Is the guitar hero dead in music that has mass apeal?

[amiller]

I think the whole guitar hero thing was only popular amongst other guitar players regardless of the decade. What I mean is that all of my past girlfriends from back in the day could care less about how good a guitar player was and All they cared about is if the tune was good. That's statement also hold water for the general public as well.

With that said, I think that we have way better players out now currently and as an 80's guitar player from back in the day, there are kids out today that are doing incredible stuff that made most of us look pretty silly. The information that the newer players have available to them is light years ahead of what we had back in the day and there are lots of players who have capitalized on this and it shows in there playing.

all IMHO

I think your exactly right. In fact, I think there are/were very few true MASS appeal guitars "heroes." I'm mean, for us guitar players, there's an endless list of killer players for sure but for the "average" listener...hmmm...let's see:

True MASS appeal guitar heroes:
Jimmy Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Eric Clapton
Santana
EVH
Peter Townsend - maybe?

 

[70strathead]

I think the whole guitar hero thing was only popular amongst other guitar players regardless of the decade. What I mean is that all of my past girlfriends from back in the day could care less about how good a guitar player was and All they cared about is if the tune was good. That's statement also hold water for the general public as well.

With that said, I think that we have way better players out now currently and as an 80's guitar player from back in the day, there are kids out today that are doing incredible stuff that made most of us look pretty silly. The information that the newer players have available to them is light years ahead of what we had back in the day and there are lots of players who have capitalized on this and it shows in there playing.

all IMHO

true that. Ralph can u imagine if we had all the tools/on-line resources/instructionals/musical references/You tube vids, "INFORMATION" etc on hand when we were first picking up the instrument?? i dont know about you, but I would wear out cassette tapes from rewinding and fast foward just trying to learn TWO Licks! ...then there were those elite/special players who could listen to something once and nail it! ...k, i need a cigaratte now

 

[Greazygeo]

grunge didnt kill the guitar gods,...shred did!

Not exactly...80's mainstream metal was all the glam crap and the power ballad....that brought on grunge not speedy scales. Most of the stuff that was mainstream, the guys could barely play......metal was always underground.

I wouldn't say speedy scales were ever mainstream.

 

[Digital Jams]

Great point of what was around information wise, the internet was rather small back then information was much harder to come by.

 

[Gainfreak]

I think the whole guitar hero thing was only popular amongst other guitar players regardless of the decade. What I mean is that all of my past girlfriends from back in the day could care less about how good a guitar player was and All they cared about is if the tune was good. That's statement also hold water for the general public as well.

With that said, I think that we have way better players out now currently and as an 80's guitar player from back in the day, there are kids out today that are doing incredible stuff that made most of us look pretty silly. The information that the newer players have available to them is light years ahead of what we had back in the day and there are lots of players who have capitalized on this and it shows in there playing.

all IMHO

true that. Ralph can u imagine if we had all the tools/on-line resources/instructionals/musical references/You tube vids, "INFORMATION" etc on hand when we were first picking up the instrument?? i dont know about you, but I would wear out cassette tapes from rewinding and fast foward just trying to learn TWO Licks! ...then there were those elite/special players who could listen to something once and nail it! ...k, i need a cigaratte now

Ant!!
I would have killed to have this information/technology available when I was a kid and I also wont even mention that it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to help you with guitar tone lol!! Everyone kept it a secret back then

 

[SFW]

I think it's slowly coming back into fashion. You don't hear it as much on the radio, but the past few national act shows I've been to had some raging guitar going on. I think that in a live setting people still like to see some one get up and go off. I know that in the current local band scene in Houston, I'm one of the few players that really solos a lot. Not that I'm any good at it, but I have my moments. I always get a good reaction from the solos. There are still people who crave that thing, but you have to be tasteful and do it with in the context of the song. That's just my two cents anyway... ?

 

[stephen sawall]

This thread shows how dead it is. Some of the people here are among the few who even think about this nonsense.

From my point of view the whole reason it died and it should have is the complete lack of emotion in the playing. Music is art. Art is expression of emotion. Since that kind of playing did not communicate emotion to most people it died.

As far as art goes it always sucked. There were and still is some that are true to there feels that are playing guitar. Most are just imitators doing dog tricks that is not art at all.

Trivia

 

[Greazygeo]

I love how it's not possible to play fast and with emotion....it can only be done playing slow.

Priceless.

One note solos.....what passion.

 

[stephen sawall]

I love how it's not possible to play fast and with emotion....it can only be done playing slow.

Priceless.

One note solos.....what passion.

Try talking or sing as fast as you can with emotion ?

The way I see it you can use speed and emotion. It is just not the case with most of the stuff I have heard.

