Is a guitar a percussion instrument?
peatea
I started on piano at an early age and switched to drums. Percussion has
always interested me. I started playing guitar at around age 14 while
still taking drum lessons. I incorporated many of my drum patterns into my
ryhthm guitar playing and I still do. To me, when playing rhythm guitar,
it is a percussion instrument. What do you think?
Pt
Victor Magnani
> I do classify the guitar as a percussion instrument (just as I
> do a piano). For some reason, I have it in my mind that a true string
> instrument is played with a bow (primarily at any rate). With the
> guitar (or piano), the string is struck or percussed.
Actually, that doesn't meet the definition of a percussion instrument. Just to
be technical.
A percussion instrument is struck. An instrument that is plucked (which
produces it's sound by being plucked, I should say) does not qualify as a
percussion instrument. That's why a harpsichord is not a percussion intrument,
but a piano is. A piano produces it's sound through the action of the hammer
striking the strings. Hence, a piano is a percussion instrument. A harpsichord
(like a harp, and a guitar) produces it's sound when a string is plucked by a
quill. It's not a percussion instrument. Plucking qualifies as something
different than striking.
Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste" is actually misnamed,
because it doesn't account for the harp (I think - maybe the reason is that a
celeste IS a percussion instrument?? I don't remember why, but I know it's
mis-named).
So anyway, as I said, to be technical, a guitar does not meet the criteria as a
percussion instrument. That said, depending on how you play it, it certainly
can function as one. The perfect example is Freddie Green. His playing
certainly acted more as a rhythmic, percussive if you will, element. This facet
was more important that the harmonic, in most cases (Did you ever hear the
record he did with Kenny Burrell and Frank Wess?? Man, he could lay it
down!!!).
Also, Pete Townshend. And Richie Havens. It certainly can function
percussively, but to call it a percussion instrument woudl go against the grain
of textbook definition.
Peace
Victor
Tom Walls
snip
The perfect example is Freddie Green. His playing
>certainly acted more as a rhythmic, percussive if you will, element. This
facet
>was more important that the harmonic, in most cases (Did you ever hear the
>record he did with Kenny Burrell and Frank Wess?? Man, he could lay it
>down!!!).
>
Anybody know the title of this recording?
--
Tom Walls
the guy at the Temple of Zeus
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/zeus/
jshoot
while comping on the guitar. The two concepts totally come from the same
vein. Transcribe Blakey's, Elvin Jones's, or Pete La Roca's stuff; just the
snare drum. Then comp that rhythm. It's amazing. Same person also told me
to think of that New Orleans bass drum while Freddie Green comping. it
really un-wussied my use of that.
Randy Zywicki
a weak (or absent) pianist, drummer or bass player, them I have to set
and keep the time for horn players and vocalists. In this use, I feel
like a percussionist, whether or not I actually "hit" the instrument.
peatea wrote:
>
> I started on piano at an early age and switched to drums. Percussion has
> always interested me. I started playing guitar at around age 14 while
> still taking drum lessons. I incorporated many of my drum patterns into my
> ryhthm guitar playing and I still do. To me, when playing rhythm guitar,
> it is a percussion instrument. What do you think?
> Pt
--
Randy Zywicki
Senior Systems Engineer
Raytheon Systems Company
(972) 952-6293
zyw...@raytheon.com
Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not Truth ....
Zappa.
David Moss
"Tom Walls" wrote...
> Anybody know the title of this recording?
According to AllMusic.com:
Artist: Kenny Burrell with Frank Wess
Album Title: Monday Stroll
Date of Release: Dec 17, 1956+Jan 5 , 1957 (approx.)
AMG Rating: Good
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Although this LP was reissued under guitarist
Kenny Burrell's name, it was originally led by Frank Wess, who is heard
doubling on flute and tenor. With the assistance of Burrell, rhythm
guitarist
Freddie Green, bassist Eddie Jones and either Kenny Clarke or Gus Johnson
on drums, Wess is in excellent form on a set very reminiscent (not too
surprisingly
considering the personnel) of the Count Basie band. Wess contributed four of
the
songs, Burrell brought in "Southern Exposure" and the quintet also plays
"Over the
Rainbow" and the obscure "Woolafunt's Lament." This out-of-print LP (put out
by Arista in 1978) is a fine straightahead date, with Wess's flute taking
solo honors.
- Scott Yanow
Tracks:
1. Monday Stroll (Wess) - 4:21
2. East Wind (Burrell) - 5:14
3. Wess Side (Wess) - 5:01
4. Southern Exposure (Burrell) - 6:49
5. Woolafunt's Lament (Wess) - 7:05
6. Over the Rainbow (Hammerstein/Kern) - 6:00
7. Kansas City Side (Wess) - 8:32
Victor Magnani
> The perfect example is Freddie Green. His playing
> >certainly acted more as a rhythmic, percussive if you will, element. This
> facet
> >was more important that the harmonic, in most cases (Did you ever hear the
> >record he did with Kenny Burrell and Frank Wess?? Man, he could lay it
> >down!!!).
> >
>
> Anybody know the title of this recording?
