Technologists Notes

http://www.charliemccoy.com/biographie.php: “Al Kooper described a typical Charlie McCoy incident which took place during the sessions for Dylan’s “Blonde On Blonde” Album. One song called for a trumpet part which should have been an easy overdub, except that Dylan didn’t care for overdubs. So McCoy, while playing bass with his left hand, played trumpet with his right hand, without missing a beat. Kooper points out that Dylan stopped in the middle of the song, amazed.” (The song was probably not “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”, based on the sound and reports such as MYSTIC NIGHTS: The Making of Blonde on Blonde in Nashville. [Update cinco de Mayo 2022: just bought Kooper’s book which says it was “You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine”.¹])
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The other day I discovered that Amazon would conveniently sell me an MP3 of the “Three Stripped Gears” 1931 rendition of “Black Bottom Strut” for $0.89. What a find! I’d been inspired by Mike Seeger’s version for nearly forty years but only knew of the T.S.G. version through Seeger’s liner notes. (I attempted my own recording for the soundtrack for Jack Moore‘s Sandscript in 1975.)

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When Jerry Barnett & I were contemplating forming the band that became the 1970 Hub City Movers, Jerry was also wanting to build a self-tuning guitar. As a drummer, he was sick of waiting for all of us guitarists to get in tune.

I’ve heard of other attempts since then, but it looks like the first successful realization is available from Gibson. Mechanically, it “sounds” much like what Jerry had in mind in 1969.

Update April 11, 2008: Gibson’s second robo-guitar gets pimped out.

Many would say that Ledward Kaapana is the best living slack key guitarist. Led is my favorite guitarist, period.

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20+ years ago I started sporadically trying various MIDI software, even considered trying to write my own. I assumed for so long that MIDI would be superseded by something different. I was so wrong.

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