Spotlight: Elliott Sharp

I have wanted to get Elliott Sharp in the magazine for years. With a musical history spanning over thirty years, he practically qualifies as a pioneer in the world of modern guitar. A new record Rub Out The Word [Infrequent Seams] features the guitarist providing electronic soundscapes that interact with Steve Buscemi reading the words of William Burroughs. This perfect pairing made it the ideal time to present E# in Guitar Moderne.

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Photo: Peter Gannushkin

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Ambient Effect Ideas

Like That Pedal Show, Tim And Pete’s Guitar Show is a master class for guitarists of any persuasion. Session stars Tim Pierce and Pete Thorn talk to their peers about playing, gear, and the business. This one, with Michael Thompson is especially good on a number of levels. Thompson has played on records for everyone from Mike Oldfield to Kenny G. The majority of his work involves delivering pop sounds, but here he demonstrates some interesting ways of creating cool ambient textures. Also fascinating is watching three guitarists solo over the same track with the same guitar through the same gear.

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Awesome Loops

Samuel Hällkvist demos some of his cool, odd time loops.

Three voices: 6×7/8 ~ 14/4 ~ 7×6/8
using Eventide plate algorithm, Pigtronix Infinity Looper, some backwards delay and fuzz at the end.

A rhythmic figure based on two bars of 9/4 in loop A. in loop B there’s 12 dotted quarter notes, which makes the same length as A. some fuzz, Hexe Revolver, hall algorithm from Eventide and Pigtronix Infinity looper .

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Spotlight: Peter Freeman

For the second bassist to be featured in Guitar Moderne, I can think of no one more fitting than Peter Freeman. But to call Freeman a bass player is like calling Rick Cox, with whom he has often worked, a guitarist—true as far is goes, but hardly the whole story. Like Cox, Freeman has been heavily involved in sound design for movies, and is as likely to be found programming drums, playing synthesizer, or manipulating electronics as plucking a four-stringed instrument.

His work producing the legendary Jon Hassell, alone, has earned him an esteemed place in the annals of electroacoustic music. I first spoke to Freeman for a piece on Hassell for the late EQ magazine. I am including the transcript of that first conversation with Freeman as a bonus.

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Spotlight: Robert Jürjendal

Robert Jürjendal studied classical guitar and composition at Georg Ots Tallinn Music School. In1992 he took part in Guitar Craft, a series of guitar and personal development classes founded by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. One result of these classes was the formation of Weekend Guitar Trio with fellow students Tõnis Leemets and Mart Soo.

Jürjendal’s approach to modern guitar couches his classic technique in tones generated by his Roland VG-8, and loops, often adding Eastern European elements including vocal soloists and choirs. His most recent release is Source of Joy [Unsung Records], a compendium of compositions that range from melodic respites to epic washes with an unfaltering sense of lyricism even during the most atonal moments.

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