The next week I did a demo recording with a different big band -"sampled" acoustic piano, electric bass, modern drum set, and myEmperor. Mywife commented that easy it was to hear the guitar, even in the 1,000seat theater. I didn't have to whack the strings ala Steve Jordan. The result: I could stroke the strings in a relaxed Freddie Green mannerand be heard. So the"timbre tessitura" or "frequency layer" of the guitar was relativelyempty and the guitar could be heard easily. The insight is that a vintage drum set with skin heads does not have thehigh frequency content of a modern drum set with Mylar heads. But I have never given much thought to the timbre ofthe drums before this concert. It is common knowledge that anelectric bass or electric piano can easily mask the sound of an acousticarchtop guitar. The rhythm section was "all-acoustic": a grand piano, a double bass, myarchtop guitar (a 1947 Epiphone Emperor), and a drum set from the 1940'swith all skin heads and a 24" bass drum. Here is aninteresting insight from that concert. The December 6 concert was a tribute to Count Basie featuring trumpterBob Ojeda Bob played with the Basie band from 1985 to 2000. The ACJE isbased at the College of DuPage Arts Center in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA.Led by Tom Tallman, the ACJE plays an annual series of five concerts. On December 6, 2002, I had the opportunity to play rhythm guitar with asuperb big band, the Arts Center Jazz Ensemble (ACJE). Unmasking the Guitar: The Effect of a Vintage Drum Set on the Audibility of the Archtop Guitar in a Big Band Setting Unmasking the Guitar: The Effect of a Vintage Drum Set on the Audibilityof the Archtop Guitar in a Big Band Setting
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