 

[Digital Jams]

I love how it's not possible to play fast and with emotion....it can only be done playing slow.

Priceless.

One note solos.....what passion.

Speed = emotion

You tell me a guy who has shedded for years, wore out hundreds of sets of strings, refretted, heard mentonomes in his sleep, and finally at last has his chance on stage under the lights to burn feels no emotion???

Yeah right......................

 

[Greazygeo]

Try talking or sing as fast as you can with emotion ?

The way I see it you can use speed and emotion. It is just not the case with most of the stuff I have heard.

Why would anyone do that?

There is good and bad in everything....whether its slow or fast. I think there has to be some of each slow and fast, low notes/ high notes, quiet/ loud etc.....

 

[Greazygeo]

I love how it's not possible to play fast and with emotion....it can only be done playing slow.

Priceless.

One note solos.....what passion.

Speed = emotion

You tell me a guy who has shedded for years, wore out hundreds of sets of strings, refretted, heard mentonomes in his sleep, and finally at last has his chance on stage under the lights to burn feels no emotion???

Yeah right......................

No, its more like the guy that is sweating all over his guitar cause he has 20 gauge strings on it, trying to bend it a half step without splitting his fingers in half....holding that note for twenty minutes while he's thinking of the next note to try and hit.

 

[degenaro]

I love how it's not possible to play fast and with emotion....it can only be done playing slow.

Priceless.

One note solos.....what passion.

Well try it this way how many 80s solos had decending sequences in 4s....thanks Yngwie...and how many "the line goes up, the line goes down" root running solos do I have to list to show that indeed guys in their late teens/early 20s have a whole nother set of priorities than playiung for the song. I have no issue with break-neck speed, but when the 80s root running shit is the gauge then sorry, there is no emotion. It was a HORRIBLE you play what you practice time period, and we all practiced shit so we could finally catch up with players in other genres.

 

[UltraGary]

Everything involving the words "Hero" and "Music Business" are obsolete and outdated at the present time.

It is my belief that this will turn full cycle within the next 8-12 years, once systems to actually make money again in the new age get solidified. This will coincide nicely with the population finally getting over the thrill of spending 2/3 of their recreation time on their computers, and actually venturing out more again for their interactions and entertainment. (not as much as before, but far more than now)

 

[degenaro]

Everything involving the words "Hero" and "Music Business" are obsolete and outdated at the present time.

It is my belief that this will turn full cycle within the next 8-12 years, once systems to actually make money again in the new age get solidified. This will coincide nicely with the population finally getting over the thrill of spending 2/3 of their recreation time on their computers, and actually venturing out more again for their interactions and entertainment. (not as much as before, but far more than now)

The one has zero to do with the other IMO. It just happens that guitar is going the way of the saxophone. Go back 60 years...the sax was the guitar hero then. There will b a huge perception shift of what defines a musician in the future and I'm guessing we'll be lookin at laptop hero or DJ Hero or something like that. Ignoring that means that we're going the way of the sax, relegated to playing Top 40 and the occassional shiner moment in a pop tune. But what do I know...

 

[Dallas Marlow]

Everything involving the words "Hero" and "Music Business" are obsolete and outdated at the present time.

It is my belief that this will turn full cycle within the next 8-12 years, once systems to actually make money again in the new age get solidified. This will coincide nicely with the population finally getting over the thrill of spending 2/3 of their recreation time on their computers, and actually venturing out more again for their interactions and entertainment. (not as much as before, but far more than now)

The one has zero to do with the other IMO. It just happens that guitar is going the way of the saxophone. Go back 60 years...the sax was the guitar hero then. There will b a huge perception shift of what defines a musician in the future and I'm guessing we'll be lookin at laptop hero or DJ Hero or something like that. Ignoring that means that we're going the way of the sax, relegated to playing Top 40 and the occassional shiner moment in a pop tune. But what do I know...

Wow Ed, that's a really bleak outlook on guitar... but sadly I don't know I totally disagree with you, my heart wants to shout hell no us guitar guys will be around till the end of time... but my head says look at history and look at what kids these days are growing up on. Sure when I was a kid I had mario brothers but, well I at least didn't try mastering that when I was 6 years old... now kids grow on up guitar hero, and hell lots of people my age really love that game. I've never understood it and ask why don't you just go play a real guitar, it took you endless hours to learn that thing on master mode why don't you could actually be getting some where on the real thing if you just changed your controller for strings... never gets anywhere though. I don't know though, theres just something about digital stuff and deejaying that doesn't really convey emotions like a natural instrument can, but maybe people are forgetting how to connect to live real musical instruments on an emotional level. It's hard to say, but I really hope your wrong about all that. I'm still waiting for when someone invents a neural sensor that you can strap to your forehead and whatever you have playing in your brain comes out of some speakers, then we'll be getting some where fun... just think how fast people will be able to shred when they don't have to move a muscle hahahah.

