I bought a lovely electro/acoustic guitar about three months ago, and decided to have lessons. I didn't realise there was such a difference between 'classical' playing, (ie reading from music), and chord based pop/rock/folk type guitar. I'm going the classical route, because I've heard if you can play classical you can play rock easy. And besides, how could I bring myself to take a 'Rock School' exam? It's just not me is it?
So I've got a new classical guitar, and I'm into it big style. I'm doing scales and arpeggios and plaing 17th century classical pieces thinking myself a right muso. I'm on my second guitar teacher because the first one couldn't read music, but he was an older geezer bought up on Buddy Holly and Elvis so I felt bad about sacking him because ticked the boxes in that area, and was a nice bloke to boot.
The girl teacher I've got now knows everything about guitar. Flamenco style, jazz, everything. She's shit hot and I bet she never listens to Buddy Holly.
So I'm in the middle of heavy practice sessions and today I was driving round and put this on.
It's the first Bluecaps album. Around 1957 I guess, and I've always rated Cliff Gallup as one of the greatest Rock & Roll guitarists, along with Scotty Moore, but this album threw me a curve today, I haven't listened to it for a few years and shame on me for that. Because it's a proper 'throw the rule-book out' album. It shambles an rocks and so so fucking alive you better hold on to your hat when listening, Daddy-O!
And, apart from the fact that Cliff Gallup probably never read music, I was blown away by the whole lively, vital sound of the thing, the band seem to be bouncing off each other in a rockabilly frenzy! See, it's a live recording. Not in the way we know 'live recodings' now (ie taped front of an audience and dubbed to fuck), but it's live in that it was recorded as the band were playing. What an outdated concept, eh?
And that's why It sounds radical to 2010 ears. It's punk!
And of course, Gene Vincent a bigger punker than all your art school tossers from the seventies. Go check out some stories about him, this guy liked to party and seriously didn't give a fiddler's fart. He was as well, of course, a rock & Roll genius.
So I'm thinking about my polite guitar, and thinking about great rockabilly, and Scotty and Cliff, and then I think about my mate Nick Drake, who played such wonderful guitar music that it'd break your heart on a night when the stars are out and the moon is low or a day when the sky is blue, and I bet Nick never once grimaced his face into a macho rock posture or swung his arm in a gratuitous pre-chord gesture.
So that's me all confused about which guitar music I like, what's the best to play, and how I should approach this new instrument I'm investing so much time over..
But it's not even an issue is it? It's all good as long as you like it.
I remember one evening with my music friends, it was 1991, two streets down from where I'm typing this. I told them "I'm seeing The Cramps next Friday at the Hummingbird in Birmingham, and on Wednesday I've got tickets to see Sinatra at the Albert Hall". One guy laughed and said "jesus, how many people go to see The Cramps and Frank Sinatra in the same week!" - and the drummer, acool guy, said "not enough".
Crivvens, that stuck with me, him saying that. I'll never forget it.
And that's the point, isn't it?
When it comes to music, choosing one genre or style and staying with it is positively fascist.
See, everything's allowed, if you like it. Even cock-rock, electro, dance, modern country, Opera and rap, (just don't bring it round here, okay? promise?).
Dig what you dig love it for the right reasons. I said to Julie the other night "most people like what they know, but don't know what they like". It's not my quote, I read it somewhere, but it's so right I can't think of a better way to close this post.
Now, where's that guitar gone. .
2 comments:
Gallup is completely out-there, though. Often find myself thinking "why there?" when he's soloing. Of course, because it's right.
Eric Clapton is single-handedly (slow-handedly?) responsible for the death of proper soloing like that. It all became about tsaking a blues scale and playing it as fast as you can. Bastard.
Clapton gave birth to thousands of plodding 'blues bands' that still play in pubs all round the UK. Older guys with T-shirts and jeans and serious faces. When my first guitar teacher wanted to show me the blues scale I got the fear of Clapton in me. Clapton might be brilliant but I can't get a single thing out the way he plays.
Thanks for the comment Tony.
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