Ever hear an out of tune guitar...

[Tonemaster]

Hendrix Machine Gun.

T.

[tpaul]

The best example I can think of is CeDell Davis:



Although this might be less an example of the guitar itself being out of tune, and more an example of the player's technique making it sound that way.

[José]

Bo Diddley on Before You Accuse Me, he's out of tune but who cares.

[63dot]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Chuck Berry rarely played intune same with The Stones live.

if you wanna play Chuck Berry and your guitar is in perfect tune it just doesnt sound right.

Most of Neil Youngs electric leads are out but for some strange reason it just sounds right when he does it.

+1

Neil Young is amazing in both his energy, note choice, and that he does it out of tune. His off kilter voice would not be the same had he had a perfect ear or smoother voice. When I first heard him, I thought he was the worst. It was after many years of over-produced pop in that era did I find out how great it was to hear something genuine in his band, Crazy Horse. Grunge cashed in on that sound but Neil had it first.

Sometimes a purposely out of tune voice, almost talking at times and usually pulled sharp, like Dylan, late Sinatra, and current Sinatra wannabes is what works best. I once saw Branford Marsalis play with the tuning to great effect with his sax the way a great Sinatra type singer could work a band and he used it as just another color of dissonance.

[Lawson]

Ry Cooder and band performed "Down In Mississippi" live, and ry's guitar is a tiny bit out.. But it just gives everything that great feel.. just check the solo!

[CarterK]

The solo on "Cold Beer Hello" fits perfectly.

[WaylonFan76]

"Bo Diddley on Before You Accuse Me, he's out of tune but who cares."

That was the first one that popped into my head too...
I never understood how this one flew... Love Bo, but this is just horrible, to my ears anyway.

[63dot]

Originally Posted by WaylonFan76

"Bo Diddley on Before You Accuse Me, he's out of tune but who cares."

That was the first one that popped into my head too...
I never understood how this one flew... Love Bo, but this is just horrible, to my ears anyway.

That is so out of tune, but note the vibe to the song. There are plenty of pitch perfect versions of this song and similar songs (done on newer and slicker equipment) which at best may make muzak. Another similar set of out of tune songs, but great stuff, are old Beatles bootlegs. Some of their live stuff is raw but I am glad they got it on record/film. Note them trying to tune up, he he, as you will notice they can't even hear themselves or simply don't care. Their singing is like a group of drunk fratboys or NFL football players getting pumped up for the big game. The music is still chilling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg5MGMp22YU

[Open G Tele]

I've never heard a live bluegrass band that wasn't a little off.
Banjos are notorious for "creeping" out of tune.
But that Scruggs roll hides it well.

[beach bob]

For "so wrong it's right" guitar, it's hard to beat Bahamian national treasure Joseph Spence. He had a certain off-key tuning that he always used; it sounded right to him.

His scat / patois manner of singing is also something to behold. Lyrics? HA! The guitar is really at the far end of what my ear can stand, but the overall effect is just so endearing, it makes me smile ... check him out...

[Gringo13]

My papaw played a lot of bluegrass/Appalachia music and to quote him regarding being slightly out of tune, "leave it, it sounds like there's more of us".

I've always given a pass to the live performances prior to tuning pedals. I'm amazed more live performances weren't out of tune.

[Daddy Hojo]

The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go has a terribly out of tune bass, but it works.

[markw51]

Lester 'Roadhog' Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys

[Joe Baggadonitz]

Just about anything recorded by Hubert Sumlin. Listen to Howlin' Wolf.
Eric Clapton said he (Sumlin) was the only guitar player he saw who could go on stage so totally out of tune and yet make it work the whole.

[Joe Baggadonitz]

Hey! isn't that the Statler Brothers ??

[63dot]

I love the out of tune guitarists and singers with the right mojo/vibe/whatever! I couldn't make out a word Joseph Spence was singing in the first song, but whatever it was, it added to the whole song. It was in a word, great.

I found this and Michael Buble, who often sings sharp but uses that to his advantage, explains it really well in this interview:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/m...big-mouth.html

[The Quasar-Kid]

Originally Posted by CarterK

The solo on "Cold Beer Hello" fits perfectly.

I don't know who these guys are
but "Brilliant" is the only word I can come up with to explain what I just heard...

[markw51]

Originally Posted by Joe Baggadonitz

Hey! isn't that the Statler Brothers ??

Oh yeah.

[AM866]

Originally Posted by beach bob

For "so wrong it's right" guitar, it's hard to beat Bahamian national treasure Joseph Spence. He had a certain off-key tuning that he always used; it sounded right to him.

His scat / patois manner of singing is also something to behold. Lyrics? HA! The guitar is really at the far end of what my ear can stand, but the overall effect is just so endearing, it makes me smile ... check him out...

Sounds like Nintendo owes a great deal to Joseph Spence. Very Mario Brothers-esque.

Originally Posted by Gringo13

My papaw played a lot of bluegrass/Appalachia music and to quote him regarding being slightly out of tune, "leave it, it sounds like there's more of us".

That's brilliant.

Seems to me that if the song and performance are good then little things like quality of the recording and tuning and things that people obsess about go out the window.

[63dot]

I was so shocked the first time I heard these guys. I didn't know if they sucked or if they were geniuses, or both. It was my first introduction to modern noise rock, or the first post-Crazy Horse noise rock attempt before the Seattle scene popularized it. It seems so weird that intentionally out of tune stuff could be a whole movement, but Sonic Youth were the first I knew of who tossed the guitar tuner out for effect. As for Neil Young, I don't know if he was out of tune for effect but probably sings that way. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEQkeL-G47g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs9eh...eature=related