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Archive for September, 2019

Santana: Getting the Chills

Posted in Guitars on September 7, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Last night, I watched a Dan Rather “Big Interview” episode from 2015 with guest, Carlos Santana. Santana’s music has always held a special place in my heart as I grew up listening to it. The riff from “Oye Como Va” has haunted my consciousness for close to 50 years now, since it came out in 1970.

In fact, “Abraxas,” on which “Oye Como Va” was on was my very first rock and roll cassette! I played that cassette till the text was well worn off and until the tape finally broke. It became one of my chores tapes, blasting out of my boom box while I did chores, especially yard work. And though I’ve had several guitar influences over the course of my playing career, Santana’s guitar playing will always hold a special place in my heart because his sound represents a sound of my youth that has been indelibly etched into my memory.

But more than his sound, it is the man himself who has provided me with so much inspiration. Santana is a very spiritual man. His approach to playing is incredibly spiritual. I connect with that because I’m exactly the same way with how I approach the instrument. I daresay that Santana’s influence though perhaps not overt, has been there implicitly.

Circling back to the interview with Dan Rather, Dan asked Carlos what he would say to someone who wanted to pick up guitar. Carlos simply replied, “I tell them, ‘Look at that guitar. Can hear it playing? When you look at it, does it give you the chills? If it doesn’t, maybe you should think about doing something else.”

When I heard that, I first thought, Damn! That’s harsh. But when I gave it a little thought, I have the same reaction with my own guitars. When I look at my guitars, I get the chills. I can hear their sound in my head and heart without playing them. The way I play each guitar is a little different as I adjust to each one’s personality. I know, that might sound a little weird. But guitar playing is an extremely spiritual thing for me. I connect with the soul of the instrument. It gives me the chills.

So I get what Santana is saying.

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Neil “Spyder” Giraldo: One of My Favorite Guitarists

Posted in Guitars on September 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Lately, my wife and I have been getting into watching Dan Rather’s “The Big Interview,” not just the new ones, but catching up with past episodes as well. A few weeks ago, we watched the Pat Benetar and Neil Giraldo interview. Wow! What a pair! Great parents and of course, super-solid and successful musicians.

At the start of the show, I shared with my wife that Neil was one of my favorite musicians. She asked me if it was because of his guitar technique. But I told her it was partially that (I love his tone and stage presence), but mostly because he was the type of guitarist who played for the song, not for the tricks and flash; something that I’ve always strived to do with my own playing.

At one point in the interview, he mentioned exactly that; that he played for the song, and he wasn’t all that interested in playing screaming solos. Back in the 80’s, I saw Pat Benetar live a few times. Neil was the rock of the band. Just a solid presence. Oh, he could rock, but he was just absolutely solid and always in the pocket. And to hear him share his ethos about guitar playing totally affirmed why I like him so much.

Even playing acoustic guitar, Neil is just solid. Here’s a video of Pat and Neil doing an NPR Tiny Desk session:

I’ve always had an immense admiration for pocket players like Neil Giraldo. Steve Cropper also comes to mind. My thought is that if you play for the song, it just makes that song much better as a whole.

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