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As I've been reading the posts here,
and have been poking around a few different sites,
I've been thinking (something I tend to do too much..)
and wondering about the origins of Surf Music...
I noticed in one post someone made a distinction
between surf music and Ventures records.
One of the ideas that keeps cropping up
is something that also happened to the designer
of our beloved Fender guitars,
Leo Fender himself.
When you invent something new, you may intend it
to be for a certain target audience or market....
but it doesn't always work out the way you expect.
Surprising things happen!
The Stratocaster was practically co-designed by a country-western
guitarist... (Bill Carson) but it never had the popularity for country
guitar that the
Telecaster had...
With the Jazzmaster, it's obvious even from the name what market
Leo was aiming for, but likewise never caught on in that market.
By the time the Jaguar came out, Leo probably realized who was actually
buying his Strats and Jazzmasters, and what kind of music they were using
it for (because of the mute on the Jaguar), but the short scale length
seems to
be one more attempt to lure the jazz guitarists who would be used to
the shorter scale on Gibsons, but hedging his bets on the potential
market with
a more neutral name.
Sales to surf musicians must've been a big factor keeping Fender
prospering
so musicians in other styles would have a chance to try 'em, like 'em,
and buy 'em.
There is probably no other style in which Fender instruments are so
completely
dominant.
Anyway, Nokie Edwards was a country guitarist from the Pacific Northwest,
where the Ventures were formed.
( )
While the Ventures were certainly popular other places,
they seemed to really inspire the music scene in Southern California,
where the basic style really took root, and where the music got it's most
enduring name.
The name "Surf" probably confuses some people because as the real
surfer on the list has pointed out, ;^) there are plenty of people
even in Southern California who listen(ed) to the music who never owned a
surfboard.
The music has always had an appeal far beyond the actual surfing scene.
As a kid in the Midwest learning guitar at age 14, I think I can testify
to
one of the reasons for instrumental surf guitar's popularity:
Most guys at age 14 have voices that are changing so rapidly,
they can't sing worth beans! In our pretty awful garage band from a
suburb of
Chicago, I think Wipeout and Pipeline were the only two we could get
through
in a halfway decent manner, mostly because of the absence of vocals.
(We thought surfing was cool, but used to joke about "Surf's up on Lake
Michigan!"
and we couldn't even do skateboards because the sidewalks were so broken
up from the freezing winters, and the hard wheels available at the time
were
very unforgiving when confronted with anything but smooth...)
Now, it's pretty obvious to me that the lack of vocals would also appeal
to musicians in places like Russia, Denmark, and Sweden.
I correspond with a Danish guitarist, (not the surf guitarist).
They do quite a few songs in English. My acquaintance is not the main
singer,
but probably speaks the best English. He's shared with me a few of the
funny
mistakes that the other singers have made singing in what is to them a
foreign language.
And it's a tremendous handicap, since even if you have the accent down
flawlessly, it can be harder to sing expressively in a foreign language.
(having heard him on an mp3, I do have to say their lead singer does
a great job, though!)
Anyway, I think it's great that you guys and others are trying to
maintain
the scene's openness to bands from far flung places.
Even if the music will always have a huge association with So Cal.
Musicians from other places know that, there's no need to rub it in.
Am I getting a handle on the basic history of it all?
(BTW, getting this in digest form does make it harder to keep track
of names of who said what- sorry!)
Michael
