24-08-2011, 18:18
Please don't think I was responding in angst. I was only making discussion. Sorry if I came off as crass. I did not mean that. I tend to sound short in my conversation...it's just my personality. That being said. I'll address your next post. I listen to a lot of Ravi Shankar and his daughter......Slow??? Less??? Are you kidding????
I was not pointing out the obscurity of what these guys play. I was pointing out the discipline it takes to play these scales as well as some of these guys do. If you take note....I have not mentioned Yngwe Malmsteen. There is a reason for that. The guy does not rate among the best. His speed is pretty impressive but I believe that I could play that fast if I played the same stuff off the neck in E all the time also. I too would rather listen to David Gilmore than Malmsteen. Gilmore has some tasty chops.
But really......if you have never listened to some of these newer players....you are missing out. I too use to be a classic guitarist snob....it turned out that I was just intimidated by the intensity of the younger players. Thank god I got my head straight and started to listen.
And yes...less can definitely be more but lots of times more is more. I don't rate Vai as the best because he plays fast. I rate him because I have seen him on the stage with Brian May, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and several others and the guy left their jaws on the floor. Brian May is actually pals with Vai and he readily acknowledges that he is a freak, an anomaly, some weird creature that landed here from crazy planet where everyone is born with a guitar for a right arm. I'm telling you as a musician, from one musician to another...check this guy out. I will send you some MP3s of his music if you like. You will be dumfounded at what this guy can do with a guitar. I actually feel sorry for his guitars because no matter what he plays on them it sounds like they're gonna explode from the intensity of it.
I have played with and listened to a lot of musicians in my life. I am always looking for another guy to listen to but Vai.....I have yet to hear anyone that comes close to him in style, feel, and technical proficiency. You also have to keep in mind that in his recordings, he writes all of the music for all of the instruments. It's not like there are others there saying..."Um, hey Steve...this riff sounds great...let's put it in right here". The guy actually has it all in his head somewhere and he notates it out first. I kid you not.
And while Clapton, Hendrix, and all the rest have been around for a long time and had a profound influence in the rock and roll genre as a whole. The instrument is evolving, musicians are getting better and better as it does. If you as a musician stifle your growth and just stay in the old school genre...then you're shooting yourself in the musical foot.
I was not pointing out the obscurity of what these guys play. I was pointing out the discipline it takes to play these scales as well as some of these guys do. If you take note....I have not mentioned Yngwe Malmsteen. There is a reason for that. The guy does not rate among the best. His speed is pretty impressive but I believe that I could play that fast if I played the same stuff off the neck in E all the time also. I too would rather listen to David Gilmore than Malmsteen. Gilmore has some tasty chops.
But really......if you have never listened to some of these newer players....you are missing out. I too use to be a classic guitarist snob....it turned out that I was just intimidated by the intensity of the younger players. Thank god I got my head straight and started to listen.
And yes...less can definitely be more but lots of times more is more. I don't rate Vai as the best because he plays fast. I rate him because I have seen him on the stage with Brian May, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and several others and the guy left their jaws on the floor. Brian May is actually pals with Vai and he readily acknowledges that he is a freak, an anomaly, some weird creature that landed here from crazy planet where everyone is born with a guitar for a right arm. I'm telling you as a musician, from one musician to another...check this guy out. I will send you some MP3s of his music if you like. You will be dumfounded at what this guy can do with a guitar. I actually feel sorry for his guitars because no matter what he plays on them it sounds like they're gonna explode from the intensity of it.
I have played with and listened to a lot of musicians in my life. I am always looking for another guy to listen to but Vai.....I have yet to hear anyone that comes close to him in style, feel, and technical proficiency. You also have to keep in mind that in his recordings, he writes all of the music for all of the instruments. It's not like there are others there saying..."Um, hey Steve...this riff sounds great...let's put it in right here". The guy actually has it all in his head somewhere and he notates it out first. I kid you not.
And while Clapton, Hendrix, and all the rest have been around for a long time and had a profound influence in the rock and roll genre as a whole. The instrument is evolving, musicians are getting better and better as it does. If you as a musician stifle your growth and just stay in the old school genre...then you're shooting yourself in the musical foot.