The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Do you ever listen to country music? I'm not really a fan of traditional or the current Nashville glam country, but do like some of what I'd call alternative country.

I was just wondering if you've ever heard or heard of Casey Chambers (from Australia). Her band (or is it her group of studio musicians) is one of the best I've ever heard. The two guitarists play so well together.

If you haven't heard them, I'd love to send you a CD.

I'm not a fan of country music. I won't go into too much detail as to why, because I don't want to focus on the negative. But I will say that my main aversion to it is that I don't find it a particularly sincere musical form. To me it seems that there are a set of formulae which are fairly strictly adhered to, and then the success of particular song comes down to the lyrical twist in the last line of the chorus. It becomes so predictable that it's funny. The same can be said of a lot of other styles where the main objective is to make loads of cash. I'm sure there are many fine examples of exceptions to this rule, and that I am probably missing out on a lot of good music because of my aversion. The first name that comes to mind is Bonnie Raitt. I hear sincerity in her work, and it makes for a pleasurable listening experience. But most of the hat acts make me lol. I also realize that a lot of those country players are some of the best musicians on the planet, so I don't mean to throw the baby out with the bath water, but I would struggle to get past my aversion, even though it may admittedly be somewhat ignorant of me.

We are very aware of Kasey Chambers and her family here in Australia. She has won just about every award there is to win, and every album goes platinum. She is a very high profile and much adored act in this country. She has a beautiful freshness about her, and she also has the sincerity in her work that I made reference to above as being lacking in a lot of country music.

Thanks for the kind offer of sending a CD Laz, but there is no shortage of Kasey here in Oz!



Cheers...............................wahwah

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Deep stuff in this here Well... Mr Wah.

I for one, can dig it.


Might touch on it later in the week actually...


In the meantime, got "real" questions here!

Doing so much session work, what are the guitars & amps that you consider "essential" to have on-hand? Thinking about variety of tones... being able to conjure up what's wanted/needed/imagined on any variety of gigs.

How about secondary instruments? Can/do you double on dobro? Mandolin? Lap steel etc.

Possibly related to #1 & 2; how extensive is the guitar/amp collection of a working guitarist? Specifically you! Any material objects that you wish were still in your possession?

I'm glad you can dig some of the deeper stuff Mr Moose. I guess my Well was always going to run the gamut, from sheer stupidity through to some Eastern philosophy and several points in between!

I seem to get called up for sessions where they are particularly after something that is inherently within my scope. Being a non-reader, I'm not the "go to" guy for advertising jingles and the like, although I have done my fair share over the years. Instead I get called in when people want "that Strat thing," or "that funk wah thing" or "that dirty betch thing" or "that soul rhythm thing." There are many other players who would get the call long before me for the sight reading gigs and sessions, or theatre work (it breaks my heart not to be consigned to the pit for months on end doing musicals!).

For example, I was called up to play in the pit band for our version of the Emmy's, known in Australia as the Logies, three years running, by two different musical directors. I had known these guys for years, and they knew that I wasn't a reader. The way it would work is that they would already have a Mr Wizard sight reading dude in there to play all the melodies and jazz chord comping parts. But they also needed a guy to sit in and play the grooves and a few tasty lines, and the ubiquitous wah parts for play-ons and play-offs. So I would turn up to the first rehearsals to find a 24 piece orchestra, but only 23 music stands! It always helped me instantly find my seat. They would have sent me all of the CD's for the artist backings and plays on and off, and they would know that I would have memorized them or made my own notes. The combination of the two different types of players always worked out well.

With that in mind, the basics of my setup for sessions and gigs is largely based around the equipment I've chosen as being part of what has become my signature set of tones. A lot of studio engineers (as you no doubt know, but for the benefit of the other readers) are very quick these days to reach for some form of amp modeling software, but I always urge them to take the 10 minutes out to set up my Super Champ and a couple of mics. I will back that little amp, loaded up with its 1950's RCA's, to kick the living daylights out of any soft or hardware modeler on the planet for most applications. From there it is a matter of having a lot of different effects on hand for those engineers who are bold enough to print the entire idea, the part, the sound and its effects. Of course I'm always happy to do a dry pass for those who intend to keep their options open and add their own effects at mixdown. As I stated above, they're not likely to call me and say "Ok, now we want a Les Paul on this track," or " we need some thrash metal hard panned stereo blah blah." They'll call somebody else for that. I guess these could be considered some of the advantages of working in a relatively small musical community.

