# Is there a name for this '70s soft-rock guitar sound? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686 "2020-04-13T10:18:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/1 "2020-04-13T10:18:07Z")
I’ve been noticing for awhile that a number of soft-rock songs from the early-to-mid-'70s or so have a rather distinctive electric guitar sound that I find hard to describe because I don’t really have much technical knowledge about how guitar is played in general. It tends to have a vague country-crossover twang to it, with a lower pitch and a sharpness to it during the intro and verse, which switches to a higher pitch (possibly via a whammy bar) and longer notes during fills and bridges. The best examples of it that I can think of are in “When Will I Be Loved” by Linda Ronstadt, “Still the One” by Orleans, and “Sister Golden Hair” by America. Is there a name for this style? I find myself frustrated by the fact that I enjoy it but I don’t know how to explain in words what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/2 "2020-04-13T11:03:32Z")
Country crossover probably works. You could also group those songs under the bigger heading of Adult Contemporary or Easy Listening. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/3 "2020-04-13T11:56:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Country crossover probably works. You could also group those songs under the bigger heading of Adult Contemporary or Easy Listening. That would define the _song_, yes, but I’m looking for a term to describe the sound of the guitar in those songs. I feel like there has to be some sort of technical term to describe the way the guitarist is making the sounds distinctive to that style. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/4 "2020-04-13T12:51:57Z")
maybe a little bit of a phaser effect on the guitar . > **[Phaser (effect)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaser_(effect))** > > A phaser is an electronic sound processor used to filter a signal, and it has a series of troughs in its frequency-attenutation graph. The position (in Hz) of the peaks and troughs are typically modulated by an internal low-frequency oscillator so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect. > Phasers are often used to give a "synthesized" or electronic effect to natural sounds, such as human speech. The voice of C-3PO from Star Wars was created by taking the actor's voice and treating i... ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/5 "2020-04-13T12:57:03Z")
Ok, so, there’s one thing consistent about the lead guitar parts in the three mentioned songs: They’re using a chorus pedal. Chorus pedals affect the sound by producing duplicates of the sound and varying the pitch slightly, making it thicker sounding and a bit like a 12 string under mild settings, and some models getting close to an underwater-y sound on extreme settings. One of the earliest uses of this kind of effect was in Cream’s [Badge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSpW6MePb10). The chorus is switched on after “Then I told you about our kid, now he’s married to Mabel”. Is that the kind of sound you’re meaning? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/6 "2020-04-13T13:10:45Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > One of the earliest uses of this kind of effect was in Cream’s [Badge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSpW6MePb10). The chorus is switched on after “Then I told you about our kid, now he’s married to Mabel”. Is that the kind of sound you’re meaning? It’s not _exactly_ the same, and Harrison doesn’t have the same rhythm, but now that you mention it, I hear the similarity between Badge and the songs I’ve mentioned. The guitar in those songs sounds a little slicker, softer, and less metallic to my ears, but that could easily be because of improvements in production between the '60s and '70s. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/7 "2020-04-13T13:24:08Z")
You don’t mean slide guitar right? That solo guitar in “Sister Golden Hair” is slide. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGIaeb6DfJA) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/8 "2020-04-13T13:58:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > That would define the _song_, yes, but I’m looking for a term to describe the sound of the guitar in those songs. I feel like there has to be some sort of technical term to describe the way the guitarist is making the sounds distinctive to that style. I’m at work and there’s too many people sitting near me to play it right now, but if you’re just looking for the name of the sound, like if you were in a studio and wanted that sound on your track, I’d say Linda and Orleans was twangy and Sister Golden Hair was a slide guitar (with a country twang). You might even be able to work the word jangle into the description somewhere. However, I’m sure there’s a very specific name for the sound you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/9 "2020-04-13T14:44:43Z")
You’re going to have to link to a specific part (minutes and seconds) of a specific track. It could be an effect, a pickup setting or just a distinct sounding guitar like a Telecaster. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/10 "2020-04-13T16:59:33Z")
I’m not sure why it would have a name. It comes from a number of variables, including probably things done by people other than the guitarist. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/11 "2020-04-14T08:26:49Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > You’re going to have to link to a specific part (minutes and seconds) of a specific track. It could be an effect, a pickup setting or just a distinct sounding guitar like a Telecaster. The main sound I’m thinking of kicks in at about [0:58 of “When Will I Be Loved”](https://youtu.be/9iBgTqz_-vY?t=58) and [1:44 of “Still the One”.](https://youtu.be/S5aMMRes2u4?t=104) ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/12 "2020-04-14T08:58:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The main sound I’m thinking of kicks in at about [0:58 of “When Will I Be Loved”](https://youtu.be/9iBgTqz_-vY?t=58) and [1:44 of “Still the One”.](https://youtu.be/S5aMMRes2u4?t=104) [Pedal steel guitar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_steel_guitar), but not in the familiar “country” steel style so not as instantly identifiable. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/13 "2020-04-14T09:32:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The main sound I’m thinking of kicks in at about [0:58 of “When Will I Be Loved”](https://youtu.be/9iBgTqz_-vY?t=58) and [1:44 of “Still the One”.](https://youtu.be/S5aMMRes2u4?t=104) Both of those passages use “dual lead guitars”, or “dual leads”: two lead guitars playing in harmony. You hear dual leads in a lot of southern rock. One of the best known is the instrumental by the Allman Brothers called “Jessica”. The dual leads start around [here.](https://youtu.be/yRDivUb5EeA?t=12) Another is “Flirtin’ with Disaster” by Molly Hatchet, starting [here.](https://youtu.be/_K_-D5B7DIg?t=226) ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/14 "2020-04-14T10:24:16Z")
Yeah, dual lead guitars, as noted above. Melody (guitar solo) with harmony. Sounds similar to pedal steel guitar. Very popuar sound in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/15 "2020-04-14T10:30:49Z")
I can definitely hear that it’s two guitars now that it’s been explained. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/16 "2020-04-14T10:35:25Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I can definitely hear that it’s two guitars now that it’s been explained. 🙂 Here’s a real good example. The great [David Gilmour](https://youtu.be/4QA30qkRYy8?t=220) in Pink Floyd’s “Dogs.” ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-70s-soft-rock-guitar-sound/851686/17 "2020-04-15T01:04:30Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Both of those passages use “dual lead guitars”, or “dual leads”: two lead guitars playing in harmony. > > You hear dual leads in a lot of southern rock. One of the best known is the instrumental by the Allman Brothers called “Jessica”. The dual leads start around [here.](https://youtu.be/yRDivUb5EeA?t=12) > > Another is “Flirtin’ with Disaster” by Molly Hatchet, starting [here.](https://youtu.be/_K_-D5B7DIg?t=226) Hehehe, and that explains why I kept going back and wondering “Is that a chorus pedal? It sounds like one, but a lot richer.” Thanks for coming up with right answer. Had those songs stuck in my head on and off for the last day.