Jazz aficionados are well acquainted with the legacies of Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery, two influential guitarists from the 20th century whose innovative playing styles shaped the course of jazz music for subsequent generations. Montgomery, for instance, is noted for his unique fingerstyle technique, which he developed while practicing quietly at night after long hours working as a machinist. This approach avoided waking his family and neighbors. In contrast, Pass cultivated a diverse array of picking techniques, including fingerpicking, hybrid picking, and “flat picking.”
Recognizing the profound impact both guitarists had on the genre, Chirag Gokani and Preston Wilson from the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas, Austin, sought to delve into the acoustic principles behind their distinct playing styles. Their research involved modeling the intricate interactions between the thumbs, fingers, and picks as they contact guitar strings. Their findings were presented during a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America held in New Orleans, LA.
Among the key discoveries: Montgomery achieved his signature warm tone by playing closer to the guitar’s bridge and primarily plucking the strings, whereas Pass produced a richer tone through a combination of using a pick and playing nearer to the neck. The researchers also noted differences in the way each musician’s thumb, fingers, and pick interacted with the strings; Montgomery’s thumb technique resulted in a sharper “pluck,” while the use of a pick by Pass created more of a “strike.” Gokani and Wilson suggest that their acoustic model could pave the way for synthesizing digital guitars that offer a more authentic sound, as well as assist guitarists in better emulating the styles of Pass and Montgomery.
Sounds from an Ancient Underground City
In Turkey, the subterranean city of Derinkuyu was originally carved into volcanic rock around the 8th century BCE. Over time, it was expanded to include four main ventilation shafts and approximately 50,000 smaller shafts that allowed for seven levels of occupancy. This ancient city was designed to be sealed from the inside with a massive rolling stone, offering protection for as many as 20,000 inhabitants. Derinkuyu was intricately connected to another underground city, Kaymakli, through a series of tunnels. It served multiple purposes throughout history, including providing refuge for Arab Muslims during the Arab-Byzantine wars, shelter for those escaping Ottoman rule in the 14th century, and a safe haven for Armenians fleeing persecution in the early 20th century.
