Between the Strings: The Secret Lives of Guitars

by John Schroeter

BETWEEN THE THE SECRET LIVES OF GUITARS is a collection of more than one-hundred selected short stories, each with a guitar at its center. A veritable compendium of the world's greatest guitarists, from BB to ZZ (B.B. King to ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, that is), the stories are inspiring, uplifting, illuminating, humorous, stirring, and edifying. Some of the stories are simply entertaining in the way they take unexpected twists and turns. Others are biographical. Many involve a guitar that was received, given away, lost, stolen, recovered, offered to its player a special song, or was pivotal in a personal relationship or life experience. Each of these stories reveals something of the human spirit, as well as something of the supernatural that sometimes makes its way into our ordinary, everyday existence. But in every case, the variety of experiences, settings, and remarkable outcomes are linked by the common celebration of life with the guitar. To paraphrase Ann Petry, "Everything you ever had, everything you ever lost. It's all there in the guitar- pain and hate and trouble and peace and quiet and love." There is so much more to music than meets the ears. To discover that, one needs only to read "between the strings."

Les Paul, Don McLean, George Benson, Andy Griffith, Bob Weir (Grateful Dead), Peter Frampton, Doc Watson, Christopher Parkening, Eric Johnson, Earl Klugh, Jack White (White Stripes), Rick Derringer, Taj Mahal, Chet Atkins‹more than 100 artists in all.

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's a collection of guitar players offering brief insights into their instrument and their craft. Some of the blurbs are interviews embellished by the author into stories , but others are just collected from elsewhere. The typos and and typesetting errors were distracting and a reminder that this is a self-published book; even the awkward cover photos were taken by the author. It's not an aesthetically pleasing volume. BB King's Introduction is featured most conspicuously on the cover, as if to suggest he wrote the book or is featured prominently. He's not: he just contributed a few scant paragraphs, though is story is one of the best.
I don't know, but maybe this isn't for keyboard players like myself: I have not heard of most of these people, and their stories become redundant. There are over a hundred guitarists presented, and I was really surprised how few I knew. Many are folk, blues, or aristocratic-type classical guitarists, and that's just not my jam. While there are some gems in here (like Bob Weir's story), the same themes keep popping up: namely, that lots of guitars get stolen! Otherwise, there's just too much complaining from old-timers about how nobody gets it anymore. Maybe they do....

[Phil Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insider’s book. This is a fun read for any guitarist. Some of the essays are great and some not so good. It is uneven. But, if you need stories about guitars being destroyed or stolen this is your book. There are also a number wonderful tales of some fabulous musicians got their start.

[Vern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is everything I was looking for in an inspirational read on guitars. A collection of stories by artists about their guitars and what makes them special. Really makes you want to just pick up your guitar and play. There are some incredible stories, some tidbits, a lot of reflection, but put together as a very enjoyable read.