Guitarchitecture
Encyclopedia
Guitarchitecture: is a term developed by Chuck Hammer
in 1977, describing an approach to soundtrack composition, employing discrete textured guitar layers.
The core idea behind Guitarchitecture: "to expand the guitar's sonic vocabulary", is contextual and process based:
The Roland GR 500 Guitar/synthesizer
allowed partial - " infinite sustain" through the use of a built in magnetic field sustainer.
This "sustainer" radically altered the temporal properties of guitar string response, extending its basic physical sonic capabilities.
As the instrument could now sustain single notes and chords almost "infinitely", the music that could now be conceived and rendered with a guitar were
widely reconsidered.
The ideas and concepts surrounding Guitarchitecture were gaining strength while Chuck Hammer
toured live with a GR 500 Guitar Synth with Lou Reed 1978-1980.
During this time, Hammer began recording a series of experimental Guitar Synth multi tracks
for RCA, Epic, and Atlantic Records. These early Guitarchitecture soundtracks were eventually sent to David Bowie in an effort to raise their profile.
This eventually led to the recording of seminal guitar synth tracks for David Bowie
's album,
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
released in September 1980
by RCA Records
, which included four layered Guitar Synth tracks on "Ashes to Ashes
".
Chuck Hammer
Chuck Hammer is an American guitarist and Emmy nominated digital film composer, known for seminal guitar-synth with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Guitarchitecture....
in 1977, describing an approach to soundtrack composition, employing discrete textured guitar layers.
The core idea behind Guitarchitecture: "to expand the guitar's sonic vocabulary", is contextual and process based:
The Roland GR 500 Guitar/synthesizer
Guitar/synthesizer
A guitar synthesizer is any one of a number of musical instrument systems that allow a guitar player to play synthesizer sound. While the term "MIDI guitar" is often used as a synonym for the field of guitar/synthesis or for a guitar/synthesizer, MIDI is not always used...
allowed partial - " infinite sustain" through the use of a built in magnetic field sustainer.
This "sustainer" radically altered the temporal properties of guitar string response, extending its basic physical sonic capabilities.
As the instrument could now sustain single notes and chords almost "infinitely", the music that could now be conceived and rendered with a guitar were
widely reconsidered.
The ideas and concepts surrounding Guitarchitecture were gaining strength while Chuck Hammer
Chuck Hammer
Chuck Hammer is an American guitarist and Emmy nominated digital film composer, known for seminal guitar-synth with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Guitarchitecture....
toured live with a GR 500 Guitar Synth with Lou Reed 1978-1980.
During this time, Hammer began recording a series of experimental Guitar Synth multi tracks
for RCA, Epic, and Atlantic Records. These early Guitarchitecture soundtracks were eventually sent to David Bowie in an effort to raise their profile.
This eventually led to the recording of seminal guitar synth tracks for David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's album,
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters is an album by David Bowie, released in September 1980 by RCA Records. It was Bowie's final studio album for the label and his first following the so-called Berlin Trilogy of Low, "Heroes" and Lodger . Though considered significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proved less...
released in September 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
by RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, which included four layered Guitar Synth tracks on "Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song)
"Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet...
".