Q Any idea where I might find the legendary Ian Cruickshank transcriptions of Django Reinhardt's music?
Clay Allison
Salt Lake City, Utah
A There are no available books of Ian Cruickshank's Django Reinhardt transcriptions. He has, however, written two books on Reinhardt and Gypsy jazz. One, The Guitar Style of Django Reinhardt and the Gypsies (Music Sales), covers the basic chord progressions and common scales used in Gypsy jazz. The other, Django's Gypsies (Hal Leonard), contains no music and is more of a scrapbook. It includes photos of Django and other famous Gypsy guitarists, reprints of articles, a Gypsy jazz discography, and color reproductions of Django's paintings.
--Michael Simmons
Q I have a 1975 Martin D-28 on which the pickguard has lifted away from the wood. I understand this is not uncommon for guitars that have been in colder climates (I was in northern Ontario) due to the uneven expansion/contraction of wood and plastic. I'd like to do the repair myself if possible. What type of glue is typically used to attach the pickguard?
Kevin Pashuk
London, Ontario, Canada
A This is a common problem for Martins built in the '60s and '70s, when the pickguards were glued to bare wood, and it's not necessarily due to climate. The pickguards tend to shrink over the years due to a slow loss of plasticizers (which keep them flexible). Pickguards from this era (and earlier) were commonly made from cellulose nitrate--celluloid--which is a notoriously unstable plastic. This virtual antique among plastics (developed in the 19th century) is still used by many manufacturers because it can be formulated into very convincing substitutes for elephant ivory and tortoiseshell. The process for making celluloid seems to be more art than science, and the stability varies from batch to batch. Be glad you don't have a D'Angelico! Most of the ones I've seen have had seriously deteriorated pickguards and bindings.
The shrinking of the pickguard, not the lifting, can pull the top strongly enough to crack it. There are a couple of approaches to fixing the problem, and neither involves just gluing the curled part down. The best solution is to completely remove the pickguard, thus relieving the stress on the top. Then you can either put on one of Martin's new self-stick pickguards or carefully restore the original. To do this, heat it in an oven at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit sandwiched between two pieces of plate glass. This relaxes the plastic, completes most of the shrinkage, and gets it flat again. Then glue it on with 3M spray 90 contact adhesive, carefully masking the top around the area of the pickguard. The pickguard will be smaller than the original "footprint," so center it as best you can and touch up the finish around the reattached pickguard. It won't look factory fresh, but I think the original pickguards look more appropriate on what are becoming vintage guitars.
--Rick Turner
Q I've been learning to play fingerstyle pieces by Duck Baker, Martin Simpson, and Phil Keaggy, and I can't seem to play artificial harmonics. I touch the string where indicated, but nothing much happens. What's the secret?
Robin Lawless
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
A Harmonics on the guitar are possible because of the manner in which strings vibrate. Plucking a string sets off several simultaneous cycles of motion. The fundamental motion is the string vibrating along its full length, causing the essential pitch of the note to sound. At the same time, the string splits exactly in half with a similar motion in each half. These halves produce another pitch, an overtone, one octave above the fundamental pitch. The point dividing the halves is called a node. The string also vibrates in three equal segments, producing yet another pitch. This second overtone is a fifth above the first one. The string theoretically vibrates in an infinite number of such divisions, producing an array of overtones that contribute to the nature of the instrument's sound. The relative volume and decay of each overtone in the series make your guitar sound like a guitar instead of a violin, piano, or flute.
It is possible to isolate an overtone from its harmonic series. A natural harmonic is played on an open string. Plucking a string while touching lightly at a node produces the overtone defined by that node. For example, lightly touching the high E string at the 12th fret, the point halfway between the nut and the saddle, results in an E an octave higher than the open E string. If you do the same thing at the seventh fret, one third the length of the string, you will hear a B, a fifth above the E.
Natural harmonics are limited to overtones of the open strings. Artificial harmonics are produced by touching the nodes on fretted strings, and they make it possible to play a harmonic at any pitch. Artificial harmonics require accuracy, timing, and dexterity. It is possible to color an artificial harmonic with string bending, vibrato, etc.
Here's how you do it. Fret a note with your left hand, let's say an A at the fifth fret of the first string. Locate the node 12 frets above the fretted note. If the fretted note itself is high up the neck, it may be necessary to pick out the halfway point by eye somewhere over the soundhole. In the case of our A note, the halfway point will be at the 17th fret. Here's what makes artificial harmonics tricky. You have to touch the node and pluck the string with the same hand. Use your right index finger to touch the string, and pluck with your right thumb, ring finger, or pinky, producing a pitch one octave above the fretted note. Check out recordings by Lenny Breau, Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, and Peppino D'Agostino for dazzling harmonics displays.
--Gary Joyner
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