John Osborne
Question: What’s your personal philosophy around improvisation?
Guest Picker John Osborne
Pioneering psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
A: If music is a conversation and the song is the subject matter, then solos are the stories. Some stories require bravado and bombastic detail. Some stories need dramatic pauses. Either way, the story has got to be interesting, contextual, and add to the conversation. Nothing is worse than ruining a good conversation. When telling a story, there is a beginning, an arc, and a punchline. Improvising should be no different.
Melissa DeGood Magazine Production Coordinator
A: My take on improvisation is that it’s all about going with the flow and letting creativity run wild. I’m all about being spontaneous and tuning in to what’s happening around me. It’s like a jam session, where you trust your gut, and keep your ears wide open. Mistakes? They’re just part of the ride, helping you learn and grow. In the end, improvisation is about keeping it real and having a blast, whether it’s in music, art, life, or tackling everyday challenges.
Jason Shadrick Associate Editor
A: There might not be a more difficult feat in music than to create something in the moment that connects with the audience. One of the biggest myths in music is that improvisation is only for jazzers. While they might be the biggest advocates of instant composition, you don’t need to shred bebop to participate. Here’s a hands-on exercise: Each morning record yourself playing for a minute. It could be anything. Try something new. After a month, collect the snippets and listen. Maybe there’s a song, maybe there’s not. But creating music as a therapeutic ritual will undoubtedly help you as a musician.
K. Spurgeon Reader of the Month
The inimitable bebop saxophonist Charlie Parker.
Photo by William P. Gottlieb
A: “Philosophy” is a term I don’t apply to my playing: too grand. But from the most abstract level, I try to be open to referencing any music I’ve heard in my life: genres, moods, styles, eras. Ideally, I want to sensibly put a bit of any of the musical ideas I like into my playing, but not necessarily by quoting. Though I remember hearing Charlie Parker quote the opening phrase of the Woody Woodpecker theme in the middle of a typically ingenious, otherworldly solo. That example is a bit on the nose, but basically: play absolutely anything as long as it’s music.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
