Much controversy has arisen about whether or not the recordings of Robert Johnson we have been listening to for years were speed altered. Some musicologists are convinced Johnson’s released recordings are 20% faster than those he performed in two solo sessions in 1936 and 1937, and they wonder how this happened, when it happened, and why it happened.
Many blame advances in technology, some claim it to be a conscious decision made during the mastering process, and others claim that there actually is no speed alteration. If the recordings indeed were sped up by 20%, slowing them down would result in a significant change in pitch and tempo that would have a serious impact on the history of the blues and all of the music and musicians influenced by Johnson. Is it possible that we have never heard what this very influential singer-guitarist truly sounded like?
You be the judge:
“Crossroad Blues” – Fast (original):
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“Crossroad Blues” – Slow (revised):
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Steve “Red” Lasner has rubbed elbows and performed with many great and famous musicians including Buddy Miles, John Sebastian, Derek Trucks, Robben Ford and many more. In 2009 TrueFire released Red’s first instructional guitar course Blues Expose. Red continues to perform locally, nationally and internationally and continues to produce instructional material.
Stowell is, by all accounts, a calm man when you’re sitting face to face with him in an office kitchen conducting an interview. But if you bother to peer a little deeper you soon see the intensity – the l’esprit de feu that no doubt drives his playing. Playing that, for lack of a better word, can only be called jazz, but for the better part of 30 years has also been called “daringly original,” “transcending,” and “unique.”
Friends and fans of Stowell all say his playing is as original as he is. That to let his music in, you also need to let in a piece of his spirit; a slow-burning ember that will eventually grow into an inferno. And in the span of 30 years, Stowell has started a lot of fires with his music; bright beacons that lead him all over the world. He says he just tries to be inclusive.
”I want to try to, as quickly as possible, establish a flow of energy back and forth between me and whoever I’m playing for,” said Stowell. “And if we can invite them in, then we can take them on a little journey with us and in some cases ask them to listen to something that’s fairly challenging.”
In many ways, Stowell’s music is challenging. You’d expect that from a master guitarist. But listening to him play leaves the average person scratching their heads with heavy hands of awe, and respect, which unfortunately seems to leave their hands too busy to pick up his records. His music isn’t terrible, it’s hauntingly good, but Stowell challenges you to listen to music in a way that isn’t done anymore – with patience, curiosity and a sense of wonder.
And some would say that’s why John Stowell still has one hurdle: finding his next gig.
The harmonies of jazz are what attracted Stowell to the style. He got his start in Connecticut, before moving to a small town north of New York City in the 1970’s. “Every jazz musician spends some time in New York,” explains Stowell. Looking for more opportunities to perform, Stowell built a tightly knit network of musician friends and started traveling the country to play gigs. His motto and advice is that when an opportunity presents itself, see if you can go with the flow. Eventually, Stowell’s gigs were not only in different towns, but different countries. He hasn’t stopped traveling since.
“I don’t have any regrets,” said Stowell. Most musicians Stowell’s age are teaching, have homes, families and responsibilities. He admits that he knows very few guys in their late fifties who are out on the road as mush as he is. But John Stowell’s only responsibility is his music and that’s exactly the way he wants it, “I’m doing what I have to in order to keep the music out there.”
John’s dedication is slowly paying off. He’s cultivated a small international following which has allowed him to perform on over 4 continents — to audiences of sometimes no more than 50 people. But even when he’s performing in the living room of a fan’s home, Stowell often makes more money than if he had performed in a club. An interesting trend that’s starting to pick up momentum.
But after 30 years, it becomes clear that each gig is still only the beginning for him.
”My goal is to just be the best musician I can be and hopefully have some people enjoy it along the way.” Stowell says, looking out the window. It’s a gray November sky. “I’m not a money maker for anybody. It’s a little grassroots life that I still like enough to keep doing. I don’t have a family, no debt, so I can travel around as much as I want to. But I’m basically surviving on the road from the good graces of friends.” Stowell references an email he received, that basically said if you can find 1,000 fans in the world, you’re fine. I tell him he has a new fan in me. His response is humbling and gracious.
