[B]This is not true . . . anything can become about skill and talent and creativity . . . even if it were a genre of one note music
I'm just being ornery.
One I haven't seen here who was very influential is Charlie Christian. He was really one of the first to make the guitar a soloing instrument in a group, and musically he was on the same wavelength as Charlie Parker before Charlie Parker. Or about the same time anyway.
Another: Wes Montgomery.
And Joe Pass. For people who like rock/blues guitar, I think you'd like Joe Pass's solos albums, called Virtuoso I think. Just him playing mostly bluesy jazz guitar, keeping rhythm, playing solos, and accompanying himself somehow. It sounds like a duet sometimes.
One I haven't seen here who was very influential is Charlie Christian. He was really one of the first to make the guitar a soloing instrument in a group, and musically he was on the same wavelength as Charlie Parker before Charlie Parker. Or about the same time anyway.
Another: Wes Montgomery.
And Joe Pass. For people who like rock/blues guitar, I think you'd like Joe Pass's solos albums, called Virtuoso I think. Just him playing mostly bluesy jazz guitar, keeping rhythm, playing solos, and accompanying himself somehow. It sounds like a duet sometimes.
Im right there with you on those . . . I had that JOe Pass album . . . if its the blue album with a white image of him . . and its truly amazing and really is virtuoso
his ability to play harmony bass and melody so distinctly, keep the right intonation so that each plays its role clearly . . . as if three sets of fingers were at work . . .
Ive got to listen to more Charlie Christian . . . a wriiter/teacher that I had (who changed my life) was absolutly certain that C Christian was THE BOMB
I was going to mention Zappa, but he's already been mentioned.
David Gilmore, for all of Pink Floyd's recent crap music, is amazingly good.
Hendrix, although I'm really sick of his music and I don't even own any of his studio albums, was probably the best 'rock' guitarist ever. Stevie Ray Vaughn, even if he's partially mimicking, was one of the best ever.
If 'distinctive' is what we're looking for, John Fogerty is awesome.
If I had to break things up I'd say Hendrix was the best of the 60's, Gilmore was the best of the 70's, Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers was the best of the 80's (with a nod going to SRV), and the 90's were bad for guitar soloists.
One I haven't seen here who was very influential is Charlie Christian. He was really one of the first to make the guitar a soloing instrument in a group, and musically he was on the same wavelength as Charlie Parker before Charlie Parker. Or about the same time anyway.
Another: Wes Montgomery.
And Joe Pass. For people who like rock/blues guitar, I think you'd like Joe Pass's solos albums, called Virtuoso I think. Just him playing mostly bluesy jazz guitar, keeping rhythm, playing solos, and accompanying himself somehow. It sounds like a duet sometimes.
charlie christian was on my list right after robert johnson and django
You are all comparing Apples to Oranges. It's just not about who's better than the other, it's about personal preference. I play guitar meself and I just hate all players busy showing off how technically gifted they are. It's about emotions, not technicallity. My list would be something like that:
[in a 'worst guitarist in a band who've made it big' kind of way]
my vote goes to the bloke in Lynyrd Skynyrd who does the solo in 'Free Bird'. excruciatingly laboured.
best guitarist - completely agree with kelib. the best are not necessarily the most technically gifted, but are those that bring something intangible to the music that stirs the emotions.
clapton - understand the arguments for and against. I really like his early stuff with Cream (although the contributions of Bruce and Baker are equally important and underrated IMHO), DATD, and his concert 'EC was here'. but lots of his other stuff is a bit ho-hum
hendrix - plenty said already. got to be right up there, and certainly one of the best and most talented of the rock guitarists.
gilmour - big fan. wouldn't say he's the best necessarily, but outstanding grasp of melody and timing. enjoy his playing on the 70s floyd albums (and ROIOs).
page - master of riffs. patchy brilliance.
django - amazing style considering he couldn't use 2 fingers. (not sure if he was actually lacking the fingers after a fire, or whether he just coudn;t use them)
not convinced at all about SRV. a jazz-head friend raves about Pat Matheny (as does Moogs); must search him out.
so, err, no conclusion at all.
but, to expand on pfflam' earlier comment, most emotionally stirring music I've heard is John Coltrane's 'A love supreme'.
My favorites are God (Clapton) and the Devil (Page). I don't try to analyze the music too much, so maybe I'm missing out, but when Clapton plays on 'From the Cradle' I nearly cry. `Third Degree`, in particular, I find just heart wrenching. Zeppelin doesn't hit me as religiously, but its still some very strong music. Jimi of course is damned awesome, a cut above the rest, but I don't have a cool nickname for him like God or the Devil. And, while the Grateful Dead remains my favorite band, I don't think Garcia nor Weir are really up there on that same level. And while I recognize that Vaughn was really awesome, I don't get into his music very much (with the exception of a couple of songs).
