How three guitar duos create tapestries of sound
Guitars go beautifully in pairs. Two players can, of course, pump out twice the volume. But the real power of a guitar duo is the ability to broaden the range of sound and expression beyond what one instrument and set of hands can do.
In a duo, one player can hold down the rhythm while the other cuts loose on a solo. One can cover the low end as the other shifts up the neck. While one guitarist drives the rhythm with a percussive strum, the other can add ringing arpeggios on top. From interlocking rhythms to wide, piano-like harmonies and melodic counterpoint, two guitars—skillfully and tastefully employed—can cover a tremendous amount of musical territory.
For the September 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar, I interviewed three emerging acoustic guitar duos who cover tremendous dynamic range: Pharis and Jason Romero, Ryanhood, and Grant Gordy and Ross Martin. Their styles are quite different—the Romeros carry on the deep duet traditions of old-time music and bluegrass, while Ryanhood plays kinetic folk rock, and Gordy and Martin draw on everything from jazz and classical to fiddle tunes in their virtuosic instrumental music. Beneath the differences, all these duos share a commitment to creating a full-bodied and complete sound with two guitars—nothing missing, and nothing wasted.
I spoke with these duos to find out more about how they work together and what tools and techniques they use, and to glean their advice on creating dynamic arrangements with two guitars. You can find the full text and accompanying transcriptions on the Acoustic Guitar site. Check out the accompanying videos below.
Also see my own lesson on how to make the most of playing with two guitars.
