Andy McKee:点弦新世界

Stone654

56206 2016-12-9 21:21:39

本帖*后由 Stone654 于 2016-12-10 09:40 编辑

Andy McKee:点弦新世界

Emile Menasché，翻译Stone654

“我知晓很多关于和弦的理论知识，但当我开始作曲时，我更倾向于用我的耳朵去创作尽可能自然的旋律。”

自Andy McKee发布他的第一个视频Drifting已经过去了快十年，正是这将他从一个堪萨斯州的吉他老师变成了Youtube上*早的一批网红之一。尽管他有数百万的点击量并推出了大量极富技巧的专辑，McKee的本职工作其实是一名演奏家。拥有只用一把吉他模拟出一个管弦乐团的能力正是他一直以来如此活跃的秘诀所在。

直到去年他才暂停巡演，继2010年发行Joyland之后再一次找到时间去录制新专辑，于是就有了小短篇Mythmaker。这张专辑除了展现Andy那标志性的双手原声演奏技巧，还收录了一些给乐迷们的小惊喜，包括他首次尝试录制电吉他和钢琴的作品。我们在Andy筹划去中国巡演的日子里遇到并采访了他。

Q1:你过了四年才重新发专辑，为什么呢？

A1:我觉得在巡演的时候创作很困难。2013年我决定抽出一点时间去把没谱完的曲子写完。在路上，当我有新和弦或者riff甚至旋律的点子的时候，我会用iPhone把他们录下来。过去的两三年里我一直这么做，当我有空去录音棚的时候，我能马上会想起所有的点子并进一步完善，加些新东西进去。我的两个独奏曲The Reason 和Mythmaker就是从这些路上的灵感而来的。

此外，当我作曲的时候，我会把它们记录下来并反复查阅。有时候放下琴好好思考一下更有助于思路的形成，这会有一点花时间。

“有时候我会在手边没有吉他的时候突发灵感，其后只需要在指板上找到它们就好。”

Q2:请问你是现在脑海中浮现出一段灵感，再慢慢寻找按法还是边弹边有灵感涌现？

A2:通常来说是后者。特殊调弦可以让你的演奏更富创造力，并帮助你尝试新的东西。我会努力给任何想到的riff配上富有旋律的东西，有时候我会在手边没有吉他的时候突发灵感，其后只需要在指板上找到它们就好。

Q3:你一共用过多少种特殊调弦？

A3:我不记得确切的数目，但几乎每首曲子都使用不同的弦，当然也有一些调弦在多首曲子中出现。我猜到现在为止大概有20到30种不同的调弦。

Q4:你发现新调弦的过程是怎样的？

A4:我有很多种方法。比如Art of Motion,我在标准调弦下找到了一个非常美妙的和弦：F#m11，但想要按住它手必须伸展得十分夸张。我手小，手指也短，于是我就想：“也许特殊调弦能轻松地把这些弹出来。”

有时候我会在更常见的调弦上做些变化，比如DADGAD。随便尝试一下，加F#或E进去，就获得了一个大九和弦。其他时候，纯粹是出于偶然，比如Blue Liquid的调弦。我去海外旅行的途中，为了防止琴颈被弦拉弯，经常将吉他的弦放松。有一次我回到了宾馆打开琴箱，发现调弦挺酷的，我就想：“嘿，没准我能用这个写点曲子。”

Q5：你是怎么分辨不同的特殊调弦的？

A5:在我录音之前，我会把开放音都演奏一遍。但当我开始演奏时，我会用耳朵仔细去倾听。要准确听出来Michael Hedges这些人到底在弹什么是很困难的，我会仔细听开放弦音和泛音，试图摸索出曲子的调弦。

“这次我没有插电，我想麦克风录出来的声音更原汁原味一点。”