I have no skills on any of the other instruments you've mentioned. I guess I'm a one trick pony in that regard! I'm just an electric guitar player, who can throw down some tidy acoustic parts as well. I have tremendous admiration for the guys who have branched out into other areas of instrumentation.

My equipment list in regard to amps and guitars is not extensive at all. One magnificent old Stratocaster, a couple of magnificent amplifiers, and a lot of magnificent pedals and effects. The main weapon in my arsenal, apart from the above, is having over time developed the skill of discerning what sort of parts will be appropriate for a piece of music. I'm not even close to being a stylistic virtuoso, there are massive holes in my repertoire (Jazz, for example!) but within my range, I have developed strong instincts for what sort of guitar parts and tones will best support the vocal, the lyric, and the general mood of the song. The feedback I've received over the years would indicate that is why I get the calls I get. That would be fitting, because they are probably the most important things to me, and my main focus, as a guitarist and musician.




Cheers.................................wahwah

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Blues Boy Del or Blues Pro?

That's an easy one. The answer is both! They are actually quite different in their voicing, so if you don't want to fork out the mere pittance for both of them, you would be choosing between what is essentially an improved and more versatile take on a Tube Screamer (Blue Boy Deluxe) or a more open, less compressed, more driven Fenderish type of thang. (Blues Pro)

They both have their place, and they actually work really nicely together. They also both work really nicely with the Crunch Box, in fact there are similar tonal references between the Crunch Box and Blues Pro, even though the Crunch Box is essentially going for that Marshall in a pedal sound. The similarity is in their "ampishness." (If that's not a word, it should be)

If I had to choose just one, I would pick the Blue Boy Deluxe, simply because it is the most versatile. You can set it up to be virtually indiscernible from an original TS-808, or open it right up to be a completely different beastie altogether. The others are great pedals, but they are deliberately designed to be limited to more specific tasks.



Cheers..................................wahwah

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

What do you consider your strongest/best ability or talent, if we're not taking musicianship into account?

I think one of my strongest assets is the ability to string together very long sentences, thus giving off the illusion that I have a point.

Apart from that, I think it would be the ability to get along with a diverse range of people and their personalities. The art is in doing so without completely selling out your own personal integrity. Having sold out my musical integrity long ago, and basically becoming a musical crack whore, my personal integrity is the only tattered thread of honor that I have left to cling on to, and I do so for dear life. It's a skill that comes in handy whilst touring, or working in close quarters with a wide range of people, and their egos.

It translates as what a lot of people call "traveling well." In many cases, it is just as important as being able to play your instrument proficiently. I have known quite a few guys who were great players, but didn't "travel well." They rub people up the wrong way, and once they're done, it doesn't matter how well they play. There's always another guy just around the corner who can cut the gig, but who gets along well with everyone. That's the guy who will get the gig. I like to be that guy. I have my boundaries, and they are based on a professional code of ethical behavior, but beyond that, I like to be flexible in fitting in with a lot of different character types. It helps that I believe that in every situation and personal or professional relationship, both parties are simultaneously student and teacher.



Cheers................................wahwah

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

As a sideman you have to play a lot of different songs and styles.
What sort of material does Mr.WahWah like to jam out when he's kicking back and playing for personal fun?

I like playing....

Dirty, filthy, scrotal Funk.

Stinging, howling, make your Momma cry Blues.

Big, fat, stupid, square, simple Rock riffage.

Broad, sweeping, ethereal, atmospheric soundscapes.

And a nice Polka.



Cheers............................wahwah


P.S. I lied about the Polka.

[Tor]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Thanks for a well-thought and interesting response.. Once again.

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Hey Geoff,

I'm so glad you made it to The Well. Lots to learn from you!

Here's an issue that's been haunting me for a while. Perhaps you can share your own perspective on it, and it'll shed some light. At the very least, it will give you yet another opportunity to string together long sentences.

I have varied interests in music, from blues to classical to hard rock to country (I know) to metal, and all points in between. Because of that, I find I have a diverse array of equipment capable of handling these styles to varying degrees. Having an array of tools at my disposal is a double-edged sword, as I feel it also hinders my ability to find my sound.

