This article originally appeared in Acoustic Guitar magazine. © String Letter Publishing, all rights reserved.
Fingerstyle Grows Up
By Teja Gerken
During the 1990s, fingerstyle guitar was elevated to new standards of virtuosity, a fresh wave of players appeared, and a number of seasoned pickers produced some of their best work. Most importantly, however, fingerstyle guitarists integrated new compositional and technical influences into their playing. While the first generation of American fingerpickers was deeply rooted in alternating-bass, country-blues styles, the following wave of new age players favored subtle textures and repetitions and broke new ground in alternate tunings. At the same time, European pickers demonstrated a talent for arranging existing folk melodies and roots in classical guitar techniques. Today's players draw on all these approaches, and the music's origins are becoming blurred.
Italian-born Peppino D'Agostino exemplified this melting pot of influences (which he calls "minestrone music") on three superb albums, Close to the Heart, Venus over Venice, and the solo guitar masterpiece A Glimpse of Times Past. D'Agostino's considerable chops and pyrotechnics are always in evidence, but he never loses sight of the melodies. Whether Martin Simpson is exploring traditional folk tunes on When I Was on Horseback, the blues on Smoke and Mirrors, world music on Music for the Motherless Child, or his highly original blend of them all on the brilliant Cool and Unusual, Simpson's guitar playing is uniquely his own.
Some guitarists have become identified with a signature stylistic trademark. Preston Reed's earliest releases displayed some very hot fingerpicking, but they lacked a distinctive voice. This changed in 1993 with Reed's Border Towns, which showcased his new love of slapped harmonics and percussive taps. Reed perfected his technique on 1995's Metal, a solo guitar album that sounded like he was playing a combination of guitar and drum set. Similarly, Adrian Legg's 1990 solo guitar debut, Guitars and Other Cathedrals, was all over the map stylistically. By the time Guitar for Mortals was released in '92, Legg's trademark pedal-steel bends and lighting-fast banjo-roll picking had become omnipresent.
While some guitarists are instantly recognizable by their signature technique, others are known for their versatility. Pat Kirtley's '94 debut Kentucky Guitar featured tunes rooted in the traditions of Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and Jerry Reed, as well as some great contemporary fingerstyle grooves and occasional jazzy chops. After winning the coveted Winfield competition in '95, Kirtley threw a curveball to those who had classified him as a country picker by recording an album of Irish tunes (Irish Guitar).
Duck Baker, one of the most versatile and talented fingerstyle players on the scene, has consistently pushed the fingerstyle envelope since his first recording in the early '70s, and the '90s produced Baker's strongest work to date. Opening the Eyes of Love, A Thousand Words, and The Clear Blue Sky featured blues, jazz-inspired originals, African music, Thelonious Monk and Davey Graham covers, and arrangements of traditional Irish tunes. But Baker's '96 release Spinning Song, produced by avant-garde jazz icon John Zorn, may be his masterwork. Interpreting the brilliant compositions of little-known modern jazz pianist Herbie Nichols, Baker established himself as one of the heavyweights of jazz guitar.
With a background in classical music, Germany's Peter Finger writes and plays music that combines the depth and structure of modern classical music with the techniques and timbre of open-tuned steel-string guitar. His often complex and dynamic compositions are showcased on three solo CDs: Solo, Between the Lines, and Open Strings.
Tim Sparks has created an instantly recognizable style without relying on unorthodox techniques or weird tunings. Merging his classical and jazz backgrounds and effortless chops with a keen interest in Eastern European music, he stormed onto the fingerstyle scene with his debut CD, The Nutcracker Suite, which featured his arrangement of Tchaikovsky's classic as well as a collection of Balkan folk songs. Sparks' '95 release, Guitar Bazaar, is a masterpiece of acoustic world music.
With the immense growth in compositional depth and constant technical advances, 21st-century fingerstyle guitar has met its classical and jazz counterparts on a level playing field. Emerging players such as Canada's Don Ross and Italy's Franco Morone and collective tours such as the International Guitar Night are introducing audiences to the instrument's ever-expanding possibilities.
ESSENTIAL LISTENING
Duck Baker, Spinning Song: Duck Baker Plays the Music of Herbie Nichols, Avant 40 (1996). Available from Duck Baker, 570 25th St., Richmond, CA 94804.
Peppino D'Agostino, Venus over Venice, Mesa/Bluemoon 92501 (1995).
Peter Finger, Between the Lines, Acoustic Music/Rykodisc 1079 (1995).
Pat Kirtley, Irish Guitar, Mainstring 9701 (1997). Mainstring, PO Box 135, Bardstown, KY 40004; (502) 348-6360; www.win.net/mainstring.
Adrian Legg, Guitar for Mortals, Relativity 1078 (1992).
Preston Reed, Metal, Solid Air 95001 (1998, originally released 1995). Available from Acoustic Music Resource, PO Box 3518, Seal Beach, CA 90740; (800) 649-4745; www.acousticmusicresource.com.
Tim Sparks, Guitar Bazaar, Acoustic Music/Rykodisc 1080 (1995).