Q6:我们来谈谈新专辑里的曲子吧，The Reason这首曲子是如何创作出来的呢？

A6:我试图专注旋律，而不是炫目的演奏技巧。这首曲子的旋律是从我的两个儿子身上得到的灵感，它由两部分组成：第一部分是美妙的韵律，表现着喜得贵子的愉悦。然后他们成长了，你和他们一起嬉戏。第二部分则更富技巧一些，我想使用Travis Pickin’这一技法。曲子是Emaj9调弦：E B D# F# B D#

Q7:这首曲子很有层次感。

A7:之前我提到了Michael Hedges,现在我还要再提到他。他给了我很大启发，其中一个比较主要的是我开始关注层次感,如何用不同的触弦方式去获得不同的声音。

“我试图专注旋律，而不是炫目的演奏技巧。”

在The Reason这首曲子中，有一处我先是击弦演奏一个音，再换成拨弦，勾弦演奏同一个音。击弦和拨弦的声音质地是很不一样的，同一音的开放音和封闭音也是如此——它们有着不同的声音质地。

还有一个同样重要的因素就是你演奏的动态，以及你掌控它的方法。在进行了很多场演出之后，我也开始认真思考这一问题。有一次，舞台边上的一个桌子成了听众们的焦点，于是我想：“该怎样让他们安静一点专心听我的演奏呢？”我决定将手上的力度变得轻柔，并观察他们的反应。他们很快就会了意，这是我第一次感悟到动态是如何影响观众对演出的态度和反应的。

Q8:你的吉他声十分丰满和自然，请问你是怎么录制的呢？

A8:Mythmaker这张专辑上的所有曲子都用同一个方法录制。我家里有一个小录音棚，录制和后期都是我自己来弄。我用一个小振膜的Lauten Audio ST-221 Torch电容话筒放在吉他前面，一个大振膜的Mojavi Audio MA-200电容话筒放在房间里来获得更多的混响。

Q9:和我们聊聊Mythmaker这首曲子吧。

A9:这是一首中音吉他演奏的曲子，调弦由低到高分别是A E A B E G#，开放弦好像Amaj9一样。每年我都会产生一些灵感，所以*后只需要把它们结合起来就好。这张专辑解放了我的创造力，使我脱离了原声演奏中的巢窠。我憧憬着随心所欲自由自在的作曲状态。曲子有些funk味道，富有侵略性，但在结尾有个转折，让全曲变得庄严肃穆。我想尝试一些不一样的东西，每隔一拍我都在用拍泛音制造一种深邃的效果，在结尾处我刻意令其有几分寒意。*后用泛音结束，给人一种悬而未决的感觉。

Q10:说到泛音，做到精准演奏是一件很困难的事吗？你现在已经可以做到下意识演奏了吗？

A10:有时候还是很具有挑战性。日复一日的练习是*重要的，此外无论是拍泛音、点泛音还是人工泛音，务必注意你演奏的角度。

Q11:是什么启发了你将钢琴和电吉他的演奏加入Lumine这首曲子中的呢？

A11:16岁之前，我在电吉他上弹金属和摇滚乐，之后我才转到原声吉他的开放调弦演奏上。我热爱原声吉他的指弹，但同时我也喜爱其他类型的音乐。我倾向于尝试各种各样的东西，包括电吉他。

Lumine由原声吉他声部开始，至于和声部分，我采用十分优美的吉他泛音去充实乐段。但旋律的配器是一个伤脑筋的问题，我想如果用钢琴的话是个不错的主意。在过渡段，我使用原声吉他和钢琴去构造框架，同时我想：“嘿，为什么我不能在这里加一段电吉他独奏呢？”我很喜欢Eric Johnson和Joe Satriani这样能演奏歌唱般旋律的吉他手，所以你能明显听出来我的演奏受到他们的影响。对于结果，我非常满意，未来有机会结识电吉他演奏家时我会考虑和他们合作。

"有时候我会在手边没有吉他的时候突发灵感，其后只需要在指板上找到它们就好。" ——Andy McKee如是说。

Q12:你的招牌是原声吉他演奏，请问展现你电吉他的一面是什么感觉？

A12:很放松，也很好玩，这让我回想起了青春。在电吉他上演奏旋律和在原声吉他上试着兼顾贝斯声部是两种截然不同的体验，对于旋律的掌握和表达要稍微容易一些。而且，鉴于你有一个摇把，能表达的东西就更丰富了。