I also find it really interesting how it was mentioned that improv should be like a story, building up words into sentences and paragraphs and such. I remember one time, I was baked off my ass into the fukin stoneage, and wailing on muh `Les Paul`. I was very much writing a story with the music. I don't mean to be so self-indugent about it, but it was the greatest sound I'd ever heard. Sadly all I remember about it was: I was really high, it was in G minor, and I remember some of the characters in the story. I guess that's how Jimi got into it (rumor has it: he had done one or two mind expanding drugs in his time); I of course couldn't possibly replicate the sound with accuracy and frequency like that great man. Maybe some day.
Quote:
Originally posted by superkarate monkeydeathcar
charlie christian was on my list right after robert johnson and django
ever see the Woody Allen flick with Sean Penn, the Django wannabe?
Sure it's very subjective, but if anything, this has provided a great resource of info and I'm now going to check out some of the lesser known guitarists out (on iTMS no doubt).
ever see the Woody Allen flick with Sean Penn, the Django wannabe?
or indeed the 1966 film 'Django'. starring Franco Nero. not a particularly good western, high bodycount - as you might expect when he turns up dragging a coffin containing a machine gun. i seem to recall Franco was missing a couple of fingers
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now playing: Gang Do Tagarella/ Melo da tagarela (Rappers Delight)
some of the listing are just popular...i have to check out some of the ones i havn't heard of before to decide but if you get a chance to downlod a song or two by tim reynolds...i'll try to find some good ones for you i think u'll at least put him up there from now on
Grrr my blood boils when people dis SRV. A copycat, blues-bar player? Give your head a shake man. He inspired lots of people into music, and I'm sure still does. I'm guessing by the dozens of SRV tribute albums out there, and the hundreds of albums with songs written for and dedicated to the guy, that a lot of top notch musicians disagree with you. Stevie KILLS. I still pop my "Live at the El Mocambo" DVD in monthly.
It's funny, of course everyone knows where they were for major historical moments - JFK being shot, etc - I have a crystal clear memory of hearing that SRV had died. Like losing a friend, man.
But of course this kind of thing is impossible to narrow down to one person. So many different styles out there. A quick 30 second list of mine (in no particular order):
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Tommy Bolin
Dickie Betts (WTF, no one has mentioned this guy yet)
Joe Satriani
Jimi Hendrix
Gary Moore
Rory Gallagher
I'd have to toss in Steve Vai - every list needs one insane speed freak guitarist on it.
And of course, I'm missing a dozen others that could probably be on a top 10 list somewhere.
and the Dicki Bettes thing---how could we have missed that? Ouch.
I saw Clapton '89ish---don't get me wrong, his soul came out of that guitar--but I'm not certain he has done much for the medium other than keeping it popular.
beautiful haunting blues guitarist. when he replaced Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, I think he was imitating what Clapton had been doing; it wasn't until he formed Fleetwood Mac that he showed how good he really was (better than Clapton IMHO). going insane on drugs for 20 years didn't help his career after 1970 of course.
saw him, out of retirement, play in the mid-90s. strange to see a blues icon of the late 60s now a little old man with a African cap. his voice is shot - he could croon but not sing - but could still play stunning soft blues guitar.
Comments
Originally posted by pfflam
[B]This is not true . . . anything can become about skill and talent and creativity . . . even if it were a genre of one note music
I'm just being ornery.
One I haven't seen here who was very influential is Charlie Christian. He was really one of the first to make the guitar a soloing instrument in a group, and musically he was on the same wavelength as Charlie Parker before Charlie Parker. Or about the same time anyway.
Another: Wes Montgomery.
And Joe Pass. For people who like rock/blues guitar, I think you'd like Joe Pass's solos albums, called Virtuoso I think. Just him playing mostly bluesy jazz guitar, keeping rhythm, playing solos, and accompanying himself somehow. It sounds like a duet sometimes.
Originally posted by BRussell
I'm just being ornery.
One I haven't seen here who was very influential is Charlie Christian. He was really one of the first to make the guitar a soloing instrument in a group, and musically he was on the same wavelength as Charlie Parker before Charlie Parker. Or about the same time anyway.
Another: Wes Montgomery.
And Joe Pass. For people who like rock/blues guitar, I think you'd like Joe Pass's solos albums, called Virtuoso I think. Just him playing mostly bluesy jazz guitar, keeping rhythm, playing solos, and accompanying himself somehow. It sounds like a duet sometimes.
Im right there with you on those . . . I had that JOe Pass album . . . if its the blue album with a white image of him . . and its truly amazing and really is virtuoso
his ability to play harmony bass and melody so distinctly, keep the right intonation so that each plays its role clearly . . . as if three sets of fingers were at work . . .
Ive got to listen to more Charlie Christian . . . a wriiter/teacher that I had (who changed my life) was absolutly certain that C Christian was THE BOMB
David Gilmore, for all of Pink Floyd's recent crap music, is amazingly good.
Hendrix, although I'm really sick of his music and I don't even own any of his studio albums, was probably the best 'rock' guitarist ever. Stevie Ray Vaughn, even if he's partially mimicking, was one of the best ever.
If 'distinctive' is what we're looking for, John Fogerty is awesome.
If I had to break things up I'd say Hendrix was the best of the 60's, Gilmore was the best of the 70's, Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers was the best of the 80's (with a nod going to SRV), and the 90's were bad for guitar soloists.
