progress rapidly, and likewise, one who is at the top of his class academically may find learning the guitar is a big challenge. A parent may want to set a specific time for practicing, perhaps just before or after dinner – some kids really thrive with a set schedule. I hesitate to recommend a specific amount of time for each practice session but I would expect it to be at least 15 – 20 minutes per day for the first month, with twice that amount from then on. What you don’t want to do is say – you have to practice an hour every day! Because all that does is make a child spend much of the time watching the clock and then put the guitar down at one hour on the dot.

I hope these tidbits have helped someone reading them make a decision about a child beginning to learn to play the guitar, or at least led to a discussion. I welcome comments or questions.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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Kids and guitars, Part 1

4/10/2012

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 “My child really wants to learn to play the guitar! How young do you take your students?”

I’ve heard that question dozens of times over the years. Being a parent myself with two grown children who both played musical instruments (not the guitar, by the way) I know where that question is coming from. In the best case it comes from a desire to expose a youngster to the joys and challenges of learning how to play music. Most parents have an understanding either from playing themselves or from observing other children of the long-term value of learning to play an instrument. They want their kids to have that opportunity.

Unfortunately, at times there is another element in play. Some parents feel they should involve their child in as many activities as possible – organized sports usually is a big part of this but it might include things like getting their child into private tennis, golf, skating, or horseback riding lessons, and many other activities. They feel that if their child is “booked up” for a large portion of the time they are not in school the child will not be bored and will be able to decide where they really want to put in more concerted effort when they get a little older.

Call me Old School. OK, guilty as charged. When our kids were small and I saw this happening with their classmates and friends I was often appalled and amazed. Yes, Matt and Joanna briefly took private lessons on the drums and flute, respectively, and Matt was involved in Little League and fall soccer. Joanna tried group skating lessons briefly. But I felt then and now that they needed “down time” and you know what? They both did just fine and while neither of them play their instruments at this time (although I believe Matt will return to playing the drums as soon as it’s practical) being involved in school band throughout their years in public school DID teach them all the things that most parents hope for when a kid plays an instrument. Matt is an attorney in Texas and Joanna is an RN in the labor and delivery department at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. I don’t think they missed tennis, golf, or horseback riding lessons.

I think you can see where I’m going with this. Just whose idea was it for the youngster in question to play the guitar? Does the kid have a relative or friend who plays and they said – without coaching from a parent – hey, I’d like to play the guitar! Or was it a parent who perhaps thought about the possibility of listening to their child squeaking away on a clarinet and decided that guitar was not only way cooler but easier to listen to? Or worse yet – that the guitar would be easier than some orchestral or band instrument? "Hey Johnnie! How would you like to learn to play the guitar?!"

If I’m beginning to sound a bit harsh I apologize. But after teaching guitar for about 40 years I can say this without hesitation. Guitar is unlike almost any other instrument in one simple way that few if any kids understand before they start:  It hurts!

You can put a three-year-old down on a piano bench and he or she will plunk away, and while it couldn’t be called music it at least sounds like a piano. Not so with the guitar. Until little fingers get strong and calluses begin to develop it is very, very difficult to coax even the most basic musical sounds out of a guitar. In defense of the child, they have never been asked to arch their fingers and using their fingertips, press down as hard as they can on sharp objects!

The reality is, in those 40 years of teaching I have seen less than 50% of kids younger than the age of 10 succeed on the guitar. There are many reasons for this but it is the cold, hard truth. And I would submit – if a child tries to learn to play the guitar and does not progress or succeed and stops playing, what kind of lesson have they learned? Worse yet, suppose they have already tried that squeaky clarinet and not succeeded on that, either? Is the parent then subtly driving home the terrible thought that a child is just not “musical” when that is most likely totally absurd? 

For this and other reasons I have made the decision to not accept students younger than the age of ten. From a purely self-serving standpoint, I know I’m losing potential business by doing this and Lord knows, I can always use more students! But in too many cases a younger student trying to learn the guitar will quite likely be doing nothing more than wasting their parent’s money and my time.

Again, sorry to sound so harsh! So let’s look at things in a more positive light. In the next part of this blog I’ll go into what a kid and their parents should expect from learning the guitar, what practicing is all about, how to select a good beginner level guitar and much more. 

Peace & good music,

Gene

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Staying in control - of the beat

4/2/2012

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Years ago I played in a band that would now be called “classic rock.” We had a good run for a few years, playing many local water holes, concerts and private functions. It remains the most fun I’ve ever had in any band with just the right combination of personalities, abilities and a clear idea of what were all about. However, after a few performances which were video taped (remember those things?) one thing became clear. No matter how “good” a performance was every song had a clear deficiency: we played all of them too darn fast!

Since then I’ve noticed this is a common occurrence with some local bands and single performers. The reason is quite simple. It’s a combination of the joy and energy of performing – and nerves. It’s a fine thing to convey your love of your music with energy and exuberance is always a good thing but ultimately that can and usually does lead to mistakes, ones that perhaps were never made in rehearsal.

I was discussing this later on after the band had disbanded with the wonderful singer/songwriter Jonathan Edwards. I was playing lead guitar with a local woman singer at that time and we were opening for Jonathan at a club here on Cape Cod. We were all sitting together at the restaurant attached to the club before the performance and I commented to Jonathan how much I loved his live show, in which he performs with great joy and an amazing amount of energy. He thought about that for a few seconds and then said, yeah, I try to keep it upbeat because that is what the audience expects but you know what? I have to be really, really careful to not play the songs too fast because if I do I’ll screw them up, for sure.

This was quite a statement by such a veteran and well respected performer who no doubt had played those songs hundreds if not thousands of times.

So you know what I do? he asked. I remind myself just before I go on stage to play every song about 5% slower than I know I can. No one would ever notice but what that does for me is give me a level of confidence that I’m NOT going to screw up. And usually, I don’t.

Since that evening over 15 years ago I’ve kept his advice in mind every time I play in front of anyone. The benefit is immediate and I’m sure I mess up way less than I would by playing songs at the absolute maximum speed I can. Yes, I still make mistakes but I’m absolutely sure I don’t make as many as I might. And what’s more, it’s easy to recover from a mistake, which is certainly not the case if I’m maxing out when even a simple mistake can easily lead to a complete crash-and-burn.

But how about the other extreme? Some performers will slow down in the middle of songs. Before the rock band I mentioned earlier I played in another band that had a drummer who, no matter what speed a song was supposed to be, would gradually but inexorably slow down to the one beat he was comfortable with. This may have had something to do with the adult beverages he consumed before and during practices, but I digress…. In any case, there is nothing that will cause an audience to lose interest faster than a song that begins to lag. This is why I always make an effort to tap my foot when I’m performing and even while practicing. Foot tapping “internalizes” the beat so you are always aware of it.

I absolutely believe that rhythm – keep a steady beat – is the most taken for granted musical concept of them all. Everyone has rhythm, right? Well, yes. But if it isn’t steady and consistent a performer sounds amateurish at best. So, take a deep breath before you perform, even if it’s just for your friends, and count out a measure or so in mind, at about 5% slower speed than you know you can play the song. And tap your foot! Regardless of the speed or complexity of the music you will sound 100% in control.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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