FTW, 4.11.2021

 

I was really distracted this week while trying to learn "Pena," and the piece's difficulty -- it was harder to transcribe than most of the Trout Mask Replica songs have been, because of the prominence of Jeff Cotton's excruciating vocal and lots of overdubbed screaming in the mix, which made parts harder to her and repeated listening to snippets of detail a fingernails-across-the-chalkboard nerve-wracking experience -- drove me closer to my frustration tolerance than I've been with this project to date.

On the positive side, while learning the Zoot Horn Rollo part to this piece, I noticed that the middle position on the Silvertone 1478's pickup selector switch has an out-of-phase sound that I didn't remember it having. If that was also present in my old one, it might account for my affection for the "Richard Thompson" sound that resides between the bridge and middle pickups on a Stratocaster. It's funny how many of my tonal preferences were formed by the peculiarities of guitars I had early on.

Having worked my way through 19 of 22 Trout Mask songs with unique instrumental parts (three of the album's 28 songs are acapella; of the remaining 25, "Hair Pie" is played twice, "China Pig" is a one-chord blues, and "The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica)" has instrumental backing by the Mothers of Invention), I've made a few observations. (I still have "Pachuco Cadaver," "When Big Joan Sets Up," and "Ant Man Bee" to go.) Seven of the songs I've worked on so far use slide. Only four use open tunings. Here's the breakdown (Bill Harkleroad is Guitar #1, Jeff Cotton is Guitar #2):

"Frownland": Standard tuning, both guitars use slide.

"Ella Guru": Guitar #2 uses slide in dropped D. 

"Moonlight On Vermont": Guitar #1 uses slide in open G with a capo at the 9th fret.

"Sugar 'N Spikes": Standard tuning, both guitars use slide.

"Hobo Chang Ba": Guitar #1 is in dropped D. Both guitars use slide.

"Old Fart At Play": Standard tuning, Guitar #2 uses slide.

"Veteran's Day Poppy": Guitar #2 uses slide with the high E tuned to D.

I'll update this list when I finish the Trout Mask Replica Guitar Project.