A Few of My Favorite Things - youtube Edition

In honor of the season, here's a few of the song/videos that are among my absolute favorite recorded musical moments ever. I hope they bring you as much joy and inspiration as they do me. Collecting them like this has made me notice some of the recurring themes, aspects and musicians. 

All Star Jump - The 1941 Metronome All-Stars 

Cootie Williams, Harry James, Ziggy Elman (tp); Jay C. Higginbotham, Tommy Dorsey (tb); Benny Carter , Toots Mondello (as); Coleman Hawkins, Tex Beneke (ts); Benny Goodman (cl); Count Basie (p); Charlie Christian (g); Artie Bernstein (b); Buddy Rich (d); New York, January 16, 1941

Perhaps my favorite recording of all time, "All Star Jump" is something I DJ at almost every opportunity. It's just "One O'Clock Jump" with a different brass shout riff, but what makes this song special is the absurd assemblage of talent present. It's like they cherry picked most of my all of my favorite players and put them on one session. Charlie Christian, Cootie Williams, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, and Buddy Rich - heavy, man, heavy. Dig the Coleman Hawkins solo, where he sneaks in a riff chorus that he used a couple times on All-Star sessions, which later became the basis for "Feedin' the Bean" which was among a handful of charts the Basie band recorded with Coleman Hawkins (including "920 Special") after Lester young left the band. (Yeah, I know Cootie doesn't take a solo on this one, but he's on the next one too). 

Bugle Call Rag - The 1941 Metronome All-Stars 

Same Band/Date as above

From the other side of the record from "All Star Jump", this "Bugle Call Rag" is basically the same arrangement as the 1936 Benny Goodman studio version, but way more intense. Heard on this tune, but not on the last one are Tommy Dorsey and Cootie Williams (who may just be favorite instrumentalist of all time). All the solos are great, but those out riffs are damn tight and clean. It's like every single one of the brass hits is being played with the same exact mind. And listen to Buddy Rich just driving like a mother and dropping cymbal crashes that serve perfect punctuation, but unlike the post-1945 Rich, I don't think you can say he's overplaying for even a second. I squee a little bit every time I get to those riffs. Squee.

Ring Dem Bells - Lionel Hampton

Cootie Williams (tp); Johnny Hodges (as); Edgar Sampson (bar); Jess Stacy (p); Allen Reuss (g); Billy Taylor (b); Sonny Greer (d); Lionel Hampton (vib); New York, January 18, 1938

Another song that makes me jump from beginning to end, "Ring Dem Bells" is again another all-star session, this time led by Lionel Hampton. Most of Hamp's various all-star sessions from 1937-1940 are solid, and often transcendent. This time the rhythm section is anchored by my favorite rhythm guitarist, Allan Reuss, whom you can hear driving the band. Again, Cootie and Benny Carter are two of my absolute favorite soloists, and add to that famed arranger Edgar Sampson throwing down on bari. Hampton is also one of my favorite vocalists, and his vocal chorus and scat choruses just jam. Lastly, the sequence of background riffs under Hamp's out choruses is a master class in riff-writing and syncopation. EDITE The first youtube clip I linked to for this song was clearly too slow - one of the consequences of doing much of this writing in places I can be listening to the sound at the same time. The current one is the correct tempo.

Jammin' the Blues - Lester Young, et. al.

Lester Young (ts); Harry Sweets Edison (tp); Illinois Jacquet (ts); Barney Kessel (g); Marlowe Morris (p); Red Callendar (b); Sid Catlett (d); Jo Jones (d)

Perhaps the single greatest influence on the sound and aesthetic of the Campus Five, "Jammin' the Blues" features all of the things that I believe in most: riffs, interaction, and syncopation. Lester Young is in fine form, followed by Barney Kessel, and then Sweets Edison. I love the interplay between Sweets and drummer Sid Catlett. Of course, it's Jo Jones who is depicted on screen, but this was not the case on the original recording. Because of scheduling problems during filming, the order was swapped, and so when you see Sid on screen, it's Jo Jones you hear, and vise versa. Of course the song concludes with Illinois Jacquet taking a solo over the tom-toms and then the syncopated riff with Illinois still riding over top. Squee!