Hanging on the wall behind Stowell’s head is a framed print of Van Gogh’s At the Foot of the Mountains (seen right).
“In my case, my goals have been the same for the past 30 years. To be the best player and teacher I can, travel as much as I can, play with as many good players as I can, stay positive, stay ethical, keep going, document my work, record my CD’s and keep it growing,” Stowell said.
There is a famliar allure to Stowell’s life. He has no teather holding him back from his dreams. And perhaps that notion is the little piece of his soul you have to let inside. That is the ember that lights the path. Because to discover John Stowell‘s music, you are discovering what’s really at the end of a road less traveled.
Check out these two beautiful performances by John during his last trip to TrueFire:
“Useless Landscape”
“How Deep Is The Ocean”
Learn from John Stowell with his latest jazz guitar lessons in “Modern Jazz Improvisation” – now available for instant download
From the very first moment we plug in our guitar, we begin our quest for the Holy Grail of Tone. With an Indiana Jones-like tenacity we explore the digital and analog landscape attempting to uncover the quintessential combination of guitar, strings, amps, pedals and other assorted doo dads. Rarely do we succeed. In fact, sometimes it seems that no matter what we try, or what we spend, the prize we seek eludes us. Most of us spend fortunes on gear and various rehabilitative treatments for GAS, the obsessive compulsive disorder affecting most guitar players (the most effective cure being TUMS aka Time to Unload My Stuff).
One of the key revelations we experience along the way is that it’s not just gear that shapes tone; it’s the tactile interaction between our flesh and the guitar itself. Larry Carlton is a great example; without touching a dial or a pedal, Larry’s lines morph from clean, bell-like melodies to those sweet, singing, driven, lines he is so well-known for. Yes, he plays a $40k Dumble but really, it’s all about “touch” and he’d be the first to tell you that.
While our quest is ultimately about finding our own “voice” and signature sound, we must first study the masters, just as they studied those who came before them. Kings of Tone dissects the styles, touch, tones, amps, pedals, guitars and setups of Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Dickey Betts, Duane Allman, The Edge, Angus Young, David Gilmour, Keith Richards and Mark Knopfler.
Your Professor of Tone is NYC session player and educator Jeff McErlain, whose standing-room-only workshops on the subject testify to his expertise stemming from years of tone exploration. “I hope to demystify the tonal qualities of these twelve players by sharing the insight I’ve gained over many years studying them and deconstructing their styles, touch and rigs.”
Kings of Tone is NOT about learning to play the signature licks of these masters (although you will pick up many that you will add to your bag). Rather, you will learn how to “channel” their respective tones, rigs, styles and approaches so that you can develop your own “sound” more intelligently and/or emulate these players’ tone when covering them in a live gig situation.
Want to learn the ins and out of tweaking amps and pedals? Yearning to play in the style of Beck, Hendrix, Gilmour, Clapton and the rest of the Kings covered herein? Ready to get a solid grip on the relationship between touch and tone? It’s all here in Kings of Tone!
The ease and affordability of home recording technology has made it simple to produce music at your own pace, on your own terms, and on your own turf. But it has also left many players clueless when it comes time to move beyond the demo stage and enter a professional studio. If you are booking time in a pro facility soon, the guys behind the glass will thank you to mind these 7 Deadly Session Sins, each of which is nearly guaranteed to drive a recording engineer absolutely batty.
1. Arriving unprepared.
Unless you are Keith Richards and have an inexhaustible budget, coming unprepared is simply inexcusable (and often quite costly). Have your parts rehearsed ahead of time and know what results you want to achieve. Practicing the parts you intend to lay down is a simple but effective way to make sure the session flows smoothly. Before the session, think about the intented outcome: What exactly do you want to get done, and in what time frame? Have you done all you can do in advance to ensure the goals will be achieved?
2. Hanging your headphones on the mic stand.
Ouch. I can’t even count the small but meaningful pains I’ve had to deal with when clients hang their cans on the music stand or mic stand and then knock them off seconds later. Those 3- and 4-foot drops take their toll, and a busted pair of headphones can literally grind a session to a halt — and represent a significant replacement cost to the studio or engineer. When you’re between takes or a break, place the headphones on a table or even around the base of the mic stand on the floor. They are safer that way.
