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WIN A TAYLOR 616CE AND 12 SETS OF ELIXIR STRINGS!

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| 25TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR MAY APRIL2015 2015 || ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM

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CONTENTS

‘There’s no ego. The music wins and takes precedence.’

Features 22 Pickin’ & Singin’ Trey Hensley is Nashville’s hottest young player By Orville Johnson

BRANDI CARLILE, P. 24 24 Brandi Carlile Inside the trio’s new album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter By Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Special Focus The Traveling Musician 32 Hard Roads 3 musicians learn the rules of the road while chasing their dreams

Miscellany 10 From the Home Office 12 Opening Act 81 Ad Index 82 Final Note

By David Templeton

38 Have Guitar, Will Travel The new generation of travel guitars show that small can be beautiful and sound good By Adam Perlmutter

May 2015 Volume 25, No. 11, Issue 269

42 Keep Calm & Carry On New FAA rules for flying with an instrument

On the Cover Brandi Carlile

By Greg Olwell Photographer Jay Blakesberg

AcousticGuitar.com 5

D35E Retro

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“My guitar was exactly what I wanted and got here fast!” Christopher from Savannah, GA

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CONTENTS

Why Nashville Guitarist and Songwriter Jeff Hyde Uses Elixir® Strings

1919 Ditson 1-45, p.72

NEWS 15 The Beat A documentary charts the rise of classical guitarist Sharon Isbin; comedic actor Ed Helms is serious about bluegrass; Tom Brosseau hocks his favorite guitar PLAY 46 Here’s How 4 tips on finding the right teacher

AG TRADE 64 Shop Talk Alvarez marks the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary; Bedell’s Blackbird Vegan guitar series is tasty indeed 66 Review: Taylor 616ce The revoiced series displays excellent playability, a superlative build, and more

48 The Basics Learn to play Mississippi John Hurt’s alternating bass lines

68 Review: Michael Kelly Rick Turner S6 and N6 Two new models revisit the innovative designs of the Renaissance line

50 Weekly Workout How to play driving rock rhythms on the low strings

70 Guitar Guru Should you reset the neck on your vintage guitar?

Songs to Play 56 39 Queen goes all folkie 60 Deep Elem Blues Arranged by the Grateful Dead 62 Banks of the Ohio A murder ballad for young lovers

72 Great Acoustics A rare 1919 Ditson 1-45 MIXED MEDIA 76 Playlist A definitive five-CD Lead Belly box; also, Imaginational Anthem Vol. 7 compilation, Lost and Found from the Buena Vista Social Club, and The Only Folk Collection You’ll Ever Need 79 Books A devilish Rev. Gary Davis biography

Nashville based guitarist and songwriter, Jeff Hyde, has written chart topping hits and recorded and toured with the great Eric Church for the past four years. Hit songs like “Springsteen,” “The Outsiders,” “Caught In The Act,” “Chief” and “Sinners Like Me” is only half of what Nashville based guitarist and songwriter, Jeff Hyde, brings to the table. Jeff has been a steady recording, touring band member and writing partner for country music singer-songwriter Eric Church for more than four years. Hear Jeff talk about his favorite guitars, the road, songwriting and touring.

Watch the video now:

AcousticGuitar.com/ How-To /Hyde-Elixir

SPONSORED AcousticGuitar.com 7

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AG ONLINE

Tom Brosseau

Walk a Mile in Tom Brosseau’s Shoes North Dakota singer and songwriter talks about his new album, Perfect Abandon, as well as his love of acoustic guitars at AcousticGuitar.com. You’ll also find a performance video of “Island in the Prairie Sea,” an exclusive AG Sessions performance. And visit AcousticGuitar.com/Sessions to check out interviews with and performancess by artists such as Seth Avett, Ani DiFranco, Peter Rowan, Bruce Cockburn, Richard Thompson, Valerie June, and many others. VIEW NEW GUITARS, GEAR & ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCES FROM WINTER NAMM 2015 Alvarez celebrates its 50th Anniversary with two new guitar lines, DigiTech demos its new Trio Band Creator, Bedell debuts a vegan guitar, and George Lowden explains the origins of his Wee Lowden model. And watch exclusive performances and interviews with guitarists Scott Law, Keith Harkin, Happy Traum, Lloyd Spiegel, John Jorgenson, and many others. You can find all of that and more at acousticgutiar.com/namm-sessions STAY CONNECTED Sign up for a free e-newsletter to get the latest news, stories, and special deals delivered straight to your inbox. Thousands of your fellow guitarists are reading this content every day - so don’t miss out, join them today: acousticguitar.com

8 May 2015

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FROM THE HOME OFFICE AcousticGuitar.com • AcousticGuitarU.com

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT Editorial Director & Editor Greg Cahill Editor at Large Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers Managing Editor Blair Jackson Senior Editor Marc Greilsamer Associate Editor Whitney Phaneuf Senior Designer Brad Amorosino Production Manager Hugh O’Connor Contributing Editors Kenny Berkowitz, Andrew DuBrock, Teja Gerken, David Hamburger, Steve James, Orville Johnson, Richard Johnston, Sean McGowan, Jane Miller, Greg Olwell, Adam Perlmutter, Rick Turner, Doug Young

INTERACTIVE SERVICES Interactive Services Director Lyzy Lusterman Creative Content Manager Joey Lusterman Creative Content Coordinator Tricia Baxter Community Relations Coordinator Courtnee Rhone Single Copy Sales Consultant Tom Ferruggia

MARKETING SERVICES Sales Director Cindi Kazarian Sales Managers Ref Sanchez, Greg Sutton Marketing Services Associate Tanya Gonzalez

Road warrior Beau Austin, p.32 Stringletter.com

here’s a lot of admiration for fine guitars in the acoustic world, and rightly so: What’s not to love about a vintage treasure or a painstakingly hand-crafted contemporary axe built with loving care from exotic tonewoods and evoking beaucoup mojo? Players and collectors alike gather at such events as the now-defunct Healdsburg Guitar Festival, the stalwart Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, and the upcoming debut of the Memphis Acoustic Guitar Festival to mingle with makers and share their admiration for the craft. But in addition to their tonal and aesthetic nature, acoustic guitars also possess a utilitarian quality—sometimes they just need to make a joyful noise on-the-go—and that means they often are schlepped from gig to gig by working musicians; played in the salty beach air; toted around by wayward backpackers, festival goers, and campers; and tossed into the backseat of the

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family minivan along with the family dog, the family laundry, and, well, the family. In this issue, AG offers a special section devoted to traveling musicians of all stripes— from a trio of road warriors rambling along the nation’s interstates in pursuit of their dreams to a buyer’s guide to travel guitars to a report on the newly issued FAA guidelines on flying with an instrument. I suspect you’ll find yourself in there somewhere, whether you’re a professional musician or a casual player looking for a good, inexpensive axe to take to the beach. The main thing is to get out and play! —Greg Cahill, editor Clarification The April 2015 review of the PRS SE A10E neglected to mention that Steve Fischer was instrumental in the development of the company’s fan bracing in conjunction with the rest of the PRS acoustic-guitar design team.

DISTRIBUTED to the music trade by Hal Leonard Corporation (800-554-0626, [email protected]) GOT A QUESTION or comment for Acoustic Guitar’s editors? Send e-mail to [email protected]

Publisher David A. Lusterman

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10 May 2015

Except where otherwise noted, all contents ©2015 Stringletter, David A. Lusterman, Publisher.

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Tom Brosseau gets his Martin back

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SF Jazz honors Joni Mitchell

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NEWS

Neil Young’s Pono digital player debuts

J. HENRY FAIR PHOTO

THE BEAT

Smashing Through Glass Ceilings Documentary charts classical guitarist Sharon Isbin’s remarkable career BY DAVID KNOWLES

o call Sharon Isbin a trailblazer is a bit of an understatement. Isbin, who appeared on the cover of the first issue of this magazine 25 years ago, is not only the first female classical guitarist to have won a Grammy Award, the only guitarist to record an album with the New York Philharmonic, and the first director of Juilliard’s prestigious guitar department, now, thanks to a new film, she is also the only female classical guitarist to be the subject of a nationally televised documentary. Produced by Susan Dangel, Sharon Isbin: Troubadour tells the story of Isbin’s storied career, and aired on over 200 PBS stations this past winter. A DVD and Blu-Ray of the film that features video extras is now available. “It challenged me to try and understand how on earth all this happened and why and what motivated me,” Isbin says of the film, which was shot over a five-year period. “I happened to meet the producer by accident,” Isbin explains. “I was invited by the film composer John Williams to attend a rehearsal of his at the New York Philharmonic, and I was watching really extraordinary videos that were being used that he was syncing with his conducting, and at one point I exclaimed, ‘That’s

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amazing. Who did that?’ There were two other people in Avery Fisher Hall, and one of them said, ‘I did.’ We introduced ourselves to one another and she turned out to be Susan Dangel, his chief videographer.” Dangel set about weaving together testimonials given by a diverse range of Isbin fans, everyone from Joan Baez to Martina Navratilova to Steve Vai and Michelle Obama, with performances and one-on-one sessions with composers. The tenor of the film is one of gushing admiration, and rightly so given Isbin’s place in the guitar world. “There’s thousands of little girls who have seen Sharon who now know that this is open to them,” singer-songwriter Janis Ian says in the film. “That’s huge.” After taking up the guitar at the age of nine, Isbin went on to study with Andrès Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia, and keyboardist Rosalyn Tureck. As her renown on the instrument grew, Isbin racked up numerous awards, and has appeared as a soloist with over 170 orchestras. But the one-hour movie is in no way a look back at a performer’s career whose glory days are long behind her. “Once we started filming a few months later, great things kept happening, and Susan

would say, oh, you’re going to play at the White House, well we have to film that, or, you’re doing the Grammy’s, we need to have that, and it kept going on and on,” Isbin says. For a woman who has broken virtually every glass ceiling she has encountered, and worked with dozens of composers on new works for the guitar, the real thrill in being the subject of the film is that it promotes the instrument that has defined her life. “When I’ve gotten composers who would never have written for guitar, but are very much in the vanguard of the mainstream, that’s exciting to me, because it advances the guitar. There are so many ways I see the instrument moving forward.” Last fall, Warner Classics released a five-CD box set titled Sharon Isbin: 5 Classic Albums, featuring her recordings with the New York Philharmonic and Zurich Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Grammy Award-winning disc of concerti written for her by Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun, Latin-American music with Paul Winter and Thiago de Mello, and her Grammywinning solo disc Dreams of a World. AG For more information on the film, visit sharonisbin.com or sharonisbintroubadour.com. AcousticGuitar.com 15

THE HARMONY OF LONGEVITY AND STABILITY INTRODUCING EXP-COATED SETS WITH NY STEEL D’Addario created EXP-coated acoustic strings so that the quintessential tone of our 80/20 or Phosphor Bronze sets could last longer, yet still maintain the sound musicians love. Today, we’re introducing NY Steel to our EXP sets, a proprietary material engineered for unprecedented strength and pitch stability. Coated to last longer. Engineered strong to stay in tune better.

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THE BEAT

Tom Brosseau with his 1947 Martin 000-18

BROSSEAU NOT READY TO ‘ABANDON’ HIS FAVORITE GUITAR When Tom Brosseau recorded his newly released CD, the striking Perfect Abandon, he received a helping hand from two good friends: San Diego musician Gregory Page and Brosseau’s favorite 1947 Marin 000-18. “I had to sell the Martin to fund this record and then I had to get it back,” says Brosseau, during a phone call from Hollywood. “You know, these records cost a lot of money once you decide to produce them. I’ve done things like this before and I was able to get it back. [Gregory] was able to help me out and I am so grateful for that. Some of the most understanding people you’ll find are your fellow musicians.” For the recording sessions, which include the haunting talking blues “Hard Luck Boy,”

Brosseau played a Gibson L-00. “I wanted that punchy sound,” he says. “[But] I keep on coming back to that Martin and the question of what would I do without it. That guitar in particular is just so important to me.” Brosseau found the old Martin at a Guitar Center in LA. “It was in bad shape when I bought it,” he says. “I purchased it at a good price and on a credit card. I knew what had to be done to get it fixed up. Its sound is unlike any other vintage instrument I’ve ever heard. . . . “It’s a crucial element of my life,” he adds when asked about his attachment to acoustic guitars. “People come and go, but I couldn’t bear to wake up in the morning if I could not play the guitar.” —Greg Cahill

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Left to right The Lonesome Trio, Alynda Lee Segarra (of Hurray for the Riff Raff), Sturgill Simpson

THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION Guitar- and banjo-playing comedic actor and bluegrass buff Ed Helms will return this year to host Bonnaroo’s Bluegrass Situation stage, named after the country-music website he helped start. Helms and his band the Lonesome Trio, formed with friends Jacob Tilove and Ian Riggs while attending Oberlin College, have played together on NPR and his Whiskey Sour Radio Hour. “I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and there was some early exposure to it, but it’s not like it was very prevalent in my family or anything,” Helms told NPR’s Fresh Air host Terry Gross in 2011when asked about his love for bluegrass.

“But I also spent summers up in the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, and it was always a sound that resonated for me and I felt a connection to these places that meant a lot to me. . . . It just felt authentic and something that I gravitated to. But I do think people who love banjo music are cursed in some way, because most people don’t like it and it’s kind of an obnoxious instrument. But I just get a lot of joy out of it.” Joining Helms at Bonnaroo on June 14 will be Shakey Graves, the Earls of Leicester, the Punch Brothers, Sturgill Simpson, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Bela Fleck & the Flecktones.

ALWAYS TRUE daddario.com/alwaystrue

THE BEAT

WOODY’S SONG The anthemic “This Land Is Your Land” turned 75 on February 23. Folk legend Woody Guthrie wrote the song while gazing out the window of his small room at Hanover House, a fleabag hotel in New York City. On the bottom of the handwritten lyrics he noted: “All you can write is what you see.” His daughter, Nora, has invited fans to post images of what they see when they look out over this land. The collective portfolio can be found at woodyguthrie.org.