Dickie's Dream - Count Basie

Earl Warren (as); Coleman Hawkins (ts); Ben Webster (ts); Gerry Mulligan (bs); Roy Eldridge (tp); Joe Wilder (tp); Emmett Berry(tp); Joe Newman(tp); Dickie Wells (tb); Vic Dickenson (tb); Freddie Green (g); Count Basie (p);  Jo Jones (d); 1957

Continuing the theme of all-star blowing sessions, this latter-day program features an old-testament sound during new-testament times. Jo Jones returns for the session, and there seem to be no signs of the lanky, behind-the-beat groovy sound of the then current Basie band. All the soloists are solidy swinging, and the rhythm is heavy. Jo Jones' interactive playing is such a great catalyst. Personal favorite moments are where Billie Holiday is seen hanging out in the background, especially when she starts talking to Basie during his solo, and during the way Jo Jones hits those heavy accents during the shout chorus but looks so elegant and smooth doing it. 

Stealin Apples - Lionel Hampton

Lionel Hampton (vib); Benny Goodman aka Professor Mandelbrot (cl); Mel Powell (p); Louie Bellson (d); unknown rest

The last of these is legitimately funny beside swinging really hard. Repetition, call-and-response interaction, and syncopation are all themes that have popped up in each of the previous examples, and so too here. From the movie "A Song is Born", Hamp is attempting to demonstrate an example of small-group jazz, but is short his regular clarinet player. The professor documenting this sound goes to fetch his conservatory colleague, the icky Professor Mandelbrot to fill in. Clearly Hamp is nonplused to try to teach this square to swing, but of course, we can see it's really Benny Goodman with a terrible mustache, and the Professor very quickly gets the hang of it. Once the tune is cooking it's full of my favorite things: trading soloists, call and response, riffs, big rhythmic accents. It always brings a smile to my face. 

Swing Guitar Blog Xmas Gift Guide

Since it's almost that time of year, here's a list of some great gear, music and books. The books and music are essential basics, and the gear is bunch of favorite stuff. Everything can be found on amazon.com for easy Christmas shopping. Enjoy. 

GEAR / ACCESSORIES

K & M Heli Multi-Purpose Instrument Stand
I think these fold-flat guitar stands are the best around. They are very light, and since they fold flat, they take up less space. Lastly, and most importantly, they are the most sturdy and supportive stands I've seen.


Snark SN-8(B) Super Tight All Instrument Tuner
For under $20, Snark tuners are plenty accurate, and more sturdy than the generic "Intelli" ones I used before. You'll probably lose it before you break it, and while it's not as accurate as strobe tuner (Peterson SC-1 Strobo Series StroboClip Guitar Tuner ), it's also not $70. And with how often I lose my tuners, I can't afford to spend that much one. That said, it's well worth buying the $10 Peterson Strobe Tuner App for iOS for home use (https://itunes.apple.com/app/istrobosoft/id308296029?mt=8)


Rode Microphones NT3 Hypercardioid Condenser Microphone
This is the microphone I've been using life for probably 8 years. It sounds really fantastic, and because it's internally shock-mounted, its far less susceptible to bumps and stage rumble. Also, because it has it's own 9V battery, it can be used where phantom power is not available. It sounds good on almost anything, and, in a pinch, I've used it pick up my entire big band when a promoter didn't bring any mics to a gig once.


George L's Pre-Made .225 Cable 10 Foot (10 Foot)
Although it's sometimes an afterthought, a bad cable can ruin your tone. While you can spend hundreds of dollars buying boutique cable, Guitar Player magazine did a huge shootout, and this reasonably priced cable kept up with even the most expensive cables. I recently picked one up and it sounds incredibly natural. If you need to fatten-up your guitar tone, another winner is the Spectraflex Fatso Flex Right Angle Instrument Cable, 10 Foot, Tweed.


C2G / Cables to Go 14719 18 AWG Universal Power Cord (IEC320C13 to NEMA 515P) Black (25 Feet/7.62 Meters)
One of my favorite finds of the last year, these cables are the perfect replacement for any cable that uses the standard PC power jack. Those cables are usually way too short - the cable that came with our JBL Eon PA speakers barely reaches the ground when the speakers are up on a speaker stand, necessitating an extra extension chord. Great for guitar amps with detachable cables, powered PA speakers, and some mixers.


