A recent retrospective INTERVIEW with LJ 

 

You appeared on the fingerstyle scene in the early 90's, seemingly out of nowhere.

 

  I had spent the 70's as a studio musician in London, then joined McCartney's Wings as lead guitarist. When the band folded, I moved to the US in '81 and settled in LA where I established myself as a studio musician and started raising a family. I had always been fascinated by the self-sufficiency of fingerstyle guitar. Spending time playing my young kids to sleep put an acoustic in my hands on a regular basis and I found that I really enjoyed it as a vehicle for self expression.  

 

What originally attracted you to the guitar?

 

The twangy Strat sound of the Shadows, who were huge in the UK in the early 60's. It was kind of 'euro-surf ' instrumental music but without the surf. Their biggest hit was Apache, which the Ventures did in the US. The Beatles and that whole generation of Brit-pop exploded in 1963. I really wanted to learn guitar, but my dad was a fan of the Big Bands and steered me toward the Saxophone. There weren't enough Clarinets to go around at school, so I got an acoustic guitar for my 11th birthday. I took some lessons from a local teacher, but mostly I taught myself. I learned to sight read from a book called 'Play In a Day' by Bert Weedon, which was the primer for many British guitar players.  What got you started playing fingerstyle?  Anji - the Bert Jansch version was a 'rite of passage' pieces in junior high school,  with its descending bass and A minor melody. . Later on John Renbourne in the 'Sir John A Lot' period. Plus early Dylan/Baez/Paul Simon, Merle Travis, a little bit of Chet. I found an obscure album by a DC area Jazz guitarist named Bill Harris that had a very cool version of the jazz standard 'Cherokee' played chord-melody style on a nylon string with a fast moving bass line - that opened me up to the possibilities of combining different genres of solo guitar.In high school I took classical guitar lessons and later studied Renaissance Lute. J.S. Bach was my introduction to counterpoint and I still rely on his music to keep me musically grounded!  In college during the early 70's , I would hang out at a flat in East London occupied by Judith Piepe who was the 'eminence gris' of the folk scene. In the mid- 60's it was where Paul Simon and Al Stewart among others would stay. I met Davy Graham there one day and he showed me how to play his original version of 'Anji',  One of my house-mates taught me Dallas Rag, I listened to Stefan Grossman and transcribed some Scott Joplin. That experience formed the basis for my later rags like 'When Harry Got To Heaven'. 

 

What other styles influenced you? 

 

My primary ambition was to be a versatile studio guitarist with a sideline in blues-rock lead guitar. I was deeply into Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Page and later John McLaughlin.  I discovered Django Reinhardt and Barney Kessell when I was about 14, so I also developed a Jazz vocabulary. My favorite was Joe Pass. I'd see him at Ronnie Scott's club in the West end of London and stay until they closed at 3am, then I’d go home and practice!  Did you play gigs yourself?  On electric, I played in various bands covering Beatles, Who, Stones and Kinks songs, originals too. I had a friend who could play all the early Keith Emerson stuff on B3, so we did some prog-rock jam-band stuff.  I was playing army bases with a pop group, weddings with a dance band, all as a semi-pro player, but I wanted to get through high school before turning pro.  When I graduated high school, I was performing in folk clubs, jazz and rock clubs - anywhere I could get a gig... playing in some of London's Irish ballrooms at weekends. Then I went to study at London University to get a music degree.  I was also playing with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, my college contemporary chamber ensemble (conducted by Simon Rattle), even the occasional lute gig. I studied some classical with Anthea Gifford and some Jazz with Ike Isaacs. Once, I took a lesson with avant-garde pioneer Derek Bailey, who showed me some cool 9th voicings - no alligator clips on the strings that day! 

 

Did your “formal” musical education help much?

 Eventually I transitioned into studio work and did hundreds of sessions in London during the mid 70's. Being able to read really helped, but also I was able to come up with parts, hooks, arranging ideas.  

 

It’s well known that you spent a few years in Wings as the lead guitarist and picked up your first GRAMMY with Sir Paul and the lovely Linda…how did that experience influence your playing?

 

When I joined Wings as lead guitarist, it cost me my career as a studio musician but I gained an education in artistry. That was when I started to realize that I could compose for guitar. Paul and Linda gave me some encouragement there. My first fingerstyle piece was a tune called 'Maisie' which exists as an out-take from the 'Back To The Egg' album (1979). It was cool to have Macca playing bass on my first tune. Later I recorded it as a solo for my Naked Guitar CD (1993). The 'Stepney Two Step', 'Joanna' and 'Fireleaves' are others that came out of that period. 

 

After Wings dissolved you moved to the US?

After Wings I moved to the US, settling in LA where I married Hope and started raising a family. I fell naturally into the studio scene but I had caught the creative bug and found myself writing solo guitar pieces, as well as repertoire for Hope's group, The Housewives and also scoring TV and motion pictures and writing some stage musicals. I was offered a deal to record for James Lee Stanley's Beachwood Records and that kicked in my fingerstyle career in 1990. 

