To excuse the pun, a key part of this idea is listening to each other. This is a back and forth process, we listen with our considered attention and respond. On our responses we find that we are being listened to. That we have a conversation, an interplay of our individual tonal and timbre characteristics and can discover the opportunities of being better together.
Engaging with media (mainstream and "social") is a one way experience that mimics a social engagement without the fulfilment of being in a meaningful interpersonal relationship.
Eg, vox pop and dowdy kitchen man for you to feel represented/heard
I consider myself a nerd of the highest order but didn't get a word of this. Consequently I will be stealing most of your points and passing them off as my own amongst my muso mates! Hope that's ok😇
Speaking of alarming hairstyles, I'll take this chance to hijack your platform for my charity page at
I'm putting a referendum to the public, as they have a great history of wise decision making in referendums, over whether or not I should get my hair cut! It's for Foyle Hospice in NI and HDLivin in Cornwall and Devon. If you fancy taking a gander and possibly donating I will love you even more than I do now.
My wife said make the hippy twat get his hair cut.
Great big pun alert: Stockhausen’s “Stimmung”. I first heard it soon after it was recorded by the Köln Collegium in 1968. I listen to it every couple of years and it sounds new every time.
I recommend a darkened room and a mellow mood (you decide best how that is achieved). How's your German? I only ask because the multiple meanings of "Stimmung" need explication, or at least sleeve notes for those whose sleeves haven't all ravelled up.
I resoundingly approve this Great Big Metaphor, as an old amateur guitarist with an undisclosed number of guitars (wife naively says too many). I have a simple home recording studio, and love attempting covers of some classic rock tracks and riffs.
So many different tunings and multiple guitars make it easier. I’m always trying to find cool pieces to learn so if someone hands me a guitar and says “play something!” I can pretend to be decent, but the odd thing is all the best songs I know seem to be in different tunings! No one wants to see you retune their guitar (nor would I presume to) just to play a quick piece.
I’ll hear or think of a great song and think, “that would be a great one to have at the ready,” and look up the tab, and discover another weird tuning. I must have an affinity for them. The most recent was Stephen Stills ‘4 + 20’, in the unusual daddad tuning he used so much. I learned it anyway, simple but great sounding! Page’s ‘Bron Yr Aur’ is probably my fav alt tuning song to play, in open C6 tuning.
Anyway, you make a great metaphorical point. I find that alternate tunings also enable one to break out of old thinking patterns.
And I think I have a perfectly reasonable number of guitars, undisclosed.
Yes, barely competent though I am on guitar I do enjoy messing around in different tunings... seems to unlock one from the usual muscle-memory chords and encourages you to listen the notes instead, and the way the guitar resonates differently in different tunings: I'm sure some guitars simply prefer a particular turning, too. My Martin seems much happier in Open D than in Open G, and definitely much more so than in regular tuning...
Great take! I have a friend who is a brilliant guitarist, and when she discovered alternate tunings the brakes were off. I am the fumblefingered kid who can play House of the Rising Sun and that’s about it. But we have a friendship going back to single-digit years old and that kind of makes your point.
Nice piece and with the right anount of nerdiness! Reading about guitar players combining their sound to produce depth and richness I instantly thought of Malcom Young and what he did in the background. It turns out today is the anniversary of his passing...
Oh, is it? God I miss that guy... was lucky enough to see the last tour he played on. And yes, the way those two split up chords and rhythms between them is another excellent example...
I absolutely love this; thank you for sharing. This is one of the many reasons I love Ani Difranco - so much of her early work has her lead guitar tuned differently. The way she melds different tones and styles to create these incredibly expressive sounds - takes my breath away at times.
And I completely agree. We need a symphony right now.
Memories!! My ex-husband and his brother owned a big guitar music store & repair shop, with a number of excellent guitarists giving [part-time] guitar lessons - classic, jazz, rock, country... and I remember their discussions about CCR's D-tuning. And yes, your metaphor works just fine, in any country. (Canadian here)
Yes! Probably kept me attached to him for too many years, as I was the head cashier, ordered all the music and small stuff [picks,strings,straps, etc], made the basic rules for the students' lessons [to support the musicians well!], a dozen teachers, and kept the hot water going for hot chocolate/coffee/tea all day. A going concern for 14 years. :)
That is a good metaphor, sadly. And I'm the same on Twitter, at least for the foreseeable future. This is not a time when our minds need that kind of input.
To excuse the pun, a key part of this idea is listening to each other. This is a back and forth process, we listen with our considered attention and respond. On our responses we find that we are being listened to. That we have a conversation, an interplay of our individual tonal and timbre characteristics and can discover the opportunities of being better together.
Engaging with media (mainstream and "social") is a one way experience that mimics a social engagement without the fulfilment of being in a meaningful interpersonal relationship.
