Video lesson: remembering Glen Campbell and his acoustic style | Guitar (2023)

From the November 2017 issue of Acoustic Guitar| BYADAM ROYALTY

In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, variety shows were a staple of American television. Supported by charismatic hosts who can sing, laugh in skits and maybe even dance a little, these shows (usually an hour long) would also feature multi-talented guests.

Among the most popular variety shows from this period includeDie Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,Die Dean-Martin-Show,The Sonny and Cher Show, jDie Johnny-Cash-Show. When I tuned into one of these shows like so many viewers do, I just couldn't get around Glen Campbell, who has appeared on all of the shows mentioned above and others. With movie star looks, good boy charm (he grew up in rural Arkansas), a sweet voice and a spectacular command of the guitar, Campbell was a sought-after guest. He even hosted his own variety show from January 1969 to the summer of 1972:Glen Campbell's Good Weather Hour.

Television wasn't the only medium Campbell seemed particularly suited to. If you were within earshot of a radio during that time, you would surely hear Campbell singing "Gentle on My Mind," "Wichita Lineman," or "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." It was remarkably successful in crossing stylistic boundaries: "Rhinestone Cowboy" surpassedbillboardIndustry magazine Hot 100 charts as well as Hot Country Singles and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts.

Campbell favored a variety of guitars throughout his career, but if he's associated with a specific brand, it would be Ovation, a manufacturer that thrived in the 1970s, building easy-to-amplify rounded-back electro-acoustic models from synthetic materials. In 1969, Campbell became one of the company's early patrons and played his instruments regularly on stage and screen. Ovation recently introduced the Glen Campbell Signature Model, a meticulous recreation of Campbell's original 1771 model.

As Campbell developed his own recording career, he also spent hours as a studio guitarist on sessions for Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and others. During the 1960s he was frequently allied with the Wrecking Crew, a cadre of first-call session musicians who provided musical backing for countless hit recordings. He is one of the featured players in 2008.pestsDocumentation.

In the decades since Campbell's first hits, he has continued to record and release new music. His 64th studio recording,goodbyewas released in June 2017, just two months before his death from Alzheimer's'Illness, August 8th. The album was recorded in 2012 and 2013, just after his farewell tour when he was still relatively lucid. The moving documentationit will be mechronicles that 2011-2012 tour and Campbell's deteriorating condition. As the film shows, his acting could still be remarkably good even as his memory continued to fail. On stage, excellence in musicianship was never far from his reach.

Whether playing live or in the studio, working as a sideman or on his own albums, whether playing electric or acoustic (or baritone or 12-string, by the way), Campbell always displayed a distinctive style: driving, articulate, sharply melodic, and at times ironic . In almost all musical contexts and media, he was one of those musicians whose characteristic sound can be recognized in the first few notes. The following examples take a closer look at some of the key elements of Campbell's methodology.

The Rise of Phoenix

One of Campbell's best-known recordings is his 1967 version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," a timeless ballad written by composer Jimmy Webb and originally recorded by Johnny Rivers. In Campbell's intro he alternates between two major seventh chord voicings, not unlike the chords shown in FIGExample 1a. These melancholy chords, played over a static F in the bassist part, help set the song's melancholic mood.

In the verse sections, Campbell switches to a simple arpeggio pattern similar toExample 1b. (In the chord symbols, the notes to the right of the bars are played by the bass.) For this example, use hybrid selection, as Campbell has done frequently in various contexts over the years. Use your plectrum for notes on strings 3 and 4, your middle finger (Metro) on string 2 and your ring finger (a) on string 1. Be sure to play all eighth notes as evenly as possible here to give your arpeggios a gently undulating feel.

It's worth noting that on Rivers' recording of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," recorded two years before Campbell's, the guitar parts are less memorable. Instead, the chords were arpeggiated in the intro and then strummed a little softly during the verses. Campbell was an experienced session player when he recorded his version of this song, which might explain why his parts on "Phoenix" are uncomplicated yet so specific, clearly delineating each section within the arrangement.

heyday

In 1968, Campbell teamed up with singer Bobbie Gentry (Ode to Billie Joe fame) to record the album.Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell. "Mornin' Glory" from this record is similar in key and tempo to "Ode to Billie Joe", on which Gentry himself played guitar. However, Campbell makes "Mornin' Glory" his own by playing a distinctive intro and right-handed solo later in the song, both on a nylon-string guitar.

