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Should we reconsider the word "Surf"?


chuck1016

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It seems that a lot of instrumental music gets lumped into the category of "Surf Music". It all has the same characteristic twang and chime of single coils, it all as heavy reverb, and the same 4/4 backbeat, but beyond that there's nothing really surfy about it.

 

I understand that it all started with the So-Cal bands like Dick Dale, who actually sang songs about surfing, but aside from cover art, that seems to be where the surfing ends.

 

What got me onto this train of thought was that all the "surf" bands I've been listening to lately have sci-fi themes: Space Agency, Shadowy Men..., Man or Astroman. They all have that "surfy" sound, but absolutely nothing to do with surfing.

 

So I wonder... Is there a better way to describe this music than "Surf"?

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Genre labels are often a double edged sword. You can either try to use an old label, invent a new label, or forget labels and use too many words to describe the music.

 

I too have been listening to Man or Astroman lately. :thu: For them I'd be tempted to use the technique of combining two labels to describe the music. Maybe Sci-Surf or Spy-Surf? :idk:

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Just because Man...or Astroman? combined surf with MST3K doesn't mean they should fit under a new genre. Instrumentals drenched in reverb, chimey gee-tars, and 4/4 = surf. There is no sci-fi theme until you get into overdubs, samples, etc, and then you arguably are no longer "instrumental."

 

It's all still surf. Just enjoy it and let others worry about labels.

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What combination of pickups do you use on a strat to get that surfy sound? I never tried playing surf or twang music sounds cool!

 

 

Honestly I don't think pickups matter for surf. Your amp does. You need something with thick cleans and real spring reverb.

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What combination of pickups do you use on a strat to get that surfy sound? I never tried playing surf or twang music sounds cool!

 

 

The first thing I did when I bought my strat was to add a switch so I could get neck/bridge. Perfect for surfy stuff. Bridge/middle is also great for surf leads. As mentioned, if you want that Dick Dale sound, just the bridge.

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I understand that it all started with the So-Cal bands like Dick Dale, who actually sang songs about surfing, but aside from cover art, that seems to be where the surfing ends.

 

 

Early surf music was largely instrumental, particularly Dick Dale. The term surf comes from Dick Dale being interested and inspired by waves and his audience being a lot of surfer kids.

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I think of the Beach Boys as 'surf pop' and The Ventures, Dick Dale, The Lively Ones and much of The Shadows as 'Surf Rock'.

 

Pretty much if a song is played on a Strat or Jaguar through a Twin or Bandmaster with drippy reverb, has some noodling in E or A minor with some trem wiggling and occasionly has a broken E minor chord where you dip the trem and slowly bring it back up to pitch, that's surf rock to me. The more modern stuff is cool but is more surf-inspired to me... not to split hairs.

 

The quintessential surf tone to me is a Jaguar in the middle position and flat-wound strings. You can get pretty close with a strat with the neck and bridge pickup combination if it's so modified. Twin or similar... something with a fair bit of clean headroom. Some amps can get by with the built-in reverb but having a tank in front really makes it drip and for me, I GOTS to have that drip!

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Early surf music was largely instrumental, particularly Dick Dale. The term surf comes from Dick Dale being interested and inspired by waves and his audience being a lot of surfer kids.

 

 

He did sing Mr. Peppermint Man - about surfers, but that's about as close as he got. Ask Dick Dale, he'll tell you in the third person.

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Honestly I don't think pickups matter for surf. Your amp does. You need something with thick cleans and real spring reverb.

 

 

Maybe not, but Jazzmaster or Jaguar (which was intended to be a surf guitar from the start) pickups don't hurt. With the correct wiring, that is.

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Yeah, I use modifiers.

Unless it's textbook 50's style with no weird flair, I don't really call it just surf.

I would describe shadowy men as kinda of a quasi psychadellic surf rock band.

I would describe straijackets as Surfy with some swing, lounge, and rock influence.

I would describe Dick Dale as surf.

:idk:

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