Q13:在Lumine中你用了什么吉他？电吉他的音色又是怎样得到的呢？

A13:原声吉他还是那把我在Mythmaker中使用的Greenfield G4B.2，按照G# E G# B E B调弦，并用变调夹夹住三品。至于电吉他，我用一把Music Man LIII直插到一个 Fender G-DEC练习音箱上。音色用用的是预设的8档，没记错的话是Eric Johnson的音色。

Q14:钢琴独奏曲June对我们来说真的是一个惊喜呢。

A14:其实我去年就把它写好了，献给我慈爱的祖母，她在我出生前就过世了。确切而又悲哀地说，她是自杀的。我想，没能见到自己的祖母实在是一件可悲的事。我作这首曲子来追忆本没有过的记忆，表达一个凡人的悲哀。我对听过这首曲子变得悲伤的人们感到抱歉，但这就是我心里所想的。

Q15:你有过将吉他曲改编成钢琴曲或者反过来的经历吗？

A15:我曾经在钢琴上写过东西并放到吉他上演奏，我想这不只是一种练习，单谱曲来说两种乐器没什么不同。我知晓很多关于和弦的理论知识，但当我开始作曲时，我更倾向于用我的耳朵去创作尽可能自然的旋律。

Q16:你是怎样保持并发展你的演奏技巧的？现在你还在创新吗？

A16:我并不是刻意地去追求新技巧。如果我捣鼓出了一个新技巧，那是因为我想把脑海中的声音现实化。我的确从Michael Hedges, Don Ross 以及Preston Reed的演奏中学会了很多技巧。我不敢说自己是创造技巧的先驱，但我从别人那里学到了很多，并尝试用这些技巧是我脑海中的灵感现实化。

Q17:你打算出大手笔的专辑吗？

A17:我更倾向于发行中短篇，一张碟四五首曲子。少量多次，而不是憋很长时间发个巨作。我们对从互联网汲取信息已经轻车熟路了，当今社会时效性是很重要的。

原文：

Andy McKee: Tapping into New Territory

Emile Menasché

August 05, 2014

It has been nearly a decade since Andy McKee’s video for “Drifting” turned the former guitar teacher from Topeka, Kansas, into one of YouTube’s first viral music stars. Millions of views and a spate of critically acclaimed albums followed, but it’s McKee’s ability as a live performer—one who can pull orchestral sound out of a single guitar—that has kept him on the road almost constantly.

Until last year, that is, when he finally unpacked his bags and found time to produce a long-awaited follow-up to 2010’s Joyland. The result is the four-song EP, Mythmaker, the first release on his new Mythmaker imprint. While the collection showcases McKee’s trademark two-handed acoustic technique, there are also a couple of surprises in store for longtime fans, including his first foray into recording electric guitar and even a solo piano piece. We caught up with McKee as he was getting ready to hit the road yet again with a tour that will kick off in China before returning to North America.

It has been four years since you released an album. Why the wait?

I’ve found it hard to write music when I’m touring. In 2013 I decided to take some time off to finish writing some tunes. On the road, I’ll come up with some new chord progressions or riffs, and maybe a bit of a melodic idea, and use my iPhone to record them. I’ve been doing that for the last two or three years, so when I actually had time in the studio, I could review all those ideas and try to develop them—see where else I could take them. The two solo guitar tunes [“The Reason” and “Mythmaker”] were developed from riffs I came up with on the road.

Also, whenever I write, I have to put the songs down and come back. It’s usually a matter of really thinking about the tunes and taking time away from the instrument. It can be a bit of a time-consuming process.

“Sometimes I’ll hear an idea without even having the guitar in my hand, so then it’s just a matter of finding it on the fretboard.”

Do you hear something in your head and try to figure out how to execute it? Or do you get an idea while playing and start to develop that?