 

You have a unique technique for steel string fingerstyle which doesn’t rely on  nails can you tell us more? 

 

When I regularly played Classical guitar, I was meticulous about my nails and I kept nail in my right hand technique until I started woodshedding for my Solo Flight CD. That was when I cut them off and modified my attack to be all flesh. I had been impressed with lutenists like Paul Odette who could get a very different sound with traditional nail-less lute technique by keeping the thumb on the inside of the hand. That encouraged me to try different angles of string attack. I tend to push the string down slightly before it releases, more a 'pluck' than a 'pick'. From there it just evolved and I found myself blending all the influences into a homogenous style. Getting some radio airplay gave me some encouragement to keep writing and performing. The more I did it, the more I found that my technique developed away from being classical-based and I was able to integrate some Jazz and Rock concepts.  

 

You are known as the King of DADGAD tuning. What got you into altered tunings?

 

After Naked Guitar (1993) I was convinced that I needed to expand my textural vocabulary and extend the bottom end of the guitar's tonal range. I had fooled around with DADGAD as a teenager, but it didn't really make sense until I approached it in terms of  music theory - looking for the 10ths and octaves etc. My 'LJ' album (1995) was my first foray into altered tunings with 'Pass The Buck', 'Bob's Your Uncle'  and 'Rules Of The Road' . The 'Mosaic' CD with 'Cobalt Blue' followed in 1998. By the time of 'Altered Reality' (Narada 1999) I was ready to tackle a whole album in that tuning, exploring various keys to understand the nuances of DADGAD in F and G min for example. It gave me some good studies that helped with the sonority of the arrangements on the 'LJ Plays The Beatles' CD which followed it.  Do you use them exclusively?  Not at all - they are simply arranging and composing tools.  I'm very fond of standard tuning - especially when it comes to voicing 13ths and  altered 9ths. An arrangement like Pink Panther doesn't make sense to me in standard, but in CGDGAD there's a logic to it. The oscillation between the Eminor and the C7th is a natural for that tuning. Strawberry Fields Forever seems to be made for DADGAD, whereas 'Stormy Weather' makes more sense in standard. 

 

You don't just play solo, do you? 

 

I've tried to keep a balance between solo and ensemble playing. My DVD 'Guitar Noir' is typical of the trio setting that I favor, with upright bass (3/4 sized suits the tone of the guitar well) and hand percussion. I enjoy having someone else provide the accompaniment so that I can draw on the lead guitarist in me! The Groovemasters CD with Preston Reed (1997) is another example, as are the albums I've produced with Al Stewart. I  do an ensemble CD once in a while. The last one was 'Different Times' (2001) which was recorded in a day at Capitol Studios with jazz great Peter Erskine on Drums and my regular bassist Domenic Genova. 

 

Do you have a practice regimen? 

 

I rarely play scales and arpeggios these days. When I sit down to practice, I tend to be working on pieces - new arrangements and compositions that I'll cycle through, allowing 10-15 minutes per tune. If I'm arranging I'll often be at the computer entering the ideas into Finale. After I record tunes, I then go back and refine the transcription to match the performance - there are always things that change! If I need a 'tune-up', I'll sight-read through the Bach Lute Suites....... 

 

What's your approach to arranging? 

 

Arranging is a skill set that I've developed over the years. It has really helped to have a degree in music, as my understanding of harmony and counterpoint give me the foundation to explore the guitaristic aspects of the process. I go between literal renditions like 'Martha My Dear' which I kept in Eb, to looser interpretations like 'Little Wing' which is more 'acousticized' than the Hendrix. The whole Beatle collection was a dive into the deep end. Until then I'd never done a complete collection of arrangements. That album was triggered by 'Rain' (Mosaic 1998) which was treated more as a tone poem, telling a story, rather than a conventional melody-accompaniment approach. I credit Hope with helping me develop that 'creative subtext' direction. Strawberry Fields Forever was a significant arrangement , as it took me into unexplored DADGAD territory, as I tried to stay true to the texture and the spirit of the original. Probably the biggest of the lot is Pink Panther (Pink Guitar 2004). I set out to capture as much as I could of the Mancini original - the bass line, horns, Plas Johnson's Tenor Sax solo....... 'One Wing' (2005) has a similar range. 'Another Day' is a standard tuning 'classical'-style rendering; 'Mull of Kintyre' is a CGDGAD tone poem; 'Jet' is a literal approach in DADGAD; 'Maybe I'm Amazed' has space for improvisation. Ultimately, what ever approach makes for a satisfying musical experience. 

 

And composing? 

