Photo by Yuka C. Honda
Nels Cline
Speaking of innovative virtuosos, few guitarists embody both descriptors as
completely as Nels Cline. A consummate musician, world-class improviser, and
ever-restless sonic adventurer, Cline always pushes the music forward, whether he’s
playing subdued jazz, sculpting improvised guitar noise with Thurston Moore, or
wielding a variety of stringed instruments with Wilco. His penchant for effects is well
documented, and among his favorites is the original WH-1 DigiTech Whammy, which
he masterfully controls to achieve everything from warped, dissonant harmonic
bursts, to tortured sounding melodic passages. One can find numerous moments of
creative Whammying throughout Cline’s work, as the pedal has been a staple of his
sound for quite some time now. A wonderful example is his short solo at the end of
Wilco’s “One Wing,” starting at around the 3:17 mark. It begins rather subtly, but
morphs quickly into a twisted, Whammy-bent yelp.
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TONE TALK //
Six Masters of Whammy