[Dixielandjazz] Guitar Volume

[Scott Anthony]

I forgot to mention something about Eddie Condon - I have never been able to 
hear his guitar being played on any of his non-banjo recordings. It is just 
plain drowned out by the rest of the band even when it was only rhythm and 
solo instrument being played.

Scott Anthony


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Anthony" <santh at pacbell.net>
To: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>; "DJML" 
<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Guitar Volume


> In the last few years, after playing only banjo for 46 of them, I have
> started playing/learning 6 string archtop jazz guitar (as well as building
> them) using the "Freddie Green" chord technique for rhythm guitar. This
> technique uses only 3 notes on the 6th, 4th, and 3rd strings and 
> definitely
> produces a powerful "pulse" that can be (more felt than) heard in back of 
> a
> band because of the voicing of the chords. This is "how on earth" he 
> managed
> to be heard.
>
> However, this pulse is entirely for rhythm - it has much less pitch 
> content
> than a plectrum or tenor banjo would if it were played in the same 
> setting.
> Freddie Green virtually never played a solo partly because a single string
> or mixed single-string/chord solo would never be audible unamplified in 
> the
> Basie band.
>
> During the 20s and early 30s dance bands used tenor banjos almost always 
> as
> far as I know. Eddie Condon was an exception - during the 20's he played
> plectrum banjo, and then when the guitar "sound" became more popular and
> acceptable, he switched to plectrum (4-string) guitar. The posed pictures 
> of
> 20s dance bands may show a guitar sitting there, but I bet you can only 
> hear
> a banjo on the recordings. In addition, the tenor banjo tuning in 5ths
> allowed violin, viola, and cello players to migrate to it with no trouble 
> so
> it opened up a lot of opportunities for more classically oriented players 
> to
> work in popular venues. I would imagine smaller groups could have used
> guitar, but I don't know. As soon as it became possible to amplify the
> guitar, it took over and the banjo almost disappeared in dance band
> settings.
>
> I'm not positive all I understand about this is correct, but old notions 
> die
> hard.
>
> Scott Anthony
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 9:33 AM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Guitar Volume
>
>
>> With all the conjecture about the lack of volume with guitars, how on
>> earth
>> then, did Freddie Green manage to be heard, UNAMPLIFIED, in Basie's Band?
>> Man, he anchored that rhythm section like a metronome and as many times 
>> as
>> I
>> saw that band, I always heard Green's pulse from wherever I sat.
>>
>> ---snip
>>
>> Freddie said he once tried the electric guitar but added. "I've still got
>> the thing sitting up in my room. It was about four or five years ago. I
>> didn't stay with it long. I couldn't get the sound I wanted, and it was
>> hard
>> getting the tone adjusted so it wouldn't sound too loud over the band. I
>> didn't get with it, and I don't think Basie had too much eyes for it.
>> Every
>> once in a while, he'd say 'Soften down', and so finally I just put it
>> away.
>>
>> Green went on to talk of his favorites in the increasingly rare art of
>> unamplified rhythm guitar. He cites Allan Reuss, the late John Truehart
>> (with Chick Webb), Freddie Guy, and Charlie Christian. Freddie also
>> enjoyed
>> Christian as a soloist, "He revolutionized the guitar."
>>
>> ---end snip
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Steve Barbone
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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