Smurfbird Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Sorry I don't know how to get the link to appear full-framed in the text. But the link listed below links to a performance of folksinger Damien Jurado on the Carson Daly show, of all places, and considering he's one of my faves I knew he wouldn't disappoint. But what's so galling about the clip will be obvious to you, but I'll state it anyway. He's playing a Takamine and not a Gibson. He's playing a cutaway that's ugly as hell. He's strumming with his thumb and getting better sound than I do on my best day. Please watch and tell me your impressions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 He must have quite a callous on his thumb to play like that. Thia kind of has a folk-song-type of feel. I've never heard of this guy before, and he has never heard of me....but I like his style, very simple and straight forward. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Well, sir, he's been kicking around since the early 1990s. He has a following among alternative/ indie rockers. He's written quite a few gorgeous folk songs that sound as if they'd been written many years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenumber2 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I've been a DJ fan for years and he just continues to put out good stuff. Saw him a few years back with a violin and cello player with him on guitar and kick drum. One of the best, most laid back shows I've ever been to. I think he was playing a D-18 when I saw him. Didn't really matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I love this performance because it's a huge band playing on the biggest stage of the biggest music festival of all time, and he's playing a $300 epi acoustic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhTLab9LQS4 never heard of this feller but i dig it. falling down the rabbit hole of the guitar boards, it's nice to remind yourself once in awhile that it's not all about the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I'll have to view the video later (when I have access to some headphones). However the title of this thread got me to thinking (always a scary thought). It's really funny how much we as guitar geeks obsess over certain details of guitars. This model vs that model, this tone wood over that tone wood, etc., etc.. Whether real or imagined, we can easily hear the differences between each of these variables, or so we claim. And while we can chase down our respective ideal combination of those variables in hopes of finding "the one", the reality is that for better or worse we are stuck with the biggest variable of all: ourselves, the players. So while we might hear some differences between model A and model B, and between tone wood C and tone wood D, those differences usually pale in comparison to the differences heard when listening to the same guitar being played by guitarist 1 and guitarist 2. Not counting the differences between pickups, microphones, etc. for amplified sound, the main thing we are usually exposed to at a musical performance are the skilllsets of the musicians themselves. A very sobering thought. All of the above in my opinion of course. Your actual mileage might vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Finally watched the Damien Jurado video. I personally didn't care much for his particular sound to be honest. But to my point above, I don't think he would sound all that much different if he was playing a Gibson, or any other guitar for that matter. Simply strumming the same few basic chords over and over again using one's thumb with no real variation in playing approach, how much further could he really take it? For someone like this, I'm guessing that's all secondary anyway, his focus seems to be almost solely on his lyrics rather than the vehicle used to deliver those lyrics. And while his guitar playing does little for me, that I can respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 To be clear, Damien also has an idiosyncratic and effective way of fingerpicking. He simply chose this method of strumming for this song in this environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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