Originally posted by BRussell
I'm just being ornery.
One I haven't seen here who was very influential is Charlie Christian. He was really one of the first to make the guitar a soloing instrument in a group, and musically he was on the same wavelength as Charlie Parker before Charlie Parker. Or about the same time anyway.
Another: Wes Montgomery.
And Joe Pass. For people who like rock/blues guitar, I think you'd like Joe Pass's solos albums, called Virtuoso I think. Just him playing mostly bluesy jazz guitar, keeping rhythm, playing solos, and accompanying himself somehow. It sounds like a duet sometimes.
charlie christian was on my list right after robert johnson and django
Keith Richards
Buddy Guy
David Gilmour
Jimmi Page
Thor Eldon (The Sugarcubes (Bjork Band))
[in a 'worst guitarist in a band who've made it big' kind of way]
my vote goes to the bloke in Lynyrd Skynyrd who does the solo in 'Free Bird'. excruciatingly laboured.
best guitarist - completely agree with kelib. the best are not necessarily the most technically gifted, but are those that bring something intangible to the music that stirs the emotions.
clapton - understand the arguments for and against. I really like his early stuff with Cream (although the contributions of Bruce and Baker are equally important and underrated IMHO), DATD, and his concert 'EC was here'. but lots of his other stuff is a bit ho-hum
hendrix - plenty said already. got to be right up there, and certainly one of the best and most talented of the rock guitarists.
gilmour - big fan. wouldn't say he's the best necessarily, but outstanding grasp of melody and timing. enjoy his playing on the 70s floyd albums (and ROIOs).
page - master of riffs. patchy brilliance.
django - amazing style considering he couldn't use 2 fingers. (not sure if he was actually lacking the fingers after a fire, or whether he just coudn;t use them)
not convinced at all about SRV. a jazz-head friend raves about Pat Matheny (as does Moogs); must search him out.
so, err, no conclusion at all.
but, to expand on pfflam' earlier comment, most emotionally stirring music I've heard is John Coltrane's 'A love supreme'.
hang loose
BNF
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now playing: syd barrett/clowns and jugglers
I also find it really interesting how it was mentioned that improv should be like a story, building up words into sentences and paragraphs and such. I remember one time, I was baked off my ass into the fukin stoneage, and wailing on muh `Les Paul`. I was very much writing a story with the music. I don't mean to be so self-indugent about it, but it was the greatest sound I'd ever heard. Sadly all I remember about it was: I was really high, it was in G minor, and I remember some of the characters in the story. I guess that's how Jimi got into it (rumor has it: he had done one or two mind expanding drugs in his time); I of course couldn't possibly replicate the sound with accuracy and frequency like that great man. Maybe some day.
Originally posted by superkarate monkeydeathcar
charlie christian was on my list right after robert johnson and django
ever see the Woody Allen flick with Sean Penn, the Django wannabe?
Sure it's very subjective, but if anything, this has provided a great resource of info and I'm now going to check out some of the lesser known guitarists out (on iTMS no doubt).
Keep 'em coming!
amazing riffs
'nuff said
thuh Freak
ever see the Woody Allen flick with Sean Penn, the Django wannabe?
or indeed the 1966 film 'Django'. starring Franco Nero. not a particularly good western, high bodycount - as you might expect when he turns up dragging a coffin containing a machine gun. i seem to recall Franco was missing a couple of fingers
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now playing: Gang Do Tagarella/ Melo da tagarela (Rappers Delight)
Buddy Guy
BB King
FZ
Clapton
Joe Satriani
Eddie Van Halen
Pete Townsend
and my personal fave
Jeff Beck
It's funny, of course everyone knows where they were for major historical moments - JFK being shot, etc - I have a crystal clear memory of hearing that SRV had died. Like losing a friend, man.
But of course this kind of thing is impossible to narrow down to one person. So many different styles out there. A quick 30 second list of mine (in no particular order):
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Tommy Bolin
Dickie Betts (WTF, no one has mentioned this guy yet)
Joe Satriani
Jimi Hendrix
Gary Moore
Rory Gallagher
I'd have to toss in Steve Vai - every list needs one insane speed freak guitarist on it.
And of course, I'm missing a dozen others that could probably be on a top 10 list somewhere.
and the Dicki Bettes thing---how could we have missed that? Ouch.
I saw Clapton '89ish---don't get me wrong, his soul came out of that guitar--but I'm not certain he has done much for the medium other than keeping it popular.
just to show you how subjective these kind of things are, lou reed's favorite guitar player is neil young.
he says neil plays with 100% emotion.
beautiful haunting blues guitarist. when he replaced Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, I think he was imitating what Clapton had been doing; it wasn't until he formed Fleetwood Mac that he showed how good he really was (better than Clapton IMHO). going insane on drugs for 20 years didn't help his career after 1970 of course.
saw him, out of retirement, play in the mid-90s. strange to see a blues icon of the late 60s now a little old man with a African cap. his voice is shot - he could croon but not sing - but could still play stunning soft blues guitar.
hang loose
BNF
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now playing: Abdullah Ibrahim/Tsakve
Joe Satriani
Eddie Van Halen