On this week’s edition of The Weekly Riff, guitarist Edward Ricart from instrumental post-rock outfit Monotrope walks us through his use of open guitar tunings. The Ohio-based guitarist is known for experimenting with a bunch of different drone-based tunings, all of which help to lend themselves to Monotrope’s unique style of tunage. Check it!
In the video, Ricart talks us through a journey of the different tunings he explores in his playing, as well as some of the different techniques that can be found all over Monotrope’s latest record Unifying Receiver. When combined with hammer-ons, pull-offs, and various sliding techniques, the open tuning approach that Ricart uses really flourishes. If you’re open to experimentation in your own guitar playing, this guy is a fantastic resource to help keep the gears turning.
You can pick up the band’s latest release, Unifying Receiver on Bandcamp, which was released on Ricart’s very own record label New Atlantis Records. You can also peep their latest music video for the song “Ganoderma” here, which is a great snapshot of the band’s heavy yet melodic sound.
