Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Alessandro Alessandroni - The Guitar Tone Legend

Do you remember these spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More or Once Upon a Time in the West?
Maybe you already know, that their soundtracks are composed by Ennio Morricone - but who played this awesome guitar riffs? It was Alessandro Alessandroni.

Alessandroni is famous from his twangy guitar sounds, which are ringing when Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson is starting to be mad and danger. He's also a good whistler, and player of many other instruments.
Alessandro Alessandroni was using probably a Fender Stratocaster guitar for his records for Morricone.

Guitar parts in Morricone's compositions are not very complicated, but they are very powerful and well fitted to other instruments. Morricone's melodies + Alessandroni's guitar tone = very good record.



Here are some links to soundtracks (YouTube):

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly theme (most famous Alessandroni's riff)

For a Few Dollars More theme (cool whistling)

Once Upon a Time in the West theme (my favorite riff)

Links:
www.alessandroni.com - official site
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Alessandroni
www.pollodelmar.com/mart/morricone - about spaghetti western themes

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