This is kind of embarrassing. I’ve started taking guitar lessons, partly as a resume builder and partly for personal interest. And I’m realizing that I can’t hear acoustic guitar in songs. Ever since I started playing Guitar Hero, electric guitar parts have really stood out to my ears (and of course electric guitar is easy to pick out in the first place) but acoustic just somehow fades into the sonic background for me. It’s kind of humiliating because I have a ton of music knowledge - decades of piano, college music minor, and I’m trying to pick up an instrument I just can’t hear!
I mean, it’s obvious when it’s that really sing-along-folky Peter Paul and Mary style. And it’s obvious when it’s classical guitar. Bluegrass I have a hard time telling some of the stringed instruments apart, but I can get the essential drift of the guitar part. But can anybody give me some things to listen for the acoustic guitar that are rock or the other kinds of folk or blues or, you know, stuff like that? What does virtuoso acoustic sound like? Is this a stupid question?
For acoustic, steel-string guitar, your best bet is some of the country/folk influenced rockers -
James Taylor
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Joni Mitchell
Bruce Cockburn
Melissa Etheridge
Don McLean
Bruce Springsteen (Nebraska)
Most rock music uses acoustic for a quieter, mellow passage, then brings out the electric for the heavier section of a song. Led Zepplin - Over the Hills and Far Away is a prime example. I’m sure you’ll get lots of great recommendations here.
Your basic problem is that “acoustic guitar”, “virtuoso”, almost all “rock” and much “blues” do not go together. There are very few, almost none, who play acoustic in rock. When they do it tends to be rhthym guitar which as you say fades into the background. The first answer in this thread gives the name of someone who is freakishly good at playing acoustic and does play rock, but he’s an anomaly. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits plays acoustic at times, but on tracks that are not rock. His “Private Investigations” contains some georgeous acoustic, but it’s not really a rock track (his playing on that track is more classical in feel).
Most of those listed by **Le Ministre de l’au-delà ** play acoustic when playing straight up folk, not rock. And none except Bruce Cockburn would I describe as virtuoso (maybe Joni in her weird and wonderful way, and Neil Young perhaps).
There are some superb acoustic blues guitarists but I’m not much into that so I wouldn’t know. Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album has him playing acoustic of course. I wouldn’t say he plays anything outstandingly virtuoso on that album though (which isn’t to say it isn’t great music).
If you’re looking for straight out acoustic guitar virtuosity that isn’t classical, it is hard to go past Tommy Emmanuel. Other people can play stuff he does, but I’ve never seen anyone who can play all of it. I first saw him play in a pub in the late eighties. There aren’t too many who can play stunning versions of Mediterranean Sundance, then some Beatles, then Recuerdos De La Alhambra, then La Grange, then *Guitar Boogie * all in the space of an hour or two.
I should add that if you want to hear and see some Tommy Emmanuel, you are best off poking around on Youtube. He’s a stunning guitarist but IMHO his taste in music sucks. In concert he plays other people’s pieces and it’s great. His studio albums contain his own compositions which tend towards saccharine dreck.
I’ve always been impressed with Paul Simon’s writing, playing, and arranging on acoustic guitar. His eponymous album, as well as the Simon and Garfunkel album Bookends have some of my favorite guitar playing in them.
For my money, you can’t beat Leo Kottke for incredible acoustic guitar. Is it rock? I can’t really say and it doesn’t really matter (although his rendition of Eight Miles High might be considered such). I have him listed under Genre - Unclassifiable. Pick up The Leo Kottke Anthology (Rhino R2 72585/72438 19111 29) for a little bit of everything.
I agree that Neil Young has some excellent acoustic tracks, but Steven Stills, during his best days, was the better guitarist (listen to Bluebird from Buffalo Springfield Again).
Yeah, DiMeola, McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia on Friday Night in San Francisco is jaw-dropping, although i’m more partial to Fantasia Suite than Mediterranean Sundance.
Good call Eonwe, Paul Simon is one of the most overlooked acoustic players. I’d forgotten him myself and agree he needs a mention.
A famous example of a song that’s acoustic and not particularly mellow is Violent Femmes’ Blister in the Sun.
A really outstanding use of acoustic guitar in a rock song is Robert Fripp’s playing on King Crimson’s Cirkus. Again, not particularly mellow.
Jethro Tull have several very nice acoustic guitar pieces as well. Witche’s Promise is on YouTube, but the best are probably the tracks on Aqualung: Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose, Wond’ring Aloud, Up to Me and Slipstream.
Mediterranean Sundance has been mentioned already but off the same record, I think Short Tales of the Black Forest by Di Meola and John McLaughlin is another fine example. It’s fusion jazz, so it’s a bit closer to rock than the latin Sundance.