talkmagic.co.uk

I'm reading this thread backwards now so I just got to the bit about Eruption. It's always going to score well with guitarists because it was ground-breaking. EVH wasn't the first to do two-handed tapping but he took it to a completely different place. He's one of the few truly innovative guitarists since Hendrix. Taking that out of the equation I think 'Beat It' was a better solo though.

Still no riffs. You've got me at it now. Can we rename this thread?

How can my opinion be wrong? To me - the guitar work on For the Love of God is leagues beyond the work on Comfortably Numb. You can disagree, Charles - but your opinion is not the end-all.

Not quite sure where your comments about EVH are coming from. My only mention of Eruption was that it didn't belong in a poll about riffs. Yes, EVH took two-handed tapping to a new place - but he can hardly lay total claim to doing so. I can think of a few players who were expanding those ideas around that time. However, I do not disagree that Eddie played a huge role in reshaping the way rock guitar is played.

I also SOMEWHAT disagree with your assessment of Yngwie. This is an endless debate, though - so I don't want something like that to flare up. This is mostly due to the fact that while I CAN point out many gems in his catalog - it is often overshadowed by the utter garbage that surrounds it. I respect his abilities, though. I honestly believe if he could pull his head out of the glam-rock 80's era he's so hopelessly stuck in, he could actually pull out a decent album.

Yes, it's subjective and it is all about opinion. I was being deliberately opinionated for the sake of (what I like to think of as) humour. Probably not obvious (or funny) enough, but I just hate those damn emoticons. Didn't mean to offend.

One of my favourite vids of all time is the '92 guitar expo with Brian May, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai harmonising for Liberty, followed by Mr V giving a stunning rendition of For the Love... But if you haven't been there for the encore of a Floyd concert with Dave Gilmour wringing emotion out of the neck of that Strat with each and every phrase tastefully dripping off his fingers as those bends tear cries of pain from his tortured strings....it's just different, in my opinion.

Misread your comment about Eruption.

Frank Zappa - The Muffin Man

Frank Zappa - My Guitar Want To Kill Your Mama

Frank Zappa - Dont eat the yallow snow

malsteem was that fella in the atrocious film with the Karate Kid bloke in it was'nt he? - supposedly about the blues and a Robert Johnson-esque storyline...

didn't malsteem play the devil's guitarist or something like that?

anway - he's awful, awful, awful...

to me (and i've been playing 17 years or so) is that anyone can practice to zip up and down the scales at lightning speed and tapping and so forth, but put absolutely zero emotion into it all...

which is what the majority of guitarists in the past 25 years or so have done...in my opinion only obviously...

give me emotion over techniques any day, just like my magic...

just like someone who can flourish the life out of a deck of cards, its clever - but thats it *snore*...give me someone who can hook me in emotionally and i can watch it all day long...

syd barrett was far more inventive than gilmour on guitar...gilmour is good, but a bit samey for my tastes...

jose feliciano anyone? blind spanish guitarist...amazing...

abraxus wrote:malsteem was that fella in the atrocious film with the Karate Kid bloke in it was'nt he? - supposedly about the blues and a Robert Johnson-esque storyline...

didn't malsteem play the devil's guitarist or something like that?

anway - he's awful, awful, awful...

Ummm, no. That was Steve Vai. Assuming you mean Crossroads, that is. But if you didn't like that then I think it's safe to say you won't be a Malmsteen fan either.

ah yes...that's it...and you're right, i think they're both absolute shockers...but who would of thought irish wolf hounds could play guitar in the first place...

EDIT: it reminds me of hearing machine code loading into a 48k Spectrum

abraxus wrote:to me (and i've been playing 17 years or so) is that anyone can practice to zip up and down the scales at lightning speed and tapping and so forth, but put absolutely zero emotion into it all...

which is what the majority of guitarists in the past 25 years or so have done...in my opinion only obviously...

give me emotion over techniques any day, just like my magic...

just like someone who can flourish the life out of a deck of cards, its clever - but thats it *snore*...give me someone who can hook me in emotionally and i can watch it all day long...

I too prefer a good song with emotion rather than loads of flashy solo lead guitar. Maybe thats why I can't stand Dragonforce

never heard of 'em..they sound like an 80's japanese cartoon show going by the name though...

thinking about it now, George Harrison was an underated guitarist...

Regarding Cliffs of Dover:

Though the whole song may be worthy of consideration, I assumed that most would think that the riff I'm speaking of is the main "hook" of the song.

My fault for not mentioning it, I merely assumed that the riff would be easily spotted as my intent.

I kind of see where the arguments are coming from, but I am always enraged by the blanket "people who play fast play with no emotion" statement.

In some cases (Michael Angelo Batio being Public Enemy #1) the emotion and strength of the song is given a secondary role (or no role at all) to flashy guitar soloing.

Abraxus, you're obviously basing your opinion of Steve Vai on ONE listen to his playing in a crappy movie. It's hardly enough to give you a definitive view of the player. Emotionless? Hardly. I invite you to take a deeper look into his catalog. Trust me, you will find a great deal of emotion coupled with his extraordinary technique.

Yngwie is guilty of flash over substance at times, but if anyone has seen him strip his ego off (trust me, these glimpses are as rare as actual Bigfoot sightings), he can play with an incredible amount of passion.

Al DiMeola can play just as fast as the craziest shredder (and does quite a bit) Are you telling me his music has no emotion?

Much of the argument stems from the fact that people just don't like their music. And that's fine. However, the problem comes up when that distaste for the music begins ot overshadow and almost always completely void the obvious talent that goes into the music. Just because YOU don't see the emotion in it, doesn't mean others won't.

I'm sorry if this sounds like ranting, but I get so sick and tired of this absolutely false argument. So, Abraxus, while I see where your opinion comes from, I ask that in the future, you apply that label to individuals, not groups.

i am mearly stating my opinions on music...

just cos we dont agree doesnt mean either of us have to be "right" - its just different...

so, no my vast, sweeping generalisation will stay the same...

live and let live eh, if you were to not like my music, thats fair enough isnt it?

good that you're passionate about your tastes though

Im sorry but Zappa IS God nuff said He even looks like him, well apart from one period which we hardcore Zappa fans refuse to mention

killerfroggy wrote:Im sorry but Zappa IS God nuff said He even looks like him, well apart from one period which we hardcore Zappa fans refuse to mention

Would that be the period where he wears shorts as seen in 'Does Humour Belong in Music'?

I like "why does it hurt when i pee" Great Zappa track