Masters Of — The Plectrum Guitar

The instrument was the electric guitar of its day: loud, cutting, and rhythmic. But it required a master’s touch to make it sing.

Often called the "Father of Jazz Guitar," his technical brilliance is showcased through pieces like "Feelin' My Way" and "Handful of Riffs".

In the early 20th century, the plectrum guitar style emerged as musicians sought more volume and technical range on steel-string archtop guitars. This book, which took years to compile and edit, preserves the intricate block-chord solos and solo chord-melody arrangements that defined the 1930s and 40s.

The journey begins with figures like Eddie Lang. Often called the "Father of the Jazz Guitar," Lang’s work in the 1920s and early 30s provided the blueprint for everything that followed. His technical precision and harmonic depth elevated the guitar from the banjo’s shadow. Lang demonstrated that the plectrum—or flatpick—could produce a sophisticated, "classical" clarity within a jazz context.

When the Casa Loma Orchestra needed a pulse, they called Dick McDonough. Alongside Carl Kress (who often favored a tenor guitar), McDonough was the premier rhythm guitarist of the 1930s. But labeling him a "rhythm player" is an insult.

But the true masters do not use the pick for volume alone. They use it for texture. By varying the angle of attack—flat versus edge-on—a guitarist can change the timbre of a note from a warm, rounded hum to a biting, treble-heavy shriek. The mastery of the plectrum is, in essence, the mastery of tone.