Brian playing guitar?

[ocean]

Hey, I have been reading this board for a while and I am curious about something so I figured I would ask. In the recent facebook q and a Brian was asked what instruments he could play. He said he only really plays piano and some drums, and he cant even play guitar! This surprised me, I know he obviously played bass in the band, but can he really not play the regular guitar. I remember in one of the documentaries I think it was the beautiful dreamer smile one, someone said that whenever one of the session musicians was having trouble with a part no matter what the instrument he would walk in play it perfectly and show them exactly what he wanted. This seems to contradict that. Also did Brian ever write songs on anything other than piano/keyboard.

Thanks

[Ron]

I doubt he can play other instruments all perfectly, and i'm sure he can play a little guitar.  Brian has a habit of lying.  Love him to death, but when they're asking him a bunch of questions he doesn't feel like answering he just says whatever the hell he wants to, whether it's truthfull or not.  Brian likes to get through these interviews with as little effort as possible; it doesn't take much effort to talk, but it would take a slight little bit more effort to actually think of the right answer, and THEN talk.  Brian doesn't always like thinking of the right answer, God Bless Him.

Plus when it comes down to it, he has guitarists that are around him a lot, those guys of course can play much better than him, so in a sense, compared to them, he probably feels as if he can't play guitar. 

[Wirestone]

Hey, I have been reading this board for a while and I am curious about something so I figured I would ask.

Welcome! Nice to have you here.

In the recent facebook q and a Brian was asked what instruments he could play. He said he only really plays piano and some drums, and he cant even play guitar! This surprised me, I know he obviously played bass in the band, but can he really not play the regular guitar.

There is one record from the 60s, I think it's "After the Game," where there is some mild strumming that he's credited with. But in terms of actually knowing more than a couple of chords, he does not play guitar. He's certainly never put down a blistering lead.

I remember in one of the documentaries I think it was the beautiful dreamer smile one, someone said that whenever one of the session musicians was having trouble with a part no matter what the instrument he would walk in play it perfectly and show them exactly what he wanted. This seems to contradict that.

I don't think this is true. He might be able to play it on the piano or sing it to them. But he doesn't really play guitar. He can't play wind instruments. And he's not a virtuoso bassist or drummer, either. (Al plays most of the bass on BB records when it's not a session player.)

Also did Brian ever write songs on anything other than piano/keyboard.

Not that I'm aware of.

If you want to know what Brian is capable of, as a solo performer, listen to Love You. Several songs on that album feature him on all the instruments. Multiple keyboards (including a bass keyboard line), and some basic drumming. Carl occasionally tosses in some guitar licks.

[Andrew G. Doe]

There's a photo of Brian playing an acoustic during the finale of some 1980s benefit (Joan Baez is also in the pic), plus of course he plays guitar on "After The Game".

[Sam_BFC]

Brian's bass playing looks pretty hot at the TAMI show

[the captain]

This sort of discussion always just highlights what constitutes being able to play an instrument, which isn't quite as easy as a yes or no question. Considering he was a fully capable rock n roll bassist, I'm sure Brian has a basic understanding of guitar and can make sounds that could pass as playing. He can find a root and fifth on the fretboard: play them simultaneously and slide up and down the neck to appropriate frets and you can "play" about 95% of the rock 'n' roll music you'll ever come across. It wouldn't do Carl Wilson or Dave Marks proud (much less Wes Montgomery), but it's playing the instrument. And I wouldn't be surprised if, just by virtue of having been a great musician in such close proximity to so many guitarists over the years, he picked up open chord shapes. But any rumors about him outplaying professionals at their own instruments should be firmly planted in the urban legend file, as far as I'm concerned. He's not even that level of keyboardist, and that's his main instrument. Brian was a brilliant musician in terms of composition, arrangement, and even voice; he was a more-than-capable keyboardist for the pop idiom; he was a passable bassist for the rock 'n' roll style they had going when he played it. After that? My vote is don't believe the hype.

[summerinparadise.flac]

There is also the picture of Brian playing guitar while Van Dyke watches on. Its in the Carlin book.

[LeeDempsey]

In January 1998, David Beard and I were invited to Nashville by Joe Thomas to observe an "Imagination" album recording session at MasterPhonics Studio.  The lobby of the studio has an assortment of musical instruments up on the wall.  During a break Brian was walking around, and walked up to one of the acoustic guitars, pulled it off the wall, tuned couple of strings, and strummed a couple of chords.  There was a buzzing fret.  Brian frowned, sighted down the neck, and promptly put the guitar back on the wall.  I said, "Brian, I didn't know you played the guitar!"  He very nonchalontly said, "Oh yeah," turned around, and walked back into the studio.

Lee

[Mike's Beard]

There is also the picture of Brian playing guitar while Van Dyke watches on. Its in the Carlin book.

Haven't got the book at hand but I am positive it's the other way round.

Having said that though, if anyone can play half decent bass than they can at least transpose their knowledge of scale runs over to guitar as they are at their most basic played and tuned the same. Even without LeeDempsey's above post I would have no doubt believing Brian is capable of this at least.

