It Might Get Loud

I like all kinds of music, but I’d have to say that rock ‘n’ roll is my favourite and particularly any kind that makes prominent use of the electric guitar. Earlier in the week, I watched a brilliant documentary that focuses on three different generations of guitar players from three different backgrounds. The three are Jimmy Page from England, Jack White from America and The Edge from Ireland. The film follows them as they tinker around in their own studios and each one takes us back to their humble beginnings, their first forays into music and the songs and musicians that influenced them. The film opens on Jack White as we watch him make his own guitar from bits of string, pieces of wood and a few nails. The Edge also reveals that he and his brother both built their own guitar in their early teen years in Dublin. Jimmy Page started playing in skiffle bands and went on to become a session musician before finding initial success with The Yardbirds and later with Led Zeppelin. Instead of focusing on one musician at a time, we move from Jack to Jimmy to the Edge and back again throughout. This approach highlights the differences between the three and also their similarities. White and Page found a lot of their inspiration in the blues, while the Edge was more influenced by punk rock and new wave. Nevertheless, they built on the simple sounds offered by blues and punk to create more interesting and complex soundscapes