You learn by listening and asking questions here/using the search function to read the archives. There is over 10 years of information here and this board used to be really hopping and full of the guys who made the music you are listening to.

If you ask a question on this board, you are almost always going to get a detailed answer. There was recently a thread about Jazz-influenced surf, you should find it!

Hi Someotherbruce!

Welcome to SG101! You've definitely come to the right place! Without question, this is the internet's number one resource for everything and anything dealing with Surf instrumental music!

It's so great that you're starting to listen close and are so inquisitive about it! To answer your questions...

1. Are there specific sub-types or sub-genres for surf?

IMHO, yes, absolutely. This question is not universally agreed upon, however. If you discuss it with people that deal more with a lot of the contemporary bands and current global scene, then it is abundantly clear that the Surf tree as we all know it has grown, expanded, progressed, and branched off into many, many different distinct sub-genres. I always make the analogy that it is much like Heavy Metal in this way.

On the other side of the coin, there are those with more of a First-Wave or traditional mindset that don't or won't acknowledge that this has happened or choose to remain stubbornly narrow-minded about it. You'll hear vague, dismissive statements like "I can't define it, but I know it when I hear it." Or "old/vintage/genuine Fender sounds." Or "not primarily defined by a restricted set of musical means, but that the typical musical means are used to express a certain idea." As with any deeper musicological study, one has to be able to clearly articulate precisely what one is discussing.

1. If I want to listen to slow, jazzy instrumentals - are there specific groups or songs I should seek out? If I want to listen to a more upbeat, fast sound - do Dick Dale type sounds come under a specific sub-genre?

Yes. Half the fun of this ever-expanding genre is the discovery and satisfaction of the hunt aspect. So, I'm not going to directly name any bands, but direct your attention to using the SG101 search engine and, as you stated, encourage reading through the specific threads to learn about the sub-genres. *A quick tip for searching....after you type in your key words in the "All these words" window, just click the "Forum Topics" box. This really helps narrow down the search.

"Dick Dale" type sounds will most often be found in a "Traditional" sub-category.

I would suggest tuning in to North Sea Surf Radio and keeping your device nearby to see what band and song are playing at the moment. Then you can make personal notes about what you like or don't like and then seek out more similar bands. *Tip: listen through Shoutcast. This will show the current band and song. Some of the other apps such as Tune In do not show this vital information.

Another wonderful thing about NSSR is the variety of theme shows. Now, this isn't fully up and functioning at the moment, but is scheduled to return in due course. I'm referring to very specific hours of the days that run only Surf music from one particular sub-genre. For instance, all traditional, or horror-themed, or spaghetti western, or mellow/jazzy, or pre-Surf, or cutting-edge, etc.

1. And is Exotica a sub-type, or is it a predecessor?

Exotica is another genre entirely that came before Surf music. It developed out of Les Baxter's compositions and Martin Denny's execution, particularly as house band at the Shell bar at the Hawaiian Village Hotel. Having said that, I would go so far as to say that there is definitely a sub-genre of Surf that focuses on the Exotica influence above all else. Especially today with the ever-growing popularity of the Tiki sub-culture. Again, more fun research!

Have fun and enjoy every second of listening! There is soooo much out there! Cheers!

Insect Surfers
The Tikiyaki Orchestra
The Scimitars
Lords Of Atlantis
Fiberglass Jungle - Surf Radio

The "A Day at the Beach" podcast is also a REALLY good source of surf worth listening to.

http://www.diyribbonmic.com/adayatthebeach/

Will

"You're done, once you're a surfer you're done. You're in. It's like the mob or something. You're not getting out." - Kelly Slater

The Luau Cinders

Appreciate it. Those were from our first gig. We REALLY need to get someone to get some new videos.

Will

"You're done, once you're a surfer you're done. You're in. It's like the mob or something. You're not getting out." - Kelly Slater

The Luau Cinders

JonPaul provided a wealth of information. While I enjoy really digging into some rockin’ Surf, I also appreciate the mellow stuff. Los Straitjackets and The Ventures are good sources for this. It’s not Surf in the strict sense of the word, but uses reverb drenched guitars and is at least cousins to the Surf genre.

I grew up in the sixties and can say from experience that there were a lot of people playing guitar instrumentals with reverb and some twang. Some names were probably forgotten after one album, others endured. The electric guitar was still relatively new and young men holding “plank guitars” and playing instrumental versions of Pop music looked good on TV. The town in which I was born had one such group, four brothers that played 3 guitars and one bass, with a hired hand on drums. They were daily fair on the local TV station and looked all the rage in their matching suits, sweating under the hot television studio lights. That was just one small midwestern city; the same thing was happening all over the US.

Dick Dale did a lot more than Miserlou, including some quite mellow material, like Summer Surf. Many Surf bands were multilithic, mixing strict Surf music, direct from Huntington Beach, with instrumentals of popular songs which would be recognizable to a broad audience. It wasn’t hard to find a Country band doing instrumentals that varied from Surf in content, but employed a similar clean guitar sound with lots of reverb.

Duane Eddy is always worth a listen. Beyond the music that established his career in the late fifties, he continued to record a lot of instrumental guitar and did some very interesting things in the sixties, eventually moving into Country Music.

One other tune I think is worthwhile to learn is the original Honky Tonk as performed by Bill Doggett on organ and Billy Butler on guitar. I’ve heard it referred to as “the Bing Bang of Rock n’ Roll Guitar” and I think there’s something to that. Jeff Beck also did it on the bonus materials portion of the Live at Ronnie Scott’s DVD. Much of what I learned about playing Rock n’ Roll Guitar is built upon things I learned from that song.

Many of these songs predate Surf or are parallel genres, but they all, at the very least, shed light on the world of Surf Guitar.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Last edited: Nov 26, 2017 12:47:59

Here's something else to blow your mind! Surf music from other countries! IMO, Surf Music was derived from instrumental groups from the late 50's of which the Ventures, The Shadows and others played a large part. From these groups spawned a huge worldwide instrumental scene with Eleki in Japan, Rautalanka in Europe, some Cumbia influences in Latin America, and so many more. Here's my favorite playlist of Turkish instrumentals from the 60's! So Surfy!

Jeremy