Example 2aIt's styled after Campbell's "Mornin' Glory" intro. Again, use a hybrid pickup. With your selection, play the open string bass note on the downbeat of each bar. Elsewhere, use your pick for notes on string 3, your middle finger (Metro) on string 2 and your ring finger (a) on string 1.

Campbell's guitar solo "Mornin' Glory" is the inspiration forExample 2b. It contains variations on a melodic three-note theme in the first two bars, another explored three-note theme in bar 3, then a long descending scale passage in bar 4, leading gently to the key-change in bar 5.On paper, this one looks pretty easy on its own. However, making as much music out of a few small ideas as great musicians can is never as easy, and that was one of Campbell's greatest strengths.

southern comfort

Campbell's use of hybrid picking was not limited to string rolls and arpeggios. He also used the technique to address two melody lines simultaneously, as illustrated inExample 3- based on the intro to their hit 1977 recording of "Southern Nights". (Campbell thanked fellow guitarist Jerry Reed for inspiring his funky, contrapuntal figure.) Play the first few bars with just your pick, and bar 4 with a combination of pick (stem notes down) and middle finger (stem notes down). above). First, try practicing the top and bottom rows separately. This way you have a better chance of playing them with confidence and clarity once you've combined them.

not so dirty dozen

In the early 1960s, before Campbell's pop/country career was in full swing, he made a handful of records that emphasized folk and country styles more. Below that was the instrumentalGlen Campbell's amazing 12 string guitar, released in 1964. This album contained several original tunes interspersed with guitar-like interpretations of songs by well-known authors such as Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Peter Yarrow.

One of the more playful tracks on this record is Campbell's bluegrass-flavored "12 String Special." Campbell's main melody is played almost entirely in even eighth notes. (Because the piece is in cutoff time, the octaves feel like sixteenth notes.) This tune is played twice, then there is a bridge section, followed by a repeat of the original eight-bar phrase. Within each iteration of the main melody, Campbell places an accented quarter note on beat 4 of bar 4, which is sustained along the bar line until the downbeat of the next bar. Each time this setback is repeated, it playfully interrupts the steady stream of sound.

Campbell's 12-string guitar is tuned to a full tone throughoutGlen Campbell's amazing 12 string guitar. (This tactic is not uncommon for 12-string players. It makes the instrument easier to play and can help make it sound fuller.) If desired, for the next two examples, tune your guitar, either a 6-string or a 12 -string, one key lower (D G C F A D, low to high).

Example 4asimilar to the main melody section of 12-String Special, whileExample 4bit is inspired by the bridge of melody. Unlike the previous examples, you don't use a hybrid selection for Ex 4a or Ex 4b. Instead, use an alternative plucking technique: downbeats to downbeats (on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4) and upbeats to downbeats (on the "and" of each beat).

still on the line

While in that tuning, drop the 6th string another full step and place your guitar in a looser version of Drop D, with the whole thing one full step (C G C F A D). This allows you to approximate the sound of Campbell's bass lines from his 1968 recording of Wichita Lineman. Session bassist Carol Kaye says Campbell played the song's legendary solo on her Danelectro 6-string electric bass, which would have been tuned an octave below standard guitar tuning. (He also apparently used his dano for his solo on his "Galveston" recording.)Campbell was also known to use a Fender Bass VI in the same tuning for "Wichita Lineman" live performances. (There are also several videos on YouTube showing him soloing on normally tuned guitars in the standard guitar register.)

One thing that makes Campbell's originally recorded solo so compelling is that while it builds on the song's languid vocal melody, it has enough rhythmic variety to make it feel like more than a synopsis. It just filters in and holds your attention even when you think you know what's coming.Example 5it's in the spirit of Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" break. Pick down here whenever possible, like Campbell did when he came inDie Smothers Brothers Comedy Hourin 1969. This gives each dotted note a bit more weight.

To the casual observer, Campbell might appear like a charming, golden-voiced entertainer who occasionally played a flashy guitar. However, the examples in this lesson serve to illustrate what his devoted fans have known for decades: Glen Campbell was always a great musician.

This article originally appeared on NovemberEdition 2017Acoustic Guitar Magazine.