Talking about guitarists (with examples)

[montmorency]

Have been watching old clips - and I mean really old clips - of amazing early rock and roll like The Who and Beatles. They were all so cute when they were young. I can't even imagine what it would have been like to be there.

Comments

[moodwriter]

Tommy isn't as good as Monte, but that's about it. Who is, really? Well, there are probably a few, but I couldn't put them in order. Guitarists are all different anyway. Someone might be better player, but if they don't have charisma they won't get noticed. Hard to explain.

But yeah, I'm really glad I got to hear that Ravi video. I've seen others, but never that one. Somehow the camera was just in the right place for the quitar parts, and it's awesome. I'd so love to hear him play, just him, just about anything.

So yeah, I agree with the whole post. Tommy is very good, and he has a lot to learn still, but he totally earned his spot in the band. Adam is very demanding. He wouldn't take just about anyone.

And I truly hope that whatever went wrong between Monte and Adam is now solved. I truly, truly hope that. I don't want anything bad happening to any of them, ever. <3333

*hugs*

[montmorency]

And I truly hope that whatever went wrong between Monte and Adam is now solved.

You and me both. They are all awesome people and I hate when things go awry. We're about the love and working together and making something beautiful. The people who rag on Tommy are desperately hoping that Adam drops him from the next tour. Many of them are also hoping Monte will be gone. They act like a backing band isn't made up of important people. In this case, literally Adam's friends. Because one can be a part of the band and also be a friend.

I love Tommy's bluesy playing that morphed into something a little different. It caught me a bit off guard but it's really well done. He meshes nicely onstage with the others, too. It's one thing to strum a rhythm guitar part, quite another to play the lead and riff off others, in and out of the rhythmic and melodic lines.

[vlredreign]

I LOVE THIS POST

[montmorency]

LOL! I so stan those early rock gods, I am a total Pete Townshend fan. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, all so amazing. You have to listen to this whole thing (I have it on a one-off CD that is years old):

Brian Setzer made a great point about musicianship. When he started in the punk days he was more drawn to rockabilly because while it was cool and rocking and fresh - just like punk - it required more musicianship in the guitar parts. So he went that direction with the Stray Cats. In the same vein you are right about the sameness of the hit acts these days - they are largely interchangeable. For a long while I couldn't get into Metallica even because I was not into the hair bands, but my older brother loved them and Iron Maiden and Deep Purple. Took me awhile but eventually I discovered Cream and Steppenwolf. Somehow The Who is what grabbed me most of the early ones

[vlredreign]

Ooooh, JIMMEH!!!!! Will totally listen to it, thanks

[montmorency]

Your collection sounds incredible! Zoot Suit Riot is rad - listening/watching now - new to me though. Reminds me of the Brian Setzer Orchestra - which he did after Stray Cats and which is fabulous. I really love the Blasters and some of the L.A. punk scene from the same time, like X and Oingo Boingo. And then later Green Day and Nirvana from a bit farther north.

The Mask, yeah, that was awesome... so hey check out Cubanismo!

A cute and smart (and hot) 21-yr-old student I work with is a connoisseur of punk. He almost knows more than I do. He can't stand current pop. He's particularly fond of the D.C. hardcore punk scene. Makes me tear up a bit (snerk) that someone so young still manages to find the great stuff.

[thrace_adams]

So I can't even pretend to be knowledgeable about guitar playing or guitar players. All I can talk about is what I hear, and yes Monte is amazing and Tommy is good - I think he has potential, I think he could be on Monte's level with a few more years experience under his belt.

I do recognize the names that have been thrown about here and do know enough to understand that they are the greats.

I actually have both The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's and The Brian Setzer Orchestra - love that music.

I hope Tommy continues to play and improve and who knows, maybe his name will be bandied about one of these days.

[montmorency]

My guess is that Tommy's never going to be on Monte's technical level. He's been playing for 17+ years already. If he were going to get there, he'd be there already. Beyond technical skills, what time and seasoning bring is a more defined artistic sensibility, so I do think a tour as lead guitarist could be the making of Tommy and I'd love to see it happen - except of course that I want Monte around, too.

There are different styles of awesome, and Tommy could do well in a different way. Clearly he can play the fucking guitar, anybody saying otherwise is an idiot. Look at, say, Paul McCartney, by no means the world's most innovative or technically skilled bass player. But in combination with writing song after incredible song with Lennon, the style of bass lines that he used in those songs changed the way bass was played.

