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Post by borborygmus on May 12, 2024 17:04:24 GMT
" Guitar Lesson: 10 Seminal Moments in Fingerstyle Guitar History - In this feature-lesson, we’ll explore ten key recordings and artists who have significantly shaped the landscape of modern fingerstyle guitar." I like that "popular" players like JT and Joni are included, although never keen on Tommy Emmanuel. Michael Hedges would be on my list, although I would have put Aerial Boundaries rather than Bensusan. I'd probably have Martin Simpson on my list, although not sure what track. Django? Bert? Perhaps you have other, better(?), seminal moments? Peter |
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on May 12, 2024 18:04:59 GMT
OK, ignoring game changers for the genre (which was the starting point, sorry), and the whole concept of "better" here's my own personal list of fingerstyle loveliness, roughly chronological, that made a difference to me at the time and made me think "Wow! - how does he do that?", though I can't narrow it down to single tracks much of the time - Ralph Mctell - Nanna's Song, . Plus much of the stuff from his first two LPs with which I spent a summer needle hopping in order to learn. Stefan Grossman - and the Kicking Mule thing - too much there to single anything out other than general ragtime-ness. Al Stewart - especially sitting right in fron to him playing Samuel, O how you've changed, Denise at 16 and Ivich. John Martyn - ditto, Seven Black Roses. After managing a sort of version in standard tuning it suddenly clicked ... Wizz Jones - ditto - that thumb! Paul Simon Songbook - esp Kathy's Song - a one guitar orchestra throughout the album. Richard Thompson - The Great Valerio. I hadn't realised till then that hybrid picking was a thing! James Taylor - esp You can Close your Eyes and Blossom. Sky in my Pie - John James and Pete Berryman LP - wonderful interweaving of two styles plus solo brilliance. And, also ignoring the starting point, there's only 9 - plenty more I could add, but those were the PPs/live performances that significantly shaped the landscape of my my own playing, and approach to fingerstyle guitar particularly in the 60s and 70s when I realised there was more in the game than strummage and dum-ching. (Both of which are lovely too, but that might be bending the rules a bit too far!) borborygmus - Sorry, Peter, I know it wasn't really what you asked for, but I didn't feel able to talk about the genre objectively! Keith PS - the tenth - how could I not include Nic Jones, esp Penguin Eggs LP - though my introduction to him that knocked my socks off was his version of Teddy bear's Picnic which I heard as Credits music at the end of "Our Day Out" (I think it was called) - a BBC "gritty Northern" film - I'm sure it's on Youtube somewhere now) |
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Post by borborygmus on May 12, 2024 18:59:14 GMT
This is great, Keith. No such thing as "objective" on this!
I empathise most with John Martyn, Richard Thompson, and Nic Jones - all worthy entries.
Was Paul Simon less "original", more a great purveyor of others' originality when it comes to guitar playing at that time? So influenced by Martin Carthy, Davey Graham, et al. It soon changed. His last album, Seven Psalms, demonstrates that he still has it.
I don't know Sky in my Pie, one to explore.
Peter
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juliant
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Post by juliant on May 12, 2024 19:54:00 GMT
OK, ignoring game changers for the genre (which was the starting point, sorry), and the whole concept of "better" here's my own personal list of fingerstyle loveliness, roughly chronological, that made a difference to me at the time and made me think "Wow! - how does he do that?", though I can't narrow it down to single tracks much of the time - Ralph Mctell - Nanna's Song, . Plus much of the stuff from his first two LPs with which I spent a summer needle hopping in order to learn. Stefan Grossman - and the Kicking Mule thing - too much there to single anything out other than general ragtime-ness. Al Stewart - especially sitting right in fron to him playing Samuel, O how you've changed, Denise at 16 and Ivich. John Martyn - ditto, Seven Black Roses. After managing a sort of version in standard tuning it suddenly clicked ... Wizz Jones - ditto - that thumb! Paul Simon Songbook - esp Kathy's Song - a one guitar orchestra throughout the album. Richard Thompson - The Great Valerio. I hadn't realised till then that hybrid picking was a thing! James Taylor - esp You can Close your Eyes and Blossom. Sky in my Pie - John James and Pete Berryman LP - wonderful interweaving of two styles plus solo brilliance. And, also ignoring the starting point, there's only 9 - plenty more I could add, but those were the PPs/live performances that significantly shaped the landscape of my my own playing, and approach to fingerstyle guitar particularly in the 60s and 70s when I realised there was more in the game than strummage and dum-ching. (Both of which are lovely too, but that might be bending the rules a bit too far!) borborygmus - Sorry, Peter, I know it wasn't really what you asked for, but I didn't feel able to talk about the genre objectively! Keith PS - the tenth - how could I not include Nic Jones, esp Penguin Eggs LP - though my introduction to him that knocked my socks off was his version of Teddy bear's Picnic which I heard as Credits music at the end of "Our Day Out" (I think it was called) - a BBC "gritty Northern" film - I'm sure it's on Youtube somewhere now) I'd go with all of these, and add Martin Carthy (that amazing syncopated style) and Dave Evans (of course)
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Post by martinrowe on May 12, 2024 21:02:59 GMT
Oops, not sure if I've obeyed the rules but I enjoyed the thought process.
Bob Dylan: It’s Alright Ma (I’m only bleeding) - the speed and the rhythm I still think is great.
Bob Dylan: Down in the Flood from the double Greatest Hits LP - the intermix of two guitars, I think one is Happy Traum.
Bob Dylan: Meet me in the Morning from Blood on the Tracks - first real recognition of Open D tuning, one of those tracks that I can listen to endlessly.
