Hank's Guitar Preference

[MeBHank]

I don't really like listening to gypsy jazz. Impressive as it is, much of it is just tiny, clipped notes being thrown at your ears one after the other with no real melodic structure. Most of the time that's because - IMO - the guitarists are too concerned with wowing the audience with their awesome speed as opposed to providing a melody that makes for easy listening.

I much prefer Hank's style of playing jazz, as he makes it melodic and helps it to mean something to those of us who don't want to be bombarded by a "machine gun fire" of music. Maybe Hank makes melodic because he can't play at those ridiculous paces, in which case I'm glad he can't. That doesn't mean to say he can't play flippin' fast: he can, but if he played at the stupid speeds that some gypsy players can then I'd lose interest. He's always been able to take his listeners on a journey with the notes he plays, even when improvizing. Hank's always been the best at that.

J

[tolo]

Listen to 'For the Love of God' & 'Hand on Heart' by Steve Vai......and you get the very best of both worlds. Captivating beauty in absolute melody and a quite unrivalled (and unique) technique and sound... In my opinion anyway. If you have heard these then you will know of what I speak - if you haven't - check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okLDkcexiVg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YULtUZZ57_I

He's a bit mad - but therein lies the genius...

Tony.

[George Geddes]

Well, Justin, try listening to Django Reinhardt's Nuages... or John Jorgenson's 'In memory of Danny Gatton' -- two contrasting examples of gypsy jazz.

I think it's great that Hank enjoys playing a different style, but I am sure he would be typically modest about his own skills. However, many non-Shadows listeners would perhaps be surprised, whereas we know that his range and ability is wide indeed.

George

[phil kelly]

Hi Tony,
couldnt agree with you more, a masterful genius,
Regards,
Phil.

[snakestretcher52]

It does not come as any surprise to me about Bruce and his intonation issues. Much of us encounter same problems am sure, particularly if you are playing chords as for rhythm. Only difference is that Bruce like Hank too, probably liked to experiment and messed with chord options such as the inversions. As we all know there is nothing worse than a guitar chord strummed where one string let alone two are slightly out. Correct it only to find another chord in a different position is now out where it was OK before. Even with electronic tuners, even a rogue string could make a difference. In his days they probably never had guitar techies, so like Hank he probably has his own too and all it ever needed was TLC. I blame Fender for probably putting out guitars with less quality control once they were hitting high volume production with bridge saddles incorrectly positioned common with many out of the factory guitars.

It's a shame not many shop sales guitarists realize that tweaking a guitar could improve a sale prospect. Of course some do that in quiet spells in the shop, but like Curry's and Comets of this world, I always cringed when I looked at tellies in the shops that were anything but perfect pictures on their display models. For a laugh I would sometimes kill some time and tweak them myself and when challenged would use the excuse " you don't expect me to buy this TV on the strength of the picture displayed which was rubbish ?, just need to see if it is correctable via the menu " LOL and the guy would look at me and say thanks mate, it's like a different tellie.

I guess many guys buy guitars on basic instinct that it sounds right and maybe because it just happened to be perfect in intonation. That to me would stand out as tempting and distract me from the guitar's tone and sway me to get out my dosh as nothing is sweeter than a guitar that plays perfectly wherever you go on the neck.

David

Unfortunately no conventionally fretted guitar will ever play perfectly in tune due to the way the scale and fretting is calculated (equal temperament). The best we can hope for is a happy compromise involving some 'sweetening' of certain notes, so that as many chords as possible, in as many keys as possible sound as in-tune with each other as possible. This is also how a piano is tuned-by ear.
Electronic tuners don't help much other than in establishing the 'correct' pitch for each string; thus a perfect-sounding, first position D chord will result in a first position A chord sounding flat on the top E string. That's where the 'sweetening' comes in. Typically I'll slightly flatten the bottom E and marginally flatten the B and top E. This gives me the best-sounding intonation compromise.
Most production-line guitars leave the factory with a generic set-up to suit the specification. Personal set-ups will vary and both action and string gauge play a part in determining bridge-saddle placement.