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THE AZTEC TWO-STEP
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"The Aztec Two-Step" is an all-acoustic venture. It is a collection of my acoustic instrumentals, primarily those I play on the 12-string.
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The 12-string guitar is an unlikely solo instrument. It's hard to play and hard to keep in tune. The string tension on a 12-string is over 200 pounds, compared to about 60 for a 6-string guitar. It's hard, physical work to play the thing. Nevertheless, it is a huge, visceral sound.
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The paired octaves on this instrument create musical possibilities that simply don't exist on a 6-string. Over the years, I've learned to play the individual strings as well as the pairs. This allows rolling chordal crescendos and unusual chord voicings. The power of the 12-string is piano-like.
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The quirky nature of the 12-string leads to some interesting stories, reflected by the titles of the songs.