It’s usually the latter. Using altered tunings helps me to get more creative with the guitar and try different things. I’ll start to hear melodic ideas that will work with whatever sort of riff I’m coming up with. But sometimes I’ll hear an idea without even having the guitar in my hand, so then it’s just a matter of finding it on the fretboard.

How many different tunings do you use?

I don’t know for sure. But almost all my songs are in a different tuning, though I’ve got a few I’ve used for multiple songs. If I were to take a guess, it would probably be around 20 to 30 different tunings so far.

What’s your process for developing a tuning?

I have a few different ways. One example is a song called “Art of Motion.” I’d found this really great chord voicing in standard tuning—an F#m11—but it had a really big stretch. I’ve got really small fingers and hands, so I thought, “Maybe I can find all these intervals and put them into an open tuning.”

Sometimes I’ll make a variation on a more common tuning—like DADGAD—and just experiment with it. Put an F# and an E in there so I end up with a major ninth. Other times, it’s totally by accident—the tuning for “Blue Liquid,” for example. Whenever I travel overseas, I always detune the guitar and take the tension off the neck. I got to my hotel one time and opened the case, and it was in this really cool tuning. I thought, “Oh, maybe I can use this.”

How do you keep track of them all?

Before I start recording, I’ll play all the open notes. But I also tried to work on my ear when I was starting out. It was hard to find sheet music back then for guys like Michael Hedges or many of my other favorite guitar players, so I would listen closely for open strings and harmonics and try to figure out the tuning that way.

Let’s talk about some of the songs on the new EP. How did “The Reason” come together?

I really wanted to focus more on melody, not so much on flashy guitar techniques. That tune was really inspired by my two sons. It has two distinct parts: It starts with the nice melodic part, where you’ve got a new baby. Then they grow up a bit and you get to play with them. For the second, more playful part, I wanted to go with a Travis picking kind of thing. It’s in an open Emaj9 tuning: E–B–D#–F#–B–D#.

That song has a lot of textures.

I mentioned Michael Hedges earlier, and I’m going to mention him again now. I was really inspired by him and one of the main things I picked up was the idea of texture—how you can attack strings differently to get different sounds.

“I really wanted to focus more on melody,

not so much on flashy guitar techniques.”

In “The Reason,” there’s a point where I hammer on a note and then I pluck the note, and then pull off to the same note. The tonal characteristic of a note that’s hammered is quite different from one that’s plucked, or if the plucked string is fretted or open—they all have different textures.

Right up there with texture is dynamics, and the way you can control that. I really started to think about dynamics after doing a lot of performances. One time, there was a table near the front of the stage and the people were talking a lot. So I thought, “How can I get them to be a bit quieter so everyone can appreciate the show more?” I decided to just play softly and look at them for a bit and they got the hint. That was when it first struck me how dynamics can really affect the mood and the way everybody’s experiencing the music.

Your guitar sounds big and natural. How did you record it?

All the acoustic guitars on Mythmaker were recorded the same way. I’ve got a studio at home, and I recorded and engineered everything myself. I had a small-diaphragm Lauten Audio ST-221 Torch condenser microphone near the guitar, and a large-diaphragm Mojavi Audio MA-200 condenser more in the room for some ambience.

Both mics ran through an Apogee Duet preamp. I just used those two signals and that was it. I didn’t go direct out of the acoustic guitars this time—I thought using mics offered a bit more natural sound.

How about “Mythmaker”?

That’s on the baritone guitar, which is tuned from low to high: A–E–A–B–E–G#. So that’s like an Amaj9. I came up with a couple of the parts over the years, and it was just a matter of gluing them together. With this EP, I was trying to let creativity take me where it might and not feel too boxed in by being a solo acoustic guitar player. I wanted to have a tune that was dedicated to the creative spirit. It’s got a kind of funky, aggressive quality, but at the end there’s a turnaround that builds into this majestic thing. I wanted to build the energy in a unique way. I slap harmonics on every other beat to create a driving element at the end of the song that leads into a finale that’s a little more chilled. Then it concludes with a harmonic ending that’s suspended and leaves you hanging.

