Trippy Guitar Effects

THIS FIRST NOMADS PAPER WILL BRIEFLY EXPLORE AND DISCUSS TOM MORELLO’S (OF RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) GUITAR-PLAYING TECHNIQUE OF USING THE DIGITECH WHAMMY IN BULLS ON PARADE AT THEIR LIVE CONCERT AT THE GRAND OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM.
THE DIGITECH WHAMMY IS A PITCH-SHIFTER EFFECTS PEDAL MANUFACTURED BY DIGITECH. IT GIVES MUSICIANS THE ABILITY TO SHIFT THE PITCH OF THEIR ELECTRIC GUITAR UP OR DOWN IN REAL TIME BY ROCKING A TREADLE PEDAL UP AND DOWN WITH THEIR FOOT, SIMILAR TO HOW A WAH PEDAL AFFECTS THE TONE OF A GUITAR BASED ON THE POSITION OF THE TREADLE. ESSENTIALLY, A PITCH-SHIFTER IS AN AUDIO PROCESSOR THAT ALTERS THE PITCH OF SOUND. THIS EFFECT IS MOST COMMONLY FOUND TODAY (IN ITS EXTREME FORM) IN HIP-HOP & R&B, AKA, THE T-PAIN EFFECT OR AUTO-TUNE. THEORETICALLY, PITCH SHIFTING CAN BE APPLIED TO ANY TYPE OF AUDI, NOT JUST VOICE. TOM MORELLO TAKES THEORY AND PUTS THE EFFECT TO USE IN REAL TIME/LIVE PERFORMANCES BY CONNECTING IT TO HIS ELECTRIC GUITAR. THE SOUND THAT IS GENERATED IS SIMILAR TO THE WAHWAH OR PHASER EFFECTS THAT WE USED IN AUDACITY. IN FACT, AROUND THE TIME OF RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’S THIRD STUDIO ALBUM, THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES, HE STARTED INCORPORATING REAL-TIME TREMOLO AND PHASER EFFECTS (WE SAW BOTH THESE EFFECTS IN GARAGEBAND AS WELL).
ANOTHER TECHNIQUE USED BY MORELLO IS TAPPING, WHICH IS EXECUTED BY USING THE FINGERS GOING IN ONE HAND TO 'TAP' THE STRINGS AGAINST THE FINGERBOARD, THUS SOUNDING LEGATO NOTES, OFTEN IN TIGHTLY SYNCHRONIZED CONJUNCTION WITH THE OTHER HAND, THUS, TAPPING USUALLY INCORPORATES PULL-OFFS OR HAMMER-ONS AS WELL, WHEREBY THE FINGERS OF THE LEFT HAND PLAY A SEQUENCE OF NOTES IN SYNCHRONIZATION WITH THE TAPPING HAND. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THIS TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY AS PAGANINI USED A SIMILAR TECHNIQUE WHILE PLAYING HIS VIOLIN. TURKS HAVE HISTORICALLY USED A BAĞLAMA, SIMILAR TO THE ARABIC OUD, WHICH I WROTE ABOUT IN MY FIRST MICE WORLD TOUR TRACK ANALYSIS (WHICH CAN BE FOUND IN THE TRACK ENTITLED WORLD STRING). IT SEEMS THAT ANY MUSICAL EFFECTS THAT EXIST IN POPULAR MUSIC TODAY (THE USE OF THE THEREMIN BY THE BEACH BOYS) HAVE EXISTED IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM IN THE PAST.
MUSICAL TECHNIQUES SUCH AS THESE GAINED GROUND IN THE 1950S; JUST ABOUT THE TIME THAT PIERRE SCHAEFFER WAS EXPLORING MUSIQUE CONCRETE. JIMMIE WEBSTER MADE RECORDINGS DURING THE 1950S THAT HE DESCRIBED IN HIS 1952 BOOK TOUCH METHOD FOR ELECTRIC AND AMPLIFIED SPANISH GUITAR. HIS NEW METHOD OF PLAYING WASN’T EXTREMELY POPULAR, BUT JAZZ GUITARISTS LIKE BARNEY KESSEL USED IT OCCASIONALLY IN THE 1950S AND 60S. MANY ARTISTS, INCLUDING STEVE HACKETT OF GENESIS, BEGAN USING THE EFFECT UNTIL EDDIE VAN HALEN, FRANK ZAPPA AND BILLY GIBBONS OF ZZ TOP, AND BRIAN MAY OF QUEEN, HELPED TO POPULARIZE THE GUITAR EFFECT AND HAVE MADE IT MAINSTAYS OF MORE PSYCHEDELIC ROCK THAT WE HEAR TODAY. IN LINE WITH EXPLORING AND CREATING MUSIC, MORELLO SPLIT HIS GUITAR SIGNAL TO TWO DIFFERENT AMPLIFIERS, PUTTING A DELAY ON ONE AND LEAVING THE OTHER AMP UNAFFECTED CREATING A PING-PONG EFFECT BETWEEN THE TWO AMPLIFIERS.
I ASKED 3RD-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENT, BRIAN CHALDARES, WHAT HE THOUGHT WHEN HEARING THE EFFECT THAT HE SAW IN THE VIDEO; HE RESPONDED (ON THE FIRST 45 SECONDS): “THAT’S INCREDIBLE HOW HE’S BENDING ONE SINGLE NOTE TO DIFFERENT PITCHES.” AFTER REFLECTING ON HIS POINT, I LISTENED TO THE FIRST 45 SECONDS OF THE SONG BEFORE THE DRUMBEAT DROPPED AND IT SOUNDED EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO THE THEREMIN WE STUDIED IN CLASS. MORELLO IS SEEMINGLY CONTROLLING THE SOUND OF EACH NOTE ON EACH STRING WITH HIS FINGERS WITHOUT STRUMMING – IT SEEMS LIKE THE NOTES’ PITCH BEND MUCH LIKE THE THEREMIN WHEN BEING PLAYED.
IT’S INTERESTING AND AMAZING TO SEE THAT TECHNIQUES THAT ARE SEEMINGLY NEW THAT ARE USED IN POPULAR MUSIC TODAY HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES, IF NOT CENTURIES. TRULY NEW MUSIC CAN ONLY BE CREATED WHEN THE ARTIST TAKES TO HEART THE SPIRIT OF A TECHNOSONIC NOMAD AND EXPLORES DIFFERENT WAYS OF MAKING AND SHARING MUSIC. SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE – AND TRULY TECHNOSONIC – IS BEING PLAYED WHEN TOM MORELLO STRUMS HIS GUITAR.