Archivecd
Paul Metzger : -Archivecd 46- (US,2008)*****
Paul’s guitar in the meanwhile has evolved to a further constructed, destructed and reshaped labyrinth of a house for new sounds. Extra holes, strings, and two music boxes are attached on top of it. The instrument, like a machinery of sound productions, now seems like an endless source for different sounds and ways to play it from a whole range of different angles. I hear also a bit of cymbal percussion but it’s not sure if this also wasn’t produced on the same instrument.* On the first track, a raga unfolds with brushes of percussion. The way of playing combines sliding, strumming, picking on the strings. This playing shows together special combinations of percussive strum-sound-effects of wood, resonating string bass effects, and all sorts of strange but balanced combinations tonal overtones from its strings. A few strings sound like coming from a double bass with a bigger resonance chamber, other strings sounds like more coming from a smaller resonance box, like a guitar. Also the musical box picked out tones have sounds fitting to the guitar playing, and are resonating into the resonance box of the guitar. These small picked notes are used at a certain stage to become part of the melody, as partial meditative pauses changing direction, before the plucked and strummed raga continues with occasional cymbal percussion. And where the raga evolves to more pushed forward moves, all these different layers of sounds continue to participate as different angles, multiple chambers of all sorts of string sounds and effects, like an instrument and its improvisation that shows itself as varied as a well balanced in sound combinations orchestra.
The second track is played on the modified banjo. Also this instrument is constructed perfectly, a bit less complex and more to the essence of its raga-purpose compared to Paul’s guitar. It sounds like an invention that once were the different raga guitars created for Indian music, but then more close to a sarod in nature than a guitar. The intro is played with a bow, like medieval instrumental improvisation, then picked, to remind more of a sarod with banjo-resonance. Also for this track an extra layer of fingerpercussion is added, and resonating bass strings, a rich combination once more, which directs its evolution in much more in time, through skilful playing, showing on its way beside its melodic power, also in the sound resonance a beautiful and rich variety consisting of low and wider range overtone resonances. Brilliant, as ever.
* later I heard there was attached a cymbal to the end of the guitar.
Audio : -
