Comment of the Moment: Why Neil Young Is Intentionally Out Of Tune

Kenny ”Nashville’s Secret Weapon” Vaughan

 

Last week, we posted a great little short video on why Neil Young is intentionally out of tune.

 

In the interview with Kenny ”Nashville’s Secret Weapon” Vaughan, he explains tunings and Neil Young's unique styles, which all prompted a rather interesting discussion by musicians and non-musicians.

So without further ado, here is the Comment of the Moment on Why Neil Young Is Intentionally Out Of Tune | Thoughts by Kenny Vaughan by Tomatron:

Yeah, Neil Young and Crazy Horse are not playing deliberately out of tune.

They’re almost always in tune. Early performances in D modal tuning (notably Down By The River) were out of tune, probably due to his utilizing an alternate tuning the guitar was not set up for. He’s definitely making sure everything is tuned up, and he is working hard to hit the notes with his voice.

I think what Kenny Vaughn is responding to is how expressive the performances can be.

One thing we love about the guitar is that notes can be bent up or down by bending the strings, manipulating the whammy bar, or flexing the neck. The infinite possibilities introduced by these techniques add up to a personalized sound that rings true for the listener. That is akin to what he was talking about with Miles Davis bending the trumpet note, but a different strategy from defining the instruments like he said the Velvets did.

Tuning an entire instrument up or down slightly is a technique that is effective for creating harmonic space (a great feature analog synth players use often), but I don’t hear that with the Horse.

Neil gets annoyed if things are out of tune.

Thanks Tomatron.  Not to be too trite here, but it really is just all one tune, right?!

Otis Gibbs & Kenny Vaughan

 

More on  Why Neil Young Is Intentionally Out Of Tune | Thoughts by Kenny Vaughan.

 

Bob, Neil  & Eric or 144 Reasons Why Neil Young's Music Matters 

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