Guitarists you just don't understand

[skullfxr]

There is a difference between don't like and don't get.

I know I have already posted once, and most of these guys are super talented and far better than I could ever dream of being.

I feel detached from Satch and Buckethead I listen and I do appreciate their skill, but I cannot get into it. It's not that I have not listened to them it's just don't get them.

I can get Vai more than the previous but he is still hard to get 'into' especially on his solo stuff.

Now there is Yngwie. I don't 'feel' any emotion to his playing. The dude is obviously skilled, but I don't get it. I gotta say that I can't even tolerate more than a minute or two of his playing. And not that it matters to the relation to playing or music, but he has to be one of the biggest douchebags in music, massive ego. Again it doesn't matter regarding his skill or music, but it sure as hell doesn't help.

 

[skullfxr]

Regarding Clapton, I have all of the Cream EP's and love them. After that? All appreciation of his music goes away. I don't know what he did to change his structure, but he is a big no for me.

 

[Goat]

I didn't get most of what came out in the 1980's. I turned 18 in '80, and in terms of my taste for art, growing even more critical. With the advent of Randy Rhoads, I thought the 80's were off to a decent start... Wrong!

A taste of what we ended up with:

Don't get me wrong, I loved the party! The prevailing drug of the time was, of course, cocaine. Props to G. Jung and B. Seal. Unlike smoking pot, you're not apt to be sitting on your ass listening to Stairway To Heaven while doing an 8 ball of coke.

I stopped listening to new music in the mid 1990's. A few good pop acts have emerged in recent years, but you have to dig to find them. If it doesn't hip, hop, or rap... the cabal that now owns the airwaves isn't going to play it. This is a mechanism of demoralization, but that's another topic for another time.

 

[311boogieman]

Yeah - I wasn't really going for a "Don't Like" thing. I may not get Yngwie or Gary but it doesn't mean I don't like them. That seems immature and narrow minded. I still respect them and their contributions. So I tried to word it differently.

I am def a product of the 80's.

Late 70's - 80's - early 90's.

Kind of grew up as a kid with John Denver - Simon & Garfunkle - The Beatles thanks to my parents. Then, as a young teen it was Van Halen, Kiss, LZ, Boston, REO. Then it was all the Hair Metal bands I could take + Metallica and Megadeth and Ozzy etc.

But I could not really stand other popular stuff like Tears for Fears, Wham, Milli Vanilli, Madonna, that kind of stuff (not even sure I got that right, are these even 80's acts?)

 

[japetus]

Slash. Never get it, never will.

 

[Goat]

Yeah - I wasn't really going for a "Don't Like" thing. I may not get Yngwie or Gary but it doesn't mean I don't like them. That seems immature and narrow minded. I still respect them and their contributions. So I tried to word it differently.

I am def a product of the 80's.

Late 70's - 80's - early 90's.

Kind of grew up as a kid with John Denver - Simon & Garfunkle - The Beatles thanks to my parents. Then, as a young teen it was Van Halen, Kiss, LZ, Boston, REO. Then it was all the Hair Metal bands I could take + Metallica and Megadeth and Ozzy etc.

But I could not really stand other popular stuff like Tears for Fears, Wham, Milli Vanilli, Madonna, that kind of stuff (not even sure I got that right, are these even 80's acts?)

I burned this album out! I gots ta get me a Rick 12 string.

 

[Purpleibby]

I didn't get most of what came out in the 1980's. I turned 18 in '80, and in terms of my taste for art, growing even more critical. With the advent of Randy Rhoads, I thought the 80's were off to a decent start... Wrong!

A taste of what we ended up with:

Don't get me wrong, I loved the party! The prevailing drug of the time was, of course, cocaine. Props to G. Jung and B. Seal. Unlike smoking pot, you're not apt to be sitting on your ass listening to Stairway To Heaven while doing an 8 ball of coke.

I stopped listening to new music in the mid 1990's. A few good pop acts have emerged in recent years, but you have to dig to find them. If it doesn't hip, hop, or rap... the cabal that now owns the airwaves isn't going to play it. This is a mechanism of demoralization, but that's another topic for another time.