John Martyn: - May you Never. Once again, the rhythm and the slapping.
Django - I used to have a greatest hits tape, it always made me smile and sounded impossible to play. Difficult to separate it from Stephane Grappelli though I think.
Tampa Red: It Hurts Me too - A blues but not a 12 bar, along with that, some Furry Lewis and Fred McDowell.
Robert Johnson: Come on in my Kitchen. Open tuning, slide and that mesmerising, for me, break at the 14th fret. The intricate playing as well.
Muddy Waters: I can’t be satisfied. It sounds real.
Martin Simpson: A track on Bootleg USA. I think it’s a D Minor tuning with some Skip James lyrics “My mind is rambling like the wild geese from the west.”, also a lot of Bramble Briar
Steve Baughman: He does a lot of frailing of bluegrass tunes in what he calls ‘Orkney’ tuning CGCGCD - I think.
Most of them have a solid rhythm, probably some New Orleans music is missing.
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Post by stuart on May 13, 2024 7:48:48 GMT
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on May 13, 2024 8:32:07 GMT
"Blackbird" Paul McCartney.  |
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Post by borborygmus on May 13, 2024 8:45:53 GMT
View Attachment(that 'did it attach? moment before you press 'create post') Interesting. I have a theory that Richard Thompson's electric guitar playing sounds so unique (and brilliant) because it doesn't derive from a "classic" blues background. Peter |
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on May 13, 2024 9:24:02 GMT
Hmmm.... difficult to decide if any of those guitarists I like had particular songs/techniques that added to the genre in any meaningful way. I do know, however, that they added to my development (either by copying - or by not being able to copy!)
Ralph McTell - 8 Frames A Second
Paul Brady - Arthur McBride
Dave Evans - Whistling Milkman
Leo Kottke - Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Lindsey Buckingham - Never Going Back Again
Steve Hunter - Solsbury Hill (Pete Gabriel)
Tracy Chapman - Drive
and, because you don't have to be famous to inspire...
Mark Thomson - Leaving Stoer
Keith Chesterton - Eleanor Plunkett
Phil Taylor - A Place For Solitude
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Post by borborygmus on May 13, 2024 9:32:58 GMT
and, because you don't have to be famous to inspire... Mark Thomson - Leaving Stoer Keith Chesterton - Eleanor Plunkett Phil Taylor - A Place For Solitude  |
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Post by delb0y on May 13, 2024 23:23:37 GMT
The/Some key moments that have led me to where I am now:
1) A friend capturing about half of Leo Kottke's Vaseline Machine Gun on a cassette tape, and playing it to me. What a sound! Until then I was listening to Bachman Turner Overdrive.
2) Stefan Grossman and John Renbourne playing Sprit Levels (on the Alexis Korner show).
3) Stefan Grossman and Sam Mitchell playing Pallet on your Floor.
4) Ry Cooder playing Blind Blake's Police Dog Blues.
5) John Fahey's Railroad Album.
6) John Fahey's Jaya Shiva Shankara - still my favourite acoustic guitar piece.
7) Being exposed to the modern Kentucky Thumb Pickers like Thom Bresh and Marcel Dadi.
8) Discovering Pete Huttlinger.
9) Going back to Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Blake, Robert Johnson et al.
10) Pat Donohue.
There are many more.
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Post by jwills57 on May 14, 2024 1:18:20 GMT
I'm glad John Fahey's name has been mentioned. In America at least, Fahey was the guy who almost singlehandedly elevated the steel string guitar into a serious solo instrument. Chet Atkins and Merle Travis and those guys were doing what they were doing, absolutely brilliant of course, but Fahey traveled his own road and made a lot of the guitar music that came later possible. "Sunflower River Blues" and "The Red Pony" are a couple of my favorites.
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Post by dreadnought28 on May 16, 2024 0:08:40 GMT
"Blackbird" Paul McCartney. p Paul has openly discussed the fact that he can’t fingerpick. He strums using his thumb for the bass. |
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Post by dreadnought28 on May 16, 2024 0:17:46 GMT
This is great, Keith. No such thing as "objective" on this! I empathise most with John Martyn, Richard Thompson, and Nic Jones - all worthy entries. Was Paul Simon less "original", more a great purveyor of others' originality when it comes to guitar playing at that time? So influenced by Martin Carthy, Davey Graham, et al. It soon changed. His last album, Seven Psalms, demonstrates that he still has it. I don't know Sky in my Pie, one to explore. Peter When Paul Simon started touring UK folk clubs in 1964 audiences were amazed at his guitar playing. Harvey Andrews saw him at the Jug of Punch in Birmingham and he was stunned. Also let’s not forget that Paul also uses a pick. Think For Emily Whenever I May Find Her, The Only Living Boy in New York, Slip Sliding Away. Here’s a relatively recent example of his playing: |
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Post by lavaman on May 16, 2024 7:33:18 GMT
Any list of those who have shaped the landscape of ‘modern fingerpicking’ is bound to cause disagreement and debate. Of the original list, John Renbourn and James Taylor are the ones that have inspired me most. I wouldn’t have included Tommy Emmanual and Andy McKee, both are fine showmen and technicians but I don’t feel any emotional connection to their music.
I agree with many of the suggestions above. We are blessed to have such an abundance of talent to draw on. My playing has been influenced by:
Rev Gary Davis
Stephan Grossman
Woody Mann
Mike Dowling
Keb Mo
Roy Harper
John Gladwin (Amazing Blondell)
Mark Knopfler
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