It responds very well to a bow on the outer strings and to all manner of prepared guitar techniques. You can also play it with fingers, allowing fretting, bends, slides, and hammer-ons. The action is set lower than a lap-steel, which lets you play with metal and glass finger slides rather than a bar. GAD is a folded fifth tuning, which gives you open intervals of a major second ( G-A), a fourth ( A-D), and a fifth ( G-D). It is strung with the 3 lowest strings of an electric guitar: a. This electric instrument is technically a 3-string fretless board zither, played flat lap style with the highest string closest to the player (like a Guqin or a mountain dulcimer). That research then led me, to designing, practicing and slowly becoming proficient, on the instrument I now call home: the lapsteel-dulcimer. A very exhilarating learning experience to be sure.Ībout that same time I became really interested in the ancient Chinese Guqin, and in the study of The Math of Harmonics. During the five years the Bubbadinos were together I refrained from practicing it, never had a consistent open tuning, and every time I played, it was balls to the wall, with the idea that as long as I kept that bar moving I was bound to be close to something that was going to work. I wanted to experience this, so I made a conscious effort to maintain a primitive relationship with the lap-steel guitar. This combination of limited technique and intense energy gave the first era of Punk visceral immediacy. One thing I found interesting about the first wave of Punk Rock was the lack of technical proficiency. For a few years, I decided to keep it that way-not as easy as one might think. Playing a fretless brass instrument for so long developed my ear, so hearing the notes on the lap-steel guitar was not an issue, but I had no technique on the instrument at all. Some thirty years later, when I began to realize that I had taken the trombone as far as I was going to take it, I started playing lap-steel guitar with a unique country band called The Bubbadinos (under the alias Bubba D). I tried to teach myself acoustic guitar as a kid but for whatever reason, the instrument just didn’t resonate with me. Later, when doing studio work, I performed on trombone/electronics, flutes, keyboards, synthesizers and percussion. My father played drums and bass he taught me the rudiments of drumming and encouraged me to play trombone and piano.

What kind of music were you playing when you first became proficient on the instrument? In our longest feature yet, Guitar Moderne is proud to present the story of these three distinctive artists and the project that unites them, complete with extensive gear descriptions, insights into music making, and thoughts on the artistic life. The two instrumentalists have developed a unique synergy with visual projectionist Dejha Ti, one that I was privileged to witness at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY last March. Guitarist Tim Motzer has carved a prominent place in the Philadelphia music scene with ensembles and solo, ranging from straight-up funk to atmospheric dance accompaniment. To Instant Takemitsu he brings his stylings on an electric version of the Chinese Gu Qin.

In his work with Butch Morris, Jon Hassell, and others he has been a sonic adventurer for three decades. Electric lapsteel-dulcimer player and sampler extraordinaire J.A. Instant Takemitsu is a trio comprising two instrumentalists and a visuals artist.

Modul8 advanced output recording live