INSTRUMENTAL INQUISITION
Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments so Jason Sidwell asks top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month: Stax and Blues Brothers legend, Steve Cropper.
The great Stax house musician Steve Cropper.
GT What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeal to you?
SC: Guitars are sexy.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t?
SC: I would not have a clue.
GT: What are the tendencies with instrumentals that you aim to embrace or avoid (for instance, rhythms, harmony, playing approach, tones)?
SC: When I record an instrumental, I try to play melodies strong enough so the listener doesn’t miss a singer.
GT: Is a typical song structure of intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle 8, outro, etc, always relevant for an instrumental?
SC: Not necessarily. An instrumental is only a piece of music without a singer.
GT: How useful is studying a vocalist’s approach for guitar melodies?
SC: That is something I have never done. When covering a vocal song it only works when the musician plays the melody of the song. I don’t think a vocalist’s approach has anything to do with it being successful.
GT: How do you start writing one; is there a typical approach or inspiration for you?
SC: None that I know of. The only thing I look for in an instrumental is, if it is catchy enough.
GT: What do you aim for when your performance is centre stage for the duration of the instrumental?
SC: Just concentrate on a good entertaining performance, that’s all anyone needs to do.
GT: Many vocal songs feature a guitar solo that starts low and slow then finishes high and fast. Is this structure useful for instrumental writing, in order to develop pace and dynamics over the instrumental’s duration?
SC: I think it all depends on personal preference, because the audience will decide if they like it or not.
GT: Is there a particular type of guitar tone that you prefer for instrumentals?
SC: Whatever the player wants. I personally use the same tone and settings on everything. If I or the engineer wants a different sound I usually use a different guitar rather than change the tone on the one I am playing.
GT: Do you have favourite keys or tempos?
SC: None so far. I just adjust to whatever the key is. However, some licks cannot be played in every key because they could never sound the same. Melodies can be played in any key but not identifiable guitar licks.
GT: Do you find Minor or Major keys easier to write or play in?
SC: No!
GT: Do you have any favourite modes?
SC: None.
GT: What about modulations into new keys?
SC: Modulations are good to use when it works. In the old days some producers thought that modulations made a song better and stronger,
I don’t believe that. I do know that Soul Man, one of the biggest songs at Stax had a modulation but I would credit that as an Isaac Hayes genus approach.
GT: What are your views on harmonising melodies in your tunes?
SC: Background harmonies are only good if it works and is needed. Otis (Redding) and I agreed that backgrounds would be great on Dock Of The Bay. That was never done because there was no time after his death to do it. When I mixed the song on Tuesday the 11th they hadn’t found Otis’s body yet. It was Friday when they finally located Otis and the pilot.
GT: What three guitar instrumentals would you consider iconic, or have inspired you?
SC: My influences record-wise was: 1) Bill Dogget’s Honky Tonk, with Billy Butlar playing guitar; 2) Chuck Berry’s Deep Feeling (he played pedal steel and the record company finally released another version called Low Feeling); and 3) Bill Justus’s Raunchy, with Hank Hankins playing guitar with a pencil.
“IF I OR THE ENGINEER WANTS A DIFFERENT SOUND I USUALLY USE A DIFFERENT GUITAR RATHER THAN CHANGE THE TONE ON THE ONE I AM PLAYING.”