Kindly recommend some music

[CGKnight]

...containing really good chord melody work.

Instrumentation - 6 string solo guitar, or guitar with percussion. Nothing else and no overdubs -.-'

By 'really good chord melody' I allude, to an extent, to the bassline work. Most guitarists seem to just hold down a bass note (anything they can land in the comfortable vicinity of the chord and melody they're playing), and the only time there's any motion beyond that is when a. there's no melody or b. there's a single held note in the melody. *sigh*

I'm looking for someone doing something like Jason Crawford, but on 6 strings.

YouTube Video

Ted Greene comes close, but not quite (he has nice basslines, better than most, but still doesn't sound like a real bassist).

The more improvised and lesser arranged, the better. Thank you

[pierre richard]

there you have it...the more improvised and less arranged the better...

what is that old saying..."sometimes less is more"...

but time on the instrument..pierre

[matt.guitarteacher]

Solo guitar arrangement (with killer bass line), better than Ted Greene, and completely improvised.... huh...

May be why there's not been much response.

[CGKnight]

Thank you for your responses.

Originally Posted by pierre richard

what is that old saying..."sometimes less is more"...

In reference to what I'm looking for in the record? In that case - all the other fingerstyle players would have sufficed. I have been going through a lot of solo stuff of a few of them (Pass, Greene, Breau), and it just isn't what I want to do on the instrument. One could say I'm looking for the Barbara Dennerlein of the guitar. (Okay, the stuff in that particular link might be impossible. But one gets the idea.)
(By the way - I've always admired how your steadfast motto, 'time on the instrument', rings truer than the pages upon pages of discussion and argument that go on here. It's the one voice of reason.)

matt.guitarteacher - More improvised is preferred, sir, but not compulsory. :|

Any recommendations?

[matt.guitarteacher]

Have you listened to Martin Taylor? A little less improvised sounding imo, tho I know he can in that style. Lots of bass lines and moving inner voices, and he's got an online school too.

Honestly, I've just sen him on YouTube. I don't listen to guitarists playing this style a lot.

[Jazzaluk]

If Joe Pass, Ted Greene and Lenny Breau don't do it for you, then it might not be possible to find better examples.

Jason Craw is very accomplished on the 8-string, but I don't hear much chord melody. Mostly two lines being played. If this is what you like, maybe you need to switch to seven or eight string guitar. (Or maybe the"stick", or piano )

I checked out Craw's other UTube uploads and I really like his style, but I don't hear many chords. Also, it definitely sounds like he relaxes the bass line when he wants to get more interesting things out of the upper voice.

All this to say, there is a reason to have simple bass lines.

Here he is on a six string. Pretty standard approach to bass lines going on.

YouTube Video

[artcore]

As far as walking base, or base lines in solo guitar, I agree what Ted Greene had to say on the subject..To much thinking takes place if you are concentrating ( all the time)..or your moving base lines...( somthing to that effect)....That being said, check out Tsuyoshi Ichikawa...

[zonedout245]

I don't know whether you want to asking for that music for your own listening pleasure, or practice practice material, or both. It seems that you are looking for performances that are extremely complex, and depending on the piece, nearly impossible on the six string without alternate tunings, complete/partial capos, and/or several tuning changes during the performance. I think you will have more luck finding performances of pieces written for the guitar, or similar instruments, or the small number of piano pieces that have been transcribed with some success. Although not usually improvised, I don't know too many outside of classical pieces, so I will simply suggest some that I already know have what you are looking for.

Bourree - J.S. Bach (Performed by Per-Olov Kindgren)

YouTube Video

JUST REMEMBERED:
Check out Tuck Andress. some of his performances might be what you're looking for. This is one example:

YouTube Video

I like how he talks while playing.

[brwnhornet59]

Originally Posted by Jazzaluk

If Joe Pass, Ted Greene and Lenny Breau don't do it for you, then it might not be possible to find better examples.

Jason Craw is very accomplished on the 8-string, but I don't hear much chord melody. Mostly two lines being played. If this is what you like, maybe you need to switch to seven or eight string guitar. (Or maybe the"stick", or piano )

I checked out Craw's other UTube uploads and I really like his style, but I don't hear many chords. Also, it definitely sounds like he relaxes the bass line when he wants to get more interesting things out of the upper voice.

All this to say, there is a reason to have simple bass lines.

Here he is on a six string. Pretty standard approach to bass lines going on.

+1 on that.

[brwnhornet59]

JUST REMEMBERED:
Check out Tuck Andress. some of his performances might be what you're looking for. This is one example:

Man was that some sweet syncopated lines, or what?? Very impressive indeed!

[CGKnight]

matt.guitarteacher - Aha. I checked out some stuff by him. Indeed, he's better in said aspects. Thanks.

Jazzaluk - I aim to improvise interesting, sophisticated music in 2-4 lines. An ERG would certainly be on the cards, but there's a lot of hate/distaste for those.

artcore - Whoa. I checked out a little of Ichikawa's work. Some very interesting stuff there. Seriously, I think that's quite close to what I was looking for. I'll dig in some more. Thanks!

Originally Posted by zonedout245

I don't know whether you want to asking for that music for your own listening pleasure, or practice practice material, or both.

I'm rather unsure myself. I think I'm trying to see how far the instrument and style (fingerstyle guitar) can go. Found it kind of funny - fingerstyle was supposed to let you play in 3-4 voices, but I've found only a few compositions with interesting bass lines, and almost no improvisations (except for some Greene, and now Martin Taylor and Tsuyoshi Ichikawa). Pick up a disc of any fingerstyle player with a trio, then compare with the solo stuff - stark difference, that put me off a lot. They say solo guitar is boring, and I feel the lack of an interesting bassline is one major reason why.

RE : the Bourree - I'm a CG student, so I've heard it, and think that anyone can do that kind of thing - ie memorize and work it out to perfection in the leisure of the practice room. The real deal, in my opinion, would be to do what the composer of that piece is said to have done...improvise stuff like that, which the classical players of today take months of time to work out (though ksjazzguitar gave some good, insightful points on why its good that classical musicians stopped improvising)

That Tuck Andress vid is WHOA - even though guitar-percussion is something I have a distaste for nowadays - tis just full of awesomeness.

(By the way, zonedout245 - nice DP, lol.)

Thank you for your replies. Any more recommendations are welcome. My eyes have already been opened a fair bit, looking forward to more great guitar.

[jayv999]

Check out the late great Kenny Poole for a solo chord-melody player who really sounds like a bass player. He tunes his guitar down quite low (a major 3rd I believe). He actually did play bass for many years.
I think his best is "Deep End of the Poole" (his last recorded concert). It's not commercially produced, so do a Google search for it and you can buy it from the group that recorded it.
He is one of my top favorite players.
--Jay

[guelda]

What about Joe Beck ? If I remember he uses a lot of great basslines in his playing.
Have swing

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I just searched YouTube for Kenny Poole. Nice stuff!

YouTube Video