guitar population control?

[Darwin]

Whatever happened to abstinence? (Or does that belong on the Political forum?)

[Wombat]

Whatever happened to abstinence? (Or does that belong on the Political forum?)

Just think of the right hook mute as enforced abstinence?

Did I just say right hook? This definitely belongs on the political forum.

[Nanohedron]

A solid-body electric guitar played unplugged.

It's better than air guitar, isn't it. At least with something in hand nobody'd wonder why the poor wretch was afflicted with those spastic motions.

But here's another option for a guitar mute (oh, heck let's just use the generic word "gizmo"; you can have irritatingly bad backup from anything with a set of strings on it):

A Mickey Finn.

Which kind: The kind that puts 'em to sleep, or the kind that makes 'em hot-foot it to the nearest restroom facility?

Yes.

[dapolishunicyclist]

Is there such a thing as a guitar mute? Why not invent one? Another suggestion is to make up a session tune book, so that the accompanying guitarists can learn the correct chords when they are practicing.

You can buy soundhole covers, which quiet the guitar quite abit, for less than twenty bucks. It's not a complex operation to make your own either.

Alternately, just tell them to palm mute, if they're any good they will know what you are talking about. (If they don't know what you are talking about they will probably overdo it, rendering their guitars completely silent. Problem solved.)

As for the trouble changing keys they should all purchase a decent capo, so they can use whatever the hell chord shapes they want in any key.

[dapolishunicyclist]

Give me a recorder or a bodhran any day.

Don't say that so loud. The other forum will hear you.

[JPcares]

The guitar is the most versitile instrument at the session. People still view it as a folk instrument to accompany the melody, even guitar players.

You can drone on the root and the fifth, not know all the ins and outs of the tune and actually add somthing to the sound of a session IMPO. Just don't think you can get away with it for too long.

Right chords??? What are they anyway? I've placed some chords in a progression and have been told "oooh I like that" on one side of me and on the other side "wrong chord-don't play that!!". I hear players like John Doyle choosing chords that I don't think work at all.

More than 1 chord player (unless its a very big session) is too much IMPO and I'll go read or have a drink if there is another chord player of any type. I truly like the music and have no problem just listening.

[Ro3b]

Look, telling people they can play as long as nobody can hear them solves nothing, and it's insulting besides. What's needed in this situation is for the session leader to take a firm hand and enforce the one-guitarist-at-a-time rule and the don't-play-on-tunes-you-don't-know-even-if-you're-"only"-playing-accompaniment rule. Either that or ban accompaniment instruments entirely. There are no other alternatives.

Ditto JPcares, btw.

[chrysophylax]

I agree with these past two posts. If it's an open session, i don't think anyone should be discouraged from playing at all, as long as they're not putting off the other players. But with accompaniment, one backup player at a time is the fairest rule ( unless you happen to have two who are very experienced in playing together like a bouzouki and guitar together which I've heard done EXCELLENTLY). And as for "right" chords, a lot of that is personal taste and style more so than right or wrong. Think of any old standard piano-backed celidh band recording you've heard. The chords aren't "wrong" but they're not what i would want to accompany me, but that's also style preference. As for KNOWING the tunes before playing them, I'm all for it. On whatever instrument you play. And I'm glad that I play melody on other instruments, as this helps me pick up tunes in session quicker. A good itm accompanyist (?) should be able to pick up a tune after once through it.