The new guitar player

Today's lesson.

There is a new guitar player in town.. the texture guitarist. The lead and rhythm guitarists of yester-year have long since left the band. Have you noticed most new bands will have a guitarist standing up the back that often doubles on keyboards, well this is the texture guy.

He textures away on his flanger, echo, chorus, looper, his buzzy wuzzy and anything else he can get under his foot. You never see him actually playing much. You might catch him playing a couple of two note chords never changing it from bar one to the end of the song. Why is this guy in the band  you might be thinking? Well he is painting the all important texture. What?? This is the subconscious sound that you don't hear. It usually smothers everything. Back in the big keyboard days of the 80's it was called a pad.
So who are some of these texturisers? Early up-takers of the craft would be Andy Sommers or the Police and the biggest texturist would have to be The Edge. Mr Edge held the record of the one-note-fits-all style that has now ripped through everything we hear pop-wise from Katie Perry to Cold Play. BTW-- I'm not throwing off at these guys as I think it is quite innovative and perfect for the guitars and gadgets we have at our disposal. In fact I have been partial to a light texturing myself at times.
If we look at it musically most of the textured sounds come from the first and fifth. These two notes will fit practically every chord in a minimalist pop song of today, even an Adle song. I have textured along with Adle many times. Additional notes worth a texture would be the ninth and the sixth. However some care should be taken with these notes as your texturing can take on a distinct Asian flavour quite easily.
So next time you come across a contemporary live band look out for the texture guitarist. It's what my mother used to tell me when visitors came on Sundays.. be seen but not heard.