The musical wisdom of Ry Cooder.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcMSJe1PUU8Enter your text ...

Here’s a great interview with the guitarist many musicians (and some non-musicians) favour above all others, Ry Cooder. John Hiatt was given his choice of any guitarist for the recording of his Bring The Family album, and he chose Ry (along with Jim Keltner on drums and Nick Lowe on bass). There is much in the interview that could be quoted, my favorite being:

"Most guitar player play too much, ya know? It’s an affliction of guitar players; they’re always playing. People are used to hearing the guy who puts his foot up on the monitor cabinet and blasting away for 84 bars. That’s new, that’s a relatively recent development. Where I’m coming from, what you’re listening for is what’s happening BETWEEN players: What’s the line that the GROUP takes? How does it work, what’s it feel like? What are the chord inversions doing for ya?" What Ry is describing is "ensemble playing", a style employed by the world's best musicians.

For an example of Ry's incredible musicality, give a listen to his playing on "Lipstick Sunset" on the Hiatt album. My all-time favorite guitar solo, when I saw and heard Little Village perform it live, time stood still.

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Showing 4 responses by bdp24

Lucky kids to have such a hip Dad, @sfar! And you a lucky Dad to have such cool kids.
Yeah @tooblue, a musician honest enough to admit a mistake, and big enough to acknowledge his influences and praise those he admires and owes a debt to. It's no secret a lot of musicians have a huge ego, perhaps a result of deep insecurity. Not Ry.
@marqmike, the A Meeting By The River album is one of the best recordings I've ever heard. Ry did the first digitally-recorded Pop (non-Classical) album---Bop Til You Drop, and hated the sound (it's great musically, however). When he heard a Water Lily recording, he asked aloud why his records didn't sound that good. He sought out Kavi Alexander---owner/recording engineer of Water Lily---and A Meeting By The River was the result.
An arch top Gibson @tomic601, not a guitar Ry is known to play. Wonder where that pic was taken. In the interview he states he has about 50 guitars to his name. Guitarists are lucky, they don't take up much room. My collection of 20 vintage drumsets and 40 snare drums fills a 10' x 20' storage space.