SFJAZZ HONORS JONI MITCHELL The SF Jazz Center will award singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell with a lifetime achievement award “for her artistic vision and contributions to modern music” on May 8. Mitchell, 71, started her career busking on the sidewalks of Toronto before moving to Southern California to find mainstream success with a string of popular albums that ran from folksy acoustic-guitar arrangements to big-band charts. She frequently dabbled in jazz, recording with Pat Metheny, Charles Mingus, Herbie

Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, and Michael Brecker, to name a few. Mitchell will make a rare live appearance at the black-tie event, which will also feature musical tributes by Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band and the SFJazz Collective. She recently released the box set Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, a Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced, a four-disc collection of songs tracing her career back to the ’60s. In the liner notes, Mitchell, who is also an artist, describes herself as “a painter who writes songs.”

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LAND OF OZ NEIL YOUNG INTRODUCES THE PONO Roots-rock icon Neil Young has fired the first shot in what is shaping up to be an oddly waged war for audiophile dollars. In January, Young introduced his PONO digital-music player. The $399 device can play expensive Blue-Ray quality hi-def digital files (priced at up to $35 per album), though the PONO store is mostly stocked with the same CD-quality recordings that Young has slighted in the press.

PONO was funded, in part, by a $6 million crowd-sourcing campaign. Meanwhile, Sony has announced plans this spring to release the competing Walkman ZX2 luxury MP3 player priced at $1,199. All this high-end digital action comes at a time when recorded music sales are down overall, with the only increases being seen in the relatively small vinyl LP market.

Australian country-music star Kristy Cox earned the 2015 Bluegrass Recording of the Year Golden Guitar award in January for her song “One Heartbreak Away,” from the album Living for the Moment. The Australian Country Music Awards added the category this year in response to the growing interest in bluegrass in the land down under.

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PICKIN’ & SINGIN’ C

ountry music is all about storytelling. When the voice doing the telling is steeped in the sound of the Southern mountains, you can tell you’re hearing the real thing. Trey Hensley is the real thing. Raised in Jonesborough, Tennessee, Hensley started playing guitar and singing at ten—by age 11, he was appearing at the Ryman Auditorium on the Grand Ole Opry with Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs. After spending his teen years playing bluegrass and burning up the acoustic guitar, Hensley heard Don Rich play a Telecaster solo on a live Buck Owens record, and that launched the young guitar player into a flurry of chicken pickin’ and string bending. Through it all, he was listening to the holy masters of country music—Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Buck Owens—and developing the voice to tell those sacred stories. Hensley’s new album, Before the Sun Goes Down (Compass), is a collaboration with Dobro wizard Rob Ickes. “Being around such an incredible musician like Rob has made me work harder on my skills and learn my instrument more,” Hensley says. “It’s always been an honor for me to have the chance to play with him.” 22 May 2015

WELCOME TREY HENSLEY, NASHVILLE’S HOTTEST YOUNG PLAYER BY ORVILLE JOHNSON

They reached back to Hensley’s bluegrass The respect is mutual. “There’s something roots to mix the acoustic spirit with electric Tele really pure and deep about Trey’s music,” Ickes picking and steel guitars. The duo recorded the says. The partnership is a result of the impression tunes old-school: a few takes each, with the Hensley’s voice made on Ickes a couple of years band all in one room and with a nominal ago. “We were working on the newest Blue amount of overdubs. Highway album, The Game, and we needed a They leaned on Ickes’ production skills and scratch vocal on one song so we could play the track live and go back later and replace the a Rolodex filled with top Nashville session vocal,” Ickes says. “The studio players to get the bluegrassowner said he knew a kid nearby meets-’60s-country character they ‘There’s who was a great singer and could wanted to surround Hensley’s rich something do it on short notice. So he called vocals. Trey in, and he proceeded to sing The material ranges from really pure the hell out of ‘My Last Day in the Jimmy Martin to Merle Haggard to and deep Mine,’ a song he’d never even heard Waylon Jennings, with one Hensley before! And the way he sang it was about Trey’s original and a left turn into the so perfect that we couldn’t imagine blues bag with a cover of Stevie music.’ replacing it or changing anything Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy,” a ROB ICKES about it, so his ‘scratch’ vocal showcase for their instrumental quickly became a ‘guest’ vocal.” virtuosity. “I’ve always been a big Hensley had been working and traveling with Stevie Ray fan,” Hensley says. “When we went his own country-flavored band, and Ickes told in the studio and tried it acoustic, it just gave a him that if there was ever anything he could do to different groove, a different feel to it”—what help him out with his career, he’d be happy to do Ickes describes as a “street corner, down-homeit. Not long after that, Hensley moved to Nashblues feel.” ville, and the pair began playing together, doing “I hear something special in Trey’s music,” gigs at the Station Inn and putting together the Ickes says, “and I want to do what I can to sound they wanted for the new disc. shine a light on his talent.” AG

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24 May 2015

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hile there are plenty of solo artists these days who go by band names (for instance, Iron and Wine and Bon Iver), Brandi Carlile is an unusual case of a band that goes by the name of a solo artist. For 15 years now, all the music appearing under the name Brandi Carlile has been the product of an extraordinarily close partnership of Carlile and the twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth. All three write songs and share the writing credits equally for every song regardless of who contributes what (à la Lennon and McCartney), and though Carlile’s powerhouse voice takes center stage, their arrangements feature tight three-way harmonies and instrumental work—usually with Brandi and Tim on guitars and Phil on bass (and supplemented by drums and cello). The three musicians first connected in Seattle, where the twins played in the hard-rock band the Fighting Machinists while Carlile, raised on Patsy Cline and the Grand Ole Opry, was busking and doing bar gigs. After the Fighting Machinists disbanded, Carlile recruited the twins to play with her—they first performed together in 2000, got matching tattoos (of the auryn talisman from The NeverEnding Story, a movie they all loved as kids), and started collaborating on songs rooted in country, rock, and folk. They also adapted existing songs, such as “The Story” (written by Phil), which later became their biggest hit thanks to Carlile’s explosive vocal on the 2007 album of the same name. The trio’s new studio album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter (ATO), reflects all the years of making music together, from the gorgeous bookmatched harmonies of “The Eye” to the garage-rocking “Mainstream Kid.” After working with such topname producers as Rick Rubin and T Bone Burnett, Carlile and the twins self-produced The Firewatcher’s Daughter, tapping into the visceral power of their live performances. In recent years, the band’s personal and musical relationships have spilled over into family life, too: Phil is married to Carlile’s sister, and all three bandmates have young kids and live close together in Seattle. And the extended family is growing: During this interview, Carlile announced that the band’s longtime cellist, Josh Neumann, got engaged to her wife’s sister. To learn more about the songwriting partnership of Carlile and the twins, I spoke with them during a winter tour stop in Dallas. According to Carlile, this article marks the first time they’ve done a three-way interview—though in the music, of course, the three musicians have been speaking as one for many years. AcousticGuitar.com 25

It’s so hard to imagine that ‘The Story’ existed before you started playing together. How did the original version compare with Brandi’s version? PHIL It doesn’t even compare at all. We had recorded a couple of versions, like one on a keyboard and one with acoustic guitars. It was just a lyric, a melody, a couple of chords—it wasn’t really anything until we started playing with Brandi and she was able to put some power into it. BRANDI “The Story” was already a beautiful song. Phil’s got a really powerful voice and sounded great singing it. But I think the song needed to be really loved by someone. If anything, I brought to the scenario a little bit of insanity and intensity and cultishness. Especially when I was younger, I was a little overwhelming. I came on the scene and I was like, “All right, let’s quit our jobs and get matching tattoos and never look back! I don’t care— forget about your wives, forget about everything, let’s just do this!”

What was the first song you worked on from scratch together? BRANDI From scratch? I feel like it’s “Shadow on the Wall.” That was the first song where we realized that we could bring something to each other’s songwriting specifically. Forget all the Charles Manson cultiness. That happened and that was important—without all the killing and stuff—but that song was when I first realized we can write different parts of a song and it sounds like one song that came from one mind. How would you characterize each other’s strengths as songwriters? BRANDI Well, I’ve got a pretty good grip on that. Phil writes these interesting and androgynous powerhouse songs, very infrequently. They’re usually kind of strange lyrically. I don’t think he really forces it. “Blood Muscle Skin & Bone,” “The Story,” “Oh Dear,” “Beginning to Feel the Years”—those are some of our more quirky Pet Sounds-type tunes, and they come from the terrifying mind of Phil. And then Tim, in my opinion, is your classic, workman-style songwriter who writes so many more songs than Phil and I do, and he writes them with such strength and continuity. I think 26 May 2015

DAVID MCCLISTER PHOTO

TIM When we first met Brandi, she was playing primarily acoustic guitar, and my brother and I were still playing only electric guitar in a hardrock band. It was such an odd thing. We met Brandi and got into the acoustic guitar with her, and then six months later we were both getting divorces and had a bunch of tattoos, I swear! It was a big shift for everyone musically, and we also found our Charles Manson [laughter]. My brother and I have always had a close musical thing, but we finally found our third sibling. Left The new album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter

they are our flagship songs on every record. When you hear a song that was started or penned by Tim, it sounds like the Brandi Carlile trio. With me, it’s a real crap shoot, because it has to do so much with what’s going on in my life, and it’s based solely on lyrics. I tend to focus on my feelings and my environment lyrically. I like to really say what I mean and mean what I say, and say things that are special. So all three of us bring something interesting to the band. Tim brings total consistency and a prolific nature, Phil brings eccentricity, and I bring communication. Do you guys have anything to add to that? PHIL That sounds pretty accurate. The one other thing that’s worth noting is our musical backgrounds are really diverse, too. Like Brandi grew up listening to classic country, and Tim is into a lot of Bob Dylan, John Prine, stuff like that. BRANDI And also the Ramones.

Above Carlile with the twins, Phil and Tim Hanseroth

PHIL Yeah, the Ramones. So when you listen to our records, the styles are really varied. Why did you decide to share songwriting credits for all of your songs? BRANDI Because there’s no ego. The music wins and takes precedence. Nobody questions anybody else if they really think that a bridge would make a song better or a lyric should change or we could add more interesting chords. TIM It’s been like that since the very beginning. When we first met, it was like, “Hey, if we’re going to write songs together, let’s just split everything up.” That way you’re not stuck being in a band with someone who’s doing really, really well . . . . BRANDI Driving a red car. TIM We all end up having to tour the same amount together, we spend an incredible amount of time together, and even though one

WHAT BRANDI CARLILE & THE TWINS PLAY TIM

BRANDI

PHIL

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AMPLIFICATION Radial J48 DI Accessories D’Addario flat-wound medium bass strings Boss TU-3 tuner

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AcousticGuitar.com 27

of us may write a song that’s a hit for ten years, like Phil did here, we’re all putting about the same amount of work into it. We don’t get too precious about our songwriting. If one of us has an idea that’s half done, nobody’s going to get possessive because they want the credit for it. Nobody’s going to get their feelings hurt by going, “Yeah, I want to write this one alone.” We are all really open to just the song being the best. On the albums, though, you do credit who individually wrote each song. Why? BRANDI For me, just because my heroes do. When I read the liner notes, I want to know. I’m really big into entertainers, and when I love an

artist, I love everything about them. I love their philanthropy, I love their biography, their childhood stories, their artwork, the liner notes, and the songwriting. If I hear a song that I think is deeply personal, I want to know who wrote it and if it’s about what I think it’s about. How does the closeness of your personal lives feed into your musical partnership? BRANDI One of the ways that the marriages and the family integration has affected me personally is that when the songs come to the table, I do know what they’re about and can feel it, and it’s a real honor to get to communicate it. If we didn’t live as integrated as we do,

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it wouldn’t be as beautiful for me to get to sing those words. What do you guys think? TIM I agree with Brandi. Being best friends and family, when something is written, even if it’s more of an interpretive style, you always have a good idea, if not what the subject is, then what the emotion behind it is. For me, singing, writing, or even playing guitar, just being able to really understand the lyrics emotionally makes me better. Having that closeness to the person who wrote the song allows me a better connection to it. And if it’s a song that we’re working on together, there’s not a whole lot of guesswork. As Brandi said, “It’s always very intuitive what to do.” Has all the domestic stability in your lives these days changed the nature of writing songs together? PHIL I don’t think so at all. From the beginning our process has been so intimate with the three of us, and we’ve been close as a family, so not that much has changed now that there are kids in the picture. We’re still that close, if not closer. And now we’re neighbors. Everybody lives five minutes down the street, and we can get together whenever we want and have dinner and bring a guitar. It’s how we’ve always operated. Nothing’s really changed. Sometimes, though, songwriters say that being settled isn’t conducive to writing. When you’re happy you just want to feel it—not write about it. BRANDI That’s what I thought, too. I’m a really tortured songwriter. Everything I’ve loved that I’ve written has been when I was absolutely miserable, and I’ve been miserable a lot in my life. Honestly, I’ve been worried about it for the last three years, because brick by brick my life’s been getting deliriously wonderful. I’ve wondered, well, what about my lonely friend? What about my lonely passenger, my songwriter, who needs to be really twisted to get this stuff out? I was worried about it, and the twins were reassuring. Tim said something I think is really cool. The gist of it is that you can even write better sad songs when you’re happy. TIM We’re all in this great time with our young families, and I just think that when you’re doing well in life, when you’re happy, you are at a better place in life to do everything, whether it’s songwriting or performing. I feel like I’m more prolific, and I’m better at refining what I am trying to say, even if it’s not a happy thought or happy song. Tim and Phil, when you’re writing, do you imagine Brandi singing the song? Does that affect what you write? PHIL It definitely does for me. I always think

28 May 2015

about that, in the forefront. Her voice is the big thing about our songs and the music. It’s the main presence, so when I’m coming up with a melody, just the very beginning of a song even, I’m thinking about Brandi’s voice and how big and powerful it is and how it moves.

BRANDI When low end was really important, he’d have to walk over and play piano. So finding the missing bass notes in certain pivotal moments was probably terrifying to you.

