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this is an excellent list of toys! as far as homemade gear goes, any bassist who has ever yearned for a pair of tony levin's funk fingers can approximate the effect with a couple of disposable cigar tubes (here in the states, i use garcia & vega english corona). if you haven't a use for the cigar inside, most musicians will have a friend or two that will make use of it. for years i tried the ends of drum sticks with rubber tubing slipped on covering my fingers, but i found this a couple of years ago and never looked back. they are not incredibly durable, but they are cheap enough that it doesn't matter. time --- On Fri, 4/1/11, Kevin Cheli-Colando <billowhead@gmail.com> wrote: > From: Kevin Cheli-Colando <billowhead@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: Creative Alternative Tools for Guitar Looping > To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com > Date: Friday, April 1, 2011, 1:17 PM > Tom Carter of charalambides and > others played lap steel with large > pieces of sidewalk chalk, scraping them off on the strings > as he went. > > Also, Nels Cline kept a large metal coil spring in his back > pocket for > more string scrapes last time I saw him. > > Just to add more to the list. > > And don't forget alligator clips on the strings and > chopstick in > between them (for odd whammy bar effects are various > intervals) > > Kevin > > On Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 11:10 AM, Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com> > wrote: > > > > Speaking of cool guitar tools, like the 'Harmonics > Capo' > > here's a few that that I really like and have used a > lot. > > (what are some others?) > > > > > > _The 'Third Hand Capo'_ > > allows one to capo individual strings for interesting > and quick 'altered > > tunings' > > > > >_http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=third+hand+capo&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=3425282320810705673&sa=X&ei=5QmWTdyzMazOiALF_OmcCQ&ved=0CE0Q8wIwAw#ps-sellers_ > > > > Only $13........this is a device that you could use > multiples of for > > interesting tunings, although, in the long run, I > think > > I prefer just rapidly retuning the guitar, manually. > > > > > > _The 'Piranha Bow'_ > > allows a person's strumming hand to have the texture > of a bow. Fantastic > > for rapid rhythmic work. > > > > _http://www.piranhaguitarbow.com/_ > > > > At $40, there not cheap, but he used to have a deal > where he'd give you > > three if you bought two......don't know if he still > honors > > that deal (I bought them for $25 at the time) but it's > cool to get three > > people to go in on a buy and two of them > > played at once on an open tuned or lap steel guitar > produces some very hip > > results > > > > _'Suzuki Method 16th scale Violin Bows'_ > > > > >http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=1/16th+violin+bows&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10589079992227454761&sa=X&ei=DRCWTfCpEKXkiALdrJTgCA&ved=0CEcQ8wIwBA#ps-sellers > > > > At $19, these miniature bows are fantastic for playing > electric guitar. > > I've had a lot of interesting results by using an open > tuning on a guitar > > and then using > > two of them, one in each hand. You can bow > rhythmically close to the > > bridge with your right hand > > and bow slowly over Barre Harmonics with the left hand > to create really > > beautiful textures. > > > > Because the electric guitar neck is flat , one has > three different options > > for playing > > 1) bass lines on the lowest string 2) > melodies on the highest string > > 3) full chords by playing across the whole > fretboard > > > > _'Vegetable Brushes'_ > > These come in various colors and various degrees of > stiffness to provide > > alternate strumming textures > > (not unlike lightly brushing over the strings with the > tips of one's > > fingers) > > My wife hipped me to this approach by using a ball > point pen or a drum stick > > to rake over the strings to provide > > new 'rubato' textures for strumming.................it > makes 'smears' of > > sound instead of really articulate rhythms. > > > > _'This Rad Pick that my brother gave me years ago'_ > that has four gradiated > > plastic picks on one side and three on the other so > > that every time you pick the guitar, it has the > effect of a 'flam' of four > > individual picked sounds together...... > > .......like an ersatz 48 string guitar effect. > Not sure what it's called, > > though. > > > > _'The Jellyfish Pick'_ > > > > http://www.jellifish.com/techniques/videos/bow-4-qt.html > > > > At $12 a cool pick with multiple steel rods that > allows for picking or mild > > bowing techniques > > _ > > 'Little Easter Island Tiki Head Blue Plastic Martini > Stirrers'_ > > fantastically balanced to be able to play a prepared > or open tuned lapsteel > > guitar like a hammer dulcimer. > > Awesome because they can be used as a tiny slide as > well as a tiny hammers. > > > > _'Clitoral Vibrators or Egg Vibrators'_ > > especially if you can find the kind that have a short > chord with a remote > > speed control. > > You just turn it on, let it dangle on a lap steel or > prepared guitar and > > then fuck with the speed............very nice random > stuff occurs. > > > > _"An Multiple Allen Wrench Plectrum"_ > > This was made famous by Thom Morello of Rage Against > the Machine.......you > > space the Allen wrenches out and use them as > > a 'flamming' plectrum. > > > > > > > > -- > Till now you seriously considered yourself to be the body > and to have a > form. That is the primal ignorance which is the root cause > of all trouble. > > - Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) > > Sound and Vision: http://www.minds-eye.org > Video http://www.vimeo.com/user877640/videos > >