Manhasset M52C Voyager Concertina Stand
Manhassets are the gold standard of professional music stands. Because they are foldable and detachable, the Voyagers are the most practical. The Concertina version is the short-to-medium one, which is ideal for sitting while playing rhythm guitar. The regular one is fine for standing, but when you're sitting it keeps the audience from seeing most of you. Also, the perfect accessory is the Manhasset Voyager Totebag, so you can keep the shelf and base from getting separated.

STRINGS

Martin MSP4200 SP Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings, Medium
My favorite acoustic strings are great sounding and long lasting. After some testing, I'd skip the coated version. They don't sound great, and are expensive enough that I'd just rather change my strings more often. You may also find the Martin Tony Rice Monel Strings sound good on your guitar, but might not sound good on others. While I think there is something to using Monel, I think the fullness and volume of bronze is more practical.


D'Addario EPN22 Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings, Jazz Medium, 13-55
My favorite general electric guitar string. Unless you have a pickup/amp combo that can benefit from the imbalance between the wound and unwound strings, I'd skip the new Martin Tony Rice Monel Strings for electric.


Savarez 1610MF Argentine Acoustic Jazz Guitar Strings, High Tension Ball End
The only serious choice for Gypsy Jazz Guitar strings. Every other gypsy jazz string is a mediocre copy. At times plagued by consistency issue, I haven't had any problems with them for a couple years.

BOOKS

Swing and Big Band Guitar: Four-To-The Bar Comping in the Style of Freddie Green
Although it's description of the sound and time-feel of rhythm guitar is incorrect, the chord shapes and voice-leading lessons are the best available resource on swing rhythm guitar. While I argue that 1930's-40's Freddie Green


Mel Bay Swing to Bop: The Music of Charlie Christian
While there are a ton of Charlie Christian transcription books, and most of those have tab, this is still the essential book. It has by far the most tunes/versions transcribed, and Stan Ayeroff's transcriptions are flawless. 


Mel Bay's Music of Django Reinhardt
Again, Stan Ayeroff does a fantastic job - defintely the largest collection of transcribed Django solos. 



Mel Bay Masters of the Plectrum Guitar
For Swing-Era Chord Melody playing, this is probably the best resource. The Carl Kress and George M. Smith tunes are very much orchestrated pieces, but the chord shapes and patterns are great ideas for chord-melody soloing. 

MUSIC

Hittin' on All Six (A History of Jazz Guitar)
An essential, concise history of Jazz Guitar on 4 CD's. Everything from the earliest jazz guitar from Eddie Lang anf Lonnie Johnson, to the second generation of players, Carl Kress, Dick McDonough, George Van Eps, Allan Reuss, and all of the other rhythm/chordal players, to Charlie Christian and the early electric players. The fourth disc is mostly bop, but the first three are filled with essential playing. 


The Genius Of The Electric Guitar
Not only is this a convenient packaging of everything Charlie Christian recorded in studio with Benny Goodman, but it's also a fantastic box set. The liner notes are fascinating and the discographical info is exhuastive. Lastly, the fact that the box looks like an EH-150 amp is so awesome. 


Swing to Bop: Guitars in Flight 1939-1947
Another collection of guitar rareities, there's several tunes on this disc that aren't found on other collections. Specifically the Mary Osbourne version of "Rose Room" slays me, as does the Carl Kress/Tony Mattola duet on "Davenport Blues" and all of the George Barnes tunes, and lastly the two early Les Paul tunes. 


Guitar Rarities, Vol. 1: 1934-46


Guitar Rarities 2
Both collections feature mostly chordal style playing along with some acoustic single note playing. Most of this stuff is in between the influence of Lang/Kress/McDonough, but before the Charlie Christian electric revolution. 


The Engine Room: A History of Jazz Drumming from Storyville to 52nd Street
I suppose it's odd put a history of jazz drumming on a guitar blog, but understanding the history and evolution of jazz is essential for understanding the guitar's role in various jazz styles. This collection draws from so many different bands and players that it serves a great survey of jazz styles and evolution, without being so overly focused on "hits" or otherwise standard showings on jazz history sets. 