TIM It’s so funny to hear that, because I never consider that at all until the song is either done or to where it’s done enough for me to feel comfortable with it being out there. I do think about where the capo would have to be for it to be in a good place for Brandi to sing, but I always just try to make the writing about whatever the words have to be. I leave the rest up to Brandi.

After 15 years of playing and writing together, how would you compare what you can do now with what you could do when you started out? PHIL It feels like we’re just getting started. To me, anyway, it feels like we’re starting to write some good songs, starting to get really familiar with our instruments, and starting to get really good at singing and playing together.

Tell me about your recent Pin Drop tour, where you played historic theaters with no amplification. What was that experience like? BRANDI It was amazing. We’re a different band because we did it. We’ll never be able to go back. It was just so mystical to remove all of these elements that we didn’t even know were partitions before, particularly amplification but also microphones and big lights. The ability to project the sound from the source changed everything, because there was so much less to consider about looking cool and putting on a show and more about just getting the message to the audience. If you are playing your acoustic guitar, because it’s essentially a speaker, you can’t just turn in some other direction rather than right out in front of you, because the sound goes with you. It ended up being this really intimate situation where getting the message and getting the sound to the audience was the very first consideration. That’s not the way it normally is. Usually putting on a show is the first consideration. It was like church. It was preachy and connected and not glossy in any way. TIM It was so different because when you plug in and play a show, you have so much freedom to do whatever you want. But [in this tour] we were forced to stand right next to each other to hear each other, and every moment of every song was so important. Not a lot of room for error, because everyone’s leaning forward in their seats. Every show was a special performance all the way through. There was none of this, “Well, I’m kind of tired today, but it’s going to be really loud and I’m going to go stand by the drums and hit my guitar really hard.” You couldn’t do anything except give your undivided focus and attention to every moment of the set. It was tough for Phil, because playing acoustic bass in any room bigger than a club is really hard. The lower stuff doesn’t really carry without any subs or anything. So he found this little [Regal] resonator bass guitar, and it sounded killer. We had to use different tools than we would normally use live.

PHIL Definitely exciting.

BRANDI When you love it as much as we do, you do always feel like you’re just getting started. We thought we had made it when enough people showed up to fill a room at a residency. But when you are driven and you love music and that’s really what’s in your heart and what’s pushing you forward, you always feel like you’re on the precipice of something big. We still feel that way even though we’ve done so many things beyond our wildest dreams. We all still feel like we’re on this edge—and if we ever feel complacent, if we ever feel selfcongratulatory, I think one of us will set the other straight. AG

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SPECIAL FOCUS THE TRAVELING MUSICIAN

ROAD WARRIORS hile preparing to write the songs that appear on his latest album, troubadour Steve Earle traveled around Europe with a backpack and an acoustic guitar. The results can be heard on Terraplane by Steve Earle & the Dukes. Of course, it’s novel for an artist as established as Earle to travel via EuroPass. But many traveling musicians are living a similarly modest existence, often flying under the radar and living off of their wits. Even more operate in a decidedly casual mode, playing regional clubs or venturing off of the couch only to play at a backyard sing-along, huddle with friends

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around the glow of a beach-party campfire, or jam at a summer music camp. In this special section, AG looks at three road warriors who are facing the career challenges brought on by traveling while chasing their dreams. There’s also an overview of the travel-guitar market, one that serves even the most casual acoustic guitarist, and for anyone who’s ever faced the disdain of a TSA agent, or sustained the frustration of a broken guitar at the arrival gate, there’s an update on the newly released FAA guidelines on flying with an instrument. Now get out and make some music!

AcousticGuitar.com 31

SPECIAL FOCUS THE TRAVELING MUSICIAN

HARD ROADS 3 MUSICIANS LEARN THE RULES OF THE ROAD WHILE CHASING THEIR DREAMS BY DAVID TEMPLETON

or most lifelong touring musicians, all of the constant traveling is just a means to an end, a chore, an ordeal, a necessary evil. For others, it’s the whole point of being a touring musician. The driving, the flying, the hotels, the gas stations, the public restrooms, the food, the infuriating inconsistencies of wireless internet services, the constant pressure to get where you’re going in time for a show, the occasional emergency involving guitar repairs at strange music stores, or midnight runs to the copy shop to print up more flyers—all of that is part and parcel of being a hard-touring musician in the 21st century.

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Following in the footsteps of such legendary folk, blues, and country musicians as Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Rosalie Sorrels, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Kate Wolf—many of whom are known best for their songs about the road—today’s lesserknown, guitar-toting road warriors are the living embodiment of the troubadours of old. But every traveler has a different dream with different tricks for changing life on the road into something transformative, enjoyable, and in some cases, life-changing. Here are the stories of three road warriors.

BEAU AUSTIN “Traveling around the country is just something I always wanted to do,” says singer-songwriter Beau Austin. Originally from Southern California, where he played with a number of hard-touring punk rock bands, Austin (beauaustinmusic.com) now resides in Cincinnati. At least, he does on those rare occasions when he and his acoustic guitar aren’t on the road performing in out-of-the-way bars, coffeehouses, and houseconcert venues across the country. Austin is one of those musicians whose career has been carefully constructed so that he can be on the road as much as possible, and

he can’t remember a time he didn’t want this kind of life for himself. “My mom bought me a book in junior high,” Austin recalls. “It was The Boy Who Sailed Around the World Alone, and it just stuck with me.” The book, by Robin Lee Graham, describes the author’s solo ocean voyage as a 16 year old in the summer of 1965. It turned out to be a very influential read for Austin. “I left high school when I was 17, so I could go on tour with my punk band,” he says. “Ever since then, I’ve loved being on the road.” The image of the globe-hopping rock ’n’ roll superstar is, for many young musicians, a

decided to learn a trade that did not involve writing songs and occasionally being homeless. He went to cosmetology school, where he became a licensed barber and hairdresser. “I figured, well, I guess you have to grow up some time. So I did that. I went to school. Learned how to cut hair. And got a job. And the whole time, I knew that music was my calling.” But after a few years of respectable wage earning and doing music on the side, Austin came to a philosophical crossroads. “I decided you can do anything you want in this life—as long as you’re willing to sacrifice everything for it,” he says. ”A home, a family, a girlfriend— whatever it is. Sometimes all of that is just not as important as following the path that you know you were meant to take.”

During this time, Austin experimented with ways to transform his punk-rock sensibilities and messages into a more approachable musical form. Eventually, he forged a style akin to Woody Guthrie. “It was a natural transition,” he says. “My favorite band of all time is the Clash. As I grew older, I started paying more attention to Joe Strummer’s career after the band broke up, and eventually I learned that there is a strong connection between punk and folk. Folk music is basically just acoustic punk rock. It’s to the point, it has a message, it’s trying to unite people in an environment where people can come together and solve their problems, and maybe push ahead with some social change.”

“A home, a family, a girlfriend— whatever it is. Sometimes all of that is just not as important as following the path that you know you were meant to take.” BEAU AUSTIN

tempting fantasy that few will ever actually achieve. “When I was younger, I thought it would be impossible to be a working musician, traveling the world,” Austin says. “I grew up as part of the MTV revolution, where all you saw were giant rock stars. I thought it would be impossible to ever get to that level, but then I learned that all you have to do to find work as a musician is book shows—and hit the road.” Sometimes, of course, the road hits back. Even a highway-loving former punk rocker like Austin can weary of the tedious toils of travel. At 25, Austin grudgingly caved in to mounting parental pressure and AcousticGuitar.com 33

SPECIAL FOCUS THE TRAVELING MUSICIAN After Austin went solo, he decided to make life changes that would allow him to do the kind of traveling he’d always dreamed of—which is how he ended up in Cincinnati. “The problem with L.A. is it’s far away from every other place you might want to visit,” he says. “Coming to Cincinnati was cool because it’s so central. I can go on the road and hit so many towns: New York, Chicago, Nashville, Tulsa, St. Louis. Everything is just hours away. That made it possible for me to hit the road full time and come back for a couple days, still even working a day job cutting hair if I wanted to. In L.A. if I wanted to tour, I had to quit my job every three or four months, or get fired every time I went on the road. “In Cincinnati,” he says, “you can actually be a touring artist. I do keep my hair-cutting license valid, but I’m on the road four or five days almost every single week.”

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In his ’98 Ford Explorer, with the back converted into a bed, Austin has his own miniature mobile home. Parking is almost always available at a truck stop or back road, so he sleeps in his vehicle, avoiding the expense of a motel. “It works out pretty good,” he says with a laugh. “Every great once in a while, I will get a room for the night, and sometimes I’ll play a show where they’ll get me a room, but I’d rather come home with as much money as I can than spend it on motel rooms. I put every penny I make back into my career. Pressing more CDs. Printing up stickers. Doing whatever I can.” When he finds himself without a scheduled gig for a day or two between shows, he goes online and locates local open-mic events. “Anything within six to eight hours away I’ll consider,” Austin says. “Open mics are great. I can make connections, meet new

fans. Sometimes I’ve booked whole tours of nothing but openmic places. I’ll drive to Columbus on a Monday night, do an open mic there, drive to Toledo for another one on Tuesday, hit up Detroit on Wednesday, and then come back home.” To promote his gigs, Austin relies on social media, building his list of Facebook friends across the country. He does a fair amount of advance work, contacting independent record stores, sending flyers a month or two before an event. He’s had less luck with radio stations, but public and college radio stations are a platform he hopes to take more advantage of in the future. “And one other thing I’ve been doing that’s been supercool,” he reveals, “depending on the town I’m in, is that I’ll go out busking. I’ll go sing on the streets before a show. I’ll get to town a few hours early, get some coffee, ask around to find

out if busking is allowed and where a good spot would be for me—and then I’ll go out, put a bunch of CDs in my guitar case with some flyers. A lot of times people will buy a CD, and if I’m lucky, then they’ll pick up a flyer and ask about my show that night. For me, busking has been one of the best forms of promotion I’ve discovered.” Living in his car. Singing on the streets. Spending hours behind the wheel with no clear road to financial success. What might sound like a tenuous existence is, for Austin, a dream come true. “I’m a firm believer that, if you want something, you’ll figure out a way to do it,” he says. “I’ve wanted this my whole life. It’s better than working a 9-to-5 job you hate, going home every night and watching TV, then waking up and doing it all over again for the next 40 years. “I can’t imagine,” he says, “ever doing anything else.”

ELLIS For folksinger Ellis (no last name), the days of living in a car while on the road are long gone, but flying from gig to gig poses its own set of challenges and rewards. A darling of the folk-festival circuit, singersongwriter Ellis (ellis-music.com) grew up in Texas before moving to Minneapolis. In the early days of her singing career, she stayed close to home, but after cutting her first CD, she used it as a calling card to land gigs in what might seem an unlikely spot for a concert: bookstores. “I was pretty lucky,” says Ellis, speaking via phone, the sound of her toddler daughter playing in the background, “because I have a built-in community of womenloving women. You can call it queer, you can call it lesbian, but that’s my identity, and at the beginning it was that community I reached out to. My first CD came out in 2000, and at the time there were a lot of feminist

bookstores across the country, which would book me as a special event. My partner and I called up bookstores all over the country and set up a tour. It was so great! I didn’t have to have a huge audience to have a success! Thirty women would come out, not even knowing who I was, just knowing that it was a community event with music. And for me, that was awesome!” The bookstore gigs were a way to connect with people who came to be with their community, but then found they were pleasantly surprised that the unknown singer from Minneapolis was actually pretty great. Ellis could usually depend on selling a fair number of CDs, effectively underwriting her travel expenses. As for the costs of lodging, it helps to be likable and friendly. Laughs Ellis, “In those early days, I would do the show, and then I’d say, ‘Hey, could somebody, like, take me home?’ And

“It’s all about building a chain of wonderful people, people I get to visit every year or so, year after year. It’s basically building a community, which sustains me as I provide something it needs and wants.” ELLIS

people would give me a place to stay—and the next morning I’d move on to the next gig.” After that, each new tour built on the relationships established from the previous tour. “It’s all about building a chain of wonderful people, people I get to visit every year or so, year after year. It’s basically building a community, which sustains me as I provide something it needs and wants.” With the bookstore gigs as a foundation, Ellis continued to network with other musicians, finding different independent performance spaces across the country, generally choosing to stay in host homes to make it work. In flying to her gigs, Ellis admits she misses seeing the outof-the-way corners of America, but she makes up for it by having a tight, sustainable touring plan. She flies into an area, plays a major event, then moves out to

AcousticGuitar.com 35

SPECIAL FOCUS THE TRAVELING MUSICIAN smaller events in the same region before going home. With a young child to care for, this strategic fly-and-return travel system ends up giving her more time at home with her daughter. But that’s not all. Flying, as with other public transportation, allows her to meet new people, folks she ends up sharing a time with, people she’d never get to swap stories with if she traveled alone in her car. It takes more planning, and there’s a higher financial risk, but for Ellis, it works. And she’s grateful for the life she’s created through hard work and constant networking. “My touring started small and just built from there,” Ellis says. “And one really important resource has been the Folk Alliance International [national conference]. Every touring musician should go. I go every year. It’s a place where lots of festival people go, and house-concert people, they all gather and converge and network. Over time, I’ve

36 May 2015

developed a lot of relationships through those folks as well. “That’s what being a successful hard-touring musician is all about,” she says. “It’s built upon relationships with people and a love of community and music.” ROY ZIMMERMAN The other thing about being a hard-touring musician is a bit of a secret: Hard touring doesn’t have to be hard. “I’ve been touring hard since 2008,” says singer-songwriter Roy Zimmerman of Fairfax, California. “That’s when my wife and I said, ‘You know what? Let’s just hit all 50 of the United States!’ That was our pledge, to do all 50 states in 12 months—and I believe we actually made it to 47 that year. It’s been hard touring ever since. In 2012, we hit 49 states. “That was a very busy year,” Zimmerman chuckles. Zimmerman (royzimmerman. com) plays to a crowd that appreciates his combination

