Mark and the Nylon Strings

[Brunno Nunes]

https://youtu.be/j_ooismoNsk?si=dn37v_mjkJEix6UI

After being blown away by this brilliant interpretation of Private Investigations and taking that as a starting point, I'd like to offer a reflective analysis.

Much is said about Dire Straits' sound through the prism of Mark Knopfler's guitars, but, regarding the sonic paradigm shift within the band's trajectory, I've been thinking that when Mark Knopfler first emerged with a nylon-string guitar, through songs like "Private Investigations" and "Love Over Gold," it was a perhaps more striking contrast than when he embraced distorted tones, the Les Paul sound on "Money for Nothing" (although Industrial Disease already hinted at this more subtly).

Now, doing a brief analysis, Mark Knopfler's approach to playing his instrumental part for "PI" on a nylon guitar brought a completely new dimension to Dire Straits' work. It's not just the presence of the instrument, it's that he brought a new facet of his technique, showing the world that he had taken a quantum leap into new textures through the influence of elements of classical music, flamenco, and jazz. I perceive these elements in these two songs in a unique way.

This makes me think. Although the current vibe is focused on BIA's 40th anniversary, we know it was an album that broke some industry standards, pioneered the 100% digital recording process and promoted the new format, among other achievements. However, when I look at the album that preceded it, I'm referring to Love Over Gold. This seems to me to be the quintessential art rock album within DS's discography and certainly one of the most beautiful works in this sense by any band or artist. It manages to overshadow BIA's brilliance in some aspects, for me. I'll be able to elaborate further if the topic develops between converging and divergent points.

Anyway... after watching this interpretation of the video and the considerations I've tried to bring up, what does the acoustic guitar approach represent for you in retrospect within the Dire
Straits universe? A sonic innovation? If so, was it the most impactful compared to the Fender Stratocaster, National Steel, Schecter, and Gibson guitars? The acoustic element, the Chet Aktins guitar, and then the Ramiriz, seems to me to appear midway. Could it be the "great turning point" in the musical approach Mark expressed through Dire Straits?

The fact is that live, it first appears on the LOG tour 1982/83, at the end of R&J, Love Over Gold, and PI. It's a unique vibe, but it remains present on other tours through So Far Away 1986, PI BIA tour 1985/86, and OES tour 1991/92, and always provides a striking contrast.

As time goes by, seeing Mark playing the nylon string guitar feels like a parallel universe to me.

Sorry for my poor English, I hope I make myself understood.

[Robson]

When I saw the title of the post, my first thought was of the song A Place Where We Used To Live.

[Ingrained]

The nylon strung guitar felt quite “intimate” when Mark played it instead of an electric, especially when used live, it added another depth to the dynamics of the set. It’s a more softly spoken instrument and draws you in. I think we inherently know that it is a quieter instrument as we associate it with not being amplified, so we listen in even closer. There's nowhere to hide with a nylon string guitar. It's a more honest kind of instrument in some ways, more exposed, that you can’t play tricks with.

That’s why I always felt it worked so well on R+J Alchemy, with that intimate love song.

[dustyvalentino]

Good post Brunno!

[dustyvalentino]

The nylon strung guitar felt quite “intimate” when Mark played it instead of an electric, especially when used live, it added another depth to the dynamics of the set. It’s a more softly spoken instrument and draws you in. I think we inherently know that it is a quieter instrument as we associate it with not being amplified, so we listen in even closer. There's nowhere to hide with a nylon string guitar. It's a more honest kind of instrument in some ways, more exposed, that you can’t play tricks with.

That’s why I always felt it worked so well on R+J Alchemy, with that intimate love song.

Nowhere to hide is correct, zero sustain, the anti Nigel Tufnel!

[Ingrained]

The nylon strung guitar felt quite “intimate” when Mark played it instead of an electric, especially when used live, it added another depth to the dynamics of the set. It’s a more softly spoken instrument and draws you in. I think we inherently know that it is a quieter instrument as we associate it with not being amplified, so we listen in even closer. There's nowhere to hide with a nylon string guitar. It's a more honest kind of instrument in some ways, more exposed, that you can’t play tricks with.

That’s why I always felt it worked so well on R+J Alchemy, with that intimate love song.

Nowhere to hide is correct, zero sustain, the anti Nigel Tufnel!

Agreed Dusty, when he bought out the Gibson Chet Atkins, gone was any allusion to the rock star by the audience, just for a short while, and it added an extra quieter dynamic to the shows.

I would guess that it could also have been another moment when other guitarists pricked up there ears as well and noticed Mark’s playing. With his fingerstyle technique, he naturally translated well to the nylon strung guitar, he was at home with the attack and sustain of the strings, where as some other 80’s players, particularly plectrum users, maybe would never be able to access those kind of range of sounds that he could. And Mark’s playing is naturally melodic so it sounded beautiful on the nylon strings.

I don’t know why, but the nylon strings never seemed to work for me on the OES tour, perhaps because it was largely outside or in such large stadiums, that it lost that intimacy, but I never saw DS tour live in person, only the videos and maybe it didn't record as well (IMO)

[JF]

the nlyon strings appears on wild theme and whistle theme too

[JF]

When I saw the title of the post, my first thought was of the song A Place Where We Used To Live.

A Place Where We Used To Live sounds folk strings to me. The Martin signature guitar I think 

[dustyvalentino]

the nlyon strings appears on wild theme and whistle theme too

Is Wild Theme definitely nylon? Always thought it was Ovation 6 string straight into the board.

[JF]

the nlyon strings appears on wild theme and whistle theme too

Is Wild Theme definitely nylon? Always thought it was Ovation 6 string straight into the board.

yes it's Ovation but with nylon strings, the same as in PI 's studio version I guess

https://www.oneverybootleg.nl/MK_guitars_ovation.htm

[dustyvalentino]

Ah. I had missed that he had a nylon Ovation.