Away In a Manger
Oct 8th, 2007 by skanson.com
Away In A Manger is one of the sweetest of the traditional Christmas carols. I used my Steel 12 String Acoustic Guitar
with Drop “D” tuning and a standard tuned “E-Bowed” Electric Guitar for this recording of Away In A Manger to make my electric guitar sound like a flute!
An E-Bow is a hand-held electronic bow for guitar. The small battery-powered unit replaces the pick in the right hand letting the guitarist mimic strings, horns, and woodwinds with unbelievable sensitivity. The EBow produces a powerful infinite sustain, rich in harmonics for incredible guitar sounds. Placing the device over metal strings makes them vibrate continuously, so when you play a note it will sustain forever. Put some reverb on it and presto! cool sustain sounds. To make it work, you need an electric guitar with pickups that have pole peices which is why I had to use my electrics for this song even though I am mainly an acoustic player. I arranged the lead line for Away In A Manger for 2 “E-Bowed” guitars. Loads of fun!
Away In A Manger History - First published in an 1885 Lutheran Sunday School, “Away In A Manger” has two major melodies for the song, neither of them with certain authorship. Some have attributed the song to Martin Luther himself although the confusion may have began because Murray published it with the subtitle “Luther’s Cradle Hymn (Composed by Martin Luther for his children and still sung by German mothers to their little ones).”
The Ebow Story - The Energy Bow is a totally unique guitar accessory. It’s not just an effect like the many plug-in devices on the market. The EBow does its work on the string itself by producing an energy field that vibrates and sustains your guitar string… Direct String Synthesis™. Infinite Sustain is just the beginning. Powered by a 9-volt battery, the EBow is held in place of your pick, giving you instant access to violin, cello, flute and horn sounds as well as unique sounds of its own. The EBow lets you play as fast as your left hand can scurry through a lick. Fade a string in from a motionless state for a reverse-tape effect. Run the EBow across the strings for gorgeous arpeggios. Add distortion for a screaming guitar sound. Playing the EBow directly over the pickup will increase your volume many fold and give you the crisp sound of super hot pickups. Moving away from the pickup gives you the mellow sound of a hollow body electric. The sounds you discover by experimenting with the EBow will amaze you. And like the best tools of the trade, the EBow will sound different for each musician.