“I always say I’m looking for the most progressive people in the least progressive places in the country. So a lot of times, I’m playing at a Unitarian church, because that’s where the ‘blue-dot’ people are huddling in the basement, watching the windows.” ROY ZIMMERMAN

of first-rate guitar playing, torrent-of-words songwriting, and decidedly left-leaning political satire. Like Ellis in her early days, topical content that might keep him from appearing in some venues is the golden ticket to a whole lot of others. For example, when Zimmerman tours, he frequently performs at Unitarian Universalist churches. “I play a lot of what you’d call ‘alternate venues,’” he says, “and that’s by design. Last year’s tour

was called ‘The Blue Dot Tour,’ because I play a lot of ‘blue dots’ in ‘red states.’ I always say I’m looking for the most progressive people in the least progressive places in the country. “So a lot of times, I’m playing at a Unitarian church because that’s where the ‘blue dot’ people are huddling in the basement, watching the windows,” he goes on. “Then I do a lot of Democratic Club events, Green Party things, humanist/secular/freethinker

organizations—a lot of that kind of stuff.” Zimmerman, who originally toured with the satirical folk quartet the Foremen, has worked extremely hard over the years to build an audience around the country. Taking advantage of YouTube, he regularly posts videos of himself performing songs across the country, and with every new click and view, Zimmerman knows he’s potentially gaining an audience member the next time he plays in their town. One of his rules of thumb is to keep his gigs at a manageable size so that he can maximize his income. That might seem counterintuitive, but Zimmerman insists that for a hard-traveling musician, the formula is perfect: Playing a place with low overhead means a musician can negotiate a bigger piece of the box office. “It’s the truth that you can often make more money at a house concert on a Wednesday night, playing to 35 people, than you can make playing to an audience twice that size at a major club over the weekend,” he says. “At this point in my career, I’m playing great gigs, for how famous I am. I’m actually very famous. It’s just that not enough people know about it yet. So I’m playing to audiences of between 50 to 80, and that is great success for me because I can make a living with that, and because my songs do have a message, I can maybe make a bit of a difference in the world at the same time.” Whereas Austin sleeps in his car, and Ellis is hosted at the homes of supporters and concert promoters, Zimmerman is fairly old fashioned. When he’s on the road, usually traveling with his wife, he stays in hotels. “You just write the expense of that into your touring schedule when you are planning the trip,” he says. “When you’re doing five shows a week—which is what I’m usually trying to do when I’m on the road—I’m a working stiff working five days a weeks with weekends off, right? If you are really

rocking, then one of those shows goes to the week’s expenses. You just have to plan one big show a week. Your groceries are a part of that, too, and if you’re good at it, you come away with a little bit extra at the end. If you book yourself far enough in advance, you can put together five shows in a week. You finance the trip with one or two shows, and you make your nut that way.” Like the others, Zimmerman does not mind traveling and actually does see it as one of the

unique pleasures of being a singing, songwriting acoustic guitarist. “Yes, getting from place to place has its hassles, but I don’t think of touring as tiring or exhausting,” he says. “Since my wife and I tour together, it’s become the way we live, the way we see the country, the way we process the world around us. If something big has happened in the world—and something big always seems to be happening— we’re hearing about it and seeing it through the ears and eyes of

Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Birmingham, Alabama. That’s an interesting perspective for us. So that mitigates against the tiredness factor.” Adds Zimmerman, “Everywhere we go, people tell me, ‘I wish I had your job. I wish I could get in a car and go out and see the country.’ I’m happy that what I do naturally, what I was innately born to do, enables me to go out and see my country the way very few other Americans ever actually get to.” AG

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SPECIAL FOCUS THE TRAVELING MUSICIAN

HAVE GUITAR WILL TRAVEL A BUYER’S GUIDE TO TRAVEL GUITARS BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

Collings Baby 2H

38 May 2015

any acoustic guitars, great ones and inferior examples alike, have met their demise in travel, often through careless handling by airline personnel—see, for example, the video “United Breaks Guitars” that went viral six years ago. If only Dave Carroll, the singer-songwriter who wrote “United Breaks Guitars,” had brought a travel guitar, like a Baby Taylor, with him on the fateful flight that inspired the song, then his beloved Taylor 710 would not have been rendered useless. Travel guitars aren’t necessarily designed as pro-level instruments. But they’ve proven to be excellent tools in a number of high-level situations. The adventurous jazz and Americana guitarist Bill Frisell has been known to wield a Martin Backpacker on occassion, and the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran uses a signature model Little Martin, the LX1E, as his main performance guitar. While travel guitars are generally designed to be all-purpose tools, in a professional rig they can be used to excellent effect for specific applications. For instance, many have small bodies that lend themselves nicely to the high, shimmering sound of Nashville tuning (in which the low E, A, D, and G strings are replaced with thinner ones, tuned up an octave). To put it another way, a nominal investment in a guitar like a Little Martin can yield big returns in terms of sonic exploration. Dedicated acoustic travel guitars—instruments generally at the intersection of compactness and affordability—are nothing new; they’ve been around for decades. But, as with all other guitars these days, the different styles and models of this type of small player can be downright confounding. To help you make sense of the world of travel guitars, we’ve broken them down by constructional characteristics.

M

LITTLE GUITARS FROM THE BIG MAKERS The most iconic of all travel guitars is the aforementioned Martin Backpacker, designed in 1981 by the engineer and

instrument maker Bob McNally and licensed to Martin a decade later. This small and lightweight guitar has literally been carried all over the globe—from Mount Everest to both the North and South poles—and beyond, on a 1994 mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The Backpacker’s distinctively shaped body, a skinny, elongated triangle, makes it lightweight and easy to carry and to stow in small spaces. The guitar is built from all-solid tonewoods—a spruce soundboard and, throughout the years, different varieties of mahogany for the neck, back, and sides. It’s also available in steeland nylon-string versions (both with a list price of $359). While the Backpacker’s scale length, 24 inches, is a bit shorter than that of a full-sized guitar, it has the same nut width, 111/16 inches, seen on many dreadnought guitars. And so it’s comfortable for fret hands accustomed to full-sized instruments. Another strategy companies have used in designing travel guitars is to shrink standard-sized instruments—and their price tags. The Little Martin, Baby Taylor, and Taylor GS Mini series are among the most popular examples of this diminutive style, featuring the same high standards of craftsmanship as their much more expensive offerings. The Little Martins (from $409 list) are built from HPL (high-pressure laminate) tonewoods (mahogany, spruce, koa, and so on) for sturdiness and affordability. Each soundboard has modified X-bracing, which helps produce a surprisingly robust tone. All of the Little Martins share a 23-inch scale length, and so they’re not just smart travel guitars but great instruments for little hands as well. And this year, Martin introduced the Dreadnought Jr., which is reduced to approximately 15/16 of the full Martin 14-fret Dreadnought dimension and features solid Sitka spruce top and sapele back and sides ($799 list). Baby Taylors (from $398 list) are 3/4-sized dreadnoughts with 223/4-inch scale length necks. These little guitars boast solid spruce or mahogany tops and

layered sapele backs and sides. As with the Little Martins, they tend to sound full and lovely, despite their size, as do Taylor’s GS Mini (from $678) guitars, scaled-down versions, with 23.5-inch scale length necks, of their popular Grand Symphony counterparts. Recently, Córdoba Guitars introduced the Mini, tuned to A and designed to provide the playability of a full-size nylon-string guitar in a compact, lightweight body and with a loud voice. Córdoba Minis are offered in spruce/mahogany ($199.99 street) or spruce/rosewood ($249.99 street) or in an allovangkol option ($279.99 street). At the other end of the spectrum, Collings’ smallest guitar, the Baby Series (from $3,800 list), is a 3/4-sized version of the company’s OM, with a 24-1/8-inch-scale fretboard. These luxurious, all-solidwood guitars come in the same variety of tonewood combos, spruce and rosewood being the most popular, and include the same appointments as Collings’ larger guitars. Though designed as travel guitars, they make excellent songwriting tools to have at the ready.

Left Martin Backpacker Above Taylor GS Mini Below Ed Sheeran with his signature model Little Martin

AcousticGuitar.com 39

INTO THE FOLD Another approach to travel guitar design is to build instruments that fold for compactness, as in the Voyage-Air series of acoustics and electrics, whose necks are hinged to their bodies: a scheme invented by the luthier and inlay artist Harvey Leach. When the guitars are folded, they fit into special travel bags that can be stowed in the overhead bins of airplanes. The Voyage-Air line includes the laminated-wood Transit Series (from $399 direct), the solidspruce-topped Songwriter Series (from $499), and the all-solid Premier Series (from $1,149). The guitars’ foldable nature allows them to be built as fullsized instruments—dreadnoughts and OMs with a standard scale length of 25.5 inches, well-suited, of course, for a player averse to a miniaturized instrument. Then there are some travel guitars that have full-scale necks but attenuated bodies. The Traveler Guitar Acoustic AG-105 ($571.99 list), for example, is a mini-dreadnought, headless wonder whose tuning system is mounted at the butt end (like on a Steinberger electric), cutting down on the instrument’s mass and size. Tucked into an included gigbag, it also fits into the overhead compartment, as do the many other steel- and nylon-string examples in Traveler Guitar’s line.

Above Kevin Michael Carbon Travel Guitar

40 May 2015

SPACE-AGE MATERIALS Stringed-instrument players who travel between extreme climates know all too well the havoc that this can wreak on their instruments. Instruments made of carbon fiber or other alternative materials, though, are impervious to the fluctuations that can cause wood to swell or contract and mess with their playability. Select travel guitars—including the Kevin Michael Carbon Travel Guitar ($2,400 list), designed by former NASA rocket scientist Ellis Seal—are made from this rugged space-age material. Not only does Journey Instruments’ OF660 ($1478.25 list) have a carbon-fiber build, this 24.5-inch scale length guitar features a detachable neck that can be assembled or disassembled in seconds, with the strings attached. Its body has a Manzerstyle wedge that allows for optimal volume, and it all fits into a travel backpack that includes a TSA-compliant computer compartment. Blackbird offers its Rider steeland nylon-string carbon-fiber models (from $1,685), the former with a 24.5-inch-scale neck and the latter with a 25.6-inch scale— diminutive, hollow-necked guitars with an off-center soundhole, whose one-piece construction is said to allow for a full and wellbalanced sound. AG

Right Blackbird Rider

Above Voyage-Air OM2C Below Voyage-Air OM-02 captive nut

PRS Acoustics A Culture of Quality

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SPECIAL FOCUS THE TRAVELING MUSICIAN

KEEP CALM & CARRY ON

NEW RULES FOR FLYING WITH AN INSTRUMENT REMOVE MYSTERY FOR GUITARISTS AND AIRLINES BY GREG OLWELL

client: Traveler Guitar filename: TG_AGM_Mark-Bender.indd date: Feb 17, 2015 Acoustic Guitar Magazine

A

irline travel can make people want to pull out their hair under even the best of circumstances, but it can be nothing less than traumatizing for musicians afraid of damaging a treasured instrument. Now, thanks to new rules that took effect March 6, guitarists can feel more secure and protected when traveling with musical instruments. The new rules—developed by the Department of Transportation, airline industry trade groups, and several musicianadvocacy organizations, including the American Federation of Musicians—should eliminate much of the confusing and inconsistent policies that musicians face when flying with an instrument. Musicians will no longer have to decipher each airline’s policy for traveling with a musical instrument, as all commercial airlines are now required to meet the same guidelines and to train employees in the current policies.

42 May 2015

The December 30 announcement came through the Department of Transportation’s website, nearly one year after the original deadline to implement the musical instrument section of the Federal Aviation Administration Modernization Act of 2012. The rules in Section 403 stipulate equal treatment of guitars as carry-on baggage. This move now permits musicians with small instruments, such as guitars and mandolins, the same “first-come, first-served” rights to the overhead bin space that apply to everyone else. Passengers are encouraged to take advantage of early boarding options, which typically cost extra, to ensure they have enough overhead space to safely stow an instrument. While airlines are prohibited from charging special fees for carry-on instruments, they can charge additional fees that any travelers might encounter with similar carry-on items, such as

Trim: 8.25”number x 10.875” charge standard ancillary service exceeding the permitted fees like advanced seat of carry-ons. assignment. For players flying with larger Bleed: 8.625” x 11.25”Some guitarists, Alex de instruments, like an acoustic bass, Grassi, for example, avoid the the rules are more complicated and potentially but at Live: costly, 7.875” xleast 10.5” issue altogether by traveling with a durable flight case and checking the situation has been clarified. If it as baggage. Though larger overhead storage isn’t a feasible option,4a passenger Color may purchase ensembles are also addressed in the ruling, many may find it a seat to accommodate a larger easier to book a chartered flight carry-on instrument—if the airwith more flexible baggage plane can safely accommodate policies. the instrument. While airlines are Airlines are responsible for not required to allow “seat training aircrews, gate agents, baggage,” they are encouraged to counter agents, and baggage permake allowances when safety sonnel in the policies and procerequirements are met. The rules dures needed to comply with the also recommend that passengers new rules. If you intend to travel who intend to buy a seat for an with your guitar, make sure to instrument inform the airline at book early, check with the airline the time of purchase to make sure if you’re traveling with a larger that the plane can accommodate 4032carry-on. 89th Ave. SE instrument, and seriously conthe particular sider paying extra for early boardIn addition, the rules specify ing to make sure there is that airlines may not charge more Mercer Island, WA 98040 overhead space for your guitar. than the price of a ticket for seat Happy travels and good luck baggage, such as adding a making your connection! AG musicalP: instrument fee, but may • agency689.com 562.2903689

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46

JASON CRAFT PAINTING

Here’s How 4 ways to find the right guitar teacher

48

Basics Learn to play blues like Mississippi John Hurt

50

Weekly Workout How to play rock rhythms on the low strings

60

Acousitc Classic The Grateful Dead’s spin on the lowdown ‘Deep Elem Blues’

PLAY

Mississippi John Hurt

AcousticGuitar.com 45

HERE’S HOW

The Learning Game 4 tips on finding the right teacher

ooking for a good guitar instructor can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack when first starting out. While the Internet is chock full of good (and not so good) video tutorials, nothing can quite take the place of a good ol’ fashioned live, private, or group lesson. Working face to face with a teacher provides the proper technique and form instruction sometimes lost when watching a two-minute tutorial where no one can see what your fretting or rhythm hand is up to. If you have decided the time is right to start taking lessons, the following tips can help you find the best instructor for your needs.

