As a pioneer of the folk-rock, singer/songwriter movement so prevalent and influential in the late 60s and early 70s, James Taylor has enjoyed an accolade-strewn career spanning some forty years, comprising legendary recordings, concerts and sadly, personal travails.
His work as a guitarist stands up to comparison with many other, lauded talents in that arena, so I feel it is not inappropriate to put forward the epithet 'James Taylor Guitar Hero'. His technical proficiency and subtle fluency as a finger picker are second to none and there are many examples in his catalogue that bear witness to this.
To add to this, it is probably interesting to note that James now achieves his optimum live sound using one of three Olsen guitars, custom-made for him at considerable expense. Check the guitar out in the Live at The Beacon Theatre DVD.
As a young man, born into an academic and musical family, James was encouraged to play an instrument as early as possible and his first choice was the cello. His later, languid guitar style may have owed something to these initial cello lessons, as was his subsequent flair for arrangement. Exposure to the likes of Woody Guthrie, Merle Travis, traditional carols, hymns and some experimentation with his sister Kate's piano gave him further insights into the possibilities on the guitar. He likened his modus operandi to that of a pianist, using his right thumb as 'the left hand' and the first, second and third picking fingers as 'the right hand'. James has some great instructional guitar videos over at his website now, which are a must for any guitar students to check out.
This superior picking technique is much to the fore on many of his most famous songs. Let's examine a couple below:
* You've Got A Friend - released on the 1971 Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon album. The full extent of James' style, running parallel with the method known as Carter picking, is given free rein in this song. Riven with hammer-ons and hammer-offs, simultaneous picks of melody lines and backing notes, blues and folk mannerisms all combine to make a sensuous whole.
* Fire And Rain - from the album Sweet Baby James. To my ears, it's played with a capo in place and is, once again, replete with numerous hammer-ons and deft interludes between the vocal, still allowing enough room for the piano accompaniment. James often mentioned that his long-time bass player, Leland Sklar, would be severely limited in his contributions to a song, as Taylor's guitar phrasing regularly included bass parts that would be difficult to 'play over'
His work as a guitarist stands up to comparison with many other, lauded talents in that arena, so I feel it is not inappropriate to put forward the epithet 'James Taylor Guitar Hero'. His technical proficiency and subtle fluency as a finger picker are second to none and there are many examples in his catalogue that bear witness to this.
To add to this, it is probably interesting to note that James now achieves his optimum live sound using one of three Olsen guitars, custom-made for him at considerable expense. Check the guitar out in the Live at The Beacon Theatre DVD.
As a young man, born into an academic and musical family, James was encouraged to play an instrument as early as possible and his first choice was the cello. His later, languid guitar style may have owed something to these initial cello lessons, as was his subsequent flair for arrangement. Exposure to the likes of Woody Guthrie, Merle Travis, traditional carols, hymns and some experimentation with his sister Kate's piano gave him further insights into the possibilities on the guitar. He likened his modus operandi to that of a pianist, using his right thumb as 'the left hand' and the first, second and third picking fingers as 'the right hand'. James has some great instructional guitar videos over at his website now, which are a must for any guitar students to check out.
This superior picking technique is much to the fore on many of his most famous songs. Let's examine a couple below:
* You've Got A Friend - released on the 1971 Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon album. The full extent of James' style, running parallel with the method known as Carter picking, is given free rein in this song. Riven with hammer-ons and hammer-offs, simultaneous picks of melody lines and backing notes, blues and folk mannerisms all combine to make a sensuous whole.
* Fire And Rain - from the album Sweet Baby James. To my ears, it's played with a capo in place and is, once again, replete with numerous hammer-ons and deft interludes between the vocal, still allowing enough room for the piano accompaniment. James often mentioned that his long-time bass player, Leland Sklar, would be severely limited in his contributions to a song, as Taylor's guitar phrasing regularly included bass parts that would be difficult to 'play over'
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