In today’s churches, the guitar is coming to dominate the landscape in the same way that the piano and organ once did. It’s important that as church musicians we give great care and thought to our guitar playing - everything from chord voicings to tones - so that the instrument is a servant of the congregation, not the star and not the distraction. Each week on Sojournmusic.com, Pastor Mike Cosper will post a guitarist’s feature, which will range from articles to links, online lessons and interviews. Here, Mike talks about guitar scale length and points you to a helpful resource:
Guitar Scale Length
Why do Strats Sparkle? Why are Les Pauls meaty?
We usually think it’s pickups. The old single-coil vs. humbucker debate. But there’s another factor in the difference between the instruments: Scale length. Guitar Player has a great article on the topic that will help clarify why Fenders with humbucker still sound like Fenders.
“Sonic Essentials: All About Scale Length” by Guitar Player
Check out these past “Guitar In The Church” articles:
Guitar In The Church 6: Tuning And Intonation 102
Guitar In The Church 5: Tuning And Intonation 101
Guitar In The Church 4: Less Is More (Playing With Distortion)
Guitar In The Church 3: Adding Color To Guitar Parts
Guitar In The Church 2: Pursuing Excellence With Acoustic Guitar
Guitar In The Church 1: Jim Campilongo On The Lost Art Of Melodic Guitar Playing
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Bobby — why aren’t there clickable tags on the posts? I know you have searchable keywords, but tags would be really nice, especially for linking.
It’s a long story, fraught with terror and full of heartache. But … hopefully soon.