Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing.

[Bob_Ross]

Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing.


1. Listen to the birds

That’s where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren’t going anywhere.


2. Your guitar is not really a guitar

Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you’re good, you’ll land a big one.


3. Practice in front of a bush

Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush doesn’t shake, eat another piece of bread.


4. Walk with the devil

Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the “devil box.” And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you’re brining over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.


5. If you’re guilty of thinking, you’re out

If your brain is part of the process, you’re missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.


6. Never point your guitar at anyone

Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.


7. Always carry a church key

That’s your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He’s one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song “I Need a Hundred Dollars” is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty — making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he’s doing it.


8. Don’t wipe the sweat off your instrument

You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.


9. Keep your guitar in a dark place

When you’re not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don’t play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.


10. You gotta have a hood for your engine

Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can’t escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.

[Chezdeluxe]

The guy was a joke

[Rob MacKillop]

I disagree. He somehow united deep Blues and Surrealist art, and sometimes that failed, and sometimes it was stunningly brilliant. He also had a great sense of humour. I’d rather spend an hour in the company of his music, than listening to an hour of lounge jazz. But ymmv.

[Aiq]

“I don’t play guitar, I play horn. It’s a f*^#+d up horn, but it’s a horn.” Sonny Sharrock

[Jimmy blue note]

The broader your concept of what you're doing when you're not playing your guitar, the more you can bring to the game when you're playing.
He played his own self masterfully. So did Zappa. So does Scofield. So did Son House. So did Dali. So did Vonnegut. So does anyone who's got something valuable to say. Captain Beefheart has deep humour.
If you can't hear it, give it time.

[Rob MacKillop]

The broader your concept of what you're doing when you're not playing your guitar, the more you can bring to the game when you're playing.

Obvious, but rarely mentioned. It’s not all about plotting your way carefully through changes.

[Mick-7]

Don was one of a kind....