Qualify the typical timbre of surf guitar

BPsurf23

Joined: Jun 09, 2023
Posts: 5
Montreal
Canada

Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:34 AM

In the cultural context of surf music, semantic aspects are addressed with the aim of identifying the verbal descriptors most often used to describe and qualify the typical timbre of surf guitar in the discourse of guitarists. I'm currently researching these terms for an academic paper.
Wet sound aside, are there any other water-related terms in the musicians' discourse?
Thank you for your help.

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DannySnyder

Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11075
Berkeley, CA
United States

Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:45 AM

Welcome BPsurf23 and Yes there is. Drip is the most common way to refer to the heavily reverbed wet plunky attack associated with the surf guitar sound. Here's a video of Sys, one of our most active members, demonstrating drip...

—

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

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BPsurf23

Joined: Jun 09, 2023
Posts: 5
Montreal
Canada

Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:55 AM

Thank you very much, I'll add the term Drip.
I now have Wet sound, drip,...
I can't wait to see if there are others.

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DannySnyder

Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11075
Berkeley, CA
United States

Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:59 AM

That's the main one that I know of. It may be difficult to differentiate between descriptors that are associated with water that are used to describe the surf sound versus terms that are specifically used by surf musicians. E.G. the splash of a reverb tank, the ripple effect of using the tremolo (whammy) bar, etc... So feel free to run anything by us.

—

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

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BPsurf23

Joined: Jun 09, 2023
Posts: 5
Montreal
Canada

Posted on Jun 09 2023 10:20 AM

Thanks Danny,
The ripple effect produced by the use of the tremolo bar (whammy) could be associated with the ripple of the wave. There's a good example of tornadoes' use of the whammy bar in Bustin's surfboard track. He creates a seaside atmosphere thanks to the effect of the vibrato bar, which reminds us of rippling waves. Can we talk about a wave sound?
I like the term splash sound for excessive reverberation or, if there's too much of it, for drowning out the sound.
It's useful to be able to visualize the sound to help guitarists understand each other.

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SurfAgeDaydream

Joined: Jun 30, 2023
Posts: 18
United Kingdom

Posted on Jul 03 2023 07:21 AM

I'd be very interested to read your paper when it's published, if that's possible?

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BPsurf23

Joined: Jun 09, 2023
Posts: 5
Montreal
Canada

Posted on Jul 03 2023 10:04 AM

Bonjour,
My work is part of a master's program at the Université de Montréal. My work focuses on the influence of world music in instrumental surf rock and on the study of electric guitar timbre in instrumental surf rock. I should finish them soon and I need to check with the university to see if I can share my work. If so, I'll be happy to give you a web link to consult them. My work is written in French but there are great translation sites like DeepL.com that do the job.
Thank you for your interest
Benoit

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DeathTide

Joined: Apr 13, 2018
Posts: 1378
New Orleans
United States

Posted on Jul 03 2023 10:22 AM

I too would be highly interested in reading the translated paper. Why don't you post the translation on the site?

Splashy reverb, crash of reverb, both directly remind me of the sounds of waves crashing. The drip is more like a water dripping in a cave rather than a beach. Danny is dead on with that ripple effect of wiggling the vibrato arm (it's not a trem no matter what Leo said!). That is what it sounds like, but I must admit I've never heard anyone use that term.

People often say a surf band or a song is soaked in reverb. I think I've even heard someone call a track "sopping" with reverb.

There is often a cascade of single notes, or the cascade of a glissando, which are both watery sounding. I don't know how widely used those terms are, but in my brain I use them all the time. Sometimes with tons of reverb those notes remind me of a waterfall.

Of course within the genre there's the first wave, second wave, etc. Obviously other genres have this classification, but in surf it has a cool double meaning.

I am always visualizing different aspects of the ocean when I play and compose surf. The drums are a big part of the ocean sound, rumbling and crashing like waves. There's also the quiet moments where all you hear is a little ripples and wavelets, which would be the slow tremolo guitar songs.

