Page 64 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL9

The music they played might seem similar but I think the Shadows were better in terms of sweetness of the songs, whereas the Ventures were great at rhythmic patterns. Shadows songs, especially the sound of their guitars, gave listeners a sense of sweetness clinging to the air. The style of this band was quite unique. There was equipment called a tape echo, consisting of recording reel heads. Once the sound is recorded, the sound is repeated eight times, conveying an unusual pattern of guitar reverberations. We had no idea about this technique at the time so we tried to imitate it manually by quickly plucking on the strings until my hand was stiff and finally failed,” he said with a laugh.He explained that in the past, their methods of learning music were far less organised than in the present. “Forget about musical theory andThe Youngsters with a Thai Elvis.proper chord positions. We learned songs by heart and just tried to find out how to play them on guitar. When we recently reformed the Youngsters, however, everyone’s skills had improved. When we brushed up on the songs we used to play, we’d learned new and more effective techniques to cope with complicated parts of the songs. For example, if my hand has problems with a chord, I’ll figure out how to reposition it more comfortably. These developments have allowed us to perform more brilliantly so far. There are still a considerable number of Shadows fans but bands who play this type of music have disappeared. So the Youngsters still have a place in the hearts of lovers of songs of the ’60s.”Mr Pansuang, co-founder and bass guitarist, added that they were not professional musicians at first. Sometimes when the Youngsters wereThere are still a considerable number of Shadows fans but bands who play this type of music have disappeared. So the Youngsters still havea place in the heartsof lovers of songsof the ’60s62 Elite+