When did it become a thing that everyone plays by wailing on a guitar?

[Randolph Rhett]

I just attended the Fretboard Journal's "Summit". It was a good conference. I had been told by the organizers that there would be a table for local luthiers to share tips, show off builds, etc. That didn't materialize, but otherwise it was a success. Great performances.

That said, expecting the table I took a guitar. Several people asked to play it. That's what I brought it for. I wasn't selling anything, so I didn't take a precious guitar. I took the prototype I build years ago, and play myself at home and at jams. I am not precious about it at all.

However, I was surprised when, without exception, everyone pulled out a pick and really dug into the strings like it was their job to punish the guitar for something. Then I noticed that was what everyone was doing at all the displays. Martin and Taylor were both there with a half dozen guitars. Everybody was playing them a hard as they could. These are all older guys playing mostly folk guitar. All flat tops with the exception of my archtop and a guitar from the Benedetto shop. These aren't 17 year olds trying to thrash on a Les Paul or Ibanez Jem.

When did that become a thing? I build my guitars to be very responsive and take a light nuanced touch. They are finger style instruments. Of course it's not going to hurt them to be wailed on, but no guitar sounds good hammered on like that. There was a beautiful Bourgeois small bodied guitar (think Martin 00) and people were playing it like it was a stolen mule. Of course it sounded like nothing special.

Has anyone else noticed that? Is it a trend? Are you building to that trend? It seems to me that it used to be everyone wanted a guitar that was responsive and light with super low action that you could just think notes on. Is that not what the high end market wants anymore?

[Bob Gramann]

That sounds scary! I haven't seen it before. I'm heading off to the Woodstock Invitational this weekend, so I'll get to see if that style is the new thing--it wasn't when I was there a few years ago. I'm with you on what a guitar ought to be.

[Brian Evans]

Some people seem to use it as a percussion instrument. Others are obsessed with how loud they can play. Not my stye at all.

[Clay Schaeffer]

" These are all older guys playing mostly folk guitar. All flat tops with the exception of my archtop and a guitar from the Benedetto shop. These aren't 17 year olds trying to thrash on a Les Paul or Ibanez Jem."

Maybe we are all going deaf and need to hit the strings harder to hear what we're playing.
Was there a lot of noise at the venue? Were the players competing to be heard over one another?

[Gordon Bellerose]

IMO, this is becoming a part of present day society's obsession with "Being Heard."
Otherwise known as their 15 minutes.

OK, I'm sorta kidding!

Most likely the room was large and possibly noisy. A player may play a bit harder in that kind of environment.
Also, playing in front of other people may cause nerves to act up.

[Randolph Rhett]

The good news is that the more experienced builders here aren't chiming in to say,

"Yeah! Of course! Didn't you know? It's the thing to do. Ever since artist X did it...(or) Ever since Taylor had the marketing genius to make a jack hammer guitar... (Or) Ever since D'Addario launched the 'lumber-sexual' line of strings..."

I won't worry too much. I'll log it away and see whether I see the same elsewhere.

[Barry Daniels]

It's the Mumford and Sons effect.

[Craig Bumgarner]

In the style I play, acoustic gypsy jazz, players all aspire to a technique referred to in English as "gypsy picking". The primary thing is it uses a lot of down strokes and these are all rest strokes. That is the pick is forced through the string by the weight of the hand dropped on the string and the pick comes to rest on the string below it. The hand and wrist float, no contact with the top or bridge except sometimes a light brushing of the 3rd and 4th fingers on the top just to give reference. Absolutely no plucking or finger motion.

Acoustic gypsy jazz involves some very fast playing and being acoustic, the guitar has to be loud enough to rise above the rest of the group (at least one other guitar and a bass) and this technique works very well to maximize speed & volume and minimize effort. Watching someone who is good at it, the motion is very economic to the point that there can be some disbelief that all those loud, fast notes are coming with so little effort.

The rhythm playing technique is similar, very economic, but quite effective.

Search Youtube for Rosenberg Trio or Bireli Lagrene and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[Mark Swanson]

I have noticed this for quite a while. I see it more at gigs where I host an Open Mic, or when I see younger or more inexperienced musicians play. They have no clue about dynamics, or headroom. They just play full blast, all the time. It's a big thing with the G-C-D crowd. I admit to losing my patience with it, I also build light guitars for fingerstyle playing and it's lost on them.

[Bob Gramann]

I'm still up here in Woodstock. After two days with one more to go, with the exception of two guys both of whom seemed to be trying to see just what a guitar would do, all of the folks trying guitars are playing quite appropriately, mostly gently, and pretty well. I love selling guitars to good players. So, no whacking trend here.