3. Halting the session to rethink your approach.
Engineers hate sitting behind the board while you rewrite on the spot — unless, of course, you’re paying them time-and-a-half for overtime. Try to record your practice (even on a handheld voice recorder or iPhone) to make sure you like what you hear before heading to the studio. You can then play that rough cut for the engineer to help him/her understand what you’re going for. More importantly, it helps you hear the parts and make any changes ahead of time.
4. A poorly packed gig bag.
Don’t leave for the session without spare strings, picks and batteries. Neither should you expect the studio to have capos or guitar straps or even a spare tuner. Even when your guitar is strung with fresh strings, bing extras of the exact gauge and brand you use. String-searching is a session killer, in terms of both time and vibe. Also, have plenty of your most-used picks on hand, and if you use pedals make sure they have new batteries. Don’t skimp on those 9 volts! Hit the music store the day before the session and stock up.
5. Pulling your cable out without warning.
It seems like common sense from where the engineer sits, but but I’ve had preamp channels blown because of this. When recording DI or with an amp, always check with the engineer before pulling your cable out. Just ask, “Is it cool to pull my cable yet”? He or she will then have time to mute the board/preamp, and then you’re good to go.
6. Keeping the lyrics and/or song map a secret.
Take the time to print out extra lyric sheets if you’re cutting vocals, and provide notes to show the song form to the engineer and other musicians. If you can put the chords and timings above each section (verse/chorus/bridge), that helps as well. This way the engineer can follow along easily and mark up a copy with any necessary production notes. It also makes the punch in/overdub process go much smoother since anyone can simply call out, “Take it from the 2nd half of verse 3” and everyone will be in the same place. When I’m tracking a vocalist, I remind them to the point of annoyance to remember those extra lyric sheets! It’s always worth it when the session rolls along smoothly and they’re psyched to hear that playback.
7. Inviting the entourage.
Do not bring friends/girlfriends/boyfriends/fans into a session. It’s a total vibe-changer. From experience I can say without a doubt those takes usually have to be re-recorded later. There’s a lack of focus, worsened by a show-off factor, that happens when non-band members are in the studio. They also tend to bug the engineer by talking and moving around. If anything, call them to come hear the final playback after you’ve finished tracking. It’s just as cool and allows you to focus on nothing other than putting down a great performance.
Rich Tozzoli is an accomplished engineer, mixer, producer and composer. He has worked with artists such as Ace Frehley, Al DiMeola and David Bowie, among many more, and is the author of Surround Sound Mixing for ProTools. Rich is also a lifelong guitarist and composer. His work can be heard regularly on FoxNFL, HBO, and Discovery Channel.
It wasn’t until I started trying to learn guitar, taking guitar lessons, and writing my own songs that my entire perspective on music changed: not all pop music is bad, but most of it is. And invariably, what people subjectively consider “good music” is music made by real musicians; people who understand, with seeming impossible skill, how to wield the power of music.
And at some point I learned that even the most impossible thing are possible. There are little tricks, rules and guidelines to everything and if you follow them chances are you’ll turn out a little boring, but just fine nonetheless.
I had a professor back when I was in film school who once said, “You need to learn all the rules. You need to fall in love with them. You need to know where their birthmarks are. You need to know everything about them. That’s why you’re in school – to learn the rules so you can break them.”
It’s no coincidence that our latest course, Sweet Notes, covers just this sort of thing – dissecting the impossible reasons why our favorite guitarists sound so good and why it’s really not all that impossible to sound good yourself.
Learn this course. Fall in love with this course. Know where its birthmarks are and kiss them. Once you’ve learned all you can from it show it the door with a wad of cab money then go make your own magic. Don’t worry, it’ll understand.
Much controversy has arisen about whether or not the recordings of Robert Johnson we have been listening to for years were speed altered. Some musicologists are convinced Johnson’s released recordings are 20% faster than those he performed in two solo sessions in 1936 and 1937, and they wonder how this happened, when it happened, and why it happened. 
