Sometimes it appears that the best player is not necessarily the most skilful, and occasionally someone comes along that just floors you in new and creative ways. Whilst the term ‘best’ is subjective as we all know, Devin Townsend remains one of the players that consistently amazes me.
I have shared the following quote before, but I think it always worth hearing again:
“ - as a musician, you should practice your technique to be as good as you need to be to facilitate whatever ideas come into your head.”
In this blog post, I will be talking about what Devin Townsend means to me as a musician and what I take from both his music as well as him as a person. I also want to discuss some of his gear and some things that will help anyone, regardless of if you like his music or not.
(pic credit: Katja Ogrin/Getty Images)
What He Means To Me
To me, the music he creates, in any iteration and from any point in his career gives me an immense sense of creativity. When you listen to a shredder like Yngwie Malmsteen you want to try and copy his licks, and when I listen to BB King I want to recreate the emotion he is feeling. However, with Townsend I am always inspired to go and try something new and forge a path for myself.
When I sat to think about writing this blog post, I initially struggled to think why his music inspires creativity in my playing. I think it stems from several places, see the points I discuss briefly below.
Tunings
Devin almost exclusively plays in Open C and Open B tunings, and has done so for most of his career. He experimented, found something that worked for him and stuck with him. There is almost a signature cadence to his music as a result!
I am always open to trying new tunings, and not being restricted to that experimentation by the songs that I have to learn. For a long time, I always had a guitar tuned to Open C and each time I picked it up, I created something new and different.
Variety
You can’t really assign a particular genre to his music. Sometimes it is brutal, grinding metal. Other songs are theatrical, harmonious and, in the case of the ‘Casualties of Cool’ album, far removed from other projects he has done before yet still with that Devin flair. Check out some of my suggestions later on!
Part of being a professional musician in the modern age is versatility, and as a result I have worked/played in many different areas of the industry. When working in that context, not being an artist as such, there are often strict boundaries. The hundreds of different song ideas I have recorded in my home studio are reflective of the influence this artist has had on me when working on my own music.
Use of Effects
Devin is well known for using many different echo, reverb, delay and other ambient effects in his music. Some of them are quite basic and are used in a regular fashion, however, others are a bit more experimental! The effects he uses are part of the creative process and crucial to the riff, rather than it being an afterthought. A similar, though somewhat more rudimentary example is the opening riff of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns and Roses - that riff was written with a delay pedal affecting the notes in a specific way, not added afterwards.
I still believe I have a relatively barebones approach to using effects in my playing, and to that end I have only ever bought pedals when I absolutely needed to for a show or recording. However, I have been known to approach certain ambient sounds in the same way as Townsend.
Another example of this was when I used to own the Mooer Ocean Machine, a triple function pedal with a reverb and two delays - this is a signature product of Devin’s, and I bought it to save processing power in my Line 6 HX Stomp thanks to the independent effects the Ocean Machine had. When I first plugged it in, I chose a random preset and immediately came up with a cool new idea to use, that otherwise would not work without that unique tone.
Technique
Referring to the quote from above, Devin does not profess to be the best guitar player, but rather works to be able to play whatever music he can think of. Some of his solos are blistering, and some are long and drawn out - the epitome of serving the song with whatever it needs.
I often paraphrase his words when teaching. Students ask how much they should practice and my response is always “if you can think of an idea in your head, and you can’t play it, then you have something to work towards”. If you are lucky enough to not have that problem, then write something.
Favorite Songs
Here are a few of my most highly recommended songs by Devin Townsend. This is not an exhaustive list, and covers material from different projects of his throughout his career.
Love? - Strapping Young Lad
Please be warned, I could not find a censored version of this song, so please do not listen to the song if you are sensitive to a few mild swear words. This song is all about the riffs, and they are really simple. It goes to show that the simplest idea can be the most effective!
Also, this was the first ever song I ever heard by Devin - little did I know what a journey I would soon embark on!
Grace - Devin Townsend Project
This live performance of ‘Grace’ is preceded by a message from Steve Vai, and the impact the powerful riff has after the quiet intro is mesmerizing! Another surprising thing is that the riff is in a major key, which is uncommon for heavier styles.
Also, if you love guitars then check out that Sadowsky telecaster - wow!
Ih-ah! - Devin Townsend Project
This particular video is an acoustic version, but it demonstrates some of the insane vocal ability he has, and how effortlessly he switches between a falsetto sound and deep growl.
What is clear in this video is how much he likes to use the ambient effects I mentioned, sometimes too much for his own tastes even!
Gear
Devin has had some really cool pieces of gear over the years. Here are some of those I think are the coolest!
Sadowsky T-Style Guitar
This was a custom made instrument, and Sadowsky production model guitars are hard enough to find at the best of times - especially the NYC custom made versions. There is no doubt then, that this would be a supremely expensive guitar.
I love the simplicity of this one, as well as the tiny signature details, like the signature Fishman Fluence pickups with his logo on them. Some guitars are far too flashy, but this one has it in all the right places.
This one is a bit more extravagant, but it was meticulously designed by both Devin and the team at Framus in Germany. It has plenty of LEDs for the fretboard and other parts of the guitar, and even the cutaways were designed for more than simply aesthetic reasons.
Mooer Ocean Machine
For something a little more friendly on your wallet, have a look at this crazy pedal. As I mentioned earlier, it has two delays and a reverb that can be independently controlled and adjusted. Not only can you get some really cool effects by combining loads of strange sounds, but the bare essentials are covered really nicely. I enjoyed the spring and plate settings myself!
(pic credit:Christie Goodwin)
Final Thoughts
One of the most endearing features of Devin Townsend as a player, musician, producer and content creator is that you can always see both sides of the coin. The jovial, fun-loving main character is a joy to behold. However, he is also a deeply introspective individual who is sensitive to the mental health struggles of both himself and others around him.
I also find that he is genuine in a way that others in the music industry are not, as he is often vocal about his displeasure towards the industry. This can be seen with him choosing to call it a day with different projects and groups he has been a part of, simply because it has run its course or he wishes to pursue something different. Sometimes there is a hiatus, and he will wait until the time is right. For example, I love the Ziltoid material he has created, but it was seven years after the release of Ziltoid the Omniscient until Z2 was released… but it was worth it!
I encourage you to check out his music!
Alex
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