James Chirillo - Rhythm Guitar Videos for Essentially Ellington

Essentially Ellington is a program from Jazz at Lincoln Center that uses traditional swing-era and pre-swing-era big-band jazz as teaching tools for high school jazz students. I very much appreciate this approach because I feel the main problem with contemporary jazz pedagogy is skipping over hot jazz and swing, and jumping in right at Charlie Parker. I feel that this tends to breed soloists who can thread mechanical lines through complex chord changes, but because they aren't taught to simply play a melody, find themselves confounded by four bars of the same chord. But that's another article....

James Chirillo, a New York-based guitarist, is featured in several video lessons put up by Essentially Ellington specifically dealing with playing rhythm guitar in traditional big bands. Several of the points mentioned are things I've been advocating, but I've never seen any other video or lesson mention. Specifically, James mentions emphasizing beats 1 and 3, instead of 2 and 4, and relates this to the fact that swing music was dance music.

Ah! Music to my ears. Preach, brother! 

Further, in the next video he talks about the need to use an acoustic archtop specifically, and how to maximize the projection of said archtop by proper set up, strings, picks and especially posture. I've written on each of these points, and I must again agree entirely. 

Lastly, he talks about compensating when using an electric guitar for rhythm. He also mentions some of the slightly more-modern rhythm playing of electric players like Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis in the context of the Oscar Peterson trio, and how they might have voiced and accented things differently. 

To be perfectly honest, when I saw this video posted by my friend, drummer/dancer Victor Celania (of the newly-formed Snorky's Rhythm Kings), I was expecting yet another worthless video that would completely miss the acoustic character of swing rhythm guitar, and even more importantly the dance-beat conception of the rhythm section. But, boy was I surprised when I saw that they were perhaps the best videos on rhythm guitar on youtube. Perhaps their only flaw is that he doesn't play even more.  

Then again, looking at Chirillo's resume, I shouldn't have been surprised: he played in Benny Goodman's last band (along with Jonathan Stout Orchestra and Rhythmbusters member and frequent Campus Five guest Dan Barrett (www.blueswing.com)), and he's frequently shown playing on Michael Steinman's Jazz Lives Blog along with many of today's leading trad-jazz luminaries. Great stuff from a great player. Cheers to James Chirillo. 

2-for-1 on Martin SP Strings at Strings and Beyond

Even after my research into guitar string composition and my re-discovery of Monel strings, I still find that Martin SP 80/20 bronze strings are the best sounding strings for my acoustic archtop, an Eastman 805. After trying several brands, I've found that Martin SP 80/20s have an excellent lifespan, and the best sound for the guitar. And now they are on sale at www.stringsandbeyond.com for 2-for-1 on their already excellent price. Since they are only $4.98 to begin with, that brings them down to $2.49/set - it's a ridiculous price, and I just stocked up. 

While I still don't have the full picture of the introduction of bronze strings, I've drawn the inference that they were introduced in the 1930's to create a fuller and louder sound for "orchestra" archtop guitars and the newly introduced dreadnaught and jumbo flat tops. The D'Addario website mentions that "80/20 Bronze, commonly referred to as brass, is the original acoustic string alloy selected by John D'Addario Sr. and John D'Angelico in the 1930s." This leads me to believe that 80/20 was at least relatively close in time to the swing era, and given that phosphor bronze is 92/8, and was developed later to make a brighter, longer lasting string, I would posit that earlier bronzes may have been going the other direction. 80/20 bronze is the warmest bronze alloy currently being used, so I'd say it's the closest thing to the bronze used in the 30's, if not the same. 

Having experiemented with the Martin SP "Lifespan" coated strings, I have found that they do not sound as good intitially, and even if they did, they do not last enough longer to warrant their increased price. Further given the ridiculous sale on at www.stringsandbeyond.com, they are cheap enough to replace regularly. So, it's Martin SP 80/20's for me. 

