3 guitars arrangement

Lestratcaster

I've seen a lot of 2 guitar bands (predominantly at festivals and bigger stages) play with a 3rd/backup guitarist live.

I'm interested in the role they are doing, are they purely backing up (or double tracking) the rhythm guitar to make it sound bigger or is it more than that?

This is just one of many examples (I appreciate the band's music aren't everyone's taste):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG4f3L1gf2I

There's a guy playing a Telecaster deluxe type guitar in the back, the main 2 are official members of the band. The guy with the Stingray (flap/sunglasses) is the rhythm guitarist and the other guy (PRS) is the lead. It looks like the 3rd guy is playing the chords as well on the lower 3 strings, and maybe has his amp set up on a cleaner distortion than the other two? i.e a crunch with very little gain? Together they don't sound overly mushy and it kinda sounds fuller, but I've always played in 2 guitar bands so interested to explore this live backup guitar thing.

PolarityMan

Is it so the singer can stop playing to do more front manning? Ie holding mic stand dramatically etc.

mike257

The guy with the Stingray is the bass player! That's a bass he's playing

But it's not unusual for bands at that level to have additional musicians, sometimes visible and sometimes tucked away, to enhance the live sound. A lot of bands stack more parts up on record than they're able to reproduce live. Biffy Clyro always made a massive noise for a three piece but over the years they've added Mike Vennart on second guitar/backing vox and Richard Ingram on keys to the live setup (both formerly of an awesome band called Oceansize) to enable them to reproduce the arrangements of the newer material.

While there'll likely be parts of a show where an extra guitarist will be doubling rhythm parts and riffs, they'll generally be there to add extra parts in too, or to take the rhythm parts and free up the band's guitarists to take lead lines.

Quite often bands will have an additional member that doubles up on instruments. Placebo were a three piece but had band members rotating guitar, bass and baritone guitars throughout their set - they had an additional live member who swapped between guitar, bass and keys as needed to fill the gaps.

Kebabkid

I'd listen to some Big Wreck live footage to see how that can work or what they're doing.



Others that come to mind, and once again, check out live footage, are Black Star Riders and Boston and obviously, The Eagles

axisus

I think 3 guitars is too many. I like 1 best, 2 can be OK.

Lestratcaster

Ah it might be an Ernie Ball Musicman then! That clip is old and I know he recently got a Stingray endorsement so it could be a mistake! Its defo the guy in the flat cap on stage left though!

With the production game stepping up now I think now more and more 2 guitar bands have an extra guy on the stage live. 

Foo Fighters are another example of how a baritone guitar can help add extra beef to rhythm tracks. I just wonder how their tones are set up as well as SWS (above vid) as they all can't be using the OD1/2 channel on their amps, it'd all end up as a mush!

EricTheWeary

April Wine, didn't Lynyrd Skynyrd? To some extent these kind of bands were about extended and harmonised soloing whilst guitarist number three kept the rythmn going.
Not uncommon in reggae, Bob Marley and the Wailers in the latter days for example. Needs a lot of discipline of playing interlocking parts across the whole band. In reggae you could have a rythmn part, a bubble part ( muted counter melody or doubling the bass line) and someone on fills and solo.  

hotpickups

I was thinking exactly this last night I.e foo fighters. I really don't get why they need 3 guitars. Especially the guy with the white hair. He doesn't seem to be doing anything special but just strumming chords. I'd love a job like that in a high profile band like that

Lestratcaster

hotpickups said:

I was thinking exactly this last night I.e foo fighters. I really don't get why they need 3 guitars. Especially the guy with the white hair. He doesn't seem to be doing anything special but just strumming chords. I'd love a job like that in a high profile band like that

And necking Prossecco at the same time haha

Majorscale

Radiohead frequently use 3 guitars but their tunes often have pretty unusual arrangements.

monquixote

hotpickups said:

I was thinking exactly this last night I.e foo fighters. I really don't get why they need 3 guitars. Especially the guy with the white hair. He doesn't seem to be doing anything special but just strumming chords. I'd love a job like that in a high profile band like that

He's basically a hanger on (in Foos and Nirvana) 

He's Daves mate so he gets to be in the band despite not actually contributing anything musically. There is a bit in the Foos documentary where it was suggested Dave was going to kick Chris out of the band just because Pat fancied touring with the band which is the only time I've seen the legendarily nice Dave being a dick.

monquixote

Majorscale said:

Radiohead frequently use 3 guitars but their tunes often have pretty unusual arrangements.

It's quite rare for them all to be going at the same time. Usually Thom only plays when Jonny is playing keys.

hotpickups

monquixote said:

hotpickups said:

I was thinking exactly this last night I.e foo fighters. I really don't get why they need 3 guitars. Especially the guy with the white hair. He doesn't seem to be doing anything special but just strumming chords. I'd love a job like that in a high profile band like that

He's basically a hanger on (in Foos and Nirvana) 

He's Daves mate so he gets to be in the band despite not actually contributing anything musically. There is a bit in the Foos documentary where it was suggested Dave was going to kick Chris out of the band just because Pat fancied touring with the band which is the only time I've seen the legendarily nice Dave being a dick.

Note to self. Choose your mates carefully