When you’re a Rolling Stone and want a five-stringed guitar, you get a five-stringed guitar.
Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To
© 2024 Thoughts On The Dead
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To
© 2024 Thoughts On The Dead
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
“It was me who hepped Keef to the 5 string open G”
Sparky, The Platform Shoe Puppet
But . . . But . . . . . But . . . . . . WHYYYY???
(In the same way that I always like the band members you are not supposed to, weird string instruments always engage me too, but five strings is just weird if you ain’t pickin’ and grinnin’ with a banjo).
(I zoomed in to see if that was another 5-string in front of Keith, but then noticed the shoes and hands behind him instead. This whole scene does not belong in a room filled with fitness equipment).
The five-string is to facilitate Keef’s famous Open-G tuning (which he learned/stole from Ry Cooder). The low E is kinda useless in the Open-G, so he always just removed the string from his guitars.
Well, huh. I never noticed the missing string. Now I will be zooming his guitar pics and squinting at them all more than is likely normal . . .
I tried posting a pic, but I have no idea how my own Comment Section works. Check this out:
It is of interest to me because for years I regularly played a Japanese Squire Strat with just four string on it, tuned CGDA. (Got the idea from Daryl Hall’s custom “mandar,” which used that tuning in double flights). Didn’t know of any “real” guitarists who just took strings off a regular axe as a matter of course. Guess I just wasn’t paying good attention. Not for the first time . . .
(And there is nothing after the “check this out” there . . . Though I am reading on my phone, so might be a browser thing).
Oh, for fuck’s sake…
http://handmademusic.ning.com/forum/topics/keith-richards-five-strings
Open G tuning goes at least as far back as “The Spanish Fandango” published cr1838 by James Ballard. Lots of stealing/borrowing since then.
Losing the low string might be Keith’s innovation but somebody may have done it first. When you’re driving a rock band with your right hand you probably want to keep it simple.
No clue about the 2 bass thing but Sympathy was/is usually a lead guitar jam tune so I’d guess something else.
I’m somewhat astounded that a rock nerd at the level of a JES didn’t know about keef ditching the low e (low d? Would he tune down for open g before yanking the string?)
I guess we know what we know.
I am honestly and sincerely embarassed that I did not know this. Savage beating to my cred. Need to go wild on obscure prog and Bad Co posts here to recover . . . .
(I would get started right now, but I am too busy mourning Neil Innes . . . . https://jericsmith.com/2019/12/30/down-that-road-neil-innes-1944-2019/)
Hollowing out the head stock reduces overall weight and shifts the center of mass; that allows for some superb histrionics. You have probably noticed the difference in Jerry’s physical movements when he was playing his TB versus playing other guitars.