L

DO YOUR RESEARCH Start by asking friends and relatives for a good referral. Also check with local music stores, community colleges, and libraries. Oftentimes community colleges will have an extension or adult-learning program that offers series of group guitar classes for nominal cost. Know your budget before making inquiries so you know how long of a lesson you can afford (if private) and how often. Most music stores and private studios require payment by month, series, or semester, so make sure to find out about cancellation and refund policies before you commit, as they vary from studio to studio.

BY OCTOBER CRIFASI

Be clear with prospective teachers about what you’d like to learn.

1

DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN If you are interested in learning a specific style, technique or genre, find out if the instructor has experience playing and teaching it. While most instructors have experience with a variety of styles, many have a specific genre which he or she is best and most comfortable teaching. Be clear with prospective teachers about what you’d like to learn and have a few short-term goals in mind when you do. This helps both of you decide if the match makes sense. Shortterm goals also provide a great way to assess if you are making progress with an instructor once lessons commence.

2

46 May 2015

KNOW YOUR LEARNING STYLE Teaching styles and methods vary widely among instructors, so think about what approach would work best for you. If you prefer a more structured approach with weekly assignments in different areas, private lessons are the way to go. Group lessons are great for strengthening listening skills, strumming and singing simultaneously, and keeping time with other players. They can also provide support and feedback when learning something particularly challenging. Private lessons, on the other hand, provide an opportunity for focused oneon-one attention, which might not always be possible in a larger group class situation.

3

SCHEDULE AN INTRODUCTORY LESSON The only way to know if a teacher is right for you is to take a lesson with him or her. To get the best use of the lesson time, talk through your interests on the phone or via email in advance of actual lesson time. This allows your

4

lesson time to be spent actually playing guitar and getting a good sense of the instructor’s teaching style, versus talking through the entire time. A few things to consider after the first lesson: Did you feel comfortable asking questions in the lesson? Did you leave the lesson with an assignment that challenged you and inspired to practice? Did you learn something new? Did you like the teacher’s approach? If you left the lesson feeling less than inspired or that your lesson was spent watching your teacher play or noodle around on the fretboard for 25 of the 30 minutes, you might want to consider taking lessons with someone else. The one thing to keep in mind as you go through the search process is you are always free to switch to another teacher if you find things not working out with your instructor. There is usually more than one guitar teacher in any given area, so take an introductory lesson when possible with as many instructors as you need to find the right one for you. AG

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THE BASICS

In Praise of Mississippi John Hurt A solid alternating bass is the key to his deceptively simple song-based blues playing

sk any rootsy fingerstyle guitarist to name the first song they learned and, as often as not, “My Creole Belle,” “Louis Collins,” or “Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor” will be cited. The smooth alternating bass lines and cleanly picked melodies characteristic of Mississippi John Hurt’s playing have influenced guitarists from John Fahey, Jerry Garcia, and Doc and Merle Watson to Beck, Bruce Cockburn, Jack White, and countless others. Hurt’s mellow mix of blues, folk songs, and original tunes, along with his gentle, grandfatherly persona made him the

A

48 May 2015

most popular of the rediscovered bluesmen of the early 1960s. Hurt had two different musical careers, separated by decades of farming and playing local functions around Avalon, Mississippi, his hometown. His 1928 sessions, one in Memphis and one in New York, were the result of a recommendation to an Okeh Records A&R man by Willie Narmour, a fiddler whom Hurt occasionally accompanied. After making his recordings, Hurt returned to Avalon and his rural lifestyle. In the 1950s two of his sides were included in

BY ORVILLE JOHNSON

Here’s a technique used by Hurt that will add fullness to your bass sound, making the bass notes sound fatter: roll your thumb across two strings as you pick the bass note.

Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, introducing his sound to a generation of musicians who were to spearhead the folk music revival of the 1960s. Tom Hoskins was a member of a small group of blues enthusiasts who began searching for some of these long unheard artists. In Hurt’s “Avalon Blues” he found a clue in the line “Avalon, my hometown, always on my mind,” located the town on a map of Mississippi, traveled there, went to Stinson’s general store, inquired about Hurt, and was directed to the third mailbox up the hill. Hoskins was thrilled to find that Hurt’s musical skills had not diminished with time. Hoskins convinced Hurt to come to Washington DC and record for the Library of Congress. Shortly after that, he played the Newport Folk Festival and spent the next three years performing and recording as he enjoyed an unexpectedly revived musical career. Hurt passed away in his sleep on November 2, 1966, leaving behind a legacy of songs that have become folk-blues standards and a guitar style that still inspires young guitarists to put down the flatpick and get their fingertips a little closer to the strings

The main characteristics of Hurt’s infectious style are the solid alternating-bass lines played with the thumb and the melodies and variations he would pick with his index and middle fingers. Hurt played songs in all the open keys of the guitar and in some open tunings like G and D, but C position was his favorite. In this example of Hurt’s style, which I call “Avalon Calling,” the bass notes alternate on the sixth, fifth, and fourth strings. Once you’ve mastered the pattern as written, here’s a technique used by Hurt that will add fullness to your bass sound, making the bass notes sound fatter: roll your thumb across two strings as you pick the bass note. Look up Mississippi John Hurt on YouTube and you’ll find videos that show close-ups of his picking hand doing just this. Have fun with this style of picking and check out Hurt’s 1928 sessions (released by a few labels) and 1960s recordings for Vanguard or the Library of Congress for a treasure trove of great songs. AG You can find a video of Orville Johnson demonstrating the techniques used on “Avalon Calling” at AcousticGuitarU.com

“A cohesive design in both structure and aesthetics is fundamental to producing exceptional instruments.”

‘Avalon Calling’ 3

Swing ( q q = q e )

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INDIAN HILL I

0

GUITAR COMPANY

indianhillguitars.com AcousticGuitar.com 49

WEEKLY WORKOUT

All About that Bass

BY JEFFREY PEPPER RODGERS

How to play driving rock rhythm on the low strings

hen you want to rock out on rhythm guitar, it’s a natural instinct to use big chords and big strums and play hard. But as with so many other aspects of the guitar (and music in general), more is not necessarily more. Often you can create more rhythmic drive and intensity by playing less. Think of songs with a classic, steady rock feel, like U2’s “With or Without You,” Radiohead’s “Creep,” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son”—the groove is all about the insistent pulse and the snap on the backbeats. If you want to create that kind of feel with one guitar, the best strategy is to lay off the heavy strumming, strip down the chords, and zero in on the low end and the beat. That’s why this Weekly Workout is all about that bass—no treble—and working the low strings to create stronger rock rhythms. Note that the focus here is not on developing

single-note bass lines (see Basics in the January 2014 issue for a primer on that important subject), but on playing chord patterns in the lower register of the guitar.

W

WEEK ONE The first item on the agenda is to build a vocabulary of chord voicings on the low strings. You will recognize some of these as simply the bottom portion of full chord fingerings you already know, while others may be unfamiliar. The chords in the first line of notation all use open strings. The first G is just the low end of a regular G major chord, while the starkersounding G5 has a unison D note on the fifth and fourth strings. You’ll see that several of these chords are inversions, meaning that a note other than the root is in the bass: the A5/E has the fifth of the chord on the bottom, and

Week One

G

3 2 0 xxx

G5

A5

A 5/E

1 4 0 xxx

x0 1 xxx

0 0 1 xxx

& 44 ˙ ˙˙

˙˙

˙ ˙

˙ ˙˙

0 2 3

0 5 3

2 0

2 0 0

B G5

G/B

13 4 xxx

x 14 xxx

A

43 1 xxx

D 5/A

x001 xx

˙ ˙˙ 2 0 0

Am

421 xxx

& ˙˙ ˙

˙ ˙˙

# ˙˙˙

n ˙˙˙

5 5 3

5 2 3

2 4 5

2 3 5

6

B

Week Two

50 May 2015

G

3 2 0 xxx

D/F

1 0 0 xxx

D/F #

1 0 0 xxx

D/F #

the D/F# chords have the third on the bottom. Some chords shown here use just two strings (and any of the three-string chords could be stripped down to two for a leaner sound). For the E5 chord in measure 5, move up the neck while taking advantage of the bass note on the open sixth string. The chords in the second line use no open strings, so are completely movable. You could, for instance, move the A fingering up two frets to play a B chord, then up one more fret to play a C, etc. Get comfortable with these bassy chord voicings and try subbing them into songs you already play. You can use the 5 chords (G5, A5, etc.), which have no third that defines them as major or minor, in place of both major and minor chords in a progression. These are power chords—the building blocks of rock ’n’ roll.

E5

Em

E5

14 0 xxx

0 1 2 xxx

0 14 xxx

0 1 3 xxx

˙ # ˙˙

˙˙ #˙

˙˙ ˙

˙ ˙ ˙

˙˙ ˙

0 0 2

0 5 2

2 2 0

5 2 0

9 7 0

C5

x 14 xxx

˙ ˙ 5 3

E5

0 1 2 xxx

C/G

C 5/G

C m/G

342 xxx

1 1 4 xxx

341 xxx

˙˙ ˙

˙ ˙˙

# ˙˙ ˙

2 3 3

5 3 3

1 3 3

C/G

342 xxx

7 fr.

WEEK TWO Week One This week’s exercise is based on the progresG G5 A5 sion G–D–Em–C. In number x0 1 xxxI–V– 3 2 0 xxx 1 4 0 xxx terms that’s vi–IV, as used in U2’s “With or Without You” (in the key of D), Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” (in A), and many other songs (check out Axis of Awesome’s “4 Chords” on YouTube for a cheeky mashup of hits that use I–V–vi–IV). You could easily strum this progression using standard open-position chords, but try it as shown here, with three variations that use the low chord voicings introduced in Week One. The whole 0 0 2 example has 2 an unrelenting 5 eighth note 0 pulse. 3 of your pick-hand 3 Rest the side palm on the stringsGnear to make the soundAa 5 the bridgeG/B x 14 play xxx everything 43 4 xxx thumpy, and 1 xxx little 13 more with downstrokes of the pick. In the first variation (measures 1–4), the G, D/F#, and E5 voicings create a nice descending bass line on the sixth string. Your fingers move very little from chord to chord—it’s very 6

& 44 ˙ ˙˙

˙˙

˙ ˙

B

& ˙˙ ˙

˙ ˙˙

# ˙˙˙

5 5 3

5 2 3

2 4 5

B

Week Two

G

B

# . .

B

. . 02 3

2 3

2 3

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2 3

2 3

0 2 3

2 3

B

n ˙˙˙

˙˙

2 3 5

5 3

BEGINNERS’ Em

TIP 1

0 1 3 xxx

7 fr.

The chords shown can be fingered in multiple ways. Try to use whatever fingering makes a song’s chord changes the most economical.

˙˙ ˙

˙˙ #˙

E5

0 14 xxx

2 2 0

˙ ˙ ˙

˙˙ ˙

5 2 0

9 7 0

C 5BEGINNERS’ /G C m/G

TIP 2

1 1 4 xxx

341 xxx

˙˙ ˙

bottom strings, use ˙˙the a very contained ˙˙˙motion ˙with your pick#while

2 3 3

5 3 3

Since you’re only playing

keeping your palm on the bridge.

CONTINUES ON PG. 54

E5

1 3 3

C/G

0 1 2 xxx

342 xxx

0 0 2

0 2

D/F #

0 2

0 0 2

0 2

0 2

0 0 2

0 2

2 2 0

2 0

2 0

2 2 0

2 0

2 0

2 2 0

2 0

Em

2 3 3

3 3

3 3

2 3 3

3 3

3 3

2 3 3

3 3

. .

C/G

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economical. Notice the three-string chords that come up three times in each measure, following A 5pattern /E of 1 D 5/A D/Faccenting these D/F 3,xx1 2 3, 1 2. x2001 xxx 1 0 0Try 14 0 xxx 0 0a1 xxx chords to give the rhythm a little extra drive. The second variation (measures 5–8) has the same bass motion but a somewhat starker sound. Keep your pinky in place as you change from the G to the D/F#, and again from Em to C5/G. The third variation (measures 9–12) uses all closed-position fingerings, which can be great for rock rhythm because they’re so easy to play 2 time, the bass notes of the percussively. This 2 0 0 0 chords go up the G to A,5B, 0 0 sixth string—from 0 0 C. 2 2 and

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WEEKLY WORKOUT

CONTINUED FROM PG. 51

“Fortunate Son” is in the key of G, the example is written in A. This is actually true to the way John Fogerty plays the song; he tunes down a whole step (to D), so his key-of-A fingerings sound in the key of G. The chord fingerings are the same as used earlier in this lesson, except the E5 is played with an index-finger barre. Work on bringing out the backbeats—beats 2 and 4 (marked with accents in the first couple of measures). On beat 2 of every measure, play a percussive scratch—loosen

your fretting fingers on whatever chord you’re holding, lay them across the strings without pressing down, and give the muted bass strings a whack with the pick. On beat four of many measures, you’ll see a staccato dot. This means play the chord shorter than written (if it’s a quarter note, play it more like an eighth) by muting with your fretting fingers. To stop open strings from ringing, lay your fretting fingers across them, too. At the end of measures 5 and 8, play a quick 16th-note strum (think Pete Townshend) to

BEGINNERS’

TIP 3

Think of the percussive scratches and accents in this example as the snap of a snare drum.