You've mentioned some of your influences, which include guitarists who have played Marshalls, Fenders, Gibsons…the list goes on. How did you manage to take in all these sounds and styles, but still forge a sound and style of your own? The Strat and those two amps make up the core of your tone. They seem to be your signature, just as an SG and Laney are Tony Iommi's, or a Tele and Vibrolux were Roy Buchanan's. Do you not tire of the same equipment? Are you focused and disciplined because it's in your nature to be? Is it that, once you find your own sound, everything else pales?

I hope my post isn't too convoluted to follow.

- Keith

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

I have varied interests in music, from blues to classical to hard rock to country (I know) to metal, and all points in between. Because of that, I find I have a diverse array of equipment capable of handling these styles to varying degrees. Having an array of tools at my disposal is a double-edged sword, as I feel it also hinders my ability to find my sound.

Hey Keith, your post and questions made perfect sense. I think a lot of this comes back to the age old question of the source of tone, whether it is in the hands or the equipment or both. I think it's obvious that both play their part, but in my own experience I have a leaning toward the hands and imagination of the player, because I have seen and heard how I have a tendency to want to make equipment produce the overall sound and texture that I hear in my head. Having said that, I'm not suggesting that this is the "right" or "only" way, but simply my own experience.

To me, signature tones are the ones floating around in your head when you imagine the tone that you would be in heaven playing through. That's what I mean by the tone starting in the imagination. There may be some physical point of reference, followed by your own spin on it. For example, you might imagine "Ok, I want that woody, springy early Ritchie Blackmore tone, but with more meat in the mids and slightly more driven. (By the way, if you're able to get that tone, can you tell me how the hell you did it? Hehe...) From there, the search for the appropriate equipment can begin, but it needs to be fueled by the constant presence in your mind of the tone you are aiming for. Then you will be able to quickly adopt or reject equipment through your sorting process. I think this is where a lot of people get lost, because their tone search is essentially aimless. They are buying equipment because they have been told what's good, and not necessarily because it will best serve them. The 100w half stack Marshall rig in the bedroom is a common example of this. If the master on that thing never gets over 2, I'd be more inclined to call it "furniture."

It sounds to me as if you have transcended a certain level of discernment, and you have a fairly good idea of what you want from your equipment. As to whether or not the equipment is starting to "push you around" rather than you taking control of it and making it serve your will, that is certainly possible. This is where strong ideas, strong hands, and as you put it "focus and discipline" come in. Intensity of focus does something quite mysterious to equipment. It makes it bend and stretch, it makes it conform to the will of the player. This is the phenomenon we see when a player with a definite "voice" makes other people's rigs sound like his. In fact, they will make almost any sort of rig sound like them, because their will as a player is stronger than the wood and wire and electronics which make up the equipment. It is also likely that they have become master tweakers in the process of developing their voice, and they know what to reach for to bring the equipment more in line with the sound in their head and hands. Given their own choice of equipment, they will seek out the guitars, amps and pedals that inherently provide their dream tone.

In my own case, I have just completely replaced virtually everything on my pedal board. I do this from time to time, because in some areas, equipment is improving, as are the available options. Specifically, I am experimenting with a range of pedals which have a more "open" quality to them, essentially less compressed. While these types of pedals are much more confronting, because they expose any weakness in the hands, I believe they are also capable of providing more intense results, and because of their exposed nature, a "cleaner window," if you will, into the emotional content of my playing. In some way this answers whether or not I get bored with my sound. It is not so much a matter of boredom, as it is a reflection of the constant urge to improve. The same can certainly be the case with guitars and amps, but in those two areas I have been very fortunate to find equipment that speaks out my voice just as I hear it. Although I must admit that I have my eye on a Dave Ulbrick amp, and it may only be a matter of time before I take that plunge and renew the search into yet another phase.

I think the influences of our favorite players and styles are a blessing, because they give us a point of reference and a starting point in our own tone search. But one of the beauties of music is that it is an outlet for our personal expression, and so each little nuance that we bring is adding richness to the tone pool. I suppose it's a matter of taking these starting points, but then making them our own.



Cheers.............................wahwah

[stevie_bees]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

A great answer Geoff. I have a similar problem as Keith, compounded by the fact that I have limited resources in which to invest on a "tone holy grail" search. I have to live and die with tonal compromise!!!
Do you ever get the urge to play/jam with a tone or equipment that are completely removed from your norm??

