Sea of Recollection
by William Bay
The Mel Bay 7 String Travel Guitar
A number of years ago Bill Bay asked me if I thought I could build him a small acoustic/electric archtop with a big sound, and we managed to do that by stunting the body, joining the neck at the twelfth fret, and a number of other things that allowed a 25.5" scale length to be utilized in a very short overall instrument length. Of course we had to trade off some acousticity, but the amplified sound was just what Bill wanted.
In 2007 Bill expressed an interest in the prospect of having a series of small flat top acoustic guitars built for Mel Bay Inc. under their trade name, and we set our sights on how to accomplish this without loosing the clarity and projection one would expect from a larger instrument.
Given the overall size parameters we were after, a 23" scale length was decided upon and that's when it hit me... Bill's personal seven string guitar would have to have a low "A" string... Yikes.
Well, through light construction, but with exceedingly careful and strategic bracing, we were able to pull a very respectable low "A" out of that 23" scale with a .075" gauge string, and I think you'll be amazed by the accompanying recordings that Bill has produced and included here – it's amazed me too, it does not sound like the relatively tiny instrument that it is.
Enjoy!
Bill Moll
The Sea of Recollection is a plectrum guitar solo which I wrote for the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Grade 7 Expanded Edition. However, it is presented here with tablature included. The solo is written as a Scottish Aire and maintains that lyrical feeling throughout. I used Dropped D tuning and pitched the solo in the key of D. I really love Dropped D tuning. The overtones generated from that low D string are wonderful! Two things to look for: First, in measure 14 there is an F#m7 chord. Rememer that in Dropped D Tuning the low F# is 6th string, 4th fret. Next, there is some cross picking in the last 8 measures of the solo. Finally, the solo goes into 4/4 time for the last two measures.
An audio recording of this solo can be heard. 02SeaOfRecollection.mp3 I recorded this solo on my new Bill Moll Mel Bay Model 7 String Travel Guitar. This is a really unique instrument. It has a small body which I find very comfortable to hold and play. However, it also has a really big sound on the low end for a small guitar. This is due to special bracing Bill used in the construction of the instrument. Also, because of the small size, the melody notes really sound out in a very clear fashion when recording or playing in front of a mike. Sometimes, with a big body guitar, the notes get lost in that cavernous body.
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