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morris
Apr 13, 2018 13:25:47 GMT
Post by jonnybees on Apr 13, 2018 13:25:47 GMT
hope this is the right section of the forum for this... I bought my reso for blues. however I also play a lot of folk including accompanying a morris side with a squeezebox, banjo and occasional whistle / fiddle / second squeezebox/melodeon dep on peoples availability. Sometimes, its totally acoustic - especially practices, and my poor acoustic can't keep up volume wise. Then in a moment of inspiration I thought hang on, reso's were developed for extra volume...so lets give it a go. Oh my what a difference and it sounds fantastic in this setting. Reason for posting - anyone else used a reso for folk or in unusual scenarios? sorry if already covered I don't get to read everything on here!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2018 13:44:39 GMT
I play anything on it - disco, funk, punk, rock. Blues even sometimes... TT
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 13, 2018 13:56:42 GMT
Hi jonnybees, There is a bit of a myth and a misunderstanding about resonator guitars that they are built for playing slide guitar. While it is true of square-neck instruments, it is not true of any other model. They are ampliphonic, or resophonic acoustic guitars, designed in the pre-electric era to be heard in large venues. It is quite acceptable and quite normal in the circles I have moved in for most of my life, to play all kinds of music on resonator instruments. It is only really in the last 20 years that they have become more and more accepted as just slide guitars. Here are some photos of Nationals not being used as slide guitars Shine On Michael
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2018 17:12:16 GMT
Also when bands started recording,either in the studio or on radio (as often as not with one ambient mike) guitarists realised they were getting a raw deal compared with brass players and especially drummers so the need to amplify the guitar (in the days before the electric guitar appeared) led to the development of resonators. Hence National's use of words like power and clarity in their blurb. It was only later on that people realised a steel body resonator sounded good played with a slide.
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Post by creolian on Apr 13, 2018 19:10:48 GMT
Hello there,
One of the things I've admired about a lot of the older blues players is that they were happy to play on whatever was available... I'm not sure many rural musicians in the south could have afforded a National...
Along with delta blues, I find metal reso guitars really at home with the tin pan ally music of the 20s and 30s. Especially the mainly rhythm all downstroke rumpf rumpf rumpf playing heard from that era.
My particular (or peculiar) style of playing seems to be mostly a cross of piedmont and bluegrass that has sort of evolved as a result of never "studying" music as much as just trying to let something inside of my musical imagination out. IMHO, labels are just limits... Whatever style, Let er rip !
All best,
Jeff
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Post by slide496 on Apr 13, 2018 19:29:35 GMT
Valerie Turner, whom I admire, plays Piedmont style started using a resonator:
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Post by Stevie on Apr 14, 2018 8:54:43 GMT
That was nice. I can see why you admire her.
e&oe...
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morris
Apr 14, 2018 11:22:00 GMT
Post by slide496 on Apr 14, 2018 11:22:00 GMT
Here's another woman player non-slide on a national, playing John Hurt, Mamie Minch.
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morris
Apr 15, 2018 11:38:35 GMT
Post by mississippiblue on Apr 15, 2018 11:38:35 GMT
From Church Choirs to Juke Joints the Resonator has got your back.
Take Care, MississippiBlue
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Post by jonnybees on Apr 16, 2018 8:00:41 GMT
thanks all; I guess I have always been aware of the history of resos - I think i was trying to say its funny how despite that there was a delay before I thought to use it for folk / morris dancing accompaniment - habits die hard! I would now say a reso (especially a wood bodied) is actually one of the more versatile guitars out there. Positively, people in the very traditional world of morris have embraced it too, I suspected some might not but I was wrong, and I have several times had to turn into a mini michael messer explaining the history / nuances of resos! I'd still love to know if there any other reso users in the folk world, just purely out of interest. the thing is I now need another one - the morris / folk one is permanently in drop D tuning, and I use it like that every day. need another to leave in altered tuning, cant keep retuning it all the time!!
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