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Agreed: Awesome response, Geoff! I love reading your posts, because they're very thoughtful and sensible, and they have a spiritual aspect to them -- something that I think it's easy for players to overlook.

I like Stevie's question about getting the urge to play with other equipment, so I second the request for you to answer it.

Tagging along with the last couple sentences of your last post, do you feel your style is an amalgamation of other player's styles, but with your personal spin on it? I have an instructional video of Eric Johnson, and he recommends that guitarists find their own adopting by adopting elements of the guitarists they enjoy the most. Some of those guitarists are just pure inspiration, but EJ points out particular aspects of his own playing style that relate directly to some of the signature techniques of other guitar heroes (Jeff Beck, Wes Montgomery, Merle Travis, Jimi Hendrix...). Would you say your personal style has tangible elements of guys like Beck and Kossoff?

Also, I've heard from a number of professional guitarists (Andy Summers and Stu Hamm immediately come to mind) that one of the best ways to improve is to take one song, learn it to perfection, then move on to another song and do the same. Lather, rinse, repeat. Have you ever taken this approach? If so, do you feel it's worked for you? If not, what approach do you prefer to take. (I recall you mentioning in the past that you don't have a strict practicing regimen.)

- Keith

[stevie_bees]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Course I reckon the donation of an ASAT from the Boston area of the States would get me closer to my goal....eh Keith...????

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

A great answer Geoff. I have a similar problem as Keith, compounded by the fact that I have limited resources in which to invest on a "tone holy grail" search. I have to live and die with tonal compromise!!!
Do you ever get the urge to play/jam with a tone or equipment that are completely removed from your norm??

Stevie, firstly can I say that as much of a pain in the butt as those resource limitations may be, they can also be a blessing. Having to knuckle down and say "Ok, this is what I've got at my disposal, this is what I have to work with" can make us work a little harder with the expressive tools at the end of our arms (my apologies to those who have hooks) to get somewhat closer to the desired result. It even exercises the imagination, which is to some extent capable of "filling in the gaps" between what we are actually hearing and what we want to hear. This is invaluable, because I believe it is part of those mysterious factors which influence what ends up coming out of a speaker. I don't mean to make this sound like some kind of Haitian Voodoo ritual, but I know what I mean here and I hope it is making some sense.

The Holy Grail search is quite probably an illusion. There are guys with enough money to buy the very best examples of absolutely everything, but it doesn't ensure that they will be great players with great sounds. Conversely, there are guys having the time of their lives and sounding fantastic with very little. Wherever we're at, we can always find reasons to be grateful for what we have. With that attitude, we can keep the focus on improving, in whatever way is important to us, be that through knowledge or the development of expressive technique. I'm reminded of that excellent line from U2's "Beautiful Day."

"What you don't have, you don't need it now."

Now, finally, onto your actual question!

To start, I would have to say that I just don't get enough opportunities to jam. I wish I had more, because they're a great opportunity to try out new things. Most of the gigs I've done in the past ten years have been set to a very specific formula. There is a job at hand, and there isn't a huge buffer for experimentation. It was even a bold step for me to take all new pedals to my gig last night, because there is a certain professional standard that has to be met, and I had to do quite a bit of homework to ensure that the new equipment would slot into the expectations. It turned out well, but only after I had A/B'd every pedal against what it was replacing. I wouldn't, for example, try out a new guitar at one of these gigs.

Outside of that part of my work, there are gigs where I'm called in as a fill in, often at very short notice. Since there are no specific expectations, I will feel a lot freer to take in something unusual and make it work on the night.

As for my general tonal direction, I think I have found a place where I am most comfortable and at ease. It still has a fairly broad scope, but it doesn't include using a bunch of different types of guitars, for example. I feel like a Strat guy. I can remember doing a residency gig a few years ago with a band that were doing all that post Nirvana corporate grunge, what I like to call "Sony Grunge." The guy I was replacing was a Les Paul player, so I took along this Fernandez Les Paul that I had at the time. I struggled with that thing for a few gigs, before I realized that I was actually being untrue to myself, trying to be someone else. So I took along old faithful, and suddenly I was able to really make it come together. It kicked so much harder than the Les Paul could, not because there's anything wrong with Les Pauls, but because they just don't suit me.

