Going For A Song
It’s so enjoyable to just noodle about on the guitar that it’s easy to forget that the origins of the guitar’s 20th century boom in popularity lie in songs, not soloing. You can find evidence of this in the tiny frets of Les Paul Customs back in the 50s, built to make moving between jazz chords up and down the neck easy. Likewise, the beautiful Byrds-era Rickenbacker electrics of the early 60s could be seen really as a kind of amplified acoustic guitar, in terms of the intent behind their design, rather than soloists’ instruments. I’d argue that even the most famous solos in modern rock, such as Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb, only work as beautifully as they do because they have as their springboard all the emotional weight and poignant power of the song itself to launch off from.
Therefore, guitarists who focus solely on soloing as opposed to songcraft can miss out on what is really the main reason people listen to music: because they feel moved, compelled and involved by songs. Few guitarists understand that as well as Mark Knopfler (see interview, page 56) whose post-Dire Straits solo career has seen him find yet more depth and subtlety in his songcraft over the years, to the point where crafting lyrics can dominate his working hours. But fans of his playing needn’t worry – there are some vintage Knopfler guitar moments on his new album, One Deep River. Clearly, the sale of much of his guitar collection hasn’t been a farewell to the instrument, though he made some frank and thoughtful reflections about his relationship with the guitar as we chatted. If you love great songs, give the interview a read; you won’t find a better, nor more experienced, exponent of what matters in songcraft than Mr Knopfler.
Moving on to unhappier news, everyone at Guitarist was saddened to hear that Mike Lewis, long-serving head of Fender’s Custom Shop, has died. Mike was an inexhaustible well of knowledge about Fender guitars and so many articles in this magazine were the richer for his insights on everything from Broadcaster pickups to vintage Stratocasters. More importantly, his leadership of the Custom Shop saw its guitars become globally admired as the ultimate expression of Fender’s lutherie, a legacy his family and friends can be proud of, along with his many other prior achievements at Fender and in music. Our thoughts and sympathies are with them at this difficult time. Hope you enjoy the issue and see you next time.