Playalong Batch 3, part 1 - "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Blue Skies"

Here a huge update: 17 more tunes as playalong tracks. As before, most are 3 choruses long to allow you to play the melody, take a chorus, and then take a whole new chorus. On the two slower ballads, "Stardust" and "I'm Confessin'", I've only played two choruses. Traditionally, because the tunes were slower, recordings are often only two choruses long. Charlie Christian's famous 1939 chord-melody recording on "Startdust" is the second and last chorus of that recording. 

Since 17 songs would involve a lot of explanation, I'll split this up into a bunch of parts. All of the sounds are up on sound cloud, but I'll embed them in each new post as I go through them. 
First Up, two very similar tunes, "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Blue Skies." Both tunes are similarly constructed, and are what I can "minor/major" tunes - meaning part of the tune is in minor, before shifting to the relative major. Although keys can very, especially for vocalists, both tunes are often played in Fm/Ab. "I've Found a New Baby" is another example of a "minor/major" tune. 

"Love Me or Leave Me" uses a "minor vamp" cycle over the first four bars, before going to the relative major for a I-vi-ii-V cycle. While the two chord cycles look like a lot of changes to run through, both cycles are basically diatonic, so you can generally approach the tune as four bars of F minor, followed by four bars of Ab major. The bridge is a pretty standard sequence. 

Rhythm Guitar - Tab
Lead Sheet

"Blues Skies" is similarly complex looking tune, but is similarly simple underneath. The first four bars is basically a minor key descending line cliche: essentially an F minor with a chromatic descending F to E to Eb to D. And then, again the next four is just a return to the relative major, Ab, with a I-vi-ii-V vamp (the Ao diminished chord is just a diminished passing chord/subsitution for the vi chord).

One of the most confusing thing is that same grouping of notes can be described multiple ways - often in an attempt to "simplify" things. For example, an Fm7 (F, Ab, C, Eb) can also be described as a Ab6 chord (Ab, C, Eb, F) - and an Fm6 (F, Ab, C, D) is also a Dm7b5 (D, F, Ab, C). Finally the second chord Fm/maj7 (aka Fm/E - F, Ab, C, E) is sometimes substituted with a C+7 (C, E, G#/Ab, Bb) - because three of the four notes in each chord are the same, they can serve the same functional role. This can lead to the progression of Fm->Fm/E->Fm7/Eb->Fm6/D being written as Fm->C+7->Ab6->Dm7b5, which does not make any functional sense. While simplifying the chords might make it easier for a piano player to finger simplified chords without thinking of the real functional roles, it only serves to obscure the real harmonic content and movement for a jazz improviser. 

Finally, the last chord of the first four bars (Dbm6) is basically chromatic passing chord, and serves no functional purpose. It's just pretty voice-leading completing the F->E->Eb->D->Db->C (in the Ab6 chord in the 5th bar).

With regard to the bridge, the change here is making a melody over the I-iv minor changes without sounding mechanical. One trick is to realize the the iv minor chord requires just a slight alteration to the notes in the key. By simply avoiding the major 6th, F natural, over the Dbm6 chords, or altering them to an Fb (aka E natural), but still remaining otherwise in Ab, you can focus on playing a melody, rather than mechanically running the changes.  

Rhythm Guitar - Tab
Lead Sheet - old school or "functional changes"
Lead Sheet  - modern changes

 

Strings and Beyond - 15% off Accessories: i.e. WEGEN PICKS!

My favorite online string retailer www.stringsandbeyond.com is having a sale on accessories, and given that they are one of the few online sources for Wegen and John Pearse picks, that means 15% off picks that should be relevant to your interests.

From www.stringsandbeyond.com: "Enter coupon code 'accessorize' during order checkout..."

So save 15% for accessories all week long. I definitely would recommend checking out the Wegen Line as well as the John Pearse Fast Turtles. Wegens are pretty standard in the gypsy jazz world, and the JP Turtles are another great choice (though, I recommending putting a bit of bevel on them with a nail file).

While you're there, check out their selection of my personal favorites: Martin SP 80/20's, D'Addario Pure Nickel, and Salvarez Argentines, and the new Martin Tony Rice Monel strings. 

Guitar String Composition and Swing Guitar

Because Swing Guitar straddles the worlds of both acoustic and electric instruments, the choice of string has been an open question since I began playing Swing Guitar. At times I tried to "split the difference" between, but I found it was usually better to treat an instrument as either purely electric or acoustic, since electricifing an archtop so often leads to it loosing the essential acoustic character needed for proper swing rhythm guitar. 

