Nels Cline’s Musical Life in Five Riffs€¦ · Nels Cline’s Musical Life in Five Riffs NELS...
Transcript of Nels Cline’s Musical Life in Five Riffs€¦ · Nels Cline’s Musical Life in Five Riffs NELS...
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16 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 G U I T A R P L A Y E R . C O M16 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 G U I T A R P L A Y E R . C O M
CULTURE
B Y J I M B E A U G E Z P H O T O G R A P H B Y J . B . L A W R E N C E
Nels Cline’s Musical Life in Five Riffs
NELS CLINE follows two distinct tracks in his guitar playing, alternating the avant-jazz arc he explores solo along with the psychedelic-punk-freakout
textures he brings to Wilco. Here are the five riffs that changed his life, and inspired his own fearless fretting.
“Turn! Turn! Turn!” Byrds
“I had to listen carefully
to see what was going on
here,” says Cline. “I learned
later in life that I have this
great love—as does much
of western culture—with
the major ninth. I think
that sound, which has
to do with the idiomatic
aspects of open strings on
a guitar, is what created
the term ‘jingle jangle’—
not just the timbre of a
12-string, but the sound
of ringing, open strings.
That sound is irresistible.”
“Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” Yardbirds
“This is one of the most
marvelous and excit-
ing and colorful recorded
performances of a song.
If you think about audio
engineering at that time—
which was a 4-track deck,
I’m sure—I don’t even
know how they did it.
There are so many crazy
things going on with the
guitar. It’s sort of like sat-
ellite Sputnik psychede-
lia. It still gives me a rush.”
“Manic Depression” Jimi Hendrix Experience
“This is the song that con-
vinced me I was going to
play guitar. When you hear
the intro riff, and all the
other stuff he does in the
solo, he goes completely
mad. I was sold. There
was no way I was not
going to do music for life
after that. It was like being
jolted with electricity—like
flying—and it still feels like
that every time I hear it.”
“Marquee Moon” Television
“‘Marquee Moon’ is a ver-
itable feast of memora-
ble and influential guitar
riffs. Tom Verlaine’s long
guitar solo ends in one
of the most memora-
ble examples of a mix-
olydian scale in its most
rudimentary form, and
it sounds like absolute
poetry. Then, there’s this
beautiful, John Cipollina-
influenced thing he plays
with his finger, but I do it
with the bar. That’s where
I get my penchant for the
‘wiggle’—which I use all
over songs like Wilco’s
‘Impossible Germany.’”
“West Germany” Minutemen“The Minutemen had
an incredibly diverse,
poetic vision. I played on
a double bill at McCabe’s
Guitar Shop with them
in the ’80s with Char-
lie Haden’s Liberation
Music Orchestra. I found
D. Boon’s note choices
and phrasing to be almost
spooky. His presence, cha-
risma, power, and com-
mitment was galvanizing.”
> Watch Nels Cline discuss and perform these riffs at guitarplayer.com.
M O R E O N L I N E
gpr0218_front_culture_f.indd 16 12/18/17 12:45 PM
http://guitarplayer.com