Light Strings: Impressions of the Guitar

by Ralph Gibson, Andy Summers

The guitar is more than a musical instrument. It is an archetype. In homage, Light Strings brings together two masters of their photographer Ralph Gibson and former guitarist for the Police, Andy Summers. Gibson's enigmatic and sensuously elegant photographs are the visual counterpart to Summers' lyrical history and thoughtful exploration of the instrument's features. Together they create a unique poetic meditation on the guitar. Both artists pay attention to the form of the guitar and its relationship to the body; its curves echo the human figure, not only requiring it to be cradled to play it, but inviting a study of its own sumptuous anatomy. With over one hundred alluring images that capture the graceful details of the instrument, Light Strings is the book for every guitar player.

120 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2004

Reviews

[Maya Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pointless, pretentious, and boring

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inessential. There's no doubting the collaborators' passion for the guitar, and I'm impressed by Andy Summers' knowledge of the musical and technological history of the instrument. But a large proportion of the photographs are uninteresting - the sort of "art" photography anyone might do - and not particularly illustrative of the points in the accompanying text. Summers in his text and Gibson in his photos also try to make too much of the "female form" of the guitar - stating and photographing it much more often and explicitly than required to make the point.

[Bradley Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs but the occasional lapse into the cheesy. Ralph Gibson is an amazing photographer and a huge influence on me (especially his B&W work from the 80s), but this book is not his best. My friend Chuck took the photo of Ralph inside the book, and it's a wonderful portrayal of how Ralph is in person.