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Guitarist
Interview with Sibyll Kalff
June 2010 Name: Sibyll Kalff Bands: “the horse cock kids”, studio b, spunx distorted, missippi goddamn, & various other jam & session & side projects (though I did not & do not play guitar in all them, having been a bassist in the first place) Websites: www.sibyll-kalff.com, myspace.com/sibyllk, myspace.com/mitchellrobert, myspace.com/projectstudiob, myspace.com/thehorsecockkids, www.myspace.com/spunxdistorted free mp 3 downloads at sibyllkalff.com/music.htm Listen to "Truth of Yes" QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it? Sibyll – Actually I started out as a bassist! Though I was playing all kinds of guitars, acoustic & electric ones all the time, too. When I was a kid I had a very old crappy no name acoustic guitar first - loved it - was playing really stupid songs & ditties - but apart from having the brain of the papa elephant in general, I can really not remember what happened to it. QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier? Sibyll – I hardly ever used effects at all, & just plain use a loooooong cable. QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig – guitar, amplifier, or effects? Sibyll – As I don’t use effects, thus guitar & amplifier. QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why? Sibyll – Right now a little Vox amp, great one, very small, but it has a lot of power. It is very handy, you can use it for playing in the streets, in small, mid size clubs & have it run over any PA of course, too (don’t laugh). I had for a long time a Regent amp (old former DDR amplifier, that I used as a bass amp!) but I played all kinds of amps over the years. I love Fender Twin Reverb ones (though never had any) very much! QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make it such? Sibyll – Right now it’s a Fender Tele copy (my favourite ones, along with Gretsch guitars, though I never owned any original one). Sand colour. QRD – If you had a signature guitar, what would it look like & what would some of its features be? Sibyll – Hmm... I’ll show you later, ok? QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what would some of its features be? Sibyll – I am actually not sure whether I’d want one. QRD – How many guitars do you own? Sibyll – Right now, one. In those days back yonder we had many guitars & basses, but we ate them all in the mean times. QRD – How & where do you store your guitars? Sibyll – Various styles over the years, depending on the number of guitars & situations. Right now, plain simple, plain upright. Standing. QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar? Sibyll – That it sounds to my likings & in the first place that it feels right. That’s the most important, it must feel immediately “yours” & smooth & funky to play. If it’s “yours” you feel it in 3 secs (sound included). QRD – How much do you think a good guitar should cost? Sibyll – Well, difficult to say, of course a good price comes in very convenient! But it depends on the guitar; you can find $2 guitars with the best sound & pay $100s for guitars that plain don’t have it. (I’d rather pay the $2!) QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your guitars or just stick with what you get? Sibyll – Depends in what condition they are. Normally I love them as plain as can be. QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment before buying it? Sibyll – Depends on the piece of equipment. As thoroughly as I can of course. QRD – Do you change your rig around often? Sibyll – Not too much. QRD – Are you after one particular guitar tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot? Sibyll – It must have “that” tone... & if it has, I do not change too much, apart from, sometimes it’s of course great to plain mess around for fun. QRD – What are some guitars, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after? Sibyll – See above, Fender Twin Reverbs, Fender Telecasters (Fender Precision Basses), Gretsch guitars, good acoustic ones e.g. & of course I totally love all old tube amps QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first guitar that aren’t always there? Sibyll – That it’s plain “your” guitar sound & feel wise. QRD – What have been the best & worst guitar related purchases you’ve made? Sibyll – My lil Tele is one of the good purchases. I went into the store asked, “What’s ya cheapest Tele copy today?” They told me “Ah, wait a sec, ya can have that crappy yellow one.” & after 3 secs, I know, hey that’s my baby, it’s a gooder. QRD – What are some effect, amp, & guitar brands you particularly like or dis-like & why? Sibyll – See above please! QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a guitar? Sibyll – Some of my favourite chords & licks. QRD – How old were you when you started playing guitar? Sibyll – I don’t remember exactly, but I when I was a kid. QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best guitar playing? Sibyll – Stay tuned, please.... QRD – Why do you think a guitar fits you more so than other instruments? Sibyll – Though I play many instruments altogether, in the last years I focused on guitar, just because after decades of playing bass, I kinda felt like it. & you can more easily take it along than a grand piano, that adds of course. QRD – Do you think guitar should be people’s first instrument as often as it is? Sibyll – I think, this really totally depends on one’s personal likings, what instrument to chose as a first one. QRD – Do you see your guitar as your ally or adversary in making music? Sibyll – My ever ally; but ok, that can change rapidly into something else in moments, too. QRD – Who are the guitarists that most influenced your playing & sound? Sibyll – Man, there’re so many good ones I ever since love, you find many of them on all my pages or as references on my pages, rather check them all out there, will ya? QRD – Do you think people anthropomorphizing their guitars is natural or silly? Sibyll – Depends on the result, I’d say. QRD – What’s the most physical damage you’ve done to a guitar & how did you do it? Sibyll – (...) QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing? Sibyll – I normally do practice while playing. QRD – How many hours a week do you play guitar & how many hours would you like to? Sibyll – Totally varies & depends on the situation I am in. I love to play some 5 to 10 hours a day, when I got the time & space for it though.... QRD – What type of pick do you use & why? Sibyll – Fender medium picks are my favourite brand. In all colours & styles. QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why? Sibyll – Depends & varies. QRD – How often do you change strings? Sibyll – I can be rather sloppy with that, in the first place surely when one breaks. QRD – How often do you break strings? Sibyll – I try hard to avoid it. QRD – Which do you feel is more proficient, your strumming hand or fretting hand & how does that effect your style? Sibyll – Again, please? QRD – Do you set-up your guitar yourself or send it to a guitar tech (or not set it up at all) & why? Sibyll – Myself. I actually never had one. QRD – What tunings do you use & why? Sibyll – The most appropriate to the given situation & mood. (Most of the time this very well know common one though.) The rest is pluriversal quantum physics.... QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas? Sibyll – As I just plain improvise for more then 20 years, I hardly write anything down, if at all, then most of the time in “sibyllinic tabs.” QRD – How high do you hold your guitar when playing (strap length)? Sibyll – Loooooooooooooooow, baby, looooooooooooooooooow... QRD – What’s a bad habit in your playing you wish you could break? Sibyll – You tell! QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s guitar playing? Sibyll – A guitar? QRD – What’s a type of guitar playing do you wish you could do that you can’t? Sibyll – I always have this personal habit not to answer any question # 42! QRD – What’s a guitar goal you’ve never accomplished? Sibyll – Do I have to? QRD – What’s the last guitar trick you learned? Sibyll – Sorry, the latest I learned was match trix! QRD – What’s a guitar technique you’d like to master, but haven’t? Sibyll – Please consult my.... QRD – Did you ever take guitar lessons & if so, what did you learn from them? Sibyll – Nope. QRD – What would you teach someone in a guitar lesson that you don’t think they would generally get from a guitar teacher? Sibyll – Just play & play &.... QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style? Sibyll – Maybe rather ask that someone? QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems? Sibyll – Some few are “allowed” to use them.... QRD – What do you see as the difference between lead guitar & rhythm guitar players? Sibyll – The spelling? QRD – If a band has good guitar work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good? Sibyll – Hardly. QRD – What famous musician’s guitar would you like to own & why? Sibyll – Hmmm, there’d be some... maybe some of Keith’s Teles? QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative guitar player & why? Sibyll – Can’t name just one, there are too many great cats out there.... QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work? Sibyll – Hmmm.… QRD – Anything else? Sibyll – With mucho mas “love *n* roll!”
... pt xox ...
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