Tzadik
2005
Carpal Tunnel
About This Album
It's a bit difficult to understand how, after more than four decades of playing guitar, Derek Bailey developed a debilitating case of carpal tunnel syndrome. It's not like holding a pick was something new to him, but the condition (fortunately confined to his right hand) made it such that he was no longer able to hold a "plectrum." This fact comes out in "Explanation & Thanks," the introductory piece to the album entitled Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an audio letter dictated/played by Derek to someone named "Carol." He goes on to describe his playing as "desultory and inaccurate" as a result, having to relearn to play with his thumb instead of a pick, but "not using a plectrum has turned out to be quite interesting for me." He says that while "medical people" insist he should have an operation, he's "more interested in...trying to find a way around it," claiming at that moment to be "only partly successful." Thus the stage is set for a fascinating aural documentary. Here you have a man who single-handedly changed the vocabulary and future of guitar decades ago, having to relearn how to play his own instrument.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4 and 6)

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