P.S. I swear I am working on Never Mind

[thrace_adams]

Ahhh see, I never thought about it like that, when you put it that way you're probably right. I'd love to see him as a lead guitarist, let him come into his own and find his own particular style. But yeah, I want Monte too.

Yes - everything you just said about McCartney and Lennon.

*giggles* YAY :D

[montmorency]

Well, I've been spouting my opinion about music for a long while. *grin*

For all Monte's ability, he's an unimpressive songwriter (ditto Adam... sorry, but it's true). Ravi Dhar (assuming he writes his songs) is better. My guess would be that the guitar riffs that Monte plays for Adam's songs were created in the studio by other musicians and Monte's playing/augmenting them onstage - brilliantly, of course. With Ravi's stuff, I would guess that Tommy may be coming up with his own riffs because unsigned bands don't have access to professional producers - and if so, Tommy's doing great.

[qafaddiction]

I agree with a lot of what's been said already. We have seen clips that prove Tommy can play, and play well; it's always difficult to compare performances of the same piece done by different people, because everyone has their own style and technique, and sometimes "different" turns into "not as good" in our minds because it falls short of our expectations. I would love to just sit and listen to Tommy play guitar (or bass) for a while, and really get a feel for it.

One thing that I have noticed, however, is that Tommy doesn't engage with Adam as much as he could when playing. I'm not talking about the flirting and stuff (he does that very well, LOL) but I'd like to see him comfortable enough to really treat his guitar as an extension of his body and really put some moves into it. Maybe that's a part of being comfortable with the instrument, and with drawing attention to himself (having that same confidence to really play it up). A lot of times I think he just lets Adam take the lead. When Adam walks over to Monte, Monte will often

[montmorency]

Yes, that makes sense. What I think happened is that Tommy was playing an instrument he took up only recently and also he didn't have the touring experience of Monte, Longineu etc. when he started. Hell, even Adam had "touring experience" and stage experience in musicals. So I think it's his natural shyness especially in front of a big crowd. Monte will go into long solos; not Tommy, he's uncomfortable with that. Monte's got tons of confidence. In fact that's probably what will cause trouble between him and Adam since both are very alpha in their way. Tommy's not like that. It's something that has to be developed with experience

[arithonrose]

all the guitarists you have mentioned are good...erm...
Hendrix = bloody fantastic

I love the guys like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton

and then there are the country rock guitarists...I adore the steel pedal guitar

this is a great post I have enjoyed the points of view thank you a lovely way to transition my day to relaxing.....

[montmorency]

Thing about Hendrix was, once again... groundbreaking. It's possible that Monte actually plays better than Jimi in a technical sense and of course he has the benefit of all those guitarists between Jimi and now who came up with new ideas, new ways of playing, etc. But Jimi created awesome guitar music and playing styles. He came up with riffs that are still thrilling to listen to. Plus which who the hell knows what more Jimi would have come up with if he hadn't died so young?

Pedal steel gawd YES. Try this on for size:

Would you believe a 20-something Danish friend turned me on to Buck Owens? How does a kid from Denmark know my own culture better than I do. I'm now a huge fan of the Bakersfield sound.

Funny you mention Beck, Page and Clapton - all three got started in the Yardbirds. That blows my mind.

[arithonrose]

I would be reluctant to say Monte is better than Hendrix....Hendrix was absolutely groundbreaking and that may be why you would consider that Monte may be better technically.

I am often astounded by the musical tastes of some of my younger friends.....they almost all without exception love the music that I grew up with (the 60's and 70's rock and country) that t

this was very interesting and informative post....thank you

[montmorency]

Monte's not groundbreaking. I was talking technical only. Humans keep improving at process which is why sports records are always being broken. Equipment is better, people train better... same thing in music. That said, Mozart is still astonishingly ahead of nearly every human being in terms of the best music he wrote (he wrote some duds, too). Citizen Kane still blows away pretty much every movie ever made. Hendrix still amazes and I think he always will.

The good part about the college students is that sometimes they turn me onto something current that I wind up loving. On the other hand I'm very glad some of them have good taste in past music.

Nice to stroll down memory lane sometimes, isn't it? Well, ~memory, heh; I get nostalgic for periods I wasn't alive for. :)