Loved The Beach Boys. Meant to reply to your post on them (not MC5) Beach Boys we’re Very sophisticated musically and had great harmony.
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OT: Guitar / Guitarist Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Bleem Phuppert
- Start date
Uh oh we actually agree on the Beach Boys. I'll have to give them another serious listen and find out if I've been wrong about them lol.
Terrific breakdown of this great tune from back in 1972 , “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts. Brings back some nice memories from my youth:
I enjoyed this video. I paid for Rick's beginner guitar course to learn by video. Did that nearly a year ago, and have never watched a single minute. Watching this video, I don't think I'm going to bother. I have too many other things occupying my time, and I think I have realized that by torturing myself to learn to play guitar may dampen my love of guitar driven music. Does that make any sense?
I'm going to guess you will not like this, but I absolutely love the Type O Negative version of Summer Breeze. They also do a closer to original version Cinnamon Girl.
Kenny Hickey from NYC is their lead guitar player. Type O Negative is defunct. Their lead singer died in 2010. Sorry to ruin the nice song.
Some discussion on how Kenny Hickey achieved that low fuzzy tone for Type O.
Completely understand about the guitar. In the beginning it can be frustrating. Beato is so knowledgeable , on another level about all things musical. For beginners, I really think limiting music theory is wise, it can lead to overload and frustration. Music needs to be fun to offset the basic difficulty of learning how to play an instrument. I initially started playing in my teens back in the 70’s. I got very frustrated because I did not have the patience and dedication and put it down. A mid life crises of sorts brought me back to it some 20 years ago. In my 40s I had the determination and patience to learn. Regarding the song, as a fan of acoustic music I prefer the original but there are a number of interesting covers. Some people are also very fond of a cover done by The Isley Brothers back in the 70’s.
I'm a big fan of Rob Baker from the Tragically Hip. More of a complementary part of the band than other lead guitarists, but his versatility was key to their sound. On a side note, there's a great documentary on Amazon Prime about the Tragically Hip. Worth the watch for sure.
Big fan of the Tragically Hip...and of course Rob Baker. I think I saw that documentary when PBS was running it for one of their begathons not that long ago. I have most of their CDs and I was surprised when I played the one I created a while back from what I consider their best stuff at how much of Baker's guitar work shined through. Much less so in that documentary.
Gordon Downie is so missed.
That was a great documentary. There was another one on Netflix that chronicled their final tour.
Totally agree, playing music needs to be fun for the vast majority of beginners (and post beginners!). When I first started a friend showed me a few chords then he was off to the Vietnam War so I was on my own. It was a year or two before I started to spend time on theory in addition to playing songs. That was 50+ years ago. Another piece of advise I’d offer to beginners is to get a decent guitar. You don’t have to spend thousands (and shouldn’t because you won’t appreciate it at first.) You can get a decent beginners guitar for a few hundred bucks. Then, once you get better and get hooked you can spend lot more if you so desire.
I agree about getting a decent guitar to start with. My first guitar was a fairly cheap Epiphone acoustic (which I kept and still play at times). What added to my early frustration was trying to learn Barre chords on an acoustic with a very thick neck. My untrained and weak hands had trouble with getting the Barre chords to properly sound out, eventually leading to frustration and me putting the guitar down for 30 years.
Glad you picked it back up! Yea, barre chords were difficult at first and then all of a sudden one day they weren’t!
You’ll get there! Start with barring with the E shape and get that down. Actually, thinking back, I remember just trying to barre with my index finger alone just to get used to it. You could tune to open G just for barre practice and an index finger alone would produce major chords up and down the neck. Then go back to standard tuning for your regular practice and playing. Also, tilt your index finger a bit counter clockwise rather than flat (if you haven’t tried that. And make sure your guitar neck and action height are good. Best of luck, it’ll work and you’ll wonder what the problem was. I struggled with barre chords too, and before that F chords and half barres…
Thanks. I've tried tilting the finger with limited success. Didn't know about tuning to open G and just using the first finger - will give that a try.
Any open tuning will work but G and D are best, in my opinion. Think Richie Havens, or Delta blues guys like Robert Johnson (George Thurogood did a lot of open tuning). I’m not saying to stay in an open but I think it’s good for practicing a straight barre, then you can move to standard tuning and it’ll be easier. I play 90% in standard tuning, with 10% open, drop D, double drop D, etc. great lifetime hobby! Nothing like working out a new song you want to learn—very rewarding.
