I don't think I've ever disagreed more with anyone in my life.
Yeah, I think that was a bit strong too. Gilmour is not a speed player. In most cases speed does not equal talent. Gilmour has the uncanny knack of getting the right feel for whatever song he may be playing and that is infinitely more important than impressing the other musicians in the room. There comes a point where technique stops being musical and it is a talent all unto itself to be able to balance those 2 aspects effectively.
Lex's list is pretty detailed, which is a heck of a lot better than just saying "I don't like this, I only like that". I would disagree with a lot of his opinions, but he worded them pretty well and that is appreciated.
I agree. I get the feeling a too technical guitarist sounds for a lack of a better word, too indoor-like. The guitarists I like have away of getting the sound to resonate outside the venue they play in. Too technical is too dry for me. Just my two cents.
All things guitarists. Ode to the man Hendrix. Not everything he did was god, but when he was rolling he was pretty much untouchable IMO. His best bits at Woodstock are still jaw-dropping IMO. I also am a huge fan of Nick McCabe. He is not a riffer. Since he was more into synthesizers he wanted the guitar to do that. As Richard Ashcroft noted, his guitar "sounded like a whole nother world." His best moments are like a cosmic experience.
I've never been a big fan of technical guitarists. It sounds too clinical for my liking. A loose comparison would be my preference for Jimmy Page over Pete Townsend, or McCabe over Jonny Greenwood. (Greenwood's best is the keyboard IMO.) Not that I don't like or appreciate them but just not as much.
Jimi Hendrix could manipulate an electric guitar just like Goldsmith could manipulate electronic keyboards in a orchestra for a film score. I love Jimmy Page, and the instrumental effects he utillized in an electric guitar on Led Zeppelin's first album are absolutely outstanding!!
Here's a very apropos lesson from the good folks at French & Saunders:
It's one of my favorite skits. I show it to everyone every chance I get. Mark King's face cracks me up. I loved the musical parodies they did on the show. And how come Raw Sex never made an album? (Correction: they did... it just never got out!)
John Mclaughlin is probably one of the ten most important figures in music over the last 100 years, easily more important than Duke, Louis, Coltrane, and Miles.
That's some statement, I'm wondering why you're comparing him to musicians who are not guitarists and all of whom are far more influential on music than McLaughlin.
Question: What does sight-reading have to do with anything? Answer: Nothing.
"Most good guitarists/musicians avoided" Hendrix? Does Miles Davis count?
Jeff Beck not very good technically. Sigh. Also, he didn't invent the vocoder (that's a synth thing). Beck used what he called The Bag, an early version of the talk box, which is what Frampton famously used. Vocoder is a totally different thing.
Octoberman said: I'm the biggest Oldfield fan 'round these parts. Unfortunately I'm the only Oldfield fan 'round these parts You may be the biggest but you're not the only Oldfield fan, I've loved him ever since I was a child, a great musician and a fantastic composer. If asked who my top 3 English composers were it would go like this... Ralph Vaughan Williams John Barry Mike Oldfield
I just gave myself a good laugh! It took me a minute then I realized how badly I worded my comment--sorry about that, Timmer. I meant to say that I was the only Oldfield fan around MY parts--here where I live... not on this board!! In real life (I hate that phrase) I live in what sometimes seems to be an Oldfield-Free Zone. Even my Missus doesn't care much for him. Thankfully, I have a separate community here where I can chat about him.
Question: What does sight-reading have to do with anything? Answer: Nothing.
That occurred to me as well, when I read his post. There was a heavy emphasis on whether or not the player can sight-read in all the examples he named. I think that knowing how to sight-read can be a useful tool, but it doesn't make a player more musical than if they didn't know how.
I am not a fan of his output but Prince is a monster guitarist. His solo during the 2004 Tribute Concert to George Harrison was pure, glorious show-boating.
The best pairing was Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham and they appeared on all the classic albums, although there are great moments with Gary Moore on the 'Black Rose' and there are some great solos by Scott Gorham and John Sykes on 'Thunder and Lightning'.
As for Brian Downey, he is a great drummer, the drum solo on the Live and Dangerous album as part of the 'Sha La La' song is really impressive.
That occurred to me as well, when I read his post. There was a heavy emphasis on whether or not the player can sight-read in all the examples he named. I think that knowing how to sight-read can be a useful tool, but it doesn't make a player more musical than if they didn't know how.
Maybe he's a session guitarist or something. Obviously, you need to sight-read if you have to play someone else's music to order, but the guys he listed would have little need of that skill.
Any guitarist who can make a simple catchy riff gets a thumbs-up from me, so let's say Tony Iommi.
Virtuosity is pretty far down my list of criteria for a great guitar player. I can't listen to shredding for long. I generally prefer rhythm guitar, and would mention Malcolm Young and James Hetfield as examples of guys who always provide a clean, tight sound.
As a child I loved Hank Marvin, it's not a sound I like so much now, though I still appreciate it, but there is no doubting his influence on so many of todays guitarists.
Virtuosity is pretty far down my list of criteria for a great guitar player. I can't listen to shredding for long. I generally prefer rhythm guitar, and would mention Malcolm Young and James Hetfield as examples of guys who always provide a clean, tight sound.
Good call on Malcolm Young. Always a tight and crunchy rhythm coming from him. Solid as a rock.
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