So I can try all sorts of other things, and I have done, but in my case there are some things that I will always return to. I played an '89 PRS Custom for a year before I had to concede that it felt and sounded like a toy in my hands. I'm a Strat guy, and that's one limitation that I am more than happy to work within!



Cheers...............................wahwah

[wahwah]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Tagging along with the last couple sentences of your last post, do you feel your style is an amalgamation of other player's styles, but with your personal spin on it?
- Keith

I think it would be very rare for any player to emerge without a set of influences, even if those influences may be hard to distinguish once they have developed their voice. In the case of Eric Johnson, I think his influences are actually more obvious than his own style. Not taking anything away from his brilliance as a player, but I think he may have struggled with that to some extent. There will occasionally be guys like Fripp who are just right into the oddball stuff and are deliberately taking on the role as pioneers. Then, in turn they will influence somebody else, like Adrian Belew, to follow them down that path.

I'm not any sort of pioneer. I am definitely, as you put it, an amalgamation of my influences, but injected into that is my heart, my life, my sense of humor and my spirit. In the same way that we may each find different words to convey the same meaning, drawing them from the entire vocabulary at our disposal, we each have a unique fingerprint that can, if we allow it to and if we take the steps to develop it, speak through a musical instrument. It is my personal belief that a musician's playing can only be an extension of their personality. I believe that you can hear when a player is a "left brain" kind of guy, you can hear when someone is a mathematician rather than a poet, and you can hear when they have really known emotional pain, as opposed to mimicking it. You could probably make a list of the obvious ones to you, and through a little investigation into their lives, discover that you were right on the money, every time.

I think the points made by the guitarists you mentioned were very accurate. I would add to it that each of us might actively pursue anything that we hear that naturally grabs our attention, and study it. Even if you hear one lick, or one bend, or one style of vibrato that makes you stand up and take notice, or get goose bumps, any kind of sign, study it. Get inside it and find out how it works, why it works. Take that element and absorb it, and then work it into your vocabulary. It will sound different when you speak it, but that's the whole point, because now it is you who is speaking it. It's like "I heard a new word today, and I can't wait to use it in a sentence!"

Here's a story. When I was in my late teens, I first heard an Australian guitarist named Ian Moss, from an unbelievably good band called Cold Chisel. My whole world stopped. This guy was like a composite of all my favourite players. I could hear Hendrix, Beck, Blackmore and Kossoff all coming out of this guy, but with his own distinctive colour. I studied him, closely. I would watch clips of him on TV and copy the way his fingers moved, the way he held his left hand on the neck. I played everything of his that I could understand, and was totally in awe of all that I couldn't. A few years later, the band I was in got the opportunity to support Cold Chisel, several times, and I would sit through their soundchecks, and right through the gig, just trained on his hands.

Ten years later, The Truth were doing their first gig in Sydney. We had just come from seeing Living Colour at another venue, and we were pumped. We get to our gig. Packed house. Half way through the second song, I look out into the crowd to see....Ian Moss. I thought ok, I can either just soil myself now and skulk offstage, or just step up and do my thing. I chose the latter. About 45 minutes into our set, this 7 foot tall African American comes up to the stage and says "My boys wanna play!" I thought, whoever your boys are, they can do whatever they want. It was Living Colour, or at least Corey Glover, Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish. Lucky for me, Vernon had gone back to the hotel. So they get up and we play a bunch of Stevie Wonder tunes and some soul and funk stuff, the jam ends up going for 45 minutes. When I finally get offstage, the first person who comes up to me is Ian Moss. He says "That was really good." I said "Yeah, how about that, Living Colour." He said, "Nah, not that, you guys. I really liked your playing." Before I could think straight, I had said "Yeah, well I'm not surprised you liked it, I've ripped off everything you ever played!"

What a dumbass. But at least I was honest!


Cheers.................................wahwah

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Before I could think straight, I had said "Yeah, well I'm not surprised you liked it, I've ripped off everything you ever played!"

What a dumbass. But at least I was honest!

I love your humility and sense of humor. You managed to roll both of those into one right there.

Once again, great advice, Geoff. It's funny -- I feel like I already know the answers inside, but it helps to have a seasoned professional validate those instincts.

- Keith

[d1dsj]

Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

Wow... fantastic well, great questions and answers!