I recently got a message from Glenn Crytzer who again inquired about what strings to use, which propeled me on a quest to figure out once and for all about the history of guitar strings as it relates to what Swing and Early Jazz guitarists would have used. Here are the results of that research. 

Strings Today

Electric vs. Acoustic = Nickel vs. Bronze

Today, guitar strings comes in an almost endless variety, but most are one of two basic flavors: "acoustic" bronze-wound and "electric" nickel-wound. Almost all strings have the same steel core wire, and the difference is the wire wrapped around it, though there is sometimes variation in the shape or size of the core wire. The plain, unwound strings (usually the high E and B, and on very light sets, the G) on bronze and nickel sets are generally the same. 

While you can technically use either string on either guitar, the use of magnetic pickups on electric guitars require a string that is ferromagnetically responsive, and nickel-wound strings and unwound plain steel strings are much more responsive than bronze strings. Besides bronze wound being very inefficient, the difference in metals causes there to be a staggering volume difference between the plain, unwound strings and the  wound strings. Bronze strings, while not being as magnetically responsive, do sound much louder acoustically. They are both fuller and zing-ier sounding than nickel-wound. 

Nickel and Bronze Varieties

Bronze-wound strings come in two main flavors: 80/20 bronze and Phosphor Bronze. Phosphor Bronze is much newer, having been introduced in the 1970's as a brighter, longer lasting string. Nickel-wound strings come into two main flavors as well: so-called "pure nickel" and nickel-wound (which are nickel-plated steel wrap). Nickel-plated steel strings were introduced in the 60's as nickel prices rose, and the brighter sound of nickel-wounds was desired. 80/20 bronze and "pure-nickel" are generally considered the more "vintage" choice by mainstream guitar culture, though really that only means 1950's or 1960's vintage.

Flat = Jazz?

One other variation worth mentioning at this point is "flat-wound" strings. Flats are the darkest, and mellowest-sounding strings tonally, and because they have a flattened playing surface, they make almost no finger noise. The main varieties of these are what I think of as "true-flats" or "ribbon-wound", where a flattened strip of metal is wound around the core wire, and "ground-wound" where a round string is wrapped and then the outer surface is shaved or ground down to a flat surface. Ribbon-wound strings are the darkest, with ground-wounds being a step brighter, but still mellower than round-wounds. 

Flat wounds are often thought of as "jazz" strings, though in reality that means the "jazz" of the 50's and 60's. As I mentioned in a previous article, legendary studio guitarist Bob Bain related to me that flat wounds were not really used until the mid-50's. La Bella claims to have introduced flats in 1940, but I'm guessing they weren't commonly adopted until the 1950's. Flat wound strings have the distinctive sound of post-bop and hard-bop guitarists like Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, etc., which is something distinctly different than swing-era electric players like Charlie Christian and early Barney Kessel. I don’t recommend flats for swing-era playing. 

Strings Types and Swing Music

So the question remains, “what were they using before 1950, and more importantly what were they using during the swing-era?” That question has been difficult to answer, and I after some research and some theories.

Pre-History of Strings, part 1: "Steel"

As best as I can tell, metal musical instrument strings go back hundreds of years. They came to guitar in the middle of the 19th Century. During this time there was no particular standardization. Originally steel strings were oiled to retard oxidation, and other coatings were tried before plating came into the picture. Gauges were not specified, and you basically had the choice of brands. 

For figuring out the timing of advancements and product introductions, the best resource I found was a collection of manufacturer’s catalogs at www.acousticmusic.org, all of which were available for download as PDFs. There were quite a few discussions in various forums asking many the same questions, but this one <http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/1743#.UV0JXKsjqXQ > from the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum was especially helpful. The extensive collection of string packages provided some missing information.

In the 1903 Gibson catalog, the only steel strings were listed as "silver wound."  Just judging from the catalog, it is hard to determine whether these were actually silver-plated, or whether they were "silvered" with some other alloy or method. Many of the string packages shown on the martin guitar forum, however, do specifically say "silver-plated", and judging from the packaging art and lettering, these could easily be from the era the teens and 1930's. Thus, I would bet that "silver wound" meant "silver-plated steel."