[summerinparadise.flac]

There is also the picture of Brian playing guitar while Van Dyke watches on. Its in the Carlin book.

Haven't got the book at hand but I am positive it's the other way round.

Having said that though, if anyone can play half decent bass than they can at least transpose their knowledge of scale runs over to guitar as they are tuned the same. Even without LeeDempsey's above post I would have no doubt believing Brian is capable of this at least.

sh*t, I think you're right.

[the captain]

There is also the picture of Brian playing guitar while Van Dyke watches on. Its in the Carlin book.

Haven't got the book at hand but I am positive it's the other way round.

You are correct. VDP is fretting what looks to be a G# and Brian is strumming it.

[Mike's Beard]

The photo stood out in my mind because it's a really sweet Rickenbacker Van's playing.

[cutterschoice]

it's not that Brian outright lied.
hitting a string on the guitar, or playing a couple of chords doesn't mean your competent enough to claim that you can play the instrument.
I can pick up a harmonica and make some noise, but I sure as hell can't play the damn thing.

[HighOnLife]

I think Desper said that Brian played rhythm guitar on the basic track for "Breakaway".

[the captain]

hitting a string on the guitar, or playing a couple of chords doesn't mean your competent enough to claim that you can play the instrument.

I'd be curious to see the test after which a person can claim to play an instrument, not to mention understand what regulatory body got to make the decision.    I think being able to play a small handful of chords on a guitar means you can play guitar ... a little bit. (Hell, two or three chords is enough to play plenty of songs. Four or five chords and you're golden. Everything after that is just increased competence.)

[Ron]

I think it's also safe to assume that Brian frequently lies in interviews, lol. 

[the captain]

I think it's also safe to assume that Brian frequently lies in interviews, lol. 

What? I've never heard that! 

[TdHabib]

There's a photo of Brian playing an acoustic during the finale of some 1980s benefit (Joan Baez is also in the pic), plus of course he plays guitar on "After The Game".

WOW, never heard of this pic. Any chance you can post it, or say where one can see this photo??

[cutterschoice]

I think being able to play a small handful of chords on a guitar means you can play guitar ... a little bit.

Exactly. The phrase "I can play [instrument]" implies a degree of competence with said instrument.

And like you said, Brian could have added "a little bit" or even "badly" at the end and it could be true, but to just say he can play guitar would be one of those lies I hear he's prone to.

I can sit at the piano and press on the keys and play it. but having no idea what I'm really doing and having no skill, I couldn't say I play the piano with a clear conscience. That fib would keep me up at night. Rather, i played the piano... badly.

[the captain]

You, sir or ma'am, have a very sensitive conscience. I could tell you I'm the president of Croatia and not bat an eyelash. And I don't even know whether Croatia has a president. (Maybe just a prime minister? I don't know. I mostly just know I like their basketball players.)

[STE]

There is also the picture of Brian playing guitar while Van Dyke watches on. Its in the Carlin book.

Haven't got the book at hand but I am positive it's the other way round.

You are correct. VDP is fretting what looks to be a G# and Brian is strumming it.

[Andrew G. Doe]

There's a photo of Brian playing an acoustic during the finale of some 1980s benefit (Joan Baez is also in the pic), plus of course he plays guitar on "After The Game".

WOW, never heard of this pic. Any chance you can post it, or say where one can see this photo??

Gig was January 13th, 1980 at the Oakland Coliseum... and I saw it once, round about then in a mag.

[the captain]

Could you draw a picture of it to the best of your recollection, scan it, and post it?

[the captain]

Never mind, I think I found it.    

[adamghost]

Stan Shapiro once told me that all the Wilson brothers, but Brian and Carl in particular, had the ability to pick up any instrument and pretty much play it on the spot.

This is not as savant-like as it sounds.  There's three things required to play a musical instrument:  knowledge of the musical fundamentals, basic muscle memory, and a good sense of time.  Brian and Carl certainly understood the former, and as musicians, they were always about effect and blend, even on their main instruments.  All the Wilsons were believers in the less-is-more school of playing (which I admire), so technically ability was never as important as getting the sound you wanted, and if you focus on the fundamentals, your time is generally going to be good, so anything you play is going to sound "right."  All that's really required to play something is to figure out how that particular instrument generates notes and get the rudamentary muscle memory to do it.  If you're a Wilson, that probably doesn't take all that long.

Vis a vis Brian's ability to play guitar, it's pretty well established that Brian could play guitar any time he wanted to if he felt like it.  That's important.  They say that Brian hadn't played the bass in years and when it was time for him to tour with the Beach Boys, he just put on a Ronettes album, played along with it for half an hour, and that was that.  I find that really easy to believe.  For someone with Brian's musical ability, it's just not that big of a challenge.  So yes, he can play guitar in the sense that he probably knows a little of this and that and could pick up more in about ten seconds if he so desired, but no he can't in the sense that he can't pick it up and jam, and doesn't really care to, either.