 

[UltraGary]

Everything involving the words "Hero" and "Music Business" are obsolete and outdated at the present time.

It is my belief that this will turn full cycle within the next 8-12 years, once systems to actually make money again in the new age get solidified. This will coincide nicely with the population finally getting over the thrill of spending 2/3 of their recreation time on their computers, and actually venturing out more again for their interactions and entertainment. (not as much as before, but far more than now)

The one has zero to do with the other IMO. It just happens that guitar is going the way of the saxophone. Go back 60 years...the sax was the guitar hero then. There will b a huge perception shift of what defines a musician in the future and I'm guessing we'll be lookin at laptop hero or DJ Hero or something like that. Ignoring that means that we're going the way of the sax, relegated to playing Top 40 and the occassional shiner moment in a pop tune. But what do I know...

Yea...I can see that. Though not only do I think my post still stands true....I still think a kid with the right songs, sounds, message, (& hair) with a guitar in his hands is going to knock everything on it's head sometime soon and make himself a ton of $$ no one's seen in a while.

 

[stephen sawall]

Try talking or sing as fast as you can with emotion ?

The way I see it you can use speed and emotion. It is just not the case with most of the stuff I have heard.

Why would anyone do that?

There is good and bad in everything....whether its slow or fast. I think there has to be some of each slow and fast, low notes/ high notes, quiet/ loud etc.....

When I play on stage my voice is the tool I use the most after my guitar rig. I know if the tempo is moving fast (as in faster than it should be) there is often less emotion in the singing (not always). This is the same for all music. The same thing happens when someone reads a story out loud. I always use this example to show people how to open up the emotion in there playing. For me there is a huge difference between playing notes and playing with emotion. I have seen people play something perfect that did not move anyone because of the lack of emotion in the playing. If you do not feel it well playing no one does. Even if you record music the emotion well be there or not. Most people can not play fast with emotion .... till they have been playing for some time. Even then a lot do not. I feel the lack of emotion in playing is what killed the guitar years ago. It is a dead language that fewer and fewer people speak.

Music is just art. Art with no emotion or passion has little or no value to anyone.

 

[70strathead]

Try talking or sing as fast as you can with emotion ?

The way I see it you can use speed and emotion. It is just not the case with most of the stuff I have heard.

Why would anyone do that?

There is good and bad in everything....whether its slow or fast. I think there has to be some of each slow and fast, low notes/ high notes, quiet/ loud etc.....

When I play on stage my voice is the tool I use the most after my guitar rig. I know if the tempo is moving fast (as in faster than it should be) there is often less emotion in the singing (not always). This is the same for all music. The same thing happens when someone reads a story out loud. I always use this example to show people how to open up the emotion in there playing. For me there is a huge difference between playing notes and playing with emotion. I have seen people play something perfect that did not move anyone because of the lack of emotion in the playing. If you do not feel it well playing no one does. Even if you record music the emotion well be there or not. Most people can not play fast with emotion .... till they have been playing for some time. Even then a lot do not. I feel the lack of emotion in playing is what killed the guitar years ago. It is a dead language that fewer and fewer people speak.

Music is just art. Art with no emotion or passion has little or no value to anyone.

I always like to reference jazz and classical music in this kind of topic because if you were to hear Coltrane Live in Paris or hear how Beethoven would shift from an Adagio to a Prestissimo on piano ...you can hear tremendous passion and emotion...its how the notes are played and how the story is being told and where it takes the listener. especially in the improvisational framework. Painting a picture...Uli Jon Roth and Eric Johnson are masters of this and have extraoridinary individuality. Yngwie has his moments, but gets overindulgent.

 

[peaveyT60]

my $.02

Ed D is right: country is banging right now. anyway...

as far as a surviving rock guitar hero, is concerned, there have been a few in recent music. slash is the most recognizable, but more recently than his scene (a lot of people are going to hate this), tom morello was adored by a lot of people over the last 10 years or so. mark tremonti and that A7X dude are popular right now too. the edge. john mayer. etc... long hair and hard rock/metal shred, while it contains a great number of talented musicians, is and has been for a long time, fucking dead in the eyes of the masses. it ain't coming back. zilch. zero. fuhgetaboutit! why? those genres are fucking dead. that's why.

as for a new guitar hero, the way i see it, there's plenty of room for more guitar heroes, but the rock genre will have to change. it is the hero within that particular genre that will be brought to hero status. so, when rock re-defines itself, as it always has and always will, the person who stands out within that genre, and probably in the band who brings the change, will be the next guitar hero.