Re: Itchy and Scratchy combo guitar

[Joe Lewinski <lewinski@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I said
>  "I call it the Combo style.  The five-fingered - pick, and strum;
> base and rhythm; finger and pick; single note and chord; key signature
> changing; fast-strum with sustained-drama-building sonic explosions -
> style."

Jeff H followed with:
> Joe,
> It seems that you've essentially created and defined your own style.  You've
> attached so many descriptive adverbs and adjectives that I just cannot
> follow you.

> Where's Jimi, Buddy and SRV on your list of combo guys?  They played rhythm
> and lead at the same time as well.  They switched back and forth between
> several styles.  I'm sure there are other players that I can't think of at
> the moment.  My guess is that they aren't on your list because they don't
> trip your trigger.

Yeah I got very carried away with my adjectives.  I attribute it to having
seem The Who in Camden, and listening to an unplugged versions of Tatoo,
I Am An Animal, Drowned, and then Ultimate Collection while reading the
digest on an early Saturday morning.   

My combo is not simply a LEAD and RHYTHM.  These 2 abilities are simply
pre-qualifiers.  The Accoustic guitar work plays an equally important
role as the electric.  The 12 and 6 string acoustics are in Pete's
bag of tricks, and they are not just for visual effect, he becomes one
with these instruments, as well as the electric (in various forms).  He
gets pissed off at them when they let him down. 

Jimi, Buddy, and SRV are excellent musicians, but as far as I know they
are not acclaimed on the acoustic.  Most Townshend fans think that the
acoustic playing started at the Secret Policeman's Ball, or The Who on
Ice tour in 1989, but it goes way back to the start of his career.  

Listen to Vicious Interlude off of Another Scoop.  This is just a hint of
Pete's picking and strumming genius. 

True, I do get off on a variety of artists including the guys you
mention - even Ace from KISS, to Joe from Aerosmith, to The Edge from U2,
and Billy from Green Day.   I am also a big fan of the Joni Mitchells
and Nick Drakes of the world.

But like you said, Pete has constantly evolved and grown (likened it to
a "attentive lover" I seem to recall - nice simile).  He has, in my
opinion, a huge breadth of ability with shoulder slung stringed instruments.
And I'm not referring to anything from the Victoria's Secret catalog.

So in closing, I've enjoyed your challenge to look beyond the Sports
Radio approach, and looked deeper.  My conclusion is that I like various
artists and different music for different moods.  If I were pressed to
choose a catalog to bring with me on a desert island it would be
Pete / The Who material because of the sonic and lyrical breadth
of material.   Maybe I would be happy with Bjorn's bootleg collection. 

 :)
By the way, I enjoyed the Ophoto.com slide show of the Boston gathering.
Sorry I missed it.   It's nice to know what people look like.

Joe in Philly





Joe Lewinski
ICANON Associates, Inc.
Phone: 610-313-1850 x 115
Fax: 610-313-1848

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