Interview by Aron Radford
If it wasn’t for a chance hearing of Ed Gerhard I would have never fallen in love with the Weissenborn in the first place or became a Weissenborn recording artist myself, and this website you’re visiting now simply would not exist. Ever since I first heard the hauntingly beautiful “Homage” I was hooked on the instrument and a fan of the man for life.
The phrase “Less is more” seems to epitomise GRAMMY award-winning guitarist Ed Gerhard. From the very first note of any of his compositions you are awoken to the man’s genius of dynamics and nuances. Let every note count, let every note ring long and true, that’s where the magic of Ed Gerhard is to be found. Never more so than when he plays a Weissenborn with its inherent open tuning and sliding bar limitations, Ed turns these limitations around and makes them its best assets. With the Weissenborns’ legendary sustain and earthy woody mid tones it’s as if the Weissenborn was made for his subtle “every note counts” approach. Tracks like “Homage” and “Shallow Brown” are quite simply songs that could have only be written and played on a Weissenborn. As a player and fan I try and play these songs quite regularly at home and that’s when you truly discover the man’s genius. When you dissect and break down the passages you have a whole new level of appreciation for the mans deft nuances and inflections that he effortlessly and lovingly applies to each note. Every time for instance I hear “Homage” I hear another little unique dynamic that catches my ear and I then try and emulate on my own guitar. It’s a great lesson for all of us to adhere to, it’s not about getting the order of the notes right it’s about the heartfelt delivery that transcends people’s senses and consciousness. So as you can imagine it was my utmost pleasure to talk to this massively influential player and discuss all things weissenborn.
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