The 1930 Martin catalog only lists "wound steel" (with wound B and G), but with no further description of composition. The 1934 Epiphone catalog also offers no clue to composition beyond "steel."

Monel: The missing link

Before being my research, I had never heard of a metal called "Monel," let alone did I realize that it was probably the dominant guitar string alloy for a period in the 1930's and perhaps into the 40's. According to wikipedia (I'll do some legit metallurgical research eventually), monel is a nickel-copper alloy is commonly used in applications with highly corrosive environments. Monel guitar strings were produced from the 1920’s up until the 1970’s, and new old stocks had mostly run out years ago. However, Martin recently announced that they are bringing back monel strings for a signature set for bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice. I just ordered a couple sets, and will report back as soon as I can.

The 1930-1931 Gibson catalog introduces "Mona-Steel" strings, which was Gibson's name for monel. No other steel-string choices are listed. 

The 1934 Gibson catalog, offers only mona-steels, but does offer the option of "hand polishing." There is some conjecture on various bulletin boards that this is a reference to flat-wound strings, or at least an early "ground-wound" string. I do not think that is the case. Rather, I am guessing that the manufacturing standards of the day may have led the strings to be a bit "fuzzy" and perhaps a bit poorly finished. There are pictures of Mapes brand strings from the 30's that came with a "sepam cloth" to polish the strings. Sepam cloth is something like an emery board. The 1944 Epiphone catalog mentions strings can be "hand-polished" to "reduce swish." Reducing finger noise may also have been a concern. However, I would argue that while "hand-polishing" may have rounded off the gullys between round wrappings ever so slightly, they are not "flats" as we think of them. Also, given how much material would have to be removed to make them flat, I doubt that could really be achieved with something like an emery board or by hand. 

In comes Bronze

So far, the earliest reference to "bronze wound strings" that I've come across is in the 1935 Martin catalog. Both Monel and bronze sets are listed, with bronze being listed as being "heavy gauge" and wound on a hexagonal core, and the monel listed as being "medium gauge" and wound on a "piano core," which I'd assume is a round core. Gibson's 1937 catalog also adds bronze-wound to the line up, along with the mona-steels. It isn't until after the impact of the electric guitar that there is any text describing the qualities of monel vs. bronze. 

Electric vs. Acoustic

The 1937 Gibson catalog is also very important because it introduces Gibson's electric line of guitars, banjos, mandolins and hawaiian steel guitars. Gibson's first electric guitar pickup, usually known as a "Charlie Christian" pickup, had an issue with the B string being significantly louder than the rest. By 1938 Gibson added a notch in the pickup under the B string to try to equalize the difference. Finally, in 1939 Gibson introduced a CC pickup with individual pole pieces on the ES-250. In 1937, the Gibson catalog simply directs electric guitar users to use a set of monel strings. But consider that, at that time, the first electric jazz guitar solo had yet to be recorded. 

There was a significant amount of experimentation and innovation in those earliest years of the electric guitar. The next two catalogs in the collection show major changes. The 1942 Gibson catalog finally differentiates electric strings from acoustics. Mona-Steel and Bronze are both offered without reference to "acoustic", but the newest addition is Mona-electric strings. The catalog only says that they are specifically selected gauges of mona-steel. Presumably monel was still used for electrics, but the gauges had been altered to deal with the "hot B string" problem. 

There is a particularly telling paragraph in that 1942 catalog: 
"Our Mona-Steel Strings are noted for their non-tarnishing long wearing qualities, and are better suited for electrics. The bronze strings have that clear tone of soft brilliancy, which is preferred by many especially in orchestra work. Light gauges are more responsive and ideal for light, fast picking; while heave gauges are designed for the orchestra players who need volume and solidity."

The difference becomes codified

The 1942 Gibson catalog mentions that heavy-gauge bronze strings are standard equipment on Super 400's and L-5's. By the 1944 Epiphone Catalog the split between electric strings and acoustic strings appears to have solidified. It offers  "special bronze wire covered" strings as well as now specifically electric "Electar" strings of "magnetic materials." 

