This week I have been visiting the early acoustic style of Ben Howard’s guitar playing. During his first decade as a signed artist, he’s released four studio albums, and was nominated for The Mercury Prize in 2012 for his debut Every Kingdom. This influential singer-songwriter has also won a handful of prestigious music awards, including two BRIT awards for British Breakthrough Act, and British Solo Male Artist, and the Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for ‘Nica Libres at Dusk’, from his third album Noonday Dream.
Ben plays guitar left-handed, and makes extensive use of alternate tunings, which helps him craft beautiful arrangements, and shape interesting melodies. He also compliments these tunings by using a partial capo, in order to access bass notes that would otherwise be unavailable to him.
Ben has a distinctive percussive strumming style, called the "pick and go". His method of laying the guitar flat on top of his knees and playing it percussively was influenced by contemporary folk songwriter and guitarist John Smith.
For this week’s transcription I’ve chosen the beautiful ‘Old Pine’, which opens Every Kingdom, and sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly. The tuning here is CGCGGC, it’s a tuning that almost dominates his writing around this time. It’s dark, moody and atmospheric, and if you're creative, you’ll find yourself experimenting with new musical ideas every time you pick up your guitar in this tuning.
Over the course of four studio albums, Ben has also experimented with electric guitars and FX pedals, which has given his music a more ambient sound over recent years. Working with The National’s Aaron Dessner on his latest album Confessions of the Whiteout, has seen his sound take on another dimension. Here he introduces electronic elements, and blends them wonderfully with his immaculate guitar playing. Usually I’d recommend a few songs for you to listen to, but here, it really doesn’t matter which song or album you start with, they’re all brilliantly written and produced. I, for one, will be listening and introducing students to Ben Howard's music for many years to come.