>
> --
> Tom Walls
> the guy at the Temple of Zeus
> http://www.arts.cornell.edu/zeus/
I got it on a re-issue on "Giants of Jazz" label called "King of the Rhythm
Session" (yes, it's "session" not "section", go figure). It's available at
cdnow and amazon, budget price. It also has stereo mixes of "Li'l Darlin'" and
"Duet" (I think) from "Atomic Basie" (horns to one side, rhythm on the other -
ouch). Plus some cuts from another record under his own name (I forget title) -
he wrote tunes. Get it! It's the only place to find some of this stuff right
now.
That label (Giants of Jazz) has lots of good stuff - I think it must be vaguely
illegal - I don't know how they have the rights to some of the stuff they put
out. But while the sound quality is a step below most other labels, you get
lots of music at a great price. Most CD's are just named by the artists name.
I have "Jimmy Giuffre" (With Jim Hall), "Paul Desmond" (w/J. Hall), "Jim Hall"
(his first record as a leader, minus a cut or two, and some stuff w/Bill Evans,
Desmond), "Barney Kessel" (Pollwinners Examine the Scene, plus some other
stuff), a few others, I'm sure. Plus, they have live recordings as well (I have
some Gerry Mulligan quartet stuff w/Brookmeyer, they have a live Love Supreme
which I haven't heard).
On the Burrell/Wess record, they do a rhythm changes tune, and Freddie is all
over the place on it. His time, his swing, oh man, it's beautiful. Get it, get
it, get it!! If you like F. Green, get it, get it, get it!!!
Victor
Victor Magnani
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> On Wed, 12 Jul 2000 10:20:01 -0400, Victor Magnani
> <vmagn...@netscape.net> wrote:
>
> >A percussion instrument is struck. An instrument that is plucked (which
> >produces it's sound by being plucked, I should say) does not qualify as a
> >percussion instrument.
>
> What is the pluck? Couldn't it be argued that plucking a
> string is a form of a strike? You strike (pluck) the string to create
> a vibration.
>
Yeah, sort of. I was just expounding the "orchestration textbook" definition, for
the purpose of clarity.
Victor
David Stephens
include percussion (bass and guitar only has no percussion, bass only has no
percussion). When comping, I think of the guitar as playing melodic rhythm.
When you turn up the volume and solo over the band, then you're a soloist
and not part of the rhythm section, unless you also comp under your solo (I
hope to do that one day, but I'm not there by a long shot). Horn/singer and
guitar duos and trios have the guitarist covering the whole waterfront, but
that doesn't change the instrument into "percussion".
Dave
Randy Zywicki <zyw...@raytheon.com> wrote in message
news:396C868B...@raytheon.com...
Tom Walls
Tom Walls
His time, his swing, oh man, it's beautiful. Get it, get
>it, get it!! If you like F. Green, get it, get it, get it!!!
>
>Victor
>
I'm there! Thanks for the info, Victor.
broy
peatea wrote:
>
> I started on piano at an early age and switched to drums. Percussion has
> always interested me. I started playing guitar at around age 14 while
> still taking drum lessons. I incorporated many of my drum patterns into my
> ryhthm guitar playing and I still do. To me, when playing rhythm guitar,
> it is a percussion instrument. What do you think?
> Pt
I believe that Sabicas, Mario Escedero, Manito de Playa and all
flamenco players would certainly consider the guitar a percussive
instrument. Regards, Billy Roy
br...@mail.the-wire.com
Soapy10999
John Wasak
news:peatea-ya02408000...@news.earthlink.net...
>
> I started on piano at an early age and switched to drums. Percussion has
> always interested me. I started playing guitar at around age 14 while
> still taking drum lessons. I incorporated many of my drum patterns into
my
> ryhthm guitar playing and I still do. To me, when playing rhythm guitar,
> it is a percussion instrument. What do you think?
>
Listen to Tal Farlow on a mid-50's recording "The Swinging Guitar of Tal
Farlow". It's a drumless trio with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on
bass. When he's not soloing Farlow turns off the volume, deadens the
strings and just chops out the time. It's an interesting effect that sounds
very similiar to a snare drum.
JW
Chip Zempel
pea...@earthlink.net (peatea) wrote:
>I started on piano at an early age and switched to drums. Percussion has
>always interested me. I started playing guitar at around age 14 while
>still taking drum lessons. I incorporated many of my drum patterns into my
>ryhthm guitar playing and I still do. To me, when playing rhythm guitar,
>it is a percussion instrument. What do you think?
>Pt
I am not going to read or reply to this thread.
I am not going to read or reply to this thread.
I am not going to read or reply to this thread...
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chip Zempel, bass
Delta Breeze a cappella quartet
If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind,
what does an empty desk signify?
David Moss
"Chip Zempel" wrote...
> I am not going to read or reply to this thread.
> I am not going to read or reply to this thread.
> I am not going to read or reply to this thread...
Ah, go on, indulge yourself!
Omcha
Thomas F Brown
John Wasak <mr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>Listen to Tal Farlow on a mid-50's recording "The Swinging Guitar of Tal
>Farlow". It's a drumless trio with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on
>bass. When he's not soloing Farlow turns off the volume, deadens the
>strings and just chops out the time. It's an interesting effect that sounds
>very similiar to a snare drum.
Tal's also got that cool bongo sound he gets by tapping on the strings.