—

Daniel Deathtide

Last edited: Jul 03, 2023 10:23:25

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BPsurf23

Joined: Jun 09, 2023
Posts: 5
Montreal
Canada

Posted on Jul 03 2023 10:58 AM

Historically, I think the first wave of guitarists in the genre used metaphors to describe the sound of the guitar. The cultural context that fostered the emergence of surf music was closely linked to the surfing community in Southern California in the early 1960s. To cultivate these surfers' infatuation with the music, some of the genre's pioneering guitarists used symbolic soundscapes to describe the style and sound of their guitar playing in relation to the sport of surfing. Guitarists of this first wave often referred to verbal descriptors to qualify the timbre and sound of the guitar.
Surf music has retained a clear link with the metaphor of water and the ocean. I think the terms wet sound, drip and splash are the most common to refer to the sound of the surf guitar.
In surf rock, guitarists associate wet sound with reverb, but in general many musicians also describe their sound as wet or dry. An audio signal is "dry" if it's unprocessed, and it's "wet" if it's been processed in some way with an effect of some kind. This has nothing to do with the water metaphor. These days, it's hard to tell the difference between the descriptors that describe the sound of surf rock and the terms that are used by guitarists in general. Still, surf guitar has a distinctive sound and a few names that have stood the test of time.

Benoit

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SurfAgeDaydream

Joined: Jun 30, 2023
Posts: 18
United Kingdom

Posted on Jul 06 2023 09:23 AM

BPsurf23 wrote:

Bonjour,
My work is part of a master's program at the Université de Montréal. My work focuses on the influence of world music in instrumental surf rock and on the study of electric guitar timbre in instrumental surf rock. I should finish them soon and I need to check with the university to see if I can share my work. If so, I'll be happy to give you a web link to consult them. My work is written in French but there are great translation sites like DeepL.com that do the job.
Thank you for your interest
Benoit

