Johnny Smith Interview/Lesson/Tips

ruger9ruger9
edited March 2015 in Root
Info on Johnny Smith is kinda' scarce, and any sort of VIDEO is as rare as hen's teeth... here's a video "interview" of Johnny, later in his life, but it's more "lesson/tips" than it is interview. I thought some people here might be interested. Smith is one of my very favorite players.

Comments

  • cwilliamscwilliams
    I was logging in to share this video and you beat me to the punch. This is great stuff!
  • RogerioFerrazRogerioFerraz
    Wow! This is fantastic! Thank you so much for posting it here!
  • AndyJAndyJ
    edited March 2015
    There's a lot of really useful playing information in this video. So a big thank you to Ruger9.
    It is also interesting to hear why Johnny Smith developed certain ideas and how musicians never used to ask 'how do you improvise?'
    I watched a Barney Kessel teaching video on YouTube recently and he was saying similar things about hearing and playing your own melodies



    It has made me realise I've got to use my ears a lot more.

    You never stop learning!
  • weelieweelie
    Thanks!
  • JimCampilongoJimCampilongo
    edited March 2015
    The Johnny Smith video is a real treat. It seem to me, like many successful musicians, he's a nice person - the kind of person you'd want to take a long drive with, or play Gin Rummy with... and the amount of focus he invests in playing guitar is humbling. I've been a Johnny Smith fan for a long while but I've never seen him play. I really learned a lot about guitar, music and enjoyed Johnny as a person.

    Barney Kessel demonstrates similar qualities as Johnny. He's articulate and incredibly specific, and Barney has obviously dedicated his life to being an artist. To me, these guys are like scientists, or brilliant mathematicians.

    I have Barney's hardcover instructional book "Guitar" (it's a cherished possession, though it's an unsatisfying instructional book for my expectations) and quite a few of his interviews - he teaches in a specific niche that is all his own. What I've found is Barney either focuses on basics to the nth degree, or sidesteps the intermediate level, speaks to the listener as an advanced player and delves into the cerebral mechanics of the jazz mentality. Mostly, I feel like I want to betray his philosophies and think "Show me that ii - V chord sequence ... slow!" but apparently Barney doesn't come from that place as an artist. I have an old "Guitar" magazine Barney Kessel interview where the interviewer politely pushes Barney into showing some i-V chording and licks - Barney flat out refuses. He says "this could be damaging!". I can't imagine debating a teaching approach with Barney, I'd probably melt into nothingness! And I kind of love his intense integrity. Obviously, Barney was a committed improviser and drawn to articulating the essence of Jazz improvisation.

    Thanks for posting guys, I really enjoyed the videos.

    This is a good one too... "Barney Kessel talks about his guitar"





  • ruger9ruger9
    edited March 2015
    That guitar video is great- thanks for posting it Jim!- he makes a great point- and maybe Jim can chime in on this, being a master himself....

    (paraphrasing)..."I care more about the music than I do about the guitar [gear], the guitar is a tool and I want it to feel like a pair of old overalls so I can be comfortable and then concentrate on the music"...

    A lot of us suffer from GAS- Gear Acquisition Syndrome. To varying degrees. I feel like I have been on a "gear quest" for years, looking for just the right pieces.... and truth be told, the only piece I have that I would truly miss if the house burned down tomorrow is my #1 tele. Everything else is dispensable. I'd love to hear from Jim and the others on this issue.... did you turn a corner on the "searching for gear/just playing what you have" quest, or are you constantly buying/trying/selling gear trying to find those #1 pieces, and do the #1's always STAY #1's?

    For me, I seem to be turning a corner where I do still care about the gear, but I know the gear I have is solid- and I am trying to concentrate much more on the music now. The gear quest will never end, because it's fun, but I think I'm getting tired! LOL I think I'd love to have JUST a FEW great guitars, and a few great amps, and whatever pedals I would use for whatever projects I'm working on, an call it a day- simplify, so the gear quest isn't "in the way" of serious study.....

    FWIW, I currently own:
    2 acoustics
    2 electric archtops
    2 solidboys electrics
    3 amps (BUT: 1 is a modeler and another is a 5-watter; only 1 "real" (22W) amp)
    about a dozen various pedals (I don't use them all tho- if I need a pedalboard for a gig, it's small and gig-specific)

  • RogerioFerrazRogerioFerraz
    edited March 2015
    I guess the biggest problem of gear hunting is that we often do it with a certain tone/sound in our heads based on records we have listened over the years and, imho, in most cases guitar and amps are only a part of the whole equation. We tend to forget that the room, mics, compressors, tapes, equalizers, producing, mixing, etc. are also involved and play a large role in the final product we are hearing. For me, that's why it's so common to hear people complaining that "they don't get to same sound of their favorite artists" even though they are playing the exact same guitar/pedal/amp models. Having said that, I still think it's cool to talk gear no matter how subjective it is. And last but not least, in my limited experience, I believe that constant practice and a properly set-up guitar (and good sound guy if you play live) can do so much more for good tone than pots/capacitors or whatever other details we guitar geeks often discuss about. :)

    Recently, I have been trying to limit myself to a few guitars that inspire me and I know won't be gathering dust sitting around the house and never getting played. These are the ones I currently own:

    1966 Custom Kraft Barney Kessel Hollow Body Kay
    1955 Harmony Stratone H88
    1983 JV Telecaster

    Also, not pictured here, I have a Yamaha FG-403s acoustic and two teles: a Classic Vibe Squier (which I am turning into a top loader right now) and a "all parts" with a nice CC Lollar pickup. Two amps: a Princeton clone and a lovely 1968 Deluxe Reverb. And the only pedal I have right now is a Boomerang Looper.

    All the best,
    Rogerio

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  • ruger9ruger9
    I've been looking at those Harmony's lately, since discovering Junior Watson and finding out about them.... they say you have to get a "good one", but that if you can find a good one, they are really cool guitars.
  • RogerioFerrazRogerioFerraz
    edited March 2015
    Watson plays a H44 (single pickup) if I am not mistaken but it´s essentially the same. It's a great guitar. Mostly original as far as I know. Btw, mine came with an "extra mojo" hidden beneath the pickguard:

    image
  • ruger9ruger9
    Watson's has been modded/customized.... 2 pickups and a mother-of-toilet-seat (his words, lol) pickgaurd

    image
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