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--- In , "kahunatikiman" <chris@b...> wrote:
> Sometimes I think the rythym players really
> drive these surf classics. I really enjoy playing rythym! I think
> Rob Edwards and John Anderson are some of the unsung heros of the
> first wave. I love the driving rythym, and I think its one of the
> tougher parts to play right. lead guitar gets the glory, rythym
> gets no respect!
I have always been fascinated by rhythm guitar as well, and tend to
find it very essential. I remember watching the rhythm player in Eddie
& The Showmen in that South Bay reunion tape, and thinking to myself,
holy crap!
The Shadows also had tremendously cool rhythm guitar parts. I was
stunned the first time I saw Ivan Pongracic Sr. play those parts! I
don't know how he plays them that fast and smoothly and I'll never
know how he figured out those parts in the first place! Typically that
guitar part is a bit buried in the mix, and those Shadows songs often
feature minor 7th's or other chords you don't typically find in your
day to day surf playing. How anyone can distinguish between an Am7 and
Am when the part is hard to hear and played so fast is pretty
impressive to me.
Patrick from The Madeira (and Destination Earth) is a real natural at
fast and furious guitar playing. Check him out in the videos on the
Madeira page. I cannot tell you how incredibly happy I was to hear the
Madeira to "The Victor" complete with rhythm guitar part! And he did a
great job on the Space Cossack covers.
And finally I can't forget to mention The Atlantics from Australia,
who were influenced by The Shadows. More incredibly fast rhythm guitar
parts that really drive the songs along.
The above styles I mentioned are quite different from the Astronauts
"chunking" rhythm style, but I like that equally well; it is also an
essential surf idiom.
I would really like to get better at this aspect of the guitar, not
only the Shadows style but even the ska stylings that (inexplicably)
appeared on The Fender IV's "Everybody Up" and the stuff the early
Halibuts were doing.
BN
PS I also have a hell of a time spelling "rhythm" and have to look it
up every time I use it!