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There are ways to get around using a full barre chord. Basically , you just want to get the sound to ring out. An easy way is just use your index finger to form an A major chord (standard tuning- hold down the D,G,B strings on the 2nd fret) . You can use that shape and move it up each fret to get to the major chord you want. Move up 2 frets to get a B, 3 frets to get to C and so on up the scale.
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Great interview by Beato with Billy Strings. His playing will twist your mind. For those of us who toil with the guitar trying to get better and you hear someone this talented, it’s easy to say why bother? But you have to remind yourself — music is suppose to be fun and you are not going to be him:
A close friend of mine spends his time hanging with musicians. It's what he does. So through him, I've met and hung out with pretty much every NJ-based guitarist of note.
One night a year or so back we went down to the Asbury Hotel to see Anthony Krizan. A few days later I mentioned it to my instructor and he said, "You watched Anthony play? Do you feel bad about yourself, now? Good. You should. Work harder."
Anthony grew up in my town. Always a nice, humble guy and stayed that way over the years.
Top 10 American Rock Bands—Are These the Best Ever?
#1. The Rolling Thunder of AerosmithAerosmith’s story reads like a wild ride through the heart of rock and roll. With Steven Tyler’s electrifying vocals and Joe Perry’s searing guitar riffs, they’ve dropped hits like “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” and “Sweet Emotion” that still light up stadiums.
According to Billboard, Aerosmith holds the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group. Their fusion of bluesy swagger and arena-sized hooks has inspired generations of musicians.
Even in 2024, their tours continue to sell out, and their Grammy wins stack up (four and counting). Aerosmith’s gritty persistence and chart-topping longevity make them a staple in any top ten.
Their influence is so deep that younger acts keep sampling and covering them, proving their sound just won’t quit.
As we all know, music is very subjective … opinion isn’t objective. Aerosmith is a very good rock band with a number of very good songs. In my opinion, not close to the “best” American rock band. Commercial success does not equate to quality. In fact, I would suggest that in some ways it leans toward the opposite. Are the mainstream pop stars of today who sell and gain the most listeners, the best in music today? The Eagles are probably the best selling American rock band. While a fan of their music, I wouldn’t put them at the top either. There are so many good American bands, from Buddy Holley and The Crickets, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Creedance Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, Crosby,Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane, The Allman Brothers Band, Steely Dan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, Journey, Van Halen , Springsteen and E Street band, Metallica, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Black Crowes and many others.
Lots of good advice. I'll add getting your guitar set up and the strings lowered and also using lighter gauge strings. It will help build the muscle and muscle memory. You can always go up in gauge.
It is very subjective --I just can't stand certain genres (i.e. C&W)--and generational too. I acknowledge the greatness of the Beatles, but they were before my time, and of course my parents liked them so of course as a teen/young adult I had to find my own music/groups. My friends' older siblings kinda got me hooked into Zep and the Stones back in my grade school years. Today my kids/nieces/nephews and their friends spanning from early teens to mid 20's are pretty much the same way when it comes to the classic rock from the 60s-70's, they're just not that into it! Unreal!
Actually I find many of the younger people today much more open to “older” music than I was and my generation were. There are many young people today that will listen to music from the 60s, 70s and 80s.. along with very contemporary music. When I was growing up in the 70’s, I was aware of music from the 30’s and 40’s but did not listen to it in my teens and 20’s. My 2 sons are in their late 20’s and they listen to a wide mix of music and I’m always amazed when tunes that I listened to growing up pop up on their playlists.
Don't forget to try some double-stops and triads. Easier on the hands and still a great sound. You can use them for nice rhythms or runs.
Spoiler alert--video title is click-bait...No hating...but it's interesting insight (imo) on the over-hyped differences between JP and fellow rock guitar giants.
With some of the more famous guitar players, there has often been stories of rivalry, jealousy, etc. it’s usually exaggerated. That’s not to say there isnt competitive spirit at times and some professional jealousy especially when the musicians are young and trying to establish themselves. Some musicians are egotistical and difficult to get along with. I’ve found that usually the very top players are often modest and respectful of other musicians (of course there are exceptions to that). Many great guitar players could easily rattle off a number of players they think are better or whose playing they like better than their own. Most players understand that there are great players with different styles of playing or play in different genres of music.