BEGINNERS’

TIP 4

To keep the upper strings from ringing, touch them lightly with your fretting-hand index finger.

propel into the next measure. And in several spots, add a little bass riff: in measures 4, 8, 9, and 12, reach for a G on the sixth string under an A5 chord; and in measures 7 and 11, grab a C on the fifth string under the D5 chord. WEEK FOUR The low-end chords in this lesson do more than help you dial in a rock feel. They can also enable distinctive riffs that define a song. As a case in point, play the first four measures of this week’s example, using standard open chords. Sounds fine, but nothing special, right? Now try the second version, measures 5 to 8, using two-note chords on the fifth and fourth strings as shown. Use the same insistent eighth note pulse as in Week Two, but with string percussion on the unaccented beats. Sound familiar? It’s from the ’80s Men at Work hit “Overkill,” as played these days by the songwriter Colin Hay, on acoustic guitar. (Head to YouTube to see his memorable performance on Scrubs.) One of the beauties of using lean chords is that they leave you tons of dynamic range to work with. You can start off with a chugging rhythm on the bass strings and open up later in the song to big, wide chords for dramatic contrast—that’s one of the most effective moves in the rock rhythm playbook. AG Jeffrey Pepper Rogers is a guitarist, songwriter, and AG editor-at-large. 54 May 2015

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Queen Goes Country-Folk? Brian May’s ‘39’ is a considerably different kind of boho rhapsody BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

n 1975, the progressive-rock band Queen released its magnum opus, A Night at the Opera, with guitarist Brian May playing walls of electric guitars on such sprawling, multilayered songs as “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But on the Maypenned tune “’39,” the approach is much more Spartan, focusing on May’s acoustic strumming and John Deacon’s upright bass parts. What’s particularly interesting about “’39”— which May conceived of as a reconciliation of the worlds of science fiction and skiffle, a mix of rootsy American styles that enjoyed a

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resurgence in Britain in the 1950s—is the incongruence between the lyrics and the music. The song is about light-speed space travel and distortions of time, while the music is wistful country-folk with only brush strokes of electronics. The chord-frame section of this arrangement of “’39” might seem overpopulated, but it’s actually streamlined. On the original recording, May played nearly twice as many different grips. Note, too, that the guitarist tuned his guitar up a half step for the recording

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of the song. If you’re playing along with the recording and don’t want to put the extra tension on your guitar’s neck, just use a capo at the first fret. Whether you tune up or capo up, remember that all of the chords will sound a half-step higher than presented in the arrangement. As for your pick hand, try using the basic strumming pattern shown here in notation and tablature throughout. If you keep that hand moving in a continuous up-and-down motion, the pattern should come together naturally. The harmonic rhythm of the song is fairly slow, but there are some instances in which the chords change quickly, at the rate of four per bar. So it might be helpful to isolate these spots, like the one shown in the second measure of the notation. Practice this bar very slowly, moving your fretting fingers as little as possible when transitioning between chords, until you can play them smoothly at tempo. AG

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©1975 B. FELDMAN & CO., LTD., TRADING AS TRIDENT MUSIC. ALL RIGHTS CONTROLLED AND ADMINISTERED BY GLENWOOD MUSIC CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED USED BY PERMISSION REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAL LEONARD CORPORATION

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Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamps

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AcousticGuitar.com 57

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Guitar Week, July 26-Aug. 1, with

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Photo Credit: Pamela Hodges Rice Courtesy of Zane Fairchild

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“This capo is even superior to For my life still ahead pity me its prototype that I have used faithfully for 33 years!” FourOutro sizes are available in a G D Limited E C C maj7 Numbered Edition exclusive to 1,951 capos.

Elliott Capo

[email protected] 979-421-9393 Check out our new website elliottcapo.com 58 May 2015

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Clive Carroll, Dakota Dave Hull, David Jacobs-Strain, Al Petteway, Sean McGowan, Jonathan Brown, Steve Baughman, Allen Shadd, Mike Dowling, Folk Arts Workshops at Robin Bullock, Wilson College Vicki Genfan, POWarren Box 9000 Toby Walker, Asheville NC 28815 Gerald Ross, 828.298.3434 Rolly Brown, www.swangathering.com Josh Goforth, Greg Ruby, Bill Cooley & more. • Trad. Song Week, July 5-11 • Celtic Week, July 12-18 • Old-Time Week, July 19-25 • Contemporary Folk Week, July 26- Aug. 1 • Mando & Banjo Week, August 2-8 • Fiddle Week, August 2-8

ACOUSTIC CLASSIC

Red-Light Runners

The Grateful Dead made “Deep Elem Blues” a staple of their songbook BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

n the late 1800s, Deep Elm was developed as a residential and commercial district of downtown Dallas, Texas. A predominantly African-American neighborhood, Deep Ellum, as it would later be called, gained musical significance as the stomping grounds for bluesmen Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Willie Johnson. Its colorful red-light district inspired the traditional song “Deep Elm Blues” or “Deep Elem Blues”—the latter reflecting the way locals said it. The song—which was first recorded in 1927 by the Georgia Crackers, under the title “Georgia Black Bottom”—has been interpreted by Les Paul, Jerry Lewis, and Levon Helm, among others. The Grateful Dead played it both acoustic and electric at various times times in their long history. Our arrangement is based on the acoustic version that the Dead recorded live in 1980, appearing on the double live album Reckoning. This take is based on the most straightforward

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12-bar blues in E major: four measures of E7, followed by two each of A7, E7, B7, and E7. Note that the group tended to reorder the verses from concert to concert. In the intro, guitarist Jerry Garcia etches out the progression with single-note riffs on the bottom three strings—similar to what’s shown here in notation, begin at the verse to the first

DEEP ELEM BLUES

E7

0 2 0 1 00

E7

appearance of the A7 chord. This part should be easy enough to learn; just be sure to spend time copping the proper rhythmic groove by playing along with the recording. Your options are many for playing the rest of the song. Use the intro riff and the chord frames as the starting point for creating your own interpretation of this classic blues. AG

TRADITIONAL

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60 May 2015

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1. When you go down to Deep Elem put your money in your shoes Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues The women in Deep Elem got them Deep Elem blues 2. Once I knew a preacher preached the Bible through and through A7went down to Deep Elem now his preaching daysEare 7 through He Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues B7sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues E7 Oh Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues

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Guitar Solo (12-bar blues in E) When you go down to Deep Elem to have a little fun Have your ten dollars ready when the policeman comes When you go down to Deep Elem put your money in your shoes Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Women from Deep Elem got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Guitar Solo (12-bar blues in E)

B7

E7

Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues 5. When you go down to Deep Elem put your money in your shoes Women from Deep Elem got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues B7

E7

Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues

Guitar Solo (12-bar blues in E) 2. Once I knew a preacher preached the Bible through and through He went down to Deep Elem now his preaching days are through 3. When you go down to Deep Elem put your money in your socks Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Redheads in Deep Elem they’ll put you on the rocks Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Guitar Solo (12-bar blues in E) 3. When you go down to Deep Elem put your money in your socks Redheads in Deep Elem they’ll put you on the rocks Oh sweet mama Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues Oh sweet mama your daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues

AcousticGuitar.com 61

ACOUSTIC CLASSIC

ROWLAND SCHERMAN PHOTO

Love & Murder

Learn to play this dark but tuneful folk standard BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

anks of the Ohio” is one of the great murder ballads—a narrative song form in which the motives, the killing, and the aftermath of a tragic event are recounted in detail. The author of this song, which dates back to the 19th century, is unknown, but many impressive artists have put their imprint on it. Long after Red Patterson’s Piedmont Log Rollers recorded “Banks of the Ohio” in 1927, a young Joan Baez cut her own interpretation for the 1959 album Folksingers ’Round Harvard Square, not long before the singer Clarence Ashley, accompanied by guitarist Doc Watson and others, performed the song for the folk archivist Alan Lomax. It’s also been covered by artists ranging from Johnny Cash (with and without the Carter Family) and Dolly Parton to Pete Seeger. “Banks of the Ohio” is arranged here in G major. The song contains just three chords— the I, the V, and the IV, or G, D, and C. Each

section is 16 bars and has an identical chord progression, so it should be a breeze for you to learn. A striking 1975 live version of “Banks of the Ohio,” featuring Doc Watson and Bill Monroe, is included on the newly released Classic American Ballads, Vol. 24 (Smithsonian/Folkways), a collection of songs about American tragedies and grisly crimes. Before you play it, work on the basic accompaniment pattern. The standard notation and tablature here show two possible rhythmic variations for each chord, the basic strategy being to play the root on beat 1 and the fifth on beat 3, and upper-string strums on the other beats. Each beat takes a downstroke, while the “ands” are played with upstrokes. Once you’ve got the accompaniment part together, play through the song, noting the interesting disconnect between its bright chord progression and dark subject matter. AG

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62 May 2015

Below Folksingers ‘Round Harvard Square Joan Baez, Bill Wood, Ted Alevizos Veritas

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Above Joan Baez performs at the Civil Rights March on Washington DC, 1963

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Repeat Chorus

AcousticGuitar.com 63

66

New Gear Taylor’s 616ce finds a stunning new voice

68

New Gear Michael Kelley issues a pair of Turner classics

70

Guitar Guru The potential impact of resetting a vintage-guitar neck

72

Great Acoustics The story behind a vintage Martin ‘baby dreadnought’

AG TRADE

SHOPTALK

Alvarez AFGD65 Montage

Alvarez Marks Its Gold Anniversary Two new lines pay tribute to the Dead and the company’s birth date BY MARC GREILSAMER

ernard Kornblum founded the St. Louis Music Co. in 1922, and its initial business was importing European violins for American distribution. In 1965, the company launched the Alvarez line of guitars, which really took off a couple of years later when the company began collaborating with Japanese luthier Kazuo Yairi. Five decades later, the Alvarez brand is still going strong. To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the company has introduced two intriguing and affordable new series. One is the Grateful Dead Series, in honor of the legendary band that is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the other is simply called the 1965 Series. As many Dead fans know, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir both worked with Alvarez in the 1980s to produce signature models. Weir, in particular, was instrumental in the creation of the WY1 model, which remains in production and is based on the original prototype that Alvarez made for him. The new Grateful Dead Series features solid A-grade Western red-cedar tops, custom

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64 May 2015

mother-of-pearl inlays (including a lightning bolt at the 12th fret), rosewood fingerboards, and bi-level bridges. Also of note is Alvarez’s FST2M hand-finished, forward-shifted, scalloped bracing system. “It’s a great honor for us,” says Chris Meikle, Alvarez’s head of development. “The Grateful Dead people came to us and said, ‘We’d like to make some guitars to celebrate, would you be interested?’ And we, of course, said, ‘Yes.’” Players can choose from one of two models in the series, each with a street price of $399. The Montage incorporates Big Bertha, Dancing Bear, and Steal Your Face images on its top. The Flag features a Timothy Truman image from the cover of the live release Dave’s Picks Volume 8. “They very much wanted to focus on the iconic artwork that had been collected and used by the Grateful Dead and submitted by fantastic artists throughout the years,” Meikle explains. “We discussed the story of where all these characters came from. Lots came from artists on the West Coast, as well as people who just followed the guys around—they used to give them artwork to try and get tickets for the shows.”

Alvarez also developed a distinctive satin finishing process in order to allow the artwork to shine through. “Obviously, we couldn’t make a Grateful Dead guitar that was shiny and newlooking, so we had to find a process that made them look old-ish and a little road-worn,” Meikle says. “It has a very unique finish—we seal the wood and do an opaque, see-through silkscreening process so the grain of the cedar comes through the top, and each one looks slightly different.” The 1965 series, which has a street price of $499, offers AA Sitka spruce tops, acacia backs and sides, paua abalone purfling, and shadowburst finishes. These guitars will be available in four sizes: slope shouldered dreadnought, standard dreadnought, parlor (with slotted headstock), and OM. “Very often, commemorative guitars are so expensive that they’re out of reach to the everyday player,” Meikle notes. “Our goal with the 1965s was to create a line with beautiful appointments and tone, but make them as accessible as possible.”

NOTEWORTHY

D’ADDARIO’S LATEST The product team at D’Addario/ Planet Waves, in conjunction with designer Ned Steinberger, showcased four handy new products at Winter NAMM 2015: D’Addario EXP strings, featuring New Yorkmanufactured, high-carbon steel alloy cores; NS Artist DADGAD Capo (above); NS Artist Drop D Capo; and an improved Clip-On Headstock Tuner.

BEDELL UNVEILS BLACKBIRD VEGAN SERIES Now, this is apropos of Two Old Hippies, the company that includes Breedlove and Bedell brands. One of the most interesting product introductions at this year’s Winter NAMM show was the Bedell Blackbird Vegan series. Available in dreadnought, orchestra, and parlor sizes, the Blackbird series is handcrafted in the United States and uses only American-harvested woods: Sitka spruce tops salvaged from a forest in southeast Alaska, Western big-leaf maple for the backs and sides, Eastern hard-rock maple for the necks, and walnut fingerboards, bridges, and headstock overlays. In addition, there is no abalone, no bone nut and saddle, no hide glue, and only organic parts.

The translucent nitrocellulose “black burst” finish gives these instruments a distinctive look, and each comes with a factory-installed K&K Pure Mini pickup to boot. “I have the amazing opportunity to design and craft Bedell Guitars based on the social and stewardship values that became a part of me as an emerging soulful and happy hippie,” company co-founder Tom Bedell writes about the sustainable new line, which the company calls the “ultimate forest stewardship guitar.” “This mission demanded that I uncover tonewoods from species that are abundant within America, and that I source the appropriate replacements to any and all animal parts.” —M.G.

NEW FROM LABELLA LaBella Strings has introduced the Vapor Shield line of acoustic phosphor bronze strings. The company reports that the strings are manufactured with a proprietary process that is an alternative to traditional coated strings and designed to enhance string playability and extend string life fivefold without flaking or compromising tone.

