"Blaze of Glory" guitar opening
July 27, 2010 5:49 PM   Subscribe

I really like the guitar style in the openings of BonJovi's "blaze of glory" and "wanted" songs. I want to listen to more music in this style. What kind of "county"-ish music are those guitar riffs?

I know there are lots of different "country"/southern music styles. What would best these guitar portions?
posted by Ezrie to Media & Arts (12 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Especially like the sound at 0:25 of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfmYCM4CS8o&feature=related
posted by Ezrie at 5:56 PM on July 27, 2010


If I understand your question correctly, I think the essence of the sound you're looking for is the slide guitar. Check out some of the songs here. I think this one is a little bluesier & faster but pretty close to the same style of riff.

Sorry I don't have any specific recommendations, but I hope that might at least point you in the right direction.
posted by Balonious Assault at 6:09 PM on July 27, 2010


sounds like a dobro played with slide and some processing to get that "tinny" sound. How's this?
posted by cosmicbandito at 6:11 PM on July 27, 2010


That's slide guitar, sometimes known as bottleneck, sometimes Dobro for the resonator guitar often used with that style. It's associated with southern blues and southwestern music, hence Bon Jovi's use for their cowboy-ish songs.

Ry Cooder is your friend here for the SW style, especially the Paris, Texas soundtrack. Also Duane Allman. Rory Gallagher. You hear something similar from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck on "Low Desert" on New Adventures In Hi-Fi.
posted by holgate at 6:13 PM on July 27, 2010 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Reminded me of my favorite dobro player, Jerry Douglas.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2010 [1 favorite]


He plays pedal steel, which is somewhat different, but I'm willing to bet you won't be disappointed by checking out some of Daniel Lanois' solo albums, especially Belladonna.
posted by mannequito at 6:28 PM on July 27, 2010


Rory Block. But don't take my word for it.

Major seconding of the Paris, Texas soundtrack.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:56 PM on July 27, 2010


Awesome, I was idly wondering about this same thing, just the other day. I'm glad you asked the question. :)
posted by Fleebnork at 7:37 PM on July 27, 2010


Cinderella - Bad Seamstress Blues / Fallin' Apart At The Seams
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Four Walls of Raiford
Also check this Lastfm group page...

http://www.last.fm/group/Slide+Guitar+Appreciation
posted by Kandarp Von Bontee at 5:02 AM on July 28, 2010


Response by poster: Wow. You guys are great. I really like all the linked music.

I have a few more questions:

Is it "slide guitar" no matter what kind of guitar it is played on, or does it have to be on a resonator guitar?

Are all resonators played with a slide?

Are there major differences in sound between tricones, single cones etc (I ahve been reading up on wikipedia)?

Thanks!
posted by Ezrie at 10:08 AM on July 28, 2010


Yes, it's "slide guitar" whatever kind of guitar is used, so long as it's played with a slide or a bottleneck.

And resonators can be fingerpicked - in fact, the open to "Wanted Dead or Alive" is picked, not slide, and, as another example - Dire Strait's "Romeo and Juliet" is played throughout on a Dobro National guitar using Mark Knopfler's much vaunted fingerstyle...
posted by benzo8 at 11:31 AM on July 28, 2010


An important point about slide guitar, whether it's lap steel, pedal steel, etc., is that it makes heavy use of "non-standard" tunings, usually to open chords, which means that the harmonics are different from the outset. Because there's no fretting involved, you also get smooth glissandi, microtones without string-bending, and other distinctive sounds.

As KevinSkomsvold's link demonstrates, there's a really great contrast between slide guitar's slightly rough edges and fingerpicked banjo's precise staccato arpeggios (i.e. chords "rolled" out one note at a time).
posted by holgate at 8:09 PM on July 28, 2010


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