What makes a "Great Guitarist?"

[nauc]

a great person....

 

[vladmaximus]

hmm...

 

[vladmaximus]

???

just be YOURSELF...

hi hi hii...

 

[dennistruckdriver]

hmm...

That's deep, Vlad!

 

[refin]

Feel.................make a song work whether you have a "solo" or not.
The song rules.

 

[brimay]

A good vibrato.

 

[chris56lewis]

According to Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) in a poll of pro's done for a UK magazine, 'A big knob and dirty fingernails'.

On a more serious note I was having a related conversation with a mate of mine last time we had a practice jam and suggested that at the local club on a Saturday night when the guys just want to get laid, a bit of Rossi/Parfitt is going to go down much better than Satch, Vai or Johnson.

I would also say that, for me, two songs on Ozzy's 'The Ozzman Cometh' sum up my feelings about what makes a great guitarist. Randy Rhoades did a blistering solo on Mr Crowley which has been top of at least one readers poll of great solos that I have seen. For me? It does nothing because I really don't think the first solo on the song needed to be a run round the fretboard at mach 3. Go further to a track called Back on Earth which has a solo by Zakk Wylde that even a crap guitarist like me could play without too much practice but it is executed SOOOO tastefully that it gets me in the throat every time I listen to it.

 

[flameburst]

A 'great guitarist' should have experience of playing with all sorts of different musicians - and... listen to other musicians, more than play.

OK, so you can vamp and noodle over some great Bloomfield blues - you may even have copped his riffs... you just got Slash down... but then try playing along to Martin Taylor, Wes Montgomery or Chet Atkins. How many here, or out there, can truly say they can improvise - Chet Atkins style particularly? It's not much to listen to in itself, and some of it sounds really cheesy and uncool, but as a guitar player you just try playing that stuff. It will have your fingers in knots.

Or, can you improvise in jazz chords a la Johnny Smith or Barney Kessel?
My point is, there is such a wealth of great guitar music that has never been heard by so called 'guitarists' - it simply astounds me.

Unlike most latter-day axe slingers, Steve Vai gets 110% respect from me because he is a true musician, and in addition to having his own style and flamboyance, he is fully able to transcribe other great guitarists material into notation - as well as invent musical notation of his own. He also approaches 'music' as a whole, and not just some whizzy guitar solo or ten digit acrobatics. Anyone I hear trying to ape his stuff makes me laugh - his style is inimitable, his style is 'his' and no-one elses. Why be a prime cock in trying to emulate him? I'm sure it would flatter him, but really to others you would appear to be a wannabe cock. Only spotty teenagers will like you.

As a spotty teenager, with my pointy-headed Jackson soloist, I really thought I was the bollocks - trying to be the next Vai, Satch, Randy, Slash or Yngwie... the girls, the fast fingers, over distorted sound.... the hair (oh no) oh, how I cringe now!

But, at the same time, on the quiet I was learning and listening to all sorts; among others, Bach, Chet, Les Paul, Wes Montgomery, Al Di Meola, Clapton, Brian Setzer, Mark Knopfler, Andre Benichou, Danny Gatton, Jimi and Eric Johnson stuff.

All those influences make my style what it is today... I took what I liked and fused it into my own 'style'. Some guitarists say I'm a 'great guitarist' (I don't think I am particularly), but compared to some other guitarists I'm way down there, still in the swamp, with loads more to learn about being a 'great guitarist.'

The big learning curve for me was dicovering that there's no point emulating your heroes, or bettering them. That's like chasing your own tail. I did that for years and wasted a lot of time.

Put the Les Paul down for a few days, and pick up your acoustic with heavy strings - vary the guitars you play, and play - without backing tracks. You'd be amazed what you have to learn to be able to fill a room with your own sound and presence. Overcome your innate 'guitarists shyness' (we all suffer from it let's face it), break out a little.

Listen to and maybe learn some old-time blues, Eddie Lang, Chet Atkins et al - something old/new you've discovered, but not mastered - but above all play what you love and enjoy for your own entertainment. There's a load of 'uncool' music I listen to and play, because it is such fun to play - and a lot of people really really like it. Listening to music, and performing music are two very different things.

Are you a great guitarist if you cannot sight read? Are you a great guitarist if you can play 500 notes a second? Are you a great guitarist if you only have two fingers on your left hand? Guitar music... there's so much that goes into it - and so much to get out of it. Loads to listen to... loads and loads and loads and loads...

Anyways... I'm rambling now...

 

[73roadrunner]

According to Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) in a poll of pro's done for a UK magazine, 'A big knob and dirty fingernails'.

On a more serious note I was having a related conversation with a mate of mine last time we had a practice jam and suggested that at the local club on a Saturday night when the guys just want to get laid, a bit of Rossi/Parfitt is going to go down much better than Satch, Vai or Johnson.

I would also say that, for me, two songs on Ozzy's 'The Ozzman Cometh' sum up my feelings about what makes a great guitarist. Randy Rhoades did a blistering solo on Mr Crowley which has been top of at least one readers poll of great solos that I have seen. For me? It does nothing because I really don't think the first solo on the song needed to be a run round the fretboard at mach 3. Go further to a track called Back on Earth which has a solo by Zakk Wylde that even a crap guitarist like me could play without too much practice but it is executed SOOOO tastefully that it gets me in the throat every time I listen to it.

Do you even know the story behind Mr. Crowley solos?



Flameburst, its about time someone understands the awesomeness of Vai!! I try to emulate his style for fun, but not for my own stuff that I write. I fail every time too

 

[Jessenoah]

well put flameburst

what makes a great guitarist IMO......
tone, and cool

 

[Deftone]

Great points, Flameburst. I grew up listening to Chet Atkins (my Father's music) and I'm a fan of several of the others you mentioned.

 

[chris56lewis]

Do you even know the story behind Mr. Crowley solos?



You will have to enlighten me, I was just giving my own subjective opinion, for what it's worth

 

[coldsteal2]

What makes a "Great Guitarist?"
--------------------
Talent

 

[73roadrunner]

Do you even know the story behind Mr. Crowley solos?



You will have to enlighten me, I was just giving my own subjective opinion, for what it's worth

The solos to Mr. Crowley are pure emotion from RR man


The story goes(If I remember correctly) Randy was working on his solo, & he couldn't get it right for some reason.. Ozzy eventually flipped & said something about it that pissed Randy off, which I guess was rare for Randy.. So he just let go of everything & ripped one of the greatest solos in existence.



I highly recommend the book Randy Rhoads: A Life... Great book

 

[chris56lewis]

The solos to Mr. Crowley are pure emotion from RR man


The story goes(If I remember correctly) Randy was working on his solo, & he couldn't get it right for some reason.. Ozzy eventually flipped & said something about it that pissed Randy off, which I guess was rare for Randy.. So he just let go of everything & ripped one of the greatest solos in existence.



I highly recommend the book Randy Rhoads: A Life... Great book

Thanks for the explanation, stories like that are always good for the education and entertainment. Will certainly look out for that book.

I have often wondered about people like Hendrix and Rhoads and asked the eternal question, 'Where would they be, if fact where would MUSIC be had they lived........??'

 

[synyster sandrey]

some one very melodic..?