by Greg Danielak
Here's a little 'argument' I had with a friend two years ago regarding the guitar synth part that opens 'Secret Journey':
Him: 'Hey, that's a great keyboard sound.'
Me: 'No, that's a synth guitar.'
Him: 'Yea, like I said, great keyboard sound.'
Me: 'That's a GUITAR SYNTH.'
Him: 'Synthesizer, right? That doesn't sound like a guitar.'
Me: 'It's a guitar, but synthesized.'
Him: 'Why the hell would anyone want to do that?'
Me: 'Because it sounds cool (points to speakers)'
Him: 'But it's still a synth.'
Me: 'No man, the guitar controls it.'
Him: 'So how do they play guitar and play synth at the same time?'
Me: 'It's a GUITAR SYNTH. It's like a effects box, sort of.'
Him: 'So they step on keys and play guitar at the same time?'
Me: 'No, that's the name they gave it.'
Him: 'So why is it called a guitar synth?'
Me: 'It uses the same kind of.. technology a synth does but uses the guitar to trigger notes.'
Him: 'So the guitar's plugged into a keyboard, right?'
Me: '... Um, no.'
Him: 'What?'
Me: 'It's like, just plugged into a synth, which is a box kind-of-thing, and the knobs are set to get that sound.'
Him: 'Then why is it a synth if it has no keys?'
Me: 'It takes whatever notes the guitar plays and makes it... well, it synthesizes it [seeing this conversation is getting nowhere...]'
Him: 'So it IS a synthesizer, right?'
Me: 'Yea, but it's not a keyboard, nor a straight synth.'
Him: 'So what is it!?'
Me: 'A GUITAR SYNTH!'
Him: 'Sounds like a synthesizer to me.'
Me: 'Dude, it is a synth but-'
Him: 'Like I said, great keyboard sound.'
Me: 'Do I have to take you down to Guitar Center and SHOW YOU?'
Although Sting is credited for writing the song, the intro was made up from Andy's experimenting with a guitar
synthesizer. (This is common with most Police songs- Sting would come up with the base, but Andy and Stew would
'modify' the song.)
Here is the intro - this goes on up to 0:40 on the CD timer and is played in free time. Andy is using his guitar synth on a setting that puts notes a fifth above the ones he is playing, with the envelope gradually fading in (which makes this sound like waves on a beach.)
If you have a pitch shifter, just set it to straight fifths, use quite a bit of distortion and swell in each chord with a volume pedal (or just use your volume knob!) Eventide owners will have fun with this one as well, not to mention owners of ultra-cool modern Roland guitar synths... but hey, that's pretty obvious, isn't it?
Here is the synth section that occurs 2:22 - 2:37...
Here's what Andy had to say about this section in his Guitar Player September '82 cover story article:
How did you achieve the massive effect in the middle of 'Secret
Journey?'
I'm playing really peculiar chords on the Strat, feeding it back at the same time, and wanging the tremolo arm. Then I've got a background of guitar synthesizers playing in the middle part. There's like an opening minute-and-a-half of guitar synthesizer with all these chords going on, then there's a break in the middle which is the two guitars together. I like the way it stops: you suddenly drop into this hole and a sort of Himalayan sheet of sound comes toward you.
In one interview you likened that effect to a painting.
It's very much like a painting: being able to pull people in using space. They fall into this hole you've prepared for them. It's musical seduction, really. The same thing in painting: it's that space that pulls people in. Gestalt psychology has a thing called closure which talks about the same thing: you provide space and people close it with their minds.
In the late 80's, Guitar Player Magazine voted 'Ghost In The Machine' one of the most important guitar records of the last century 'largley due to Andy Summers' guitar synth contributions.'
And to this day, people STILL think that the Secret Journey intro is done with a keyboard (including Message In A Box : The Complete Transcriptions!)
© 1981 Gordon M. Sumner Published by Magnetic Publishing Ltd. (PRS) Represented by Blue Turtle, Administered by Almo Music Inc. (ASCAP) in the U.S. and Canada International Copyright Secured
All Rights Reserved
Lesson By Greg Danielak - 2001
