Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    What/where is the Paradise?  And lest I make the trip (30 miles)
    while laboring under a false expectation, may I assume that Alan
    Holdsworth is somebody who works magic on a keyboard synthesizer?
    Thanks!

    I can't give accurate directions to the Paradise but I can give some 
information about Allan Holdsworth.  

    He's a guitar player of substantial talent who has recently been doing
a lot of work with the SynthAxe.  This is a guitar-ish controller of
synthesizers and other MIDI devices.  I say guitar-ish becuase it isn't a 
guitar add-on like the IVL Pitchrider, etc.  One hand is used to finger 
the "strings" (although they're not strings in the normal sense) to detect 
what notes, pitch bend, etc. are being articulated.  The other hand strums 
other pseudo-strings to determine which of the notes on the other hand 
should be fired off to the synthesizer.  The unusual part is that the two 
sets of pseudo strings are not connect so strumming away acoustically 
won't yield any useful sounds.

    The SynthAxe was featured recently in Guitar Player (and on one of 
their Soundpages).  I think Allan Holdsworth was featured in an article 
recently, also (though I may be confusing this with his appearances in ads 
for SynthAxe and Ibanez).

    Hope this helps,

    - John -

    Holdsworth did indeed play the SynthAxe on a recent soundpage. It was
an excerpt from his "upcoming" album, which I've been waiting impatiently
for. 
    A couple of other notes about the SynthAxe. First, it has 6 keys which
you can press to "activate" strings rather than plucking the trigger strings.
One thing this means is that you could play a rapid series of notes on 
non-adjacent strings much more easily than you can with a pick. Another
interesting thing is that that the frets are all equally spaced, unlike those
on a standard guitar, and the neck is at about a 30 degree angle to the
trigger (picking) strings.
    I'm hoping Holdsworth will be using a SynthAxe at the show, to see
how he had to change his technique to take advantage of it. He was already
very unorthodox.
    If you haven't heard him and are interested in virtuoso guitar playing
in a jazz/rock vein, I strongly recommend his last album, Metal Fatigue.
For a slightly less guitar-intensive introduction, I'd recommend either of
the two Bruford albums he played on, One of a Kind and Feels Good to Me.
They also feature excellent playing and writing by Jeff Berlin (bass),
Dave Stewart (keyboards), and of course Bill Bruford (drums).
    By the way, the Paradise is definitely mis-named. My main complaints are
no seats (or very few, considering the number of people that crowd in) and
long waits (especially if you want to try for a seat).

- Tom

    There's a discussion of the SynthAxe in an earlier note in this
    conference on MIDI Guitar Controllers.  Sorry, I don't have the
    number at hand.
    
    len.
    

    Just thought since this seems to have become a synth-axe note that
    I'd mention the price. This baby is going for $9500.
    
    As for Alan Holdsworth - even if he doesn't have the synth-axe you
    *will* be awed at what he can do with a guitar. Most likely he
    will have some sort of heavy duty synthesist on hand anyway. I just
    hope Jimmy Johnson shows up to play the bass.
    
    Dennis

RE: .1  - According to the Boston Phoenix, he'll be at the Paradise on the
	  14th, not 18th, of April.

RE: .5  - When I've seen him with his own band, the lineup has always been
	  guitar, bass, drums, and an occasional vocal, but no keyboards. 

- Tom