The Yellow Pages Method of Guitar Composition
In the early 1990's I worried that fingerstyle guitar was on a rapid march to vapidity. Open tunings were dumbing us down. I wrote this article to stimulate discussion of the matter, and it did. Two decades later I am less edgy about it. I would rather have people noodle on the guitar than rob banks or invade Iraq; if you're having musical fun, more power to you. Even so, I reproduce the article below unchanged. I still feel there is value in a gentle reminder that if you're doing Yellow Pages you may be missing out on something richer.
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.
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.