 

I wish I could say that I wake up with a great tune in my head, but it tends to be a 'hunt and peck' approach. I'm usually  looking for the nexus of the musical and the guitaristic, moves that add something new to my understanding of the medium. Tone and texture are essential to the fabric of the pieces, but it's still driven by the melody. 'Pass The Buck' (LJ 1995) is an example where the hammer-ons and the triplet feel set up a groove and the melody emerges from that. It provides, at least to me, a satisfying dynamic flow. Other times, a tune will pretty much write itself. 'The 5:55' (Guitarist 2005) was like that - I woke up early on my 50th birthday and that was the time on the clock - the rhythm stuck in my head until I picked up a guitar and the tune flowed out.   Other than the ubiquitous alternating bass, very little of my composing is pattern-based. I'll build around sequences of 10ths or pedaling a melody with moving bassline like 'To New Amsterdam' (Naked Solos) but the traditional pattern rarely comes up. A notable exception is 'Along The Way' (Guitarist) which takes me back to the Paul Simon 'Boxer'  mode. Even there, the melody evolves 'Freight Train'-like out of the right hand pattern ,rather than being  static repetition.  A lot of my standard tuning work has it's roots in classical and ragtime, whereas the altered tuning pieces tend to explore the more contemporary idioms. I love the way that DADGAD allows for the top three strings to articulate a 'thickened' line, while the bass can move independently.  I like the way the voicings get modified in DADGAD, with added 2nds and 11ths  and that tends to inspire some of the jazzier stuff in a more pianistic way - I can explore the style without being restricted to the close-voiced traditional 'adult' guitar chords. 

 

The LJ Signature Martin guitars drew some attention and rave reviews. What was your philosophy in its building/design? 

 

To begin with, I had little concept of smaller bodied guitars for fingerstyle. I was always a dreadnaught or a jumbo player until I joined Wings, when an Ovation endorsement came with the gig (laughs..) I picked up a Cedar/Imbouya instrument by John Le Voi, an English luthier, which is a very cool guitar that I used for my early solo recordings. Ringo borrowed it on a session and thrashed it a bit, leaving a few blood spots inside - you could say that it absorbed some Beatle DNA! In New York in '81, luthier Roger Sadowsky recommended the Martin M38, which was popular among the the studio players there. That became my main guitar until my need for a cutaway led me to Taylors, which, with their  1 3/4" neck width were very handy. I was introduced to the OM by Eric Schoenberg in the early 1990's. His guitars were not in production at that time, so I ordered a Collings OM1 which was a nice complement to the Taylors. Eventually my exposure to, and understanding of the tone, the woods and the dimensions of the 30's Martin's led me back to the source.  I basically had Martin add a cutaway to the classic OM design and reduce the vintage string spacing at the saddle from 2 5/16ths to 2 1/4" with the neck width at the 12th fret to match and a modern version of the vintage 'V' neck profile.The first limited run was an OM18 in Mahogany,  the second was an OM28 in both Brazilian and Indian Rosewood versions. They are currently offering a custom shop version in Madagascar Rosewood, subject to availability of the wood. All have Adirodack tops which I prefer for its clarity, dynamics and full frequency response. I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to work in synergy with them - it's certainly cured my chronic G.A.S.!!!!  I favor the OM because of its comfortable size and versatility. It's great live and in the studio, fingerstyle or flatpicked.

  Tell us about your other gear?

 

  I string all my acoustics with GHS Signature Bronze strings in True Medium gauge (13,17,24,32,42,56). On stage, I will kill a conventional string set in 20 minutes and coated strings don't suit my style, so these are cryogenically treated to last longer. I generally use a Duncan Mag Mic pickup, customized with an Audix mic capsule and a split output. I run that into either a DTAR Solstice or a Highlander preamp. If possible, I'll have a Neumann KM140 mic on a boom stand too. I used to play standing up, but I can get more control if I sit and it's much easier on the shoulders! 

 

Your are known as a clinician as well as a recording and performing artist.

 I started doing clinics in the early 90's. It was a good way to promote and develop my work at a time before I had more fully developed a network of concert outlets. It was a heady time as the 'Unplugged phenomenon was driving rapid growth in the acoustic guitar world. I learned a great deal about tone woods which helped in formulating my signature guitar. After the 90's I cut way back on clinics although I still do a few for Martin. I really enjoy workshops, as I learn a lot from them by having to articulate what's going on in my playing. 

 

What's next for you?

 I seem to be venturing further afield in my touring - I'm enjoying meeting and performing for audiences around the world.  On the arranging front, I'm working on a collection of arrangements of Harold Arlen tunes. He was the wonderful composer who wrote 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow', 'Stormy Weather', 'Get Happy' and many more. I have a growing collection of new original compositions that will need a home and  I'm due for another ensemble record. I'm adding some more material to my instructional videos and books - trying to bridge the gap between fingerstyle guitar and music theory. The Jazz and Classical world have it covered, but the fingerstyle world lacks the pedagogy, especially in regard to altered tunings. The guitar continues to provide me with an education, a living and, above all, a voice, a means of self expression.

By the way…what is G.A.S. ?

Guitar acquisition syndrom!