the problem as i see it with these shredders is while they are technically perfect they lack SOUL give me CARLOS SANTANA over these "perfect technicians" anyday. :/
If you're a top athlete you're rewarded and recognized for your talent. If you're a top musician, forget about it.
Satriani & Johnson have soul to spare, my friend. IMO their technical virtuosity overshadows much of their melodic and soulful songs, but not to their fans who listen to all of their music and not just the shredding tunes that the masses covet.
So being able to play "scalish" runs all over the fretboard and wanging the ol " Floyd is playing by feel? Compared to someone like Stevie Ray Vaughn or even someone as "simple" as Angus Young? I do not think you know what "feel" means when it comes to guitar playing. You are scaring me. Malsteem has no feel. Where is the emotion in his playing? He is a freakin' buzzsaw on the guitar. That's all. I don't see much in Vai's or Satriani's playing either. They might think they have "feel" in their playing but they are fooling themselves and all of the younger guitar players who are excited because these guys play fast and furious and make a lot of noise... The Blues has "feel". Those guys are "pentatonic" players. Playing "pentatonic" "patterns" as you call them "over and over" is nonsense. Where do you think rock came from? Why did so many bands come out of this style of playing? Where are all the bands that play non-pentatonic guitar at? Even the newer Heavy Metal bands use pentatonic stuff in their songs. What music do the new Satriani type players come up with? Instrumentals? Where is the "song" in there? There is none. Maybe "some" melodies (Satriani), but not "song". Songs are made from "feel" as you call it. Not from wanging the Floyd. And from ripping up and down the fretboard. Van Halen was able (along with a front man singing, Eddie did the singing at first until he couldn't handle it anymore) to produce songs along with all the "Fluff" as Bronks calls it. These other guys are doing stuff like "Surf with an Alien" whatever Satch's CD was. No songs with feel. Maybe some licks with a little "feel". But all of it sounds the same. Randy Rhoads did better than what is going on with the G3 dudes. I don't believe for a minute you could play Hendrix/Clapton/Santana within several weeks of first playing guitar. Unless you are a prodigy on guitar which I highly doubt. (100%) I went to school with Randy Hansen and believe me it took him awhile to get good enough to copy Hendrix. I should know. I use to jam with him a lot. He sat in front of me in High School. My best friend down the street from me was in Randy's cover band Atlanta. I drove Randy all over the place to get his strings down at Guitar Center and to practice. (He's a cool dude by the way). Tell me you could play like him within a few weeks of first learning guitar. Your credibility just went out the window big time. Next thing you will say, is you mastered Jimmy Page's stuff in one month too. LOL... The thing is, you weren't around back then when all these players were playing so you have no respect for them. You only have respect for who is out there now. All Fluff clones...Enough said. Maybe in another 20 years someone like Jimi, Jimmy, Eddie or whoever will come out with something Original and wake up the guitar players of today. Untill then, it's all old hat. Refried beans... P.S. Vai and Satriani have been out so long I doubt anything new and innovative will come from them. Malsteem is old hat too.
All I was guilty of is wanting to better myself as a musician. Copying overrated acid rock guitarists is not challenging in the least to me. Never was. Like I said, a few months of that and it got boring. Every cover band in the world can play Clapton/ Hendrix/ etc. I know you can play that stuff, but NOT Malmsteen... guaranteed. Not even close. Jimmy Page is creative when it comes to acoustic guitar... great stuff. His solo's on the other hand are sloppy and filled with mistakes just like rest of the acid rock gang. No soul in mistakes, in my opinion. Stick to the jazz/ classical guitarists. Much better talent. Angus Young? New rockers? ... more beginners. Don't tell me you can't play that stuff! Come on now. Eddie and Schon raised the bar in the late 70's. Then with the arrival of the "shredders" in the early 80's, the apex had been reached. Im not talking about songs/ soul/ etc. Im talking about talent and theory knowledge. If you ever want to "trade 4's"... let me know. You pick the scale, although I prefer the harmonic minor!
Why am I the only one posting links? Come on guys, this is the internet in the 21st century, enough of TALKING about music, when we can LISTEN to it! Here is another one of my childhood favorite, he is rather underrated, but I am always for the underdog anyway, excellent songwriting: Michael Schenker: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jUk-1QtjVRY&search=michael schenker I discovered these guys (I mean guys and girl), when mp3.com was still a decent website: Travis Larson: http://www.travislarsonband.com/ or you can actually listen to snippets here: http://www.guitar9.com/suspension.html By the way for instrumental guitarmusic you always have: http://guitarnine.com/
Something for you and your Les Paul to "feel". http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZaPECjw8TD4&search=yngwie blues Ridiculous in appearance. Impressive in "pentatonic's".
Although I don't necessarily agree with their politics, they are still in my top 5 bands of all time. And Tom Morello (who is technically pretty damn good) rocks... hard: http://youtube.com/watch?v=y3egOnVtmUk&search=rage against the machine http://youtube.com/watch?v=KN2hCJLNmBA&search=rage against the machine As with this thread, I think a lot of us are comparing apples and oranges. Compare this video to Malmstuck and you'll see what I'm talking about. Nothing against ya JZ. And killer website by the way. Thanks guys.
I have to hand one thing to Pekelo. The fact that he did find this website. I didn't even know it existed. I saw UFO in the early 80's and Michael Schenker was cookin' hot... I think they opened for Rush if I remember correctly... The band members were weariing what looked like what you would see on an old time Barber Pole. Really spacy watching them jump all over the stage. People were going nuts over them... In my opinion, they toasted Rush... God I miss my Red Flying V...
Okay, weird beginning... he stops at 47 seconds... why? Can't think of anything to do or is he playing with his hair? Weird right before the end and at the end... not compatible with the great blues artists. Sorry... Could of had feeling, but his "speed demon" ways ruins it... I guess he is trying to put 3+ min into that 1:39 so he won't bore his fans that are on coke and speed?... Can the dude even slow down and play slower? Is he on fast mode all the time or what? Hyperactive maybe?... By the way, I played more than Les Pauls... duh... I mostly played Strats...Eddie Van Halen Kramers, Flying V's, Gibson L6s, SGs... My favorite Les Paul was a Gold top... next Black, then Sunburst... Your quote up above in one of the posts where you stated you need a "fat-fretted" guitar implies you can not play anything but? My advice: Learn how to play as many guitars as you can. And protect your ears. Or you will blow them out...