Guitar showmanship
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Guitar moves are moves or stunts, which are done involving (most commonly) an electric guitar or bass guitar. These moves exist as pieces of stage flair used by band members to either emphasize a climax to a song or as a piece of visual entertainment to impress the audience.
Windmill
Made famous by The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend.[1] Townshend claimed he first saw it performed by Keith Richards while warming up for a concert, and after the concert Pete asked Keith if he could use the move, Keith had no recollection of doing it. The windmill involves holding the guitar in a chord position while rotating the picking arm quickly and hitting the strings, thereby striking the chord. Townshend performed the windmill with such force that at a show in Tacoma, Washington in 1989, he actually drove the guitar's tremolo bar through his picking hand and needed to be rushed to the hospital. [2]
Duck Walk
Made famous by Chuck Berry. The Duck Walk is a guitar move that consists of jumping on one leg and moving the other in a back-and-forth motion, which looks vaguely like the awkward waddle of a duck.
Playing With Teeth
A move coined by Jimi Hendrix[3] that involves plucking strings with the upper teeth. Because it doesn't allow much dexterity, it normally accompanies a fairly simple part of the solo or lick.
Playing Behind Head (or Back)
A move often used by Stevie Ray Vaughan[4] [5] that involved playing with the guitar body resting on his neck behind his head. Vaughan was known to make this signature move by taking off his hat at the climax of a show and setting it on his microphone, and then pull his guitar over his head while continuing to play intricate solo work. This is a more difficult position to play in than merely shifting the guitar around behind your back, which is a more common version of this move, but both require playing solo work without being able to see either hand's action on the strings.
Setting guitar on fire
A move usually credited to Jimi Hendrix,[6] involves literally setting the guitar on fire and burning it partially or fully, sometimes playing it during the process, sometimes with an outcome of injury. Setting the guitar on fire is often also followed by smashing it to pieces.
Jimi Hendrix is known to have performed this trick on at least three occasions with his Fender Stratocaster guitars:
- March 31, 1967 at London Astoria club.[7] Going a bit too far, Hendrix sustained hand burns and visited the hospital.
- June 18, 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Festival while performing "Wild Thing" (this event is illustrated in the Monterey Pop documentary). Jimi Hendrix Experience was working as an opening act for The Monkees and later left the tour.
- May, 1968 at Miami Pop Festival, after playing 4 songs of his set (including "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze"). Jimi gave away the burnt guitar to his friend, Frank Zappa, who restored it and played it afterwards. After Frank's death, his son, Dweezil Zappa inherited all his guitars, including Jimi's burnt Stratocaster, and sold it in an auction in September 24, 2002 in UK for ₤400,000 ($615,000).
Guitar smashing
Another move popularised by Pete Townshend, guitar smashing is just as the name suggests, smashing the guitar, usually at the climax of a set.
References
- ^ thewho.net FAQ describes "windmill" style
- ^ Mike Walkerson, "Amazing Journey"
- ^ A video of Hendrix playing Hey Joe with his teeth
- ^ An article about SRV's unique playing style
- ^ A video of SRV playing behind his head
- ^ CNN.com - 'Flaming' Hendrix guitar for sale - August 29, 2002
- ^ Jimi Hendrix biography