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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:45 am
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Those I definitely admire the skill of, but who don't do anything for me include:
Tom Morello
Jeff Beck (late stuff - earlier was nice)
Yngwie Malmsteen
John Petrucci
Robert Fripp (late stuff - earlier was nice)
Steve Vai
James Burton

Then there are some famous ones I don't think are or were all that good players either:
Peter Buck
Bruce Springsteen
Joni Mitchell
Kurt Cobain

And finally, some that once were good but I think are way overrated in their later years, and sometimes painful to listen to.
Mick Mars (due to Ankylosing Spondylitis)
Keith Richards (due to Rheumatoid Arthritis)
Johnny Winter (due to who knows what, but probably related to albinism and substance abuse)


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 11:24 am
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I'd have to say Al Di Meola.

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I loved his work w/ an electric guitar when he was playing with Chick Corea and Return to Forever, and his solo album Elegant Gypsy is a Masterpiece by any standard.

But because of acute Tinitus, he now only plays accoustic guitar (which apparently doesn't aggrevate his condition).

Saw him last year at a small club and was very disappointed.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 11:49 am
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arth1 wrote:
Then there are some famous ones I don't think are or were all that good players either........Bruce Springsteen


I never cease to be impressed with Springsteen when he plays 'air' guitar, his Tele slung over his shoulder, stage hogging in another artist's set. He holds a single chord position through the entire song and never moves his left hand. How much added effort would it be for him to learn the song and play on it live? Reminds me of the old lat '50's American Bandstand live appearances when artists like Chuck Berry would lip and guitar sync their performances.

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:26 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
I never cease to be impressed with Springsteen when he plays 'air' guitar, his Tele slung over his shoulder, stage hogging in another artist's set. He holds a single chord position through the entire song and never moves his left hand. How much added effort would it be for him to learn the song and play on it live? Reminds me of the old lat '50's American Bandstand live appearances when artists like Chuck Berry would lip and guitar sync their performances.


It reminds me of Elvis, who although he could play to some extent, rarely did, and used the guitar as a stage accessory.

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On the opposite end you had Freddie Mercury, who was the first to admit he wasn't a guitar player, but he still picked up a Tele or acoustic every now and then and actually played, added to the mix and all.

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Beautiful Tele, by the way. Too bad it was stolen.


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 7:46 pm
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Jah Soldier was right on the mark with his comments about Steve Vai's "For The Love of God".The first time I saw and heard the video on Youtube I was blown away.If there is a piece of guitar work that deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jimi's "Machine Gun" and Jeff Beck's cover of "Sleepwalk" for being the most incredible live guitar performances of all time,it's this song.

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:07 pm
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guitslinger wrote:
Jah Soldier was right on the mark with his comments about Steve Vai's "For The Love of God"..........

Heigh back to the first Crossroad's concert and Vai's performance with his guitar and bass colleagues. An intriguing bit of high speed virtuosity then, and not seen again in any of the successive concerts.
I always get a kick out of it. Much fun! 8)

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:20 pm
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I can understand why people really don't get into Vai. He does some really weird stuff. But I'd still take that over newer Blues guys. The blues as a genre can only go so far. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a great example. That guy is technically a very good guitar player. But in my mind, he'll always be considered Stevie Ray Vaughan light. You've god Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, Miller, Miller Light, Stevie Ray, Stevie Ray Light.

Where most people are quick to say they don't get off on shredders in general. I can actually relate to that. I don't either. But what are Blues musicians doing to push the spectrum of the genre?

From the early 2000s to now, can anyone really name a true guitar hero? Hasn't the idea of a guitar hero been phased out anyway? If we, as guitar players, aren't getting our "boats floated" by guys like Slash, Vai, Bonamassa, ect.. What is that telling the younger generation of guitar players? Pick a genre, stick to the norm, you'll never be a guitar hero anyway?

Vai, for whatever faults he may have as far as floating boats at least repeatedly refuses to be boxed in to anything.

One thing Steve Vai said on his GC Sessions video sticks with me. "I don't work on my weaknesses, I ignore them. And I cultivate my strengths". And I take the same approach to listening to his music. I don't focus on the 80% I don't get into. I harness the 20% that speak to me.


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:26 pm
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Jah Soldier wrote:
I can understand why people really don't get into Vai. He does some really weird stuff. But I'd still take that over newer Blues guys. The blues as a genre can only go so far. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a great example. That guy is technically a very good guitar player. But in my mind, he'll always be considered Stevie Ray Vaughan light. You've god Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, Miller, Miller Light, Stevie Ray, Stevie Ray Light.

I have to disagree with you on this one. There is no Jack Daniel's Light.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd doesn't even play in the same ball park. Which isn't necessarily all bad - there's room for both natural talents who can play your socks off while drunk and stoned, and hard working musicians who play better with others. KWS isn't my thing, though.

Jah Soldier wrote:
Where most people are quick to say they don't get off on shredders in general. I can actually relate to that. I don't either. But what are Blues musicians doing to push the spectrum of the genre?

What are surf rock musicians doing to push the spectrum of the genre?
What are classical musicians doing to push the spectrum of the genre?
What are bebop musicians doing to push the spectrum of the genre?

