Okay, so as is my wont I'm up before dawn with some morning coffee "me time" before I must dive into client work. That's dangerous, as it gives me license to yap about stuff. :side:
First, the dirty secret (I've already spilled in another thread): I'm not yet able to play any of that all in one go, not yet. As I'm given to understand is common practice in recording studios these days, I laid down those tracks line by line with pauses in between to regroup and have a listen to each new take. One day I intend to have the chops to grunt through something like a Greg Lake masterpiece in one sitting...but that time is not yet.
I've alluded to my digital guitar, thought I'd elaborate a little more. Please feel free to move along if this bores you.
This is my MIDI recording arsenal (plus mic for vocals):
The guitar has six strings where the right hand work happens, and each string has its own pickup hiding under the bridge. From there the fretboard is all touch-sensitive high tech geekery. WIth a tap of a button you can enable hammers, taps, and slides and, since you obviously can't bend strings, you use the tremelo bar for "bending" and there's a pinky control to add vibrato on demand.
Why is this even a thing? Because internally it stores the tools to sound like 30 different instruments, even two at the same time, and by piping it through a DAW that ensemble becomes effectively limitless. Drum kit, "blues harp," tenor sax, grand piano...it's all there and, as someone more comfortable around a fretboard than a traditional keyboard (though I use that at need), it's golden to have all that at my literal fingertips.
I do have a couple of "proper" guitars, including the shiny new PRS semi hollow Custom 22 Santa brought me this year. I've long wanted an electric but have an "acoustic soul" so the hollow body style is my natural fit. Here are my "Tres Amigos" lined up for inspection:
The acoustic is by Art & Lutherie and was my first new guitar. It's called the "Wild Cherry" and was a limited run seasonal built in the mid 90s.
And that's a peep into the twisted reality up here in Spinland. Have fun, and always remember to tip your server (or musician).