WARNING: This is very much a trainspotting post!
With Shadowmania looming, for the performers appearing on the show it's full steam ahead with practising our sets. The Shadowers have already become well known for accurately reproducing the sounds of the Shadows' records. This is in no small way down to our individual knowledge and analysis of our respective parts. Personally, this means trying to get as close as possible to Hank Marvin's sound, tone and playing.
Today, whilst rehearsing a classic Shads tune from 1961, I wanted to brush up on a couple of Hank's phrases and try to replicate the way he played them in the studio. I played the original and was surprized to hear how much tonal difference there was between my sound and the sound that I was hearing on the record: I thought I was near enough spot on with the sound. It made me realize how much we misremember things in general. Check out a few of the home recordings that appear on YouTube or the various Shadows fan websites, and then compare the guitar sounds to the sounds on the Shadows' records. Most guitarists play with far too much treble in their sound, which is an easy trap to fall into. I find myself doing it occasionally, even though I'm very conscious of trying not to do so. It's harder to identify the problem for yourself as you're not aware of the small changes that happen over time. Small changes that add up to make a big difference. Today, when listening again to the said tune, I discovered how far removed my sound had become from the recorded sound. It was easy to rectify my mistake, but I was amazed at how badly I'd misremembered the sound. As I've said, I thought I was getting it just right.
I decided to test myself again with another tune which I thought I've had sounding good over the last few months. I played the record to hear the tone, and, hey presto, my memory had let me down once more. Again, I hadn't originally heard it wrongly, but I realized that over time my recall of how to pick the notes had blurred and evolved. More often than not, the character of the note is down to how you pick, and not your amplifier settings. I had been accepting a sound that, once I listened to the record once again, I realized was not quite 100% there, and it was largely due to my playing technique. It took some time to study the sound and work out how Hank picks the tune. In fact, after the time I put in today, I believe certain tunes are sounding more authentic than I've ever had them.
So, to all purist guitar-playing Shads fans and musicians that strive to replicate any particular piece of music (I guess this applies mainly to tribute artistes), I must stress the importance of not leaving it too long before you next listen to the record/s you're trying to copy. Your mind will deceive you, and you will need to "recalibrate" your ear more often than you think. From now on, before each gig, I'll be spending some time listening to certain records of the Shads to make sure I'm presenting as true a form of "That Sound" as is possible.
There. I told you it was a post for the anoraks!
Ciao for now...
J
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