"I love minor 7ths because they sound kind of disco-ish. I think it's pretty open-ended at the end of the day. On The Less I Know The Better, it has a wonderful tone to it that almost sounds like a Rickenbacker, but I think I've read that it might actually be a guitar that's pitched down. The Less I Know the Better. "But I've gone back to that way with guitar. I think I'd write a lot more music [if I did]. "And what's funny is the take that's on the album is the one that I played within a few seconds of thinking of the song.
For me playing guitar, playing into the sound, is so important because guitar is so vibe-y. I guess that ends up musically explaining how I feel, which is kind of the purpose of music. Frequently Asked Questions. "I was using those kinds of chords before I knew what they were called; before I made an effort to learn theory beyond just major or minor. I've rediscovered a bit of mystery with it, because for a while I had this idea that I needed to be growing as a musician, so I needed to know exactly what I was doing. Kevin Parker – the force behind the psychedelic groove machine that is Tame Impala – is well known for recording and mixing sublime sonic confections that blend both vintage and modern studio production gear.
It hasn't really changed a lot in the last few years, because playing live we're playing the guitar sounds from those albums where I was using them. I think I've read that you record guitars direct through the Seymour Duncan KTG-1 preamp. There's something about playing guitar, and if it sounds like Jimmy Page you feel a bit like you're in Led Zeppelin when you're playing it.
Going back to what I was talking about 'not really knowing what you're doing', the guitar synth has a great way of bringing that out because it sounds like something else, you know. I like to have all the effects and stuff running when I'm recording it. So, you can get some really interesting sounds that you've never heard before that sound new and mysterious, just by playing an electric piano via a guitar. "It's a guitar synth. It sounds hilariously bad. Have you found over the years that you use the guitar more or less as you're composing? Do you still use your pedalboard or do you use plugins to sculpt the sound? I definitely didn't finish it with an idea that there was a concise message at the end of it. It wasn't meant to be a focal part of it, and it just ended up being an intrinsic part of the song. But the bass synth is just this bass guitar modeler that you've got with the guitar synth.
It can make all the difference between something that sounds like a music shop and one that sounds classic, exciting and special. I pulled the session the other day and listened to the bass riff without all the overdrive and filter and stuff. It's almost like getting to know someone, like having this moment of sheer... There's a magic to not knowing what you're doing, because it leaves it up to chance and for the universe to decide what happens.
I've written songs before where I didn't even know that they were in there, and it can be that I'll have stock major and minor chords, but then there's a melody over the top that makes major 7ths. Can you talk a little about the recording and how you came up with it? And then you can decide whether you like it or not. "I write a lot of songs with that guitar synth, actually. When it comes to recording guitars, though, his approach concerns itself with capturing the final sound live: "It's got to have the character that I'm intending for it while I'm playing it. Paid users learn tabs 60% faster! Has your pedalboard gotten leaner over the years? I was staying at a little apartment with basically no gear, and I had my guitar with a synth pickup on it and just my computer. "At the same time, I seem to be the most creative when I don't know exactly what I'm doing. I do it without even thinking. Is it true you like to put the drive and the distortion at the end of your signal chain?
Track: Bass Distortion - Overdriven Guitar. Pedals have a very tactile, real-time quality to them. "And don't get bogged down by doing what you think you ought to be doing or what your peers insist is important. "Honestly, I don't really have songwriting habits or any kind of method.
Searching far and wide for the video. "Everything you hear – the organ, string synth, guitar, bass guitar – is all just guitar synth. Guitar is kind of sacred in that way where it's got to sound and feel like that while you're playing. That's why the song doesn't have it in the chorus or the outro, because by the time I recorded those parts it was weeks later, and I didn't have that guitar synth setup anymore at the studio.
It's such an expressive instrument. That's not going to get a Jimmy Page guitar part out of you. I've got a kind of schematic in my head of what's going to sound good in what order. Is it still integral to your songwriting process? "I'm not interested in playing a Strat and then putting the Led Zeppelin sound on top after the fact. Because fuzzes can be so big physically I'm trying to keep the real estate on my pedalboard down a bit so it doesn't take up the entire stage, you know?
Lyrically, The Slow Rush seems like someone taking stock of where they are. "Like, you can play a barre chord with a piano setting, right, but the voicing of the chord is going to be completely different since it's a guitar. "I mean, that's not to say that it has to be high-quality. I hear expressions of regret but also hopefulness.