After this my resources dried up. I can't find any catalogs until 1950, when Gibson was offering both generically "Guitar" (presumably monel) and "Bronze Guitar Strings", as well as specifically electric strings. Again, there is a lapse in the resources until 1959, when the Fender Catalog describes their electric guitar strings (as they only made electric instruments then) as "pure nickel-wound." 

Conclusions

Based the catalogs, I would feel comfortable making a couple of inferences. 

• I would bet that someone like Eddie Lang was using a silver-plated steel string until the introduction of monel and perhaps adopted monel until he died in 1934. 
• I'm guessing that Monel strings were probably used by the second generation of guys, like Carl Kress, Dick McDonough, George Van Eps, though they may have switched to bronze-wound when they were introduced. 
• The swing-era rhythm players probably adopted bronze-wound strings because of their greater volume, although it's possible some stuck with monel strings. 
• Because I can't find any references to specifically electric strings until 1942, I would bet that Charlie Christian probably used mona-steel strings. 

Epilogue 

I bought a couple sets of Martin's Tony Rice Signature Monel Strings. I tried them on both my Eastman 805 and my Franken-ES150. The verdict is still out, because I haven't had a chance to trade back and forth and to play them on very many gigs. Lately I feel like I've gotten burned by forgetting that how something sounds alone is not necessarily how it sounds in the context of an ensemble. 

On the acoustic, they definitely had a distinct sound as compared to either bronze or nickel. They were bright and cutting without being shrill. They seemed to have increased mids and upper mids, with somewhat reduced bass as compared to bronze. On the electric, there is some difference between the wound and unwound, but I think it maybe a beneficial one. The low strings tend to be very bassy and distort my EH-185 far more readily than the unwound strings. I think the lesser magnetic response may actually serve to balance the guitar better when jumping from rhythm guitar (which I've already written how much I dislike electric rhythm guitar) and solos. 
Lastly, the gauges for this signature set are a bit different than a normal set of 13's, with the middle strings running slightly lighter. Some of the strings seem to flexible, and seem to "give" when hit hard rather than bouncing back. Only more time an experimentation will tell.

Another batch of Play-a-long tracks

Here's another batch of play-a-long tracks for you, along with a couple quick takes on the leads. 
I may have suggested this before, but I highly recommend learning the melody and playing it over the first chorus before taking a solo chorus. I think it puts one in a better frame of mind for playing melodically, and mechanically. It's one thing to run through some stock licks and arpeggios over some changes, but it's another play something melodic, even if it uses those same devices. 

These tracks were recorded with the usual gear, but I've messing around with even more new picks. I'm really digging the JB picks faux-Tortise picks. The 1.2mm NT pick sounds awesome on my acoustic, and I'm digging the standard 1.0mm for the electric. After a couple more gigs, I should have a good idea, but these are looking really, really promising, and they're way more reasonably priced than a lot of the other options. 

Six Appeal

A great medium tempo minor key tune, as played by Goodman and Christian in 1940. It's a slightly hipper take on the much older tune, "My Daddy Rocks Me."  Take a look at the chord forms, because they are good examples of minor line cliche's and accompanying voice leading. 

Leadsheet PDF (with Goodman melody transcribed exactly)
Changes PDF (with Tab) 

PLAY-A-LONG:

Undecided

I uploaded a sheet with the chord forms a while back. It's a pretty simple tune, but hitting the changes in a way that swings is the challenge. I took pass over the changes with both my electric and acoustic, just to see how I would change my attack based on the instrument. 

Changes PDF

PLAY-A-LONG

Undecided - ACOUSTIC

Undecided - ELECTRIC

Dinah 

Another very simple tune, but an essential one. The A section forms the basis of many other tunes, "Jumpin' at the Woodside" being just one example. The bridge is a unique one, but again essential. 

PLAY-A-LONG

Dinah - ELECTRIC

Wegen Picks 10% off - www.stringsandbeyond.com

Hey, this ought to be relevant to your interests: www.stringsandbeyond.com has their stock of Wegen picks on sale for 10%. Wegen picks are basically the same price anywhere you get them, and I've never seen them on sale otherwise. No code needed, just check it out here: http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/9thday.html