Just goes to show you that people see things differently....2 out of 4 of those things is awesome to me.....Lynch and Reb are awesome/influential to me examples there. Man counting Dream Warriors in with Pour Some Sugar On Me? Yeah I don't get that, at all. You could replace that Def Leppard song with an older track from them and I would dig everything you posted. Specifically Lynch and Reb examples you posted. But again, counting Dream Warriors(epic) in the same lane as Pour Some Sugar On Me doesn't work at all. Randy was a huge influence on me as well.

 

[Markedman]

Prince - winner! God he sucked and when people would oogle over him, I'd start to cry! My poor guitar wanted to smash his guitars. He reminded me in so many ways of GC players level of playing .

 

[UltraGary]

Prince - winner! God he sucked and when people would oogle over him, I'd start to cry! My poor guitar wanted to smash his guitars. He reminded me in so many ways of GC players level of playing .

Ho-ly-cow do I disagree. I guess that's the fun of this thread though.

 

[SpiderWars]

I like Prince but never did get him being labeled guitar god. And regarding the lick in When Doves Cry; even I have made some wicked mistakes that were later "unplayable".

I'm surprised some seem offended their favorite was selected. I fully expected that. Some people like apples, some people like oranges, some neither, some both. It's no reflection on the apples or oranges, people like what they like.

I tried on Buckethead tunes posted earlier, didn't really grab me. Not awful or anything, just didn't connect.

 

[controlled_voltage]

Slash. Never get it, never will.

yup
image over actual skill and right place at the right time
top hat wins the lottery

 

[Goat]

Prince - winner! God he sucked and when people would oogle over him, I'd start to cry! My poor guitar wanted to smash his guitars. He reminded me in so many ways of GC players level of playing .

Prince is the most overrated player ever. Romper Room level ability. Pathetic! I'm convinced the accolades are nothing more than libtard virute signaling.

 

[311boogieman]

Prince - winner! God he sucked and when people would oogle over him, I'd start to cry! My poor guitar wanted to smash his guitars. He reminded me in so many ways of GC players level of playing .

Prince is the most overrated player ever. Romper Room level ability. Pathetic! I'm convinced the accolades are nothing more than libtard virute signaling.

You just can't resist taking an otherwise civil thread into the gutter can you? Way to go.

RIP Prince

 

[skoora]

i could never get into Tommy Bolin or Rory Gallagher. Just found them very average.

Never liked Johnny Thunders even though with the glam and punk rock I grew up with I'm told he's meant to be the bees knees. New York Dolls sucked. Even younger I preferred bands that could actually play. The Damned were fantastic. I'll Gabba Gabba Hey any day over some drag queens who can't play in time.

Gary Moore's fusion era solo's don't really hold up well over time for me. Just super fast arpeggio climbs with not much musicality to them. Very much a flurry of notes not really saying anything. His riffing ie. main themes, verses etc in the Fusion stuff is very good though. Now when he crafts a solo for a song, especially in his hard rock era, whether it be a burner or a ballad he is a master.

Never liked Satriani's stuff except for Surfing With the Alien, which I haven't listened to since the 80's.

Steve Vai...just does nothing for me, even though like a lot of teenagers at the time when it came out Crossroads lit me up.

Joe Bonamassa for sure. Flawless technique but I just don't get anything out of it and not fan of his singing voice. Seems like a good dude though that really loves guitar and trying to preserve guitar playing. I always enjoy a player where you don't know if they'll make it or even know where they're going but they scrape it in or land like a cat from 10ft. There's no tension in Joe's playing. You know it will always be played perfectly and always resolve as it should so there's no thrill in it. That's why I love Jimmy Page.

Any Djent or players using super low tunings. Even though I dig older Death Metal, I just can't enjoy much lower than C standard on a 6 string.

Shawn Lane

Any metal guy who plays a solo or melody with a metric ton more gain than necessary for a decent sustain or singing quality.

 

[skoora]

Slash. Never get it, never will.

yup
image over actual skill and right place at the right time
top hat wins the lottery

I actually like his playing a lot. Sometimes his tone is too nasally for me though. I think he comes up with fantastic solo's when he's taking time with them in the studio.

