by Julia Crowe
skiffle music A term that originated in the U.S. during the first half of the twentieth century to describe music with a blues, jazz, folk, roots and country influence. The instruments often include washboard, jug, cigar-box fiddle and musical saw, and perhaps a banjo. There was a skiffle revival in the U.K. during the 1950s as part of the post-war British jazz scene.
slide guitar A method of playing the guitar that refers to sliding a glass bottleneck or a metal socket over the strings. This method is traditionally used in blues music.
soleá A style of flamenco music with a rhythm similar to the alegrías with its 12-count rhythm. It evolved from the jaleo Spanish gypsy dance in the late 18th century. It tends to have a sorrowful tone.
solfège A method of sight-singing, using the syllables do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti to represent notes of the octave. There are two methods of solfège, one called “fixed do,” where each syllable corresponds to the name of a note and “moveable do,” where each syllable corresponds to a scale degree.
solid-body guitar A guitar build without a sound box but from a solid piece of wood instead, relying on an electronic pickup system to convey the string vibrations.
soundboard The top piece of wood on a guitar, which usually features a sound hole and interior bracing.
sound hole An opening in the sound board of a guitar. They help acoustic guitars project their sound and allow the sound board to vibrate more freely and transmit the sound outside the guitar.
Spanish heel see “heel”
string gauge Strings come in varying diameters and tension. Heavier strings with a thicker diameter require more tension for the same pitch. For classical guitar, the bass strings are wound with nickel-plated wire while the treble strings are made of nylon. String diameters are measured by the thousandth of an inch.
trapeze tailpiece A style of a bridge often used on archtop guitars, it was invented to help the guitar’s top support the tension sustained by steel-strings.
tremolo bar or arm A bar device on a guitar that is used to add vibrato or a quavery tone to the sound by altering the tension of the strings at the bridge or tailpiece of the guitar. The tremolo or whammy bar, as it is also called, allows a player to quickly and temporarily vary this string tension to alter the pitch and create a bended note or bended chord.
tuning keys The pegheads and winding machinery that adjust the tension of the strings at the headstock of the guitar and create the pitch of sound that the strings produce.
truss rod A metal rod that is imbedded inside the neck of a guitar that can be adjusted in tension to correct changes in the neck’s curvatures caused by changes in string tension or changes in the humidity or aging of the wood. Classical guitars do not often feature truss rods because nylon strings exert less tension, creating fewer structural issues.
whammy bar see “tremolo bar”
woodshed A jazz term that means to practice one’s instrument. It originated as a drumming term and refers to the fact that drumsticks will start to flake off small bits of wood after long hours of practice.
Guitar Makes/Models Mentioned in This Book
This list is intended to be a simple rundown of the types of guitars mentioned in this book and which artist played them.
Antigua Casa Nuñez guitars (Morel)
Arbor guitar (Malakian)
Aria guitars (McKee)
Astro Tone guitar (Lukather)
B.C. Rich Gunslinger (Guns)
Benedetto guitars (Vignola)
Canora guitar (Lifeson)
Carvin guitars (Malakian)
Conde Hermanos flamenco guitar (Juan Martin)
Danelectro guitars (Koster)
David Bailey guitar (Scott Tennant)
D’Angelico guitars (Benson, Vignola)
Decca guitars Vintage guitars manufactured during the ’60s.
Di Giorgio guitars (Barbosa-Lima, Zanon)
Echosonic amplifier by Ray Butts (Moore)
Emenee guitar (Verdery)
Epiphone guitars (Landreth, Alvin, Lucas)
Juan Estruch guitar (Koster)
Favilla (Ranaldo)
’57 Fender Esquire (Lang)
Fender Jazzmaster a.k.a “Jazzblaster” (Ranaldo)
Fender Mustang (Tronzo, Alvin)
Fender Stratocaster (Dale, Duncan, Vaughan, Alvin, Lucas, Guest, Lang)
Fender Telecaster (Dale)
Fender Telecaster Deluxe guitars (Ranaldo)
Fleta guitars (Segovia)
Frankenstrat (Reid)
Paul Galbraith guitar (Zanon)
Galiano guitars (Block)
Giannini guitars (Bruné, The Assad Brothers)
Gibson 120T (Thompson)
Gibson Country Western model (Hammond)
Gibson Dixie Hummingbird (Reid)
Double-necked Gibson EDS-1275 (Lifeson)
Gibson ES-140 (Metheny)
Gibson ES-175 (Metheny)
Gibson ES-295 (Moore)
Gibson ES-335 (Bell, Anderson)
Gibson J-45 acoustic (Hiland)
Gibson J-55 acoustic (Lifeson)
Gibson J-100 “The Sailor’s Model” (Hammond)
Gibson J-160E (Verdery)
Gibson J-200 (Lee)
Gibson L-4C (Howe)
Gibson L-5 archtop guitar (Moore)
Gibson LG-1 (Guest)
Gibson SG (Frampton)
Gibson Super 400 (Lee)
Roberto Gomez guitar (Zanon)
Goya guitar (Leisner)
Gretsch guitars
Hagström guitar (Satriani, Ranaldo)