Speaking of harmonics: Is it challenging to get them right all the time? Or is it second nature for you by now?

It’s still challenging sometimes. It’s practice and repetition, and getting comfortable with the angles you’re using to play slap harmonics, or pinch harmonics, artificial harmonics—all different kinds.

What inspired you to add piano and electric guitar to “Lumine”?

I started on electric, playing rock and heavy metal, before switching to acoustic and getting into open tunings when I was about 16. I love solo acoustic guitar and I’m sure I’ll do it forever, but I’ve always been into a lot of different kinds of music. So I wanted to experiment a little bit more and try some different things, which included electric guitar.

“Lumine” started out with just solo acoustic guitar parts. For the chorus, I came up with this really beautiful part on acoustic guitar with harmonics ringing out, but there wasn’t really a melodic idea there. I thought piano would be really cool for that. For the bridge, I had the piano and acoustic guitar, and I thought, “Why not? I think it could use an electric guitar solo in here!” I’ve always loved really melodic and tasty lead guitar guys like Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani, so I think you might hear some of that inspiration in what I do on electric guitar. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. Maybe in the future I’ll do some collaborative things with electric guitar players who I’ve had the good fortune to meet and who are interested in working together.

Your acoustic playing is your trademark. How did it feel to introduce your electric side?

It was kind of liberating and fun. It reminded me of when I was younger, and it’s a completely different approach for me, just trying to play those nice melodic lines on electric guitar is very different from trying to cover all the bases on an acoustic guitar. You have a bit more control over what you’re saying in the melody and how you’re expressing it. And you’ve got the whammy bar and all the different ways you can manipulate the melody.

What guitars did you use on “Lumine” and how did you get the electric sound?

The acoustic guitar is the baritone again, and it’s the same one I used for “Mythmaker”—a Greenfield G4B.2. The tuning for the acoustic is G#–E–G#–B–E–B, and there’s a capo on the 3rd fret. On the electric, I used a Music Man LIII through a Fender G-DEC practice amp. It’s preset 8, if I’m not mistaken, a kind of Eric Johnson sound.

The solo piano piece, “June,” was even more of a surprise.

I wrote it just last year. It’s dedicated to my maternal grandmother, who sadly passed away before I met her. To be totally clear, sadly, she committed suicide. I was thinking about that subject and my grandmother who I never met, and it’s just a sad thing. So it’s dedicated to her memory and just the sadness that people can experience. It’s unfortunate that people get so depressed or so down that it happens, but that’s where it came from.

Do you ever play something on the guitar and try to learn it on the piano, or write something on the piano and try to bring it to the guitar?

I’ve come up with an idea on piano and put it on the guitar. It’s more of an exercise, I guess. Come up with a line on the piano and try it on the guitar—that kind of thing. But my approach on both instruments is the same. I know a fair amount about theory and chord construction and things like that, but when I’m writing, I try to use my ear and let things happen as naturally as I can.

How do you maintain and develop your techniques? Are you still developing new ones?

I don’t really try to develop new ideas spontaneously. If a new technique comes up, it’s because I’m trying to make something happen that I’m hearing in my head. I definitely learned a lot of different techniques just from listening to guys like Michael Hedges and Don Ross and Preston Reed. I can’t really say I’m this great technique pioneer in any way, but I learned a lot from those guys and tried to use those techniques to write the music that I want and the music I hear in my head.

Is a full-length album in the works?

I’m trying to stick to this idea of releasing EPs, like four or five songs, and doing that more frequently, rather than waiting so long to put an album together. We’re so used to getting new things so rapidly with the internet. I think getting new music out faster is the most important thing right now.

附：Andy McKee的装备：

Guitars

Greenfield G4.2

Greenfield HG1.2 harp guitar

Greenfield G4B.2 baritone

Greenfield G2B baritone

Music Man LIII

Music Man John Petrucci BFR7 7-string

Amps

D-TAR Solstice preamp

Shure GLXD14 wireless system

Effects