John Butler Live Rig

Check out John Butler's live rig. There is a lot to LEARN about an acoustic/electric set-up for that big tone which is always quasi-mysterious, especially on the acoustic side of things. John, however, goes through the black magic to a great sound. The GP interviewer (Robbie Ginett?) is an idiot and starts out with an insipid generic question which he then qualifies with a moronic follow-up question. Too much hair to distract him, I guess. Butler takes Robbie, and us, to a good place though. Compassionate dude.

 

The guitarist of the day is Roger Kleier

The guitarist of the day is Roger Kleier. An NYC experimental guitarist with a West Coast sensibility about space, content, and time. Kleir is patient with his tones, and he colors like a sound painter.... He rocks too.  His long standing association with his partner/collaborator Annie Gosfield have yielded innovative and influential recordings on various labels. His latest 2009 solo CD The Night Has Many Hours is on the Innova Recordings Label of the American Composers Forum. Bend an ear, yo.

Track: Hyperplane
more tracks and info: Roger's homepage

The guitarist of the day is Carlos Santana

The guitarist of the day is Carlos Santana. The inventor and sole practitioner of a style. The original Latin role model for roles that do not exist. The tone, the style, the spirit. An American institution. I'm not crazy about his line of ties, but his musical line is a must-listen must-absorb for all aspirants-grasshopper.



The "Samba Pa' Ti" love guru:


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AMIGO MINI LESSON:
Carlos loves that dorian mode for minors. He uses it over minor sevenths and as a substitution for pentatonics. ex. A minor pentatonic = A dorian.

The guitarist of the day is Pat Martino

The guitarist of the day is Pat Martino. After suffering a brain aneurism he had to relearn how to play the guitar, so he's mastered it twice. He is unique among us in his commitment.  like Pythagoras, he is both mystic and scientist. His playing, while fairly complicated, is undergirded by an original approach to harmony based on the simplification of harmonic and melodic structures, and trust in the ear. Simplify and transcend is what I call it. The John Coltrane of the guitar, his harmonic superimpositions are off the charts, yet clear.

 "Sunny" is the first jazz tune I ever attempted. Here is Pat and special guest John Scofield's attempt:)




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PAT MARTINO LESSON:  minor substitutions over dominant #5 chords. 
* For rock guitarists "reducing to minor" may be especially useful since you may already know your minors (through pentatonics and dorian mode). Reducing to minor may open up other chord types and chord progressions to you.

The guitarist(s) of the day are Sonny Sharrock and George Benson

When Sonny first came to New York, he was super-intimidated because the very first live music he heard was a street jazz band with a teenager named George Benson playing guitar. He must have thought "does everyone in NY play like this--Geez!" It's a good thing they both stayed.





Was there ever a more relaxed or soulful guitarist than George Benson? It's how I play in my dreams; in the stream and dissolved in it. Thank you George.



Sat at 9:31pm ·

Santana tribute to Sonny (thanks to David Jones):