BRIAN BALL NAMED NEW ERNIE BALL INC. PRESIDENT Ernie Ball Inc. has announced that Brian Ball is the company’s new president. Brian is the grandson of Ernie Ball, who founded the guitar strings and accessories company in 1962. CEO Sterling Ball stated, “Since 1962, Ernie Ball Inc. has been dedicated to providing tools for artists, and we are excited to see what another 50-plus years in the industry will bring under Brian’s leadership.” During his 15-year tenure, Brian has codeveloped new string technologies with two

officially granted patents: Cobalt Instrument Strings and M-Steel Core Wire Technology, as well as the recent patent-pending Aluminum Bronze product line. He also has supervised the growth of the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands into an artistdiscovery platform, partnering with some of the world’s largest festivals, including Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, SXSW, the Vans Warped Tour, and Rock on the Range. —Greg Cahill

CLIP-ON TUNER UPGRADE OnBoard Research debuted the Intellitouch PT10C Tuner. The new clip-on tuner incorporates a digital clock feature that’s ideal for gigging musicians checking their set time and guitar instructors keeping tabs on their lesson schedule. AG AcousticGuitar.com 65

NEW GEAR Ebony bridge with Micarta saddle

A Blank Slate

Taylor’s redesigned 616ce boasts incredible versatility BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

Torrefied solid Sitka spruce top

hen I first removed Taylor’s freshly redesigned 616ce from its hard-shell case and tapped its soundboard, I suspected it was an exceptional guitar. The instrument’s depth of sound and reverberant sustain were immediately apparent. This cursory assessment was confirmed with a few quick strums and runs, which reveal the 616ce to be one highly responsive guitar, with an impressive low end and a beautifully warm overall voice. What’s particularly appealing about the 616ce is its adaptability—capable of shining in a variety of settings, it feels like a blank slate in your hands.

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REJUVENATION After Taylor’s master luthier Andy Powers redesigned the venerated 800 series in 2014, the company did the same this year for the 600 series of maple-bodied guitars, including the 614ce (Grand Auditorium), 616ce (Grand Symphony), 618e (Grand Orchestra), and 656ce (12-string Grand Symphony), all of 66 May 2015

which are made from sustainably harvested trees from the Pacific Northwest. The soundboards of these guitars are all made from torrefied Sitka spruce. Torrefaction, which is becoming increasingly common in guitar making, is basically a wood-baking process that, in effect, ages the material at a molecular level and causes the wood (at least theoretically) to behave as if it’s been played for many years. Torrefaction also transforms the wood’s appearance, darkening it in an appealing way. Inside their boxes, the 616ce and its cohorts each received new bracing systems. The back bracing is inspired by archtop-style patterns and is said to allow for optimal vibrations, translating to better low-end presence and projection. The bracing and the bridge-to-top joint have been secured with the same protein glues now used in the new 800 Series—an adhesive that Powers finds best promotes the transfer of sound—and the guitars are covered with a

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Hard-rock maple neck

Ebony fretboard

BODY Grand Symphony shape with Venetian cutaway Torrefied solid Sitka spruce top Solid curly maple back and sides with Brown Sugar stain

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AT A GLANCE

TAYLOR 616CE

Ebony bridge with Micarta saddle

Chrome die-cast tuners

Gloss finish

Satin finish

super-thin (3.5-mil) gloss finish, about the thickness of a sheet of paper. Taylor has used a beautiful selection of tonewoods on these models. The Sitka spruce soundboard has fine, regular grains and a lovely amber coloration. The maple on the back and sides has a vivid curly figuring, and the back is perfectly book-matched. That said, I’m not wild about the new root-beer-colored Brown Sugar stain on the maple components— it’d be preferable to at least have the option of a stain that’s closer in hue to maple’s lovely natural blondness. The 616ce looks handsome with its new appointments—ivoroid wing inlays on the fretboard, along with one on the back of the headstock, plus ivoroid purfling and rosette work, and an effusion of ebony for the binding, end strip, rosette rings, pickguard, and truss-rod cover. The pickguard is an especially nice touch, its variegated coloring reminiscent of a natural version of 1930s firestripe celluloid.

CRAFTSMANSHIP & COMFORT As with all of the other Taylors I’ve auditioned, the guitar’s craftsmanship is unimpeachable, without even a hint of a flaw. The fretwork and setup are tip-top, the body’s finish perfectly gleams, and the internal components are shaped, sanded, and glued with obvious great care. Our Grand Symphony 616ce, with its graceful Venetian cutaway, is comfortable to hold whether seated or standing, and Taylor’s customary streamlined neck profile, in conjunction with a satin finish, feels sleek and fast. The generous nut width—13/4 inches—keeps the fretting fingers from feeling cramped. Unlike guitars that tend to beg for specific approaches, the 616ce responds well to all manner of playing styles, from classic boomchuck to chord-melody-style jazz. The instrument’s robust, clear lows and overall headroom and brawn make it an outstanding strummer. At the same time, the guitar’s warmth and

Made in the United States taylorguitars.com

complexity, likely owing to its maple construction, and impressive resonance, make it perfect for fingerpicking in standard and alternate tunings. Plugged into a Fender Acoustasonic amp, Taylor’s active Expression System 2 electronics do a superb job of reproducing the 616ce’s natural assets with a minimum of noise. My only complaint is that the system’s three rubber control knobs, mounted on the upper left bout, detract from the guitar’s appearance. With a street price of three grand, the 616ce is not an inexpensive guitar. Yet, with its highly adaptable voice, to say nothing of its excellent playability, dynamic responsiveness, and superlative build, it would be a smart investment for a working musician or hobbyist—especially one who cares about wood sustainability. AG Contributing editor Adam Perlmutter transcribes, arranges, and engraves music for numerous publications. AcousticGuitar.com 67

NEW GEAR

AT A GLANCE

Nylon-string N6

MICHAEL KELLY RICK TURNER N6

Steel-string S6

BODY Cedar top Okoume back and sides Mahogany center block Rosewood bridge High-gloss natural finish NECK Bolt-on mahogany neck with satin finish Rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets 25.5-inch scale length 113/16-inch bone nut Chrome die-cast tuners EXTRAS D’Addario EJ46 Pro-Arté nylon, hard tension strings (.0285-.044) PRICE $1,015 list; $699 street Made in Korea michaelkellyguitars.com

Renaissance Redux

Michael Kelly’s new S6 steel-string and N6 nylon-string models revisit the innovative designs of Rick Turner BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

layed unplugged, Michael Kelly’s new steelstring Rick Turner S6 and its nylon-string counterpart, the N6, feel less like proper acoustic guitars than sleek semihollow electrics. Their bodies produce woody but attenuated tones familiar to anyone who’s ever picked up a Gibson ES-335, and their slim necks encourage pyrotechnics. Plugged into a Fender Acoustasonic amplifier, though, the guitars produce uncannily natural acoustic sounds, thanks to the proprietary Turner-designed electronics. Even more incongruous: Each guitar sells for well under a grand.

P

PROMISING PARTNERSHIP The S6 and the N6 are the result of a collaboration between Michael Kelly, maker of boutiquestyle fretted instruments, and esteemed luthier Rick Turner, known for building instruments for Lindsey Buckingham and Ry Cooder, among others. These Korean-made Kelly guitars are essentially budget versions of Turner’s Renaissance line of guitars and basses. Each guitar 68 May 2015

has a thin, laminated body—about 1.75 inches deep—with an internal block of solid mahogany. Borrowing from the modular concepts of Leo Fender, the necks are affixed with four bolts, allowing for easy removal and repair or replacement, not to mention lower manufacturing costs. While the S6 has a wooden bridge and separate saddle, it does away with bridge pins in favor of the stringthrough-body system (as on Fender’s Telecaster). On the N6, though, the strings are tied at the bridge in the traditional manner. Both guitars are outfitted with the US-made Seymour Duncan/Rick Turner D-TAR system, including an undersaddle pickup that works in concert with an internally mounted miniature condenser microphone and an 18-volt preamp. The S6 and N6 make an attractive duo, with their gracefully asymmetric okoume (an African hardwood similar to redwood) bodies. Both are appointed with good taste. The S6 sports a gorgeous deep-cherry sunburst finish on its okoume top, along with abalone purfling that is

echoed on the headstock cap. The N6’s cedar top has a natural finish that highlights its warm reddish coloring and fine grain pattern, contrasted nicely by black binding. Both guitars sport rosewood control knobs—a cool organic flourish usually reserved for the most expensive instruments. In terms of build quality, it’s easy to understand why these Kelly creations have received Turner’s blessing. Both display excellent allaround craftsmanship, with nuts and saddles that are cleanly notched and necks that sit snuggly in their pockets. The fretwork is perfect, without a hint of sharpness at the fretboards’ edges. On the bodies, the gloss finishes are smoothly buffed and without imperfections, save for a hint of binding bleed on the N6’s cutaway. GIG-READY The S6 (five pounds, six ounces) and the N6 (five pounds, 12 ounces) are relatively lightweight. Both sit nicely on the lap and are comfortable to play in standing position as well. The guitars share a similar neck profile, a shallow C, and have 22 frets as opposed to the traditional 20, extending their range by a major second. Both guitars have a scale length of 25.5 inches, although the steel-string version has a 111/16-inch nut and 12-inch radius, while the nylon-string model has a wider nut and radius, 113/16 and 16 inches. With satin finishes, both necks feel sleek and fast, and generally discourage fret-hand fatigue. There are no dead spots on either neck; all of the notes ring clearly, without any buzzing, and in perfect intonation. In terms of sound, the S6 (plugged into a Fender Acoustasonic amp) is well balanced from bass to treble and responds equally to delicate fingerpicking and forceful strumming, in both standard and alternate tunings. In addition, the central mahogany block works effectively in rejecting feedback at higher volumes. With the tone rolled back, the guitar can even deliver a convincing archtop-like sound. Though not quite as impressive, the N6’s clear and even sound would work well in a supportive role, for everything from bossa nova comping to R&B-style chord work. While the nylon-string model also displays fine tonal balance, its overall voice is comparatively subdued and lacking in complexity. The guitar doesn’t fare as well for solo classical literature, although, to be fair, it clearly wasn’t designed with this application in mind. In the end, Michael Kelly’s Rick Turner S6 and N6 models make smart choices for the acoustic-electric player on a fixed budget: nicely built guitars, with boutique design sensibilities, that cost a fraction of their US-made counterparts but perform very well in all aspects. What’s more, their hearty construction and smart electronics ensure that they’re gigready straight out of the box. AG

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GUITAR GURU

Talking Torquing

Should I reset the neck on my vintage guitar? BY DANA BOURGEOIS

Q

I recently purchased a 50-year-old Martin D-21. When it arrived, I instantly noticed that the action was really high. Unfortunately, there’s almost no saddle left, and the bridge may also have been lowered. The seller disclosed its condition, though remarked that he was almost always against neck resets because the guitar never sounds the same afterward. I used to assume that every old Martin would need a neck reset, but do admit that my ’64 D-35 never sounded as good after getting one. Any advice about what I ought to do next? Gordon Parris Boston, Massachusetts

GOT A QUESTION? Uncertain about guitar care and maintenance? The ins-and-outs of guitar building? Or a topic related to your gear?

70 May 2015

A

The seller is right that a neck reset can change the tone of a vintage guitar. Neck angle not only regulates action but also affects mechanical forces that load and drive a top. Together, the bridge and saddle act as a lever, transferring string tension to the top in a torquing, twisting motion. A longer lever delivers greater torque load than a shorter one. By the same principle, a top is subjected to different torquing forces when its bridge/saddle assembly is pulled from different angles. Guitars sound best when string load and top resistance are in relative balance. An underloaded top cannot drive enough air to achieve optimum volume, power, and presence; an overloaded top is unable to generate higher overtones and lacks sustain. One key to optimizing the mechanical efficiency of an individual top is knowing, with some precision, how it wants to be loaded. It’s well known that ’30s-era Martins and Gibsons sometimes lose tone after neck resetting. These guitars are braced fairly lightly, and after decades of wear, tear, and adverse environmental exposure, many are at least somewhat structurally compromised. In some cases, particularly when bridge and saddle are restored to original height or higher, resetting the neck of an elderly guitar can push its top beyond the zone of just enough loading into the

Ask Acoustic Guitar’s resident Guitar Guru. Send an email titled “Guitar Guru” to editor Marc Greilsamer at [email protected], and he’ll forward it to the expert luthier.

zone of too much. You may be surprised to learn that your mid-’60s D-35 is braced more delicately than D-18s, D-21s, and D-28s from the same period. Depending on the individual properties of its soundboard and the specifics of the reset, it’s possible that the loss of tone may be attributable to an overloaded top. At face value, I wouldn’t be too worried about resetting a mid-‘60s D-21, especially if you can live with a chopped bridge and relatively low saddle. Compared to a ‘30s D-28 or a mid-‘60s D-35, that guitar is robustly braced, and the top of a guitar in “excellent” visual condition probably isn’t “tired out” or otherwise structurally degraded. But it all comes down to the individual instrument and, specifically, how its top flexes. The question is: How much reset can your D-21 handle, and will it end up sounding the way you want? I recommend soliciting opinions from a variety of experienced repairmen and builders before deciding whether or not to reset; the more information, the better. And don’t be tempted to act until a solid consensus emerges from multiple credible sources. If you do decide to commission a neck reset, expect to pay a price commensurate with quality of service. As the saying goes, “cheap is expensive”—you may only get one shot at doing this right. Also, understand that a neck reset can be as traumatic for the guitar as it is for the owner—a break-in period will therefore be required. Lastly, be prepared for the probability of at least minor tonal change. Professional opinions should address the most likely possibilities. These can differ from one guitar to the next and between different reset scenarios on the same guitar. If your guitar already sounds fantastic and the reset is minimal, I wouldn’t be particularly concerned. If no amount of tonal change is allowable, then learn to put up with “really high” action, accept that your guitar may remain largely underplayed, or consider finding it a new home. AG Dana Bourgeois is a master luthier and the founder of Bourgeois Guitars in Lewiston, Maine.

