| The
open tuning has been both a blessing and a scourge upon the guitar world.
Anyone who has tinkered with alternate tunings knows the excitement of discovering
the universe of possibilities that exists only beyond the standard formulation.
But as more and more players venture beyond EADGBE, and as they record their
discoveries, it becomes apparent that a grave danger accompanies the seductive
lure of the open tuned guitar. As scores
of fingerstyle albums on the market confirm, the utter ease with which
pleasing sounds spring forth from open tunings all too often acts as a
substitute for creativity. Suddenly composing is easy. Put your guitar
in a funny tuning and let your fingers do the walking, randomly. When
you find a riff you like, write it down. When you've discovered five or
six, string them together and come up with a name. Lo and behold, you've
got a "composition." The Yellow
Pages method of guitar composition, all the rage since the open tuning
explosion, turns the creative process on its head. Now the fingers, not
the soul, create the music. By making available a selection of easily
discoverable licks, the open tuning permits, even tempts the unwary, or
lazy composer to substitute a mechanical process of riff hunting for what
was once a creative endeavor. The tuning and a game of "hunt and peck"
dictate the form and flavor of the composition. The guitar assumes the
role of a one-armed bandit that if manipulated enough will produce a pleasing
jingle. And like the slot machine, the open tuning eventually produces
that pleasing jingle even if the player's brain is fully disengaged throughout
the process. With its reliance
on digital search, the Yellow Pages method produces note patterns that
the artist has discovered, not music that the artist has created. The
distinction is not an academic one. Indeed, it explains precisely why
so many open tuning compositions are entirely devoid of emotion. With
riff hunting, the instrument is no longer the bridge between the listener
and the artist's musical spirit. It is no longer the tool giving voice
to the music within. Instead, the guitar is reduced to a stage upon which
the player displays his digital discoveries. For the listener, the nourishing
connection between himself and the guitarist is lost, replaced by finger
food. A parallel to poetry readings is helpful. A poet who discovers a clever rhyme may entertain, even amaze, but he will not move an audience. Likewise the guitarist who lets his fingers do the walking. |