Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

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mcbrandt
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Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by mcbrandt » Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:45 pm

I love the sound of nylon string guitars, but can only listen to so much classical on them before it all just blends together. Anyone suggest some artists, other than Jonathan Richman (who I like), that uses them in more non-traditional ways (meaning not flamenco or classical), that isn't just standard singer-songwriter fare?

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Embenny
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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by Embenny » Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:04 pm

What genres are you into? What do you consider "classical"? Does someone arranging African kora music for the instrument count as Classical? Is Renaissance or Baroque music "Classical?" I don't mean to sound pedantic - I spent many years studying classical guitar and the people who play it tend to have a very different definition of the word. It's probably one of the least accurately defined terms applied to music. People often use it to mean, "anything written in the Eurocentric world over 100 years ago, but also a bunch of modern stuff and stuff from other countries, too."

That aside, here's some very diverse nylon string guitar music, none of which is remotely classical.

John McCrea of Cake has always played a cheap nylon string guitar through a cheap pickup into a cheap practice amp. That's been his thing for 3 decades now, and it's all over every one of their albums.

Leo Kottke had a brief nylon string phase.

Pat Metheny is fond of them and plays very different stuff on them compared to his electric repertoire.

Chet Atkins sure could play the hell out of one, and even had several nylon-string Gibson signature models.

Zac Brown is a great player that I'm including for diversity, though unlike everyone else I've mentioned, I'm not a fan.

Tons and tons of jazz and Latin (especially Brazilian) styles use nylon guitars as standard. I'm no expert on Samba or Bossa Nova, but I sure do enjoy when Captain Planet touches on it. He draws from styles across the globe, but revisits it and Afrobeat fairly often.
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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by Flurko » Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:21 pm

Cheval de Frise was amazing, cult french math rock from the 2000's with drums + nylon guitar.

https://youtu.be/X4TgVtUyHz0

Thomas Bonvallet now plays music under his name and with the moniker L'Ocelle Mare, but it's even more challenging stuff and he mostly uses other instruments now.

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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Jul 08, 2021 6:19 pm

Springhouse

Good band from the late 90’s. The Singer played nylon strings through JC-120s and effects. Definitely a unique guitar sound. Sort of the typical Cocteau Twins arsenal of effects but the nylon strings make it considerably warmer and always on the verge of feedback even when clean.

Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover was the drummer.

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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by andy_tchp » Thu Jul 08, 2021 6:32 pm

John McLaughlin does some stuff, I'm more a Mahavishnu Orchestra fan as a 'more than the sum of its (ludicrously talented) parts' group than a lot of his solo output, but he could certainly be grouped in with 'non-traditional' I think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdGYBI1fBhs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYsBZXTy2os
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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by whitewatersky » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:35 am

Keziah Jones is one of my favourite players.

https://youtu.be/A46YdkI0DKM
he plays nylon virtually all the time and I have his albums on constant rotation

Definitely not standard fare

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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by 1452L » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:52 am

How about some prog?

https://open.spotify.com/album/59YgN6lk ... l_branch=1

And Willie Nelson of course, Jerry Reed too.

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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by Bradley-Jazz » Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:05 am

Dominic Miller (not just with Sting). I think he has classical roots but also more jazz directions.

Mark Knopfler used a Gibson Chet Atkins nylon string quite a bit, way back when.
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Re: Suggestions for artists that use nylon string guitars non-traditionally

Post by mcbrandt » Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:13 am

Thanks all, I'll start digging in to these. I think I explained myself a bit poorly. I should have mentioned that other nylon players I like. I'm a big fan of Bola Sete playing with Vince Guaraldi, that's some of my favorite stuff (though I haven't gotten much into Bola's solo stuff). I also like some Jose Gonzalez. I think what I was trying to ask for is mellow, tasteful playing in the vein of Paniyolo's Color where it's not all crazy runs and stuff.

https://youtu.be/Cl8a9b76GMg

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