>>So you're talking about normal finger picking but with finger picks & using open tunings, right? But i still don't know what you mean by "cluster chord".<<
Yes, as Johnny has said, he used many open tunings. However, he used F# alot, which of course gave him the standard scales of standard tuning except tuned up to contrast with Morrissey's register. I also remember Andy Rourke commenting that Johnny used "E" alot too.
Cluster chording is what some have called Drake's technique, where he is constantly plucking open strings throughout his arrangement, which Johnny did alot as well.
Here is an excerpt from an article discussing Nick Drake's use of "cluster chords:"
"But he immediately leaped far ahead of his contemporaries in his use of "cluster chords" - these are chords that have more than the standard 3 notes of a major or minor chord and whose notes tend to be clustered very close together (creating minor or major seconds). Although easy to play on keyboards, they are a pain in the neck to play on guitar."
So, I guess it could be described as a fancy term for incoprorating open notes in quick sucession of each other, but fitting succinctly with the general chord progression.
>>Funny you should mention Nick Drake as I am a huge fan. I got back into playing the guitar after years of not doing because I wanted to learn how to play like Drake. Hasn't quite worked out like that but...Anyway there's a great Drake web site which has nearly all his songs tabbed out & man are they precise!<<
I could have never imagined that there is a site like this. Could you please post the url? That sounds fascinating. His technique seemed so intricate, and I know he used alot of obscure tunings from what I've read.
>>You know usually you try & play what someone else thinks is the song & it just doesn't sound anything like no matter how you vary the rythm, picking, tempo etc but this guy - Chris Healey- has Drake's tunes spot on. Must of took years!<<
I agree. I mean, I've only been playing guitar for a short time, (you most likely know more than I do, yet I quikcly became obsessive about Johnny's technique) and it is amazing how simple some truly intricate sounding songs are when you find the actual tabs for them. It's the full songwriting pciture that gives them that unique voicing.
>>I didn't know Johnny played like that. I thought he was just into normal tuning with capo. Guess I have more work to do than I expected
<<
Well, it's interesting. Johnny used F# a lot, which, of course, still allows him the standard tuning chord scales. However, he claimed he used D (which I love) G, A and others. In fact, Headmaster Ritual was composed in D with a capo on the second fret.
He also used a Nashville tuning as well, and as you probably know, would paste many layers of guitar over one another, and even would use a few different tunings as overdubs on one piece. He was truly a studio painter.
>>Do you know the issue & volume # of the guitar player mag? Maybe I could track it down or maybe the article is posted somewhere on the Net.<<
Here is the full article. This article is great, for he tells you what tunings and chords he used in particular songs, and it provides insight into his creation process as well
http://arcane.morrissey-solo.com/smiths/interviews/post87/antihero.htm
I haven't read it in a while, but it was absolutely fascinating to me the first time. Growing up as a fan who didn't play guitar, I couldn't help but see him as an indescribable magician on guitar.
>>Re the picks are you referring to those thin plastic things you strap or tape on as used by the Portuguese guitar players (especially in the Fado) or to those thick, more like plectrum type things that you wear? I have only actually seen those for thumb & couldn't even begin to imagine using one.<<
As far as I know Johnny used the thumb pick, and I think eventually to used others as well. I think he describes it in the article I pasted, but I could be mistaken about some details. I remember reading that he sometimes used the finger picks to get more subtle notes while changing chords.
They do take some getting used to, and are not necessary if you have lengthy finger nails or sturdy fingertips, which I don't. I've seen most players just use their fingers. They are seemingly rare.
>>The other type maybe I could get used to but they are really uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. I didn't think Drake used anything, just his finger nails. But then he only played acoustic.<<
Yeah, as far as I know Drake, like most, just used his fingernails. which suppossedly were allowed to grow frigtheningly long near the end of his life.
It's actually a different circuit (pre-CBS, I think). I'm not exactly sure what the tonal difference is between the two designs, because the only Twin that I've spent a great deal of time listening to had already been reverted to black face specifications. I'm pretty sure that there are even pre-black face Tweed Twins - but I believe the circuit is very different. 
