“The Books Start Off with a Lot of Guff About Music...”
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ballrooms and clubs to experience the emotional benefit that can come from music. We'reWe’re experimenting with with all all kinds kinds of of free free-form -form in our music, in the same wayway as jazzmenjazzmen useuse freefree-form -form forfor theirtheir “The"The booksbooks start start own expression. To To this end, we are drawing on all kinds of music,music, including, ofof course, the 13th13th-century -century Gregorian stuffstuff that wewe used off with a lotlot ofof guffguff on 'Still‘Still I'mI’m Sad'.Sad’. “We"We trytryhard hard to make each one of ourour recordsrecords differentdifferent from thethe last.last. Jimmy Page:Page:prefers prefers At thethe start,start, we usedused aa harpsichordharpsichord on 'ForYour‘For Your Love',Love’, forfor example, example, about music...”music..." toto set hishis bassbass string string pick-upspick-upsa a bitbit louderlouder and have tried to to be be asas different as as possible possible each each time. time. We We took took a a big riskwhenrisk when wewe released ‘Still'Winn I’m Sad' Sad’ as as anA-side an A-side with with 'Evil ‘Evil Hearted Hearted You, You’, MM NovemberNovember 66 Sessioneerjessioneer JIMMYJIMMY but we felt thatthat ‘Evil’'Evil' wasn’twasn't reallyreally strongstrong and wanted toto put a really PAGE, the11e man man The The Yardbirds Yardbirds call call “the "the guv’nor”, guv'nor", offersoffers unusual, experimental experimental thing thing on on the the other other side. side. We We spent spent a a lot lot of time his adviceadvice to to aspirant aspirant guitarists.guitarists. “Get"Get in aa group…”group..." and moneyrecordingmoney recording it." it.” Chris Dreja chippedchipped in: “The"The idea startedstarted about 18 months ago, IKNOWKNOW IT IT DOESN'T DOESN’T helphelp louder,louder, becausebecause you’reyou're inclinedinclined reallywhenreally when Paul Paul Samwell-Smith Samwell-Smith got got the the sort sort of of 'monk'‘monk’ idea. idea. When When we we when you’reyou're flat broke, but to lose the bassbass sounds.”sounds." decided toto do something like like this this and and go go out out on on a a limb by putting it it on “Igthe biggest tip tip I I cancan give Once the beginner has boughtbought our new release, Sam had the idea of aa ponderous ponderous pianopiano effect usingusing anyone startingstarting to play guitar is a satisfactorysatisfactory guitar, how should deep chords, but but this this didn't didn’t work work out. out. We We did it with the voices instead; to get the best guitar youyou can he getget aboutabout learning to play it? recording onon twotwo tracks ofof aa four-trackfour -track recording recording after after the the backingbacking afford -– even if you can’tcan't really "Personally,“Personally, I don’tdon't think that had been done. When thethe recordrecordwas was reduced, it producedproduced this weird, afford it!"it!” said said one of Britain’sBritain's top there isis a goodgood guitarguitar tutortutor book multimulti-voiced -voiced effect. It waswas far far better better inin fact fact than than justjust double-trackingdouble -tracking session guitarists,guitarists, Jimmy Page. on thethe market. The books usually over and over again. We We took a chance making making it it the the A A-side, -side, too, but we “Buy"Buy the best youyou can, because start off with with a a lot of guff about wanted toto do a very unconventionalunconventional thing thing on on record. record. For For example, we we constant `swapping'‘swapping’ will cost you music: `This‘This is aa minim,’minim,' and so on. almost used Indian Indian musicians musicians on on 'Heart ‘Heart Full Full Of Of Soul', Soul’, butbut inin the end a lotlot ofof moneymoney in thethe end. PartPart What you you wantwant is is some basic Jeff diddid thethe IndianIndian influence on on guitar. guitar. We We wondered if if it would get exchange usually ends upup costingcosting chord shapes. Music at this stage the plugs, butbut twotwo different different publishers publishers handledhandled thethe sidessides andand therethere you aa fair fair bit.bit. GetGet aa good good guitarguitar isis useless.useless. No,No, II think think thethe bestbest was a lotlot ofof competition. competition. straight away.away. AlwaysAlways buybuy aa guitar guitar thing isis to get in with someone “People"People have asked us us how how we we werewere goinggoing toto do it on stage, but it with a well-knownwell-known name. Don’tDon't who plays a bitbit ofof guitarguitar already. comes over veryverywell well using voices withwith ourour ownown amplificationamplification system get an obscureobscure foreignforeign make –- Everybody knows someone who and we can get thethe fullfull mysterymystery andand strangenessstrangeness that that Sam Sam and and Keith Keith the neckneck willwill probablyprobably dropdrop offoff plays guitar.guitar. WhenWhen you’veyou've gotgot first sensed.”sensed." after one week.”week." some way, get in a group.group. There’sThere's Jeff