Rolling Stone has come out with another one of their guitar lists. This one is their top 100 guitar solos of all time. Their lists have been controversial and often criticized. There are some great solos listed here and some not so great. I don’t necessarily agree with the rankings. Of course it’s all subjective and fodder for debate. For me, I would’ve like to see many more blues and jazz guitar solos. This is mostly rock with some electric blues players included:
www.rollingstone.com
The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
We rank the best guitar solos, from Hendrix to Prince and more
www.rollingstone.com
Rolling Stone's critical revisionism knows no bounds. Many of these guitarists and their bands were either ignored or outright reviled by their hipster doofus critics when a lot of these songs were first released.Rolling Stone has come out with another one of their guitar lists. This one is their top 100 guitar solos of all time. Their lists have been controversial and often criticized. There are some great solos listed here and some not so great. I don’t necessarily agree with the rankings. Of course it’s all subjective and fodder for debate. For me, I would’ve like to see many more blues and jazz guitar solos. This is mostly rock with some electric blues players included:
The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
We rank the best guitar solos, from Hendrix to Prince and more
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King.
Buddy Guy
John Mayer playing with Double Trouble
John Fogarty
Roger McGuinn on the Rickenbacker
It should be titled “how we feel today about 100 of the best guitarists.”Rolling Stone has come out with another one of their guitar lists. This one is their top 100 guitar solos of all time. Their lists have been controversial and often criticized. There are some great solos listed here and some not so great. I don’t necessarily agree with the rankings. Of course it’s all subjective and fodder for debate. For me, I would’ve like to see many more blues and jazz guitar solos. This is mostly rock with some electric blues players included:
The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
We rank the best guitar solos, from Hendrix to Prince and more
Scrolling through the list, I have to say I am surprised to see AC DC, Megadeth, Girlschool, Pantera, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ozzy.
But then they have to throw in some of their kitschy craap: Sleater Kinney, Jimmy
Eat World, The Knack, Helium.
The top 20 is a joke.. Funkadelic???
No Scorpions or Michael Schenker? Jeff Beck on list once with multiple Beatles entries?
Harumph!!
Not everyone's cup of tea, and their sound is very sludgy, but Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman of COC are very fine riffmasters.
Opening tune off their new album recoreded live with mo overdubs or digital editing
Closing song
Opening tune off their new album recoreded live with mo overdubs or digital editing
Closing song
I don’t think the reason RS dropped Clapton in the rankings had to specifically due to some of his comments, they are quite complimentary of him. . There have been a lot of revisionisms in RS music lists especially to the ‘60’s and ‘70s artists. A modernization of sorts. I like Eric Clapton, he is one of my favorite guitar players, singer/songwriters. Over recent decades, Clapton has fallen out of favor with what I refer to as the “guitar nerd crowd”. Folks that think that technical knowledge and extreme dexterity are the most important guitar skills. For me the most important elements are melodic and emotive playing which creates a feel and musical essence. It’s not an egocentric thing. Clapton is usually revered for his early work with John Mayall and the band Cream. Clapton didn’t enjoy playing in Cream. As he matured and moved toward more accessible popular music, he lost respect with the harder rock crowd. I respect Clapton for his love of blues music and the courage to follow his own musical path.
I came across this video of a list of the top 250 guitar players. This is one of the better lists I’ve seen. The rankings aren’t overly important but what I like about this is the expansiveness and inclusivity of major genres of music not just rock. There are many players on here that you don’t see on “guitar lists” but deserve to be on them. There are a few omissions here but overall a good list imo:
That list is near perfect!
Ahh, Nancy Wilson, we can stop right there.
But then Kim Thayil. And Chris Cornell's vocal prowess overshadow his guitar chops. Just listen to his work on his solo song Seasons- spectacular acoustic playing.
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I liked some Hendrix back in the day but forgot about him decades ago. I consider him a great but not a best player. I'm not big fan of technical players (Buckethead sometimes) and Hendrix was one of those experimental types from the 60s drug era. He had that hippie look/vibe and he got a lot of mileage out of that (and dying young). SRV is another great player I have no interest in listening to. BB King a one hit wonder imo. Eddie V - no interest. I think I like David Gilmour the best.
I just listened to "Changes" with Hendrix and Buddy Miles. The first YouTube comment was "His music heals the souls. It puts me in a trance-like state!! Thank you, Hendrix!" Typical Hendrix hippie fan with the trance imo
I just listened to "Changes" with Hendrix and Buddy Miles. The first YouTube comment was "His music heals the souls. It puts me in a trance-like state!! Thank you, Hendrix!" Typical Hendrix hippie fan with the trance imo