Aubrey Ghent

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

How does Aubrey Ghent get his tone?

Is what I'm hearing extensive use of the pinky over the tone control? Is he using a compressor?

Thanks
Bill

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Although Aubrey ocassionally uses his pinky on the tone control, he most frequently uses it on the volume control to soften the attack and make notes swell. He has a beautiful, lush vibrato that is really quite wide. Watch him on "How Great Thou Art" on the SS video.

All on a Fender Studio Deluxe, no less! Not exactly a great ax. Lately Elder Ghent has been changing around instruments some. Bill, you saw him on the Gibson lap-on-a-strap at the 2002 Convention. The year before he had a Sho-Bud and a volume pedal--not exactly a tone monster.

The classic House of God lap is the Fender DeLuxe 8---often strung with only six strings, and tuned to high-bass major tuning in G, A or even Bb. The classic House of God Fender tone is acheived by operating the volume and tone controls while picking, although the latter usually much less and less frequently. Ghent's father, Henry Nelson, was a master at it, but I enjoy Aubrey's playing even more. Nelson's on the video too.

Before he passed I had Nelson's DeLuxe 8 here for a few day--and photographed it of course--while a friend repaired a loose leg socket. The chrome on the plate around the volume knob was almost totally gone. The wear near the tone knob was considerably less. If that guitar could talk, it sure would have some stories to tell.

That said, Darick Campbell probably manipulates the tone knob more than the volume--somewhat of a challenge for sound men and recording engineers.

In my opinion, you can't seperate a player's tone from the musical context in which it exists. And Ghent has some beautiful and powerful musical ideas.

Aubrey doesn't use any compression beyond what is available from his amp. Of course, just about any electric guitar is compressed a bit in the recording studio.

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 31 March 2003 at 11:20 AM.]

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 31 March 2003 at 11:26 AM.]

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 31 March 2003 at 11:28 AM.]

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Thanks Bob for your reply.

I've watched these Aubrey on the video and in person when he was playing the Gibson EH-150 with the faux leopard strap and he does indeed use that volume knob a lot, but as I was listening today it seemed like I was hearing compression too. His playing absolutely slays me!

Speaking of volume knob and pinky, I can not for the life of me get this together. I've tried it on my Bakelite to no avail (maybe I need a "pinkie enlargement"

Anyway, it totally screws up my picking.
Anyone else have this problem?

-Bill

PS to SF Bay Area folks - Campbell Bros and Aubrey Ghent are playing at the SF Jazz Festival April 27, 2003!

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Bill,

If you were listening to a recording--virtually any recording--you were listening to compression.

I can't recall how much compression (and limiting) we did on Ghent's Arhoolie CD 463, but it is almost certain we did some. Now I'm remembering. We probably had to compress the vocals a lot on CD463 because the singers got off-mic some in the heat of the moment. Since everybody was in one room (even the drummer) there was considerable bleedover. So, compressing the vocals would also compress the steel.

We also compress the live recordings a bit too. Probably even more than the studio recordings because the dynamic levels vary so widely in a live situation. And even more compressing and limiting might have been added when mastering--which was out of my hands.

Compressing and limiting make a recording sound louder and punchier. These forms of signal processing are are very popular in the recording biz today and sometimes used to excess, especially in more commercial popular music genres. But never by Arhoolie producers! Well,I should hope not.

I never could get the hang of using the pinky to operate the volume and tone knobs myself. But I never tried for more than a few minutes. Really seems like the hard way of doing it.

By the way, Calvin Cooke says the first person he saw manipulate the knobs while picking was Jewell Dominion steel legend Lorenzo Harrison in the 1950's. Of course Harrison probably got it from someone else. Electric guitarists--both Spanish neck and Hawaiian--apparently discovered the technique early on.

You know how to get to Carnegie Hall, right?

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Ian McLatchie · From: Sechelt, British Columbia

Ouch! Take it easy, Howard, you'll hurt yourself with lines like that!

What struck me listening to Aubrey at the convention last year was how distinctive his sound was, even among so many spectacular players. An EH-150 is a very,
very different instrument from a Fender Studio Deluxe, but to my ears there was very little difference from the sound he got with the Fender (I think?) on the live recordings.

As for the knob-twirling pinky, it's a technique I gave up trying to learn very quickly, not just because it totally messed up my picking hand position but because I figured it would get me a first-class case of tendonitis real quick. Having hands the size of Darick Campbell or Henry Nelson is a major advantage with this one, I think.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

While big hands may help, apparently small hands are not an excuse. I have fairly large hands and have had no success with the knob trick. But then, I've tried it for a total of maybe 20 minutes. Knob twister par excellence Calvin Cooke's hands are so small he often uses plastic finger picks because he can't find metal ones small enough! Ghent's hands are not large.

A lot of the H of G lap steelers don't do much--or any--right hand blocking, thus the Stevens-type bar. Many park their right hand on the bridge cover, similar to the way reso players park their hand on the "hand rest" on the cover plate. Their right hands are pretty far back towards the bridge, which puts the knobs more easily within reach. Those of us used to right hand blocking have to force the right hand to pick that close to the bridge.

There is only one Aubrey Ghent. He's really an outstanding artist. His peers acknowledge him as especially talented. He was the very first House of God steeler I heard in person. He played unaccompanied at his apartment in Ft. Pierce in 1992. I was knocked out--goose bumps all over. It's still always a thrill to hear and see him.

He also has a great sense of musicality and a real talent for creative, expressive arrangements. Those who appreciate preaching as an art form acknowledge Elder Ghent as one of the best. He's a powerful, passionate singer too as well as a solid keyboard player. One talented man!

His 16-year-old son AJ is progressing so rapidly no one can keep up with him. I heard through the grapevine that he recently won a talent contest in south FL in which several of the best from that area competed. We'll be hearing lots more from AJ!

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 01 April 2003 at 05:24 AM.]

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 01 April 2003 at 07:35 AM.]

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Yes, I recall AJ's playing the first night of last year's convention as being outstanding. He rocked the house.

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