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Gilmour1978 ( 8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Thu 27 Mar 2008 19:59 | |
Just a note to all the guitarists who frequent this site...
The magazine 'Guitar Buyer' in association with Licklibrary.com and Alloutguitar.com have launched an online competition. You just have to upload an mp3 to the site before June 1st and hope you secure enough votes. The 10 most voted for guitarists will take part in the final at the London international music show in mid June. For more details see the link below. It's mainly just Steve Vai / Joe Satriani wannabees on there at the mo, which is a bit predictable. Am hoping the overall winners aren't just the technical ones. There's a lot more to being a good guitar player than just how fast you can play and how many scales you know. Would like to hear some other styles of music on there, not just the twiddle, twiddle, twee!
My entry can be heard / viewed in the 'Share your music' column.... entitled 'The Journey'.
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Fri 28 Mar 2008 10:41 | |
Hi, yeah, totally agree about having all these techniques and knowing your scales. I like some of Vai's stuff and more-so Eric Johnson. These guys can play ultra fast but they do try and make it part of the music. My disregrd is more for people who just learn scales verbatum and spend years learning how to speed pick and then come to the conclusion that if they can play like this then they must be great guitarists because they can throw in fast picked exotic scales. My feeling is that people have looked at that site and immediately thought..... "Ah, they're looking for the best new guitarist.... I can play really fast..... using different modes.... in all keys..... Therefore, I must be good!" Certainly that means they're a very accomplished, technical player, but there's more to it than that. It's great if you can play flashy, exotic stuff, but you have to know when, and be able to play something incredibly simple too. I think a lot of these people are guitarists first and musicians second. Having as many techniques in your armoury is useful, true, but you've got to know when and where to use them.
Still, in fairness to the otheres on that site, i'm basing what i've said on one song. They migt well be able to play simple, soulfull stuff, but the fact they've gone straight for the flash is a little predictable.
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Crispy (44)
Forum legend
Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1345
United Kingdom
Yorkshire leeds best place in the world
| | Posted: Fri 28 Mar 2008 12:50 | |
I don't see the point in such competitions.
Sounds like it's for "bedroom guitarists" to me! 
There are so many different style of music you can make on a guitar that who's to say what's good or not.
I'm more into the rhythm playing of people like Nile Rodgers than I am the shameless noodling of some mindless shred head.
That's everything I hate about some guitarists.
Play to the song is always my approach.
It's great being able to play 4 notes a second but without melody it's pointless.
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Why don't you just make 10 one louder?
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Fri 28 Mar 2008 20:35 | |
You're probably right. Thought it'd be fun anyway.
They've just updated the site to say that the winner will get a record deal with some indy label called Lion records. Had a look at their site. They deal in neo-classical and hard rock. Think that pretty much sums up what type of guitarist they want to win.
Ah well...
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Fraser_S ()
True muso
Joined: 21 Dec 2007
Posts: 314
United Kingdom
Yorkshire
| | Posted: Fri 28 Mar 2008 21:58 | |
The musicians/composers humanity is what strikes deepest; is what speaks longest and loudest through music, perhaps - iz not a question of to twiddle or not to twiddle. Humanity - the more intense the better! But that's just a general remark regarding the ubiquitous, twiddler debatings.
Good luck with the comp, Gillyoso.
www.FreeHandMusic.com |
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tom5 ()
True muso
Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 208
United Kingdom
Cheshire
| | Posted: Sun 30 Mar 2008 0:27 | |
Awesome if you've got it, why not flaunt it?
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j4ydman ()
New user
Joined: 30 Jun 2006
Posts: 10
United Kingdom
Berkshire slough guitarist composer sessionist
| | Posted: Thu 31 Jul 2008 13:35 | |
Well i think your are so right Gilmour. It will really be nice if they could just make the competition with a twist of maybe writing music with the guitar so creativity and essence will be prominent.
Some people does forget that Guitar is an instrument to make music with a huge genre to choose from, and Guitar Idol should not be based on sweeping, fast picking, arpegios etc. It should reflect the ability of a guitar player to adapt and make good music in different scenarios
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Thu 31 Jul 2008 14:15 | |
That's always been my view. The guitar is just an instrument... A tool with which to produce music that hopefully appeals to a listener. I d think that a lot of guitarists (As was proved with the competition) seem to see the guitar and guitar based music as something wholly seperate to any other instrument or genre, where by the sole aim is to be the fastest , most technically proficient guitarist possible. Whilst there's nothing wrong with having these skills in your arsenal, the main aim should be to producethe best 'music' possible using whatever tools and skills you have. Just playing a fast flurry of notes and tapping the hell out of your fretboard because you can is ultimately aimless and not particularly pleasent to listen to over a large amount of time.
I can play reasonably fast when I want to, but I try to use this in a dynamic way and only when the track demands it. Obvoiusly it is up to the listener to decide whether I succeed in that area but nether-the-less, that's m aim. In discussions on the forums of that site it's quite evident that a lot of these guitarists don't view composition skills as important.... Only being a great guitarist matters. They seem to miss the point that most of the true great guitarists (Hendrix, Gilmour, Clapton, Vai, Satriani.... etc, etc) are all great composers as well as great guitarists. First and foremost they are musicians. The guitar is just the tool they use to create their music.
I didn't do to bad in the comp considering what I entered with and proved to be a useful marketing tool having raisedmy profