Dylan Ryche

The string-slapper

At a time when many acoustic soloists have abandoned standard tuning, Toronto’s Dylan Ryche has found an abundance of fresh material in it. It’s not all he uses, but a number of highlights from his 2021 release Twotigers make use of the tuning we all know best. It gives some chord voicings a welcome familiarity, but because it’s rarely used in this genre now, it ironically helps him sound original.

Ryche tends to create brighter textures than his peers, partly because of the absence of massive downtuned bass notes. He’s largely not into treating his guitar like a cajon, but he is an excellent exponent of the Nuno Bettencourt ‘slap the strings on 2 & 4’ technique. This means many of his tunes come with a nearirresistible urge to nod your head. Titles like It’s A good day and Baby i Don’t mind underscore his feelgood vibe. This chipper Canadian’s Twitter bio describes him as a “Songwriter, musician, producer, dad & KISS Fan”, and while he rarely rock and rolls all night, he will make you want to party every day.

“Dylan sticking to standard tuning has ironically helped him sound original”