Eg, vox pop and dowdy kitchen man for you to feel represented/heard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHun58mz3vI
I'd never seen that... and it is BRILLIANT.
I consider myself a nerd of the highest order but didn't get a word of this. Consequently I will be stealing most of your points and passing them off as my own amongst my muso mates! Hope that's ok😇
Speaking of alarming hairstyles, I'll take this chance to hijack your platform for my charity page at
https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.givewheel.com%2Ffundraising%2F5664%2Fgiant-hair-cut%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C8ad208413a474e05199508dd063d83dd%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638673583464344554%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oZwVP%2FZtAqmV%2Fj%2Bl1LBo9iLjrPxaAbVZLlXIZgfroQU%3D&reserved=0
I'm putting a referendum to the public, as they have a great history of wise decision making in referendums, over whether or not I should get my hair cut! It's for Foyle Hospice in NI and HDLivin in Cornwall and Devon. If you fancy taking a gander and possibly donating I will love you even more than I do now.
My wife said make the hippy twat get his hair cut.
Tell your wife I've chipped in $10... GET THAT HAIR CUT.
I never liked your stuff...
Great big pun alert: Stockhausen’s “Stimmung”. I first heard it soon after it was recorded by the Köln Collegium in 1968. I listen to it every couple of years and it sounds new every time.
Have never heard... will give it a listen!
I recommend a darkened room and a mellow mood (you decide best how that is achieved). How's your German? I only ask because the multiple meanings of "Stimmung" need explication, or at least sleeve notes for those whose sleeves haven't all ravelled up.
I resoundingly approve this Great Big Metaphor, as an old amateur guitarist with an undisclosed number of guitars (wife naively says too many). I have a simple home recording studio, and love attempting covers of some classic rock tracks and riffs.
So many different tunings and multiple guitars make it easier. I’m always trying to find cool pieces to learn so if someone hands me a guitar and says “play something!” I can pretend to be decent, but the odd thing is all the best songs I know seem to be in different tunings! No one wants to see you retune their guitar (nor would I presume to) just to play a quick piece.
I’ll hear or think of a great song and think, “that would be a great one to have at the ready,” and look up the tab, and discover another weird tuning. I must have an affinity for them. The most recent was Stephen Stills ‘4 + 20’, in the unusual daddad tuning he used so much. I learned it anyway, simple but great sounding! Page’s ‘Bron Yr Aur’ is probably my fav alt tuning song to play, in open C6 tuning.
Anyway, you make a great metaphorical point. I find that alternate tunings also enable one to break out of old thinking patterns.
And I think I have a perfectly reasonable number of guitars, undisclosed.
What would "too many guitars" even mean? ;-)
Yes, barely competent though I am on guitar I do enjoy messing around in different tunings... seems to unlock one from the usual muscle-memory chords and encourages you to listen the notes instead, and the way the guitar resonates differently in different tunings: I'm sure some guitars simply prefer a particular turning, too. My Martin seems much happier in Open D than in Open G, and definitely much more so than in regular tuning...
Great take! I have a friend who is a brilliant guitarist, and when she discovered alternate tunings the brakes were off. I am the fumblefingered kid who can play House of the Rising Sun and that’s about it. But we have a friendship going back to single-digit years old and that kind of makes your point.
Yes :-) And alt tunings are such fun to play with... I have three guitars, all tuned differently!
Nice piece and with the right anount of nerdiness! Reading about guitar players combining their sound to produce depth and richness I instantly thought of Malcom Young and what he did in the background. It turns out today is the anniversary of his passing...
Oh, is it? God I miss that guy... was lucky enough to see the last tour he played on. And yes, the way those two split up chords and rhythms between them is another excellent example...
I absolutely love this; thank you for sharing. This is one of the many reasons I love Ani Difranco - so much of her early work has her lead guitar tuned differently. The way she melds different tones and styles to create these incredibly expressive sounds - takes my breath away at times.
And I completely agree. We need a symphony right now.
We really do... and I'm not familiar enough with DiFranco's stuff — I'll go check it out!
Memories!! My ex-husband and his brother owned a big guitar music store & repair shop, with a number of excellent guitarists giving [part-time] guitar lessons - classic, jazz, rock, country... and I remember their discussions about CCR's D-tuning. And yes, your metaphor works just fine, in any country. (Canadian here)
That must have been fun to be a part of...
Yes! Probably kept me attached to him for too many years, as I was the head cashier, ordered all the music and small stuff [picks,strings,straps, etc], made the basic rules for the students' lessons [to support the musicians well!], a dozen teachers, and kept the hot water going for hot chocolate/coffee/tea all day. A going concern for 14 years. :)
Have you been hanging out with Andrew Hickey? :-)
I had to look him up :-) Looks interesting!
That is a good metaphor, sadly. And I'm the same on Twitter, at least for the foreseeable future. This is not a time when our minds need that kind of input.