Beck Beck and and Keith Keith said said that that musically musicallywhat what they theywere were aimingaiming Twenty oneone-year-old -year -old Page wentwent always someone in a groupgroup who for waswas to to portray portray and and create create emotion emotion through through abstractabstract sounds.sounds. on: “There"There are threethree main pointspoints can teachteach youyou something.something. "An“An abstract abstract painterpainter createscreates emotionemotion through the medium of of his to watch forfor “I"I think the painting. We We are trying to create the same sort of emotion using our when you’reyou're best tuition music as our paints,”paints," said Keith. "We“We areare overflowingoverflowing with ideas, buying a guitar.guitar. “Slow"Slow downdown LPsLPs to is toto listenlisten to perhaps too too many," many,” said said Jeff. Jeff. “Many"Many of themthem suffersuffer fromfrom beingbeing too Firstly, make records. Slow vague. WWhen hen wewe playplayto to anan audience,audience, wewe areare sometimes sometimes afraidafraid thatthat sure the neck is 16rpm and learn down LPs to by doingdoing ourour experimental experimental numbers people will laughlaugh andand thinkthink straight. You 16rpm and learn we'rewe’re playing aajoke. joke. That’sThat's whywhywe we includeinclude thethe sortsort ofof technical technical can looklook down solos. Practise solos,solos,things things like numbers, like like a guitar boogie piece, toto showshowpeople people that we cancan play the body of thethe things you don’tdon't that. Always all the ordinary stuff, stuff, like like the R&BR&B ravers,ravers, butbut areare tryingtrying toto taketake themthem guitar to check practise things a stepstep furtherfurther experimentally. this. Secondly, already know”know" that you don’tdon't “We"We trytry hardhard to achieveachieve this and when when we we feelfeel we'rewe’re getting over over toto make sure thethe already know. the audience, wewe go wildwild ourselves, ourselves, hoping hoping and and sometimes sometimes succeedingsucceeding harmonic note It’sIt's uselessuseless in takingtaking the audience withwith us. on the 12th fretfret down is inin tunetune doing things you can. Try toto playplay “We"We feel,” feel," said said Keith, Keith, that that with with ‘Still 'Winn I’m Sad' Sad’ we'vewe’ve opened up the with the open note on the 12th things thatthat are are above above you.you. They pop music scene to allall musicalmusical influences.influences. It’sIt's important,important, too, to bebe fret. If it is inin tunetune there’sthere's nothingnothing may taketake aa week week to to getget off,off, but able to playplay youryour instrument instrument toto its limit. Many expertexpert musicians whowho to worry about. If not, the neckneck what an accomplishment! If are brilliant technically wouldn't wouldn’t play play like like us orordo do the sort of thingsthings could be up thethe spout, or the you'reyou’re really keen, it’llit'll come by we dodo with with our our instruments instruments to to create createemotion emotion – -likeprolonged like prolonged bridge is out of position.position. itself.itself. Keep floggingflogging away away at thethe feedback, for instance.instance. ButBut I’mI'm suresure they’dthey'd appreciate what what we we are “Thirdly,"Thirdly, try out the guitar’sguitar's chord changes and allall that.”that." experimentingwithexperimenting with and and trying trying to to achieve. achieve. We We a are re applyingapplying the action. You wantwant toto looklook outout forfor Has JimmyJimmy gotgot any tipstips for principles of free-formfree-fo rm improvisation improvisation andand extemporisationextemporisation to pop a goodgood actionaction –-so so make sure playing blues guitar, aa style he is music. I feel we’vewe've left behindbehind the R& R&B B school school that that wewe usedused to belongbelong that when you placeplace youryour fingersfingers particularly proficient in? in? to. WeWejustuseR&B just use R&B numbersnumbers –-and and a a lotlot of others,otherS, too too-as – as rawraw materialmaterial inin oneone ofof thethe chordchord positionspositions you "For“For blues guitar, the best thingthing for ourour experiments.”experiments." have learnt,learnt, thethe stringsstrings don’tdon't push isis toto destringdestring the guitar. II hope this I listenedlistened to anan acetateacetate of aa numbernumber which TheThe Yardbirds cut in your fingers backback into thethe air.air. The isn’tisn't too technical butbut itit simplysimply isis Memphis, TennesseeTennessee duringduringtheir their recentrecentAmerican American tourtourand and which which action can bebe adjustedadjusted byby alteringaltering this: put a 6th6th string on the 5th; the is almostalmost certaincertain to be theirtheir nextnext singlesingle release.release. “It"It utilises utilises some someof of the bridge, or pruning the neck 5th becomes aa 4th, the 4th, aa 3rd, the principles we've we’ve been talkingtalking about," about,” said said Keith, Keith, "with“with the freefree back by alteringaltering the truss rod, at and so on.on.