Harmony Sovereign (McKean)
Hauser guitar (Segovia, mentioned by Ben Verdery)
Hilo guitars (Paul Reed Smith)
Höfner President archtop (Lee, Tronzo, Taylor)
Hoyer 3063 guitar (Stephan)
Thomas Humphrey Millennium model guitar (Assad Brothers)
Ibanez Pat Metheny guitar (Metheny)
Ibanez Jem guitar (Vai)
Jackson guitar (Friedman)
Kay guitars (Landreth, Marshall, Lukather, Morello)
Kent classic guitar (Lifeson)
Les Paul Gibson Standard (Martino)
Les Paul SG (Frampton)
Les Paul Special (Margolin)
Maccaferri guitars (Ranaldo)
Martin 00-21 (McGuinn)
Martin 5-18 (Martin IV)
Martin D-18 (Ranaldo)
Martin D-28 (Guest)
Martin D-28E with DeArmond pickups (Lee)
Martin D-35 (Anderson)
Martin D-45 (Hammond)
Maton guitars (Emmanuel)
Music Man guitar (McKean)
National Reso-Phonic guitars (Mahal, Lucas)
Old Kraftsman guitar (Vaughan)
Ovation guitar (McKee, Santiago)
Paul Reed Smith guitars (Santana, Smith)
Pikasso guitar (Metheny)
Ramírez guitars (Koster)
Manuel Reyes guitar (Peña, Dearman)
Rickenbacker guitars (Smith, Lanois)
Miguel Rodriguez guitar (Pena, Kanengiser)
Rythmline (Friedman)
Schecter pickups
Sears Silvertone Jupiter 1423L (Duncan)
Seiwa Powersonic (Stephan)
Stella guitars (Ranaldo)
Takamine (McKee)
Taylor Guitars (Taylor)
Teisco del Rey guitar (Vai)
Telegib (Duncan)
Torres guitars
Travis Bean (Ranaldo)
Vega 12-string guitar (McGuinn)
Univox Les Paul (Vai, Lukather)
Univox Mosrite
Washburn Nuno Bettencourt N4 (Guns, Daron Malakian)
Acknowledgments
I have to express the depths of my gratitude to everyone involved in this book, starting with the artists who were so enthusiastic and generous with their time. Profound thanks goes to my literary agent Susan Schulman for her unwavering dedication. Also to Sonia Michelson, the wisest guitar teacher and best friend anyone could as
k for; to the Practical Theatre/703 Howard Street & Rockme gang; to Jimmy Page for being one of the first guitarists to believe in this book; to Carlos Santana, Andy Summers, Lee Ranaldo, Graham Parker, John & Marla Hammond; to Gary Lucas and Caroline Sinclair and Gods & Monsters; John Gabrysiak; Joan Hudson and Sue Frankland-Haile.
I am deeply indebted to my editor Jen Hale for recognizing the joy and spirit of this book, and I enjoyed every minute of writing it all the more for sharing a kindred sense of humor. My appreciation goes to the superb work of editor Jennifer Knoch and the entire ECW crew. Heartfelt acknowledgements go to Terrence & Taidgh for their patience and good humor and enduring endless take-out food.
I am also grateful for the friendship and guidance from Richard G. Stern, Maurice J. Summerfield, Peter Van Wagner, Sheri Holman, Tim Brookes, Sherri Phillips, Clarice Assad, Michael Newman & Laura Oltman, Lisa & Alex Hoffman. I acknowledge the kind assistance of Paki Newell, Gina Mendello, Lisa-Marie Mazzucco, Robbie Mendel, Joan Grossman, Tom McCourt, Harriet Sternberg, Marcel Pariseau, Jean Sievers, Mick Brigden, Cailin McCarthy, David Sholemson, Jennifer Sousa, Amanda Dawes, Helen Martin, Gail Pollock, Sung-Hee Park, Lana Dale, Paul Babin, Nancy Sefton, Camilla McGuinn, Brooke Zoslocki, Michael Jensen, Erin Podbereski, Russ D’Angelo, Brad Hunt, Megan Barra, Gus Canazio, Michele Garzanti, Rick Bates, Mick Houghton, Tim Bernett, Ze Beekeeper, Meghan Symsyk, Kevin Calabro, Greg Classen, Ruta Sepetys, Chalise Zolezzi, Jonathan Forstot, Maricela Juarez, Evan Skopp, Stephanie Gonzalez, Joel Hoffner, Lisa Jenkins, Kathi Whitley, Corey Moore, Robin Vaughan, Adam Fells, Maria Russell, Jason Rothberg, Dan & Maryon Bellack. To my dance sisters at Solstice Studios for their encouraging words and shared love for twirling as Gumby Ghawazis year round, enduring lobster red–faced sweating summer and causing the coat rack to crash down from the weight of winter garb. In closing, I must mention my college roommate, Lisa Eret, in memory, for always believing that I would include her someday in a future book acknowledgment. Last but not least, I give thanks to my mother and to my father.
About the Author
Julia Crowe is a guitarist and columnist for both Classical Guitar (U.K.) and Gendai Guitar (Japan). She has written numerous cover stories and features for several guitar magazines internationally. Her music has been featured on National Public Radio and she has written music for the feature film documentary Drop City, which saw its “sneak preview” this year at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. She lives in New York, New York.
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Souvenir Press Ltd
43 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PD
This ebook edition first published in 2018
All rights reserved Copyright © Julia Crowe, 2012
First published in the USA in 2012 by ECW Press
The right of Julia Crowe to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 9780285644076
Available in ebook and as a paperback edition
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