[Dixielandjazz] Tenor Guitar

[Scott Anthony]

I think it is important to note that Condon played Plectrum guitar (tuned C 
G B D) whose tuning is quite close to the top four strings of a standard 
6-string. Without seeing his left hand in action, I'm not absolutely sure he 
didn't actually use guitar tuning (D G B E).

Tenor guitars are tuned and sound much higher in pitch. The high string is 
tuned to A, a 5th above what a Plectrum is tuned.

I'm pretty certain that Gibson built a new Plectrum guitar for Condon every 
couple of years. The pictures I have seen are all Gibson L7 bodies with a 
4-string neck.

Scott Anthony

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick" <rickz at usermail.com>
To: <santh at comcast.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 8:25 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Tenor Guitar


> Eddie Condon was one of my earliest influences on guitar.  He was famous 
> for being able to put together backup groups and did that for Fats
> Waller many times.  My favorite album of Eddie's was a 10" LP which had 
> cuts by "The Mound City Blue Blowers."  This included Kazoo, Guitar, and
> a suitcase wrapped in paper in lieu of drums.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mound_City_Blue_Blowers
> Interestingly, the Wiki article does not mention Eddie!
>
> The Tenor gives a lighter sound than a big Arch top 6-string, and is more 
> percussive (but less so than a banjo)  Benny Goodman said that he
> wanted rhythm guitar for the PLAYERS, and not necessarily for the 
> audience.
>
> The Blue Blowers were a precursor to The Hoosier Hot Shots, who started on 
> the National Barn Dance & migrated to Hollywood.  They had Clarinet,
> Washboard, Bass and Tenor Guitar, and their sound was very distinctive. 
> You can here that sound here by a modern counterpart:  "The Washboard
> Wizardz"
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fTKjdIairY
> In that youtube vicinity, you can hear the Wizardz with banjo, and the 
> original Hot Shots.
>
> Spike Jones cites the Hot Shots as one of his major influences.
>
> Skiffle Music (rent music) was a natural offshoot of this type of music. 
> When I formed a skiffle group in Colorado Springs -- with Annie Lenoir on 
> Clarinet & Dave Deason on Washboard -- I could get a pretty decent 
> facsimile of a tenor guitar sound by playing close to the neck (away from 
> the bridge) with the same sort of rhythm stroke you can see Kurt Abel 
> playing.
>
> Fun music, but we couldn't find a place to play in that town which is now 
> (sadly) dominated by Blues.
> (Couldn't make a trad band fly either.)
>
> Rick (Jolley) Zahniser
> Tombstone, AZ
> http://rixwest.com
>
> PS:  You can hear "Rick Jolley and the Green Giants" here on my website.
> http://rixwest.com/green_giants.htm
>
>
>
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