If AG selects your question for publication, you’ll receive a complimentary copy of AG’s The Acoustic Guitar Owner’s Manual. Dana Bourgeois

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GREAT ACOUSTICS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A Martin By Any Other Name

Born in Nazareth, this 1919 Ditson is well appointed BY TEJA GERKEN

ficionados of C.F. Martin & Co. are familiar with the name Ditson in association with the very first dreadnought-size guitars made. In an arrangement that we would today call OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), Martin used to build instruments for sale under different brand names, usually at large music stores that custom-ordered batches of instruments. Because Boston’s Oliver Ditson Company was Martin’s biggest client for these house-brand instruments, Ditson was able to persuade Martin to cater to its specific instrument specs. Looking for a guitar with loads of volume and bass, Ditson commissioned an instrument that would eventually turn into Martin’s own dreadnought, several years before “C.F. Martin & Co.” would grace the model’s headstock. Though they pushed the envelope in terms of size (thereby shaping the history of the steelstring guitar), Ditson also ordered guitars with dimensions more common at the time. The 1919 Ditson 1-45 pictured here (and on display at the Martin Museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania) is without a doubt the most spectacular example of these efforts. Even though the instrument’s “1” designation describes its size, it shares a shape with Ditson’s larger efforts; as a result, the guitars have become known as “baby dreadnoughts” among vintage-guitar collectors. Following Martin’s style 45, the guitar features Brazilian rosewood back and sides and an Adirondack spruce top. Appointments include extensive abalone and pearl inlay and purfling, matched in elegance with an ivory bridge, nut, saddle, and binding. Like other Ditsons, the guitar’s top is fan-braced like a classical guitar (even though Martin had introduced X-bracing for its own models by this period), yet it was intended for use with steel strings. AG

A

This article was first published in the February 2007 issue. 72 May 2015

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Playlist Modern troubadours embrace the drone

78

Playlist The return of the Buena Vista Social Club

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Books Just say ‘yes’ to blues legend Rev. Gary Davis

PLAYLIST

MIXED MEDIA

Lead Belly p.76

AcousticGuitar.com 75

PLAYLIST

Lead Belly The Smithsonian Folkways Collection Smithsonian Folkways

The Songster

Deluxe, definitive set showcases the full scope of Lead Belly’s music BY MARC GREILSAMER

ell, I can sing 500 songs and never go back to the first one,” Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter once said. Blues tunes, children’s play songs, country dance numbers, spirituals, prison work songs and field hollers, topical ballads and protest songs, show tunes, cowboy songs, Tin Pan Alley favorites--armed with his trusty 12-string Stella, the man they called Lead Belly could handle them all with aplomb. He was a true “songster,” a chameleon-like musician with an enormously diverse repertoire and a willingness to divert, delight, charm, amaze, and amuse whoever was listening. Lead Belly is the fascinating subject of a superior new five-disc anthology that offers a well-rounded portrait of a riveting, resourceful artist. Across 108 tracks (including 16 previously unreleased recordings), The Smithsonian Folkways Collection highlights the incredible breadth of his material, balancing his best-known songs with a handful of rarities to help fill in the gaps. Born in northwest Louisiana in 1888, Lead Belly came of age at the height of the African American songster era, which began in earnest in the 1870s, after emancipation opened the

“W

76 May 2015

door for traveling, busking musicians. Smithsonian magazine (in reference to last year’s Classic African American Songsters collection) described the songster persona this way: “He’s an itinerant performer with the versatility of a jukebox, a man who’s played for so many different audiences that he can now confidently play for all of them.” As Jeff Place says in his detailed, thoroughly engaging liner notes, a songster is able to “dig into his bag of tricks to entertain any audience.” Working for the Library of Congress, legendary folklorists John and Alan Lomax first happened upon Lead Belly in 1933 when he was an inmate at Angola Prison in Louisiana. So impressed were they by his performance style and his gigantic catalog of songs, the Lomaxes returned the following year, “convinced,” writes Robert Santelli in this collection’s introduction, “of Lead Belly’s value as an American folk musician of the highest quality.” With a repertoire of that magnitude, is it any wonder that the Lomaxes revered him? Lead Belly had done their legwork for them. Once a free man, Lead Belly moved to New York to begin his recording career in earnest,

first with the Lomaxes, then with others. In 1941, he hooked up with producer Moses Asch, and the two began a lasting association. Almost all of the tracks on these first three discs were recorded by Folkways founder Asch (for a variety of labels) between 1941 and 1947, but there are a handful of tracks recorded by the Lomaxes for the Library of Congress. There’s also a disc of radio transcriptions culled mostly from Lead Belly’s own WNYC radio show, as well as a disc drawn from his marathon final sessions of autumn 1948, recorded at the home of Frederic Ramsey Jr. Though much more than a bluesman, Lead Belly did have a remarkably commanding presence while playing in the blues idiom, singing with the booming, authoritative voice of a preacher. But his voice was also capable of great sensitivity and tenderness, as on some of the a cappella tracks (including the unreleased original “Everytime I Go Out”) taken from the last sessions. For the most part, Lead Belly let the material be his guide in terms of approach. “Gallis Pole,” for instance, rides atop forceful, raggedly urgent guitar work, while the rhythmically dynamic “When a Man’s a Long Way from Home” shows a more supple side to his playing, and the cowboy ballads and kids’ songs find his guitar playing at its most appealingly elementary. Among the unreleased tracks taken from the WNYC tapes are a couple of haunting, primal gospel songs with singer Anne Graham, plus a song called “If It Wasn’t for Dicky,” based on a traditional Irish ballad. “I had an Irish friend,” Lead Belly explains on radio, “and he wrote it down in words so I could sing it in English. So, now it’s my song.” Also included are guest spots by Lead Belly’s most frequent collaborators, such as Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee. The collection comes in a hardcover 140page book that includes an impressive assortment of rare photographs and memorabilia. Place’s revealing essay helps unravel the knotty biographic and discographic information, separating myth from fact and creating a distinctly holistic survey of Lead Belly’s life; the many snippets of spoken dialogue add great insight as well. Lead Belly was clearly dismayed through much of his life by the media’s simplistic, sensationalized portrayal of him. (For example, a 1935 New York Herald Tribune article referred to him as a “powerful, knife-toting Negro.”) Imagine my surprise as a young kid discovering Lead Belly for the first time—the diversity of songs, the melodic facility, the utter charisma were completely captivating, though, thanks to the shadow of mythology, totally unexpected. Perhaps Tiny Robinson, Ledbetter’s niece and protector of his legacy, summed up this complex individual best: “Lead Belly lived a bad, good, hard, and easy life.” AG

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On this solo-guitar collection, Tompkins Square embraces the drone In the course of a decade, Tompkins Square’s Imaginational Anthem compilations have focused on the pioneers, forgotten masters, and young bucks of American Primitive guitar. Volume 7 samples all new guitarists, players who build on the open-tuned pedigree of John Fahey, but also draw on electronic ambiance and oscillating drones. For them, Robbie Basho is one of several inspirations to embrace, not a shadow to escape. Twenty-year-old guitarist Hayden Pedigo curates this collection, and he is responsible for its unfettered approach. Pedigo’s playing, spotlighted on his 2014 debut, Five Steps, grew out of an obsession with Basho, but he also cites the experimental soundscapes of British avantgardists This Heat as an influence. Selections on this globetrotting comp balance the two styles—fingerpicking and decaying drone, pastoral strumming and pulsing signals. On “Trees Return to Soil,” Simon Scott of British shoegazer band Slowdive plays close to the mic and rough around the edges. Plangent notes push through a lo-fi haze to shimmer like sunlight on a rippling pool. Minneapolis native Christoph Bruhn trades his electric guitar for a dreadnought on “Something, or Oil Paintings,” where whorls of cyclical picking ride atop a simmering low-end pulse. “0/3,” from Maltese player M. Mucci, is a ticking, winding ball of tension with no release. Mucci propels his snaky melody though a hurdy-gurdy drone and the hollow boom of his hands hitting his guitar top, while Argentinian Mariano Rodriguez’s “Shadow Study at 6 am” lays a cantering Appalachian ramble over distant electronics that mimic a pump organ. Not all selections embrace the drone, but throughout this collection, artists eagerly mix and mash solo acoustic guitars with ambient experiments, pushing their Primitive guitars through a multifaceted prism. —Pat Moran

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Buena Vista Social Club

Various Artists

Lost & Found World Circuit/Nonesuch

The Only Folk Collection You’ll Ever Need Shout Factory

Cuba’s finest find gold in the archives— it’s like a postcard from the past Sometimes it pays to check the vault for hidden treasure. In 1996, in defiance of a US travel ban, guitarist Ry Cooder traveled to Havana to record the Buena Vista Social Club, a band of mostly aging Cuban musicians who had formed in tribute to the long-defunct nightclub of the same name. The resulting album became a sleeper hit, earning a Grammy Award and selling 12 million copies. Most of those artists have passed away, so the release of this intoxicating collection of 14 studio outtakes and live tracks from the 2000s is welcome, indeed. The songs are filled with contagious Latin dance rhythms, percolating percussion, a salutary horn section, and Spanish-language vocals. But while Cooder does not perform on these tracks, there’s plenty of guitar magic. On the classic Santiago-style song “Mancusa,” the late octogenarian singer and guitarist Compay Segundo teams up with singer and guitarist Eliades Ochoa for one of the album’s highlights (the two first united on the original album’s most popular track, “Chan Chan”). Ochoa, one of two surviving members of the original band, also can be heard with laud (Spanish cittern) master Barbarito Torres and singer Omara Portuondo on the languid “Lágrimas Negras,” and on “Quiéreme Mucho/Pedacito De Papel,” a pair of minor-key solo numbers (the first with vocals, the second instrumental) recorded after hours at the Egrem Studio. Given the rapid social changes underway in Cuba, this gem evokes the spirit of Old Havana and a period of music already fading into the distant past. —Greg Cahill

Folk newbies and experts will find much to like on this wide-ranging anthology OK, so it’s probably not the only folk collection you’ll ever need (Harry Smith’s sprawling 1951 Anthology of American Folk Music is a stronger candidate), but as a folk-music primer it’s darned good. And if you consider yourself a folk-music aficionado, it’ll work as well, given that these songs stretch back 80 years. The 30 tracks included on this two-disc set span five decades, from the Carter Family’s original 1935 recording of “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)” to Odetta’s mighty 1973 rendition of Brother Claude Ely’s “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down.” Along the way, there are historically important songs, often topical, by key figures in the folk movement, artists whose work is firmly stitched in the fabric of our culture: Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter (“Rock Island Line”), Woody Guthrie (“This Land Is Your Land”), the Stanley Brothers (“I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow”), Bob Dylan (“The Times They Are A-Changin’”), Pete Seeger (“If I Had a Hammer”), Mississippi John Hurt (“I Shall Not Be Moved”), Doc Watson (“Sitting on Top of the World”), and Phil Ochs (“I Ain’t Marching Anymore”). You could haggle over the song selection, but I’m gonna sit back and enjoy some longtime favorites: Donovan’s “Catch the Wind,” Fred Neil’s “Little Bit of Rain,” Tom Rush’s “No Regrets,” Fairport Convention’s “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” and so on . . . —G.C.

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Say No to the Devil: The Life and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis Ian Zack University of Chicago Press

The Devil Made Him Do It New biography captures both sides of folk-blues legend Rev. Gary Davis BY GREG CAHILL

hen people come to me for what they want, I teach ’em sinful songs, though that has gone out of my life,” the bluesman known as Rev. Gary Davis once said. “But publicly, I play Christian songs. Fact, I don’t care so much about sinful songs no way, ’cause people might think I was talkin’ one way and actin’ another.” Sure enough, Davis—who wrote the folkblues drug anthem “Candy Man” and popularized the lament “Cocaine”—had a way with sinful songs, but he also built a career playing spirituals. Legend has it he’d play the local gin joint throughout a raucous Saturday night only to stand on top of the bar on Sunday morning to preach.

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Ian Zack has plumbed the depths of this fascinating, complex character, who was born to poor sharecroppers in the post-Reconstruction South, to cover the long career of a blind bluesmen who honed his trade at rent parties, chitlin’-circuit dives, and hootenannies, influencing a generation of folk and blues guitarists. Davis’ impact on the folk and blues scenes can be heard in the ’60s folk revival and continues today—though he often didn’t get his due. On his debut album, for example, Dylan (who has hailed Davis as “one of the wizards of modern music”) credited Eric von Schmidt for writing “Baby Let Me Follow You Down,” but von Schmidt later said that Davis wrote threefourths of that version.

Peter, Paul, and Mary had a hit with “If I Had My Way,” Davis’ version of Blind Willie Johnson’s 1927 recording, and the Grateful Dead later derived their “Samson and Delilah” from Davis’ interpretation. In clear, concise prose, Zack chronicles the ups and downs of a colorful, conflicted man who enjoyed a long if difficult career. Zack describes the way other artists appropriated Davis’ material, his struggles with poverty and alcohol, his battle with God and the Devil, and his reemergence during the ’60s folk revival. For those unfamiliar with this blues great, or folk-blues buffs ready to immerse themselves once again in his legend, Say No to the Devil is a tuneful read. AG AcousticGuitar.com 79

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Sweetwater Sound, sweetwater.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Ernie Ball Music Man, ernieball.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

C.F. Martin & Co., Inc., martinguitar.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Taylor, taylorguitars.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Festival des Guitares du Monde, fgmat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Memphis Acoustic Guitar Festival, memphisguitarfest.com 44

Traveler Guitar, travelerguitar.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

G7th, Ltd., g7th.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Mendocino Guitar Festival, medocinoguitarfestival.com . . . . 63

USA Songwriting Competition, songwriting.net . . . . . . . . . . 59

Acoustic Guitar U, acousticguitaru.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Alvarez Guitars, alvarezguitars.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 American Music Furniture, americanmusicfurniture.com . . . . 34 L.R. Baggs, lrbaggs.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Bread & Roses, breadandroses.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Breezy Ridge Instruments, Ltd., jpstrings.com . . . . . . . . . . . 61 California Coast Music Camp, musiccamp.org . . . . . . . . . . . 57 D’Addario & Company, daddario.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17, 20 Elixir Strings, elixirstrings.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 7

AcousticGuitar.com 81

FINAL NOTE

BUT THE CAMPS OF MUSIC WERE VERY ISOLATED FROM ONE ANOTHER. JAZZERS AND ROCKERS AND FOLKIES DID NOT MIX, AND I HAD MOVED THROUGH ALL OF THESE CAMPS.” JONI MITCHELL ‘ACOUSTIC GUITAR,’ AUGUST 1996

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82 May 2015

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