This sounds excellent, keep us posted, many thanks, Richard

Top

BPsurf23 Joined: Jun 09, 2023 Posts: 5 Montreal	Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:34 AM In the cultural context of surf music, semantic aspects are addressed with the aim of identifying the verbal descriptors most often used to describe and qualify the typical timbre of surf guitar in the discourse of guitarists. I'm currently researching these terms for an academic paper. Wet sound aside, are there any other water-related terms in the musicians' discourse? Thank you for your help. Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11075 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:45 AM Welcome BPsurf23 and Yes there is. Drip is the most common way to refer to the heavily reverbed wet plunky attack associated with the surf guitar sound. Here's a video of Sys, one of our most active members, demonstrating drip... — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
BPsurf23 Joined: Jun 09, 2023 Posts: 5 Montreal	Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:55 AM Thank you very much, I'll add the term Drip. I now have Wet sound, drip,... I can't wait to see if there are others. Top
DannySnyder Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11075 Berkeley, CA	Posted on Jun 09 2023 09:59 AM That's the main one that I know of. It may be difficult to differentiate between descriptors that are associated with water that are used to describe the surf sound versus terms that are specifically used by surf musicians. E.G. the splash of a reverb tank, the ripple effect of using the tremolo (whammy) bar, etc... So feel free to run anything by us. — Danny Snyder "With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF Top
BPsurf23 Joined: Jun 09, 2023 Posts: 5 Montreal	Posted on Jun 09 2023 10:20 AM Thanks Danny, The ripple effect produced by the use of the tremolo bar (whammy) could be associated with the ripple of the wave. There's a good example of tornadoes' use of the whammy bar in Bustin's surfboard track. He creates a seaside atmosphere thanks to the effect of the vibrato bar, which reminds us of rippling waves. Can we talk about a wave sound? I like the term splash sound for excessive reverberation or, if there's too much of it, for drowning out the sound. It's useful to be able to visualize the sound to help guitarists understand each other. Top
SurfAgeDaydream Joined: Jun 30, 2023 Posts: 18	Posted on Jul 03 2023 07:21 AM I'd be very interested to read your paper when it's published, if that's possible? Top
BPsurf23 Joined: Jun 09, 2023 Posts: 5 Montreal	Posted on Jul 03 2023 10:04 AM Bonjour, My work is part of a master's program at the Université de Montréal. My work focuses on the influence of world music in instrumental surf rock and on the study of electric guitar timbre in instrumental surf rock. I should finish them soon and I need to check with the university to see if I can share my work. If so, I'll be happy to give you a web link to consult them. My work is written in French but there are great translation sites like DeepL.com that do the job. Thank you for your interest Benoit Top
DeathTide Joined: Apr 13, 2018 Posts: 1378 New Orleans	Posted on Jul 03 2023 10:22 AM I too would be highly interested in reading the translated paper. Why don't you post the translation on the site? Splashy reverb, crash of reverb, both directly remind me of the sounds of waves crashing. The drip is more like a water dripping in a cave rather than a beach. Danny is dead on with that ripple effect of wiggling the vibrato arm (it's not a trem no matter what Leo said!). That is what it sounds like, but I must admit I've never heard anyone use that term. People often say a surf band or a song is soaked in reverb. I think I've even heard someone call a track "sopping" with reverb. There is often a cascade of single notes, or the cascade of a glissando, which are both watery sounding. I don't know how widely used those terms are, but in my brain I use them all the time. Sometimes with tons of reverb those notes remind me of a waterfall. Of course within the genre there's the first wave, second wave, etc. Obviously other genres have this classification, but in surf it has a cool double meaning. I am always visualizing different aspects of the ocean when I play and compose surf. The drums are a big part of the ocean sound, rumbling and crashing like waves. There's also the quiet moments where all you hear is a little ripples and wavelets, which would be the slow tremolo guitar songs. — Daniel Deathtide Last edited: Jul 03, 2023 10:23:25 Top
BPsurf23 Joined: Jun 09, 2023 Posts: 5 Montreal	Posted on Jul 03 2023 10:58 AM Historically, I think the first wave of guitarists in the genre used metaphors to describe the sound of the guitar. The cultural context that fostered the emergence of surf music was closely linked to the surfing community in Southern California in the early 1960s. To cultivate these surfers' infatuation with the music, some of the genre's pioneering guitarists used symbolic soundscapes to describe the style and sound of their guitar playing in relation to the sport of surfing. Guitarists of this first wave often referred to verbal descriptors to qualify the timbre and sound of the guitar. Surf music has retained a clear link with the metaphor of water and the ocean. I think the terms wet sound, drip and splash are the most common to refer to the sound of the surf guitar. In surf rock, guitarists associate wet sound with reverb, but in general many musicians also describe their sound as wet or dry. An audio signal is "dry" if it's unprocessed, and it's "wet" if it's been processed in some way with an effect of some kind. This has nothing to do with the water metaphor. These days, it's hard to tell the difference between the descriptors that describe the sound of surf rock and the terms that are used by guitarists in general. Still, surf guitar has a distinctive sound and a few names that have stood the test of time. Benoit Top
SurfAgeDaydream Joined: Jun 30, 2023 Posts: 18	Posted on Jul 06 2023 09:23 AM BPsurf23 wrote: Bonjour, My work is part of a master's program at the Université de Montréal. My work focuses on the influence of world music in instrumental surf rock and on the study of electric guitar timbre in instrumental surf rock. I should finish them soon and I need to check with the university to see if I can share my work. If so, I'll be happy to give you a web link to consult them. My work is written in French but there are great translation sites like DeepL.com that do the job. Thank you for your interest Benoit This sounds excellent, keep us posted, many thanks, Richard Top

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Qualify the typical timbre of surf guitar