On this week’s Dipped In Tone, Rhett and Zack are joined by contemporary jazz guitar legend Adam Levy, the thoughtful, soft-spoken accompanist known for his work with Norah Jones and his own jazz trios. Levy’s new book, String Theories, which he co-authored with fellow sideman-to-the-stars Ethan Sherman, collects a series of tips, challenges, and reflections for guitarists to deepen their playing.
“I need it to sound like Solomon Burke is singing,” Levy says of his style and philosophy, centered on leads and mid-register tones. His formative playing experiences were on a Gibson ES-335, and Zack and Rhett wonder why the semi-hollow remains Levy’s go-to over, say, a Les Paul or T-style guitar. “[We] kind of put guitars in buckets: ‘This guitar does this, this guitar does that,’” says Levy. “But a lot of it is just what you do with your hands anyway. I feel like the instrument itself is maybe just a third of all that stuff.”
Levy says that as the years go on, he gets “more like myself” when playing. A piece of that, he says, is stepping back from guitar music altogether. “Go on a guitar fast for a month,” he says. Levy says that removing the distractions of analyzing for specific tones and gear can create a clearer relationship to music. “All you can really notice is, ‘What’s the mood? How does it make me feel?’” Similarly, Levy warns of the dangers of overanalyzing your playing: “A little bit of reflection can go a long way,” he says, but “you don’t want to get so reflective that you shut yourself down.”
Finally, the trio dips a high-class vintage rig complete with a Gibson ES-125 with a floating wooden bridge—which shocks a sense-memory out of Levy. “It’s beyond, ‘I can hear that guitar,’” laughs Levy. “I can smell that guitar.”
Subscribe, like, and leave us a comment!
Big thanks to Sweetwater for sponsoring this episode. Head to http://sweetwater.com for all your musical gear needs.
Subscribe, like, and leave us a comment
Sign up on our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/iaCee5
Support us on Patreon for access to our discord server and other perks! https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone
MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/dipped-in-tone
Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/dippedintone
Dipped in Tone is:
Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com/
Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com
Premier Guitar https://www.premierguitar.com/
Are There Guitar Heroes Anymore?
The Do's and Dont's of Modifying Guitars
Your Rigs, Our Opinions
Is the Future of Guitar Digital?
Is NAMM still relevant?
Building A Pedalboard in 2021
Top 5 best guitar tones (in our opinion)
How to buy an Electric Guitar
We Answer Your Questions
The Best Guitar Gear of 2020 (In Our Opinion)
Why Tube Amps Will Never Die
Guitar Pet Peeves
Pedals as Instruments
Let's Start A Guitar Company
Are these pedals too exclusive?
The Great Guitar Heist of 2020
How we would fix Guitar Center - Episode 10
The Biggest Problem with the Tube Screamer. Episode 9
It Belongs In A Museum
Why Vintage Guitars Are So Important - Episode 7
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Superfancast
Derringer Discoveries - A Music Adventure Podcast
Bandsplain
One Song
R&B Money