Two Guitar Players who click can play some incredible music. George Barnes one of the Pioneering Electric Guitar Players who had a NBC Radio Show when he was 17 years old, advocated the Guitar Duet, and made many duet recordings with other Great Guitarists. George Barnes was correct in believing that the Guitar Duet is one of the high art forms.

I have played Guitar Duets with two very fine Acoustic Guitarist. There is just something about two Guitar Players, with no other instruments, that makes it a very special music experience.

I recently played a coffee shop Gig with Peter Turek, a Guitarists from Australia. He was in Denver on Business and brought along his Australian Hand Crafted 12 String Guitar and played the morning coffee hour at the Einstein’s Bagel Shop on Alameda and Logan in Denver Colorado.

We were from different Musical Backgrounds, but I was familiar with many songs he sang and played the Guitar on. There was a kind of magic in some of the songs when we played complimentary Guitar Parts. It was a magic that could not be achieved if there had been a full band.

Peter Turek is a fine acoustic Guitarist. He has his own consulting business, and as far as I know has never depended on his music for a complete living. However, the man loves music and Guitar so much that he has developed his Music Skills to a very high level. It was a great pleasure performing with him and the audience loved the music we played together.

When two Guitar Players do all the music, no bass, no drums, no keyboards, the demand is greater on the musicians. If they click, the musicians will find Guitar Licks that create a kind of music that cannot be played under any other circumstances. It’s a wonderful feeling when this happens.

When I lived in St. Louis Missouri, I got to know the only street singer and guitarist who made his living playing for tips on the streets. This Guitar Player had played from 8 to 10 hours a day for many years. His skills were to a tremendously high level. I brought my Guitar over and we played many hours together.

Playing with the accomplished Street Guitarist was my first experience in Guitar Duets. It proved to be one of my most enjoyable musical experiences.

A Guitar Duet type of playing can be done with a band, but it’s not nearly as effective as when the two Guitar Players perform without the band. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed Recorded with a rhythm section and got a nice Duet Recording.

Two Guitar Players swapping leads in a full band is not the same as a true Guitar Duet Recording. The demands on the Guitar Players when a rhythm section plays with them are not as great, and the playing is different with no rhythm section accompanying the Two Guitarist. A true Guitar Duet encompasses much more than swapping leads.

When I lived in St. Louis I hung out with a group of gifted Guitar Players. Two of the Guitar Playing Buddies in this group would often play Guitar Duet Gigs. The two buddies who were both great Guitarists played some fantastic music, and they worked pretty often. I was a little surprised when I learned that members of this group often played Guitar Duet Gigs, but after hearing them perform, and later doing Duet type of playing, I understood why these Gifted Young Guitarist loved the Art Form.

So if you want to develop your Guitar Playing Skills, try the Guitar Duet. You will develop in a way that is not possible playing with a Band, and I think you will enjoy this type of Guitar Playing very much.

By Robert Lee Johnson
The Guitar Man
http://www.mp3.com/theguitarman