There's only so far you can go without alienating your audience, I think. But every now and then, some people do, and a new genre appears.

Jah Soldier wrote:
From the early 2000s to now, can anyone really name a true guitar hero?

Derek Trucks? Or do you see him as a "Duane Allman Light"?

Zakk Wylde and Dave Mustaine might be more household names, but I'm not sure they deserve a god status.


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:55 pm
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It was painfully obvious from the beginning of his professional career that Kenny Wayne Shepherd was being marketed as the next SRV. It's not like it hasn't happened before in the music industry. Remember Survivor (Eye of the tiger)? Their camp was so sure that they would compete with and carry on the legacy of the Journey sound. Didn't quite turn out that way. Journey Light.

KWS definitely tries to play like SRV. I don't think there's any denying that.

You're right about all of those genres. What are they doing to push the boundaries? Even when I was playing the Reggae genre, I couldn't help but notice the same regurgitated stuff being recycled by a ton of Reggae bands. Fact is, the guitar is usually nothing more than background rhythm in Reggae.

The band I was in sent me the unspoken message that they wanted to continue that tradition. They wanted more keyboard, less guitar. I moved on. It was a shame too. I thought people were really liking the ideas I brought to the table. Their fans have dropped off considerably since I left. I tried to push the barrier, but the band decided they wanted to stay behind it. If I ever decide to do reggae again, I have a solid fan base that will support it so that's something to think about.

The masses don't know who Derek Trucks is. Slash is probably the last of the guitar heroes for a while. I'm not even sure how he became one. I don't remember him bringing anything new to the party. Just had a cool top hat I guess.

We're back in the 80's at present times. Blistering speed guitar solos and music theory all around. It won't be until people have finally had it with the screaming idiot Metal age that we see another true guitar hero. Somewhere around 2020 give or take. Even then, we could see another Nirvana-esque or Korn-type anti-guitar solo genre make it take even another decade.

Unfortunately, that would mean that some of us may never see another massive guitar hero in our lifetimes. It takes for someone in the younger generation to find a unique angle.

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 12:01 am
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Jah Soldier wrote:
It was painfully obvious from the beginning of his professional career that Kenny Wayne Shepherd was being marketed as the next SRV. It's not like it hasn't happened before in the music industry. Remember Survivor (Eye of the tiger)? Their camp was so sure that they would compete with and carry on the legacy of the Journey sound. Didn't quite turn out that way. Journey Light.

KWS definitely tries to play like SRV. I don't think there's any denying that.

I think he might sound better if he tried to play like Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

The one thing I don't like about my guitar coach (everybody should have one, no matter how long one has been playing) is that he sometimes tends to want me to play "like" someone. I've come to the conclusion that I do best progress when I try to play like Art, not like Jimi or Stevie or Eric or Ritchie or Albert. I'll never think like any of them, feel like any of them, and if I have something to give, it's different. I play with rasgueado and use my left thumb on both E, A and occasionally D. I use more 6 chords than most. I love unison chords, and bending to/from unison. Sure, all the great guitarists are or were way better than i am, but that doesn't mean i should copy them. Jimi Hendrix didn't become the next Strat player god after Buddy Holly by trying to play like Buddy Holly.

KWS, if you read this, please let us know what the real KWS sounds like - the SRV and JW playing style approximations will at most keep you mildly popular. No one will ever copy your style if it isn't your style.


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:17 am
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Jah Soldier wrote:
It was painfully obvious from the beginning of his professional career that Kenny Wayne Shepherd was being marketed as the next SRV.

There's more than just KWS who might be viewed as SRV clones initially. Jon Mayer and Doyle Bramhall II come to mind, though they've since evolved a signature sound.

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:19 am
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arth1 wrote:
I've come to the conclusion that I do best progress when I try to play like Art.....

Well writ. I often bring to these kinds of discussions the words of John Lee Hooker I read in an interview: "Don't try to be me....be you!"

What colors this philosophy, unfortunately, is the expectation of the live music consumer that your covers will be note for note like the original recordings. Back in my day, prior to the technology revolution, something like that could be more easily achieved, because was it all in the hands of the player. These days the amount of gear a live band has to haul around is mind-boggling. What's great about playing blues, it that it doesn't demand much in that department. I recall reading an interview with Son House, wherein, when asked about his signal chain, he replied that that he plugged straight into the amp and turned it up to 10. 8)

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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:21 am
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At the end of the day, all of these guys are professional musicians. I am not a fan of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani but I can appreciate their musical prowess. How about guitarists that don't get the recognition they deserve?


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:49 am
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tabeck5 wrote:
At the end of the day, all of these guys are professional musicians. I am not a fan of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani but I can appreciate their musical prowess. How about guitarists that don't get the recognition they deserve?


We have a list here :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Famous, Skilled Guitarists Who Just Don't Float Your Boa
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 7:15 am
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OK I'll go out on a limb with this one ... there are easier targets, but.....

Albert Collins. I love all the 'blues guys' old and new, but I just never understood why Albert Collins belongs with those guys. To me, his tone is harsh and his playing doesn't measure up.

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