 

[Speeddemon]

Slash. Never get it, never will.

yup
image over actual skill and right place at the right time
top hat wins the lottery

I actually like his playing a lot. Sometimes his tone is too nasally for me though. I think he comes up with fantastic solo's when he's taking time with them in the studio.

Yep, like him too. Like his solo in "Double Talking Jive", he uses a few very typical phrases that make his playing instantly recognizeable.
Slash was actually one of the 4 guys (1 being also mentioned a few times in this thread: EC) that got me into playing guitar at age 13.

The ones that I don't get:
-Steve Vai (FWIW, I like him with DLR, own the album)
-Buckethead
-Joe Bonamassa; mostly I don't get the 'appeal'. His playing is good, don't get me wrong, but most of the time it's this almost sterile 'good' blues/rock; all too polished, clean... the fact he looks a bit like a douchy Wallstreet broker doesn't help his cause either.
Basically the Jared Kushner of guitar.

Any Djent or players using super low tunings. Even though I dig older Death Metal, I just can't enjoy much lower than C standard on a 6 string.

+10000! (love old Obituary, Possessed, Benediction, CC, Death...you know, the ones that don't sound like cookie monster flushing a toilet )
One of the reasons when I'm looking for amp-testing video's, I prefer ChoptonesOfficial over Ola most of the time. Ola's regular downtuning makes basically everything the same type of gurgling mush. Tight as a nun's an*s, sure, but still gurgling mush.
Dear Ola, if you read this, do us a favour, and regularly include E or Eb tuned 6-string guitars. That way us mere mortals subjected to a more limited number of guitar strings also can relate better on how a certain amp or pedal would react.

@splatter:

I can't understand why any guitarist would want to play eastern Indian scales over western music. It just sounds horrible to me.

Surf music not your thing I presume? I actually loooove phrygian dominant/gyspy scales and regularly use them in metal leads.
Big fan of surf guitarists; obligatory Dick Dale, but Jerry Cole, Ventures, etc. too.

And in metal...intro riff like this kicks major ass IMO:

 

[thegame]

And in metal...intro riff like this kicks major ass IMO:

I love Artillery ! Been into them since Terror Squad.

 

[dirtyfunkg]

Eric Clapton
John Petrucci
Jerry Garcia
Joe Bonamassa
Steve Vai
Sonny Landreth
Robert Randolph
Joe Satriani
Robby Krieger
Keith Richards
Munky and Head (Korn)
Yngwie
Carlos Santana - I get the appeal, but it just seems so... basic

Maybe, if it weren't clear--you'd need to pay me to go to a G3 concert.

Side note: this is a funny read. http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/art ... 8-95.shtml

As for players not usually heralded for their guitar work (or at all) that I love:

Chris Cornell
Devin Townsend
Jeff Buckley
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
Dean Deleo (and his brother is, to me, arguably the best ROCK bassist in terms of knowing the right notes to play to make a song interesting and catchy)
Ernie Isley
Andy Summers (as a trio in terms of talent, the Police were exceptional... Sting doesn't get enough credit as a bassist)
John Baizley (Baroness)
John Frusciante for his work with The Mars Volta
Daron Malakian

 

[Goat]

Prince - winner! God he sucked and when people would oogle over him, I'd start to cry! My poor guitar wanted to smash his guitars. He reminded me in so many ways of GC players level of playing .

Prince is the most overrated player ever. Romper Room level ability. Pathetic! I'm convinced the accolades are nothing more than libtard virute signaling.

You just can't resist taking an otherwise civil thread into the gutter can you?

Every word was carefully chosen. I don't like his music, and I never will. If that chaps your ass, too bad for you. I recommend Play-Doh, rainbow PEZ, and a Batwoman binge-fest.

 

[romanianreaper]

Slash is one of my favorite players but I can see why people don't get him or his playing.

With Slash, people have to put him in context with what was going on at the time and it makes things more clear. By 87', every player was looking more and more like a woman and things were starting to get really "sugary" and overprocessed, etc. Slash came out and there was this raw energy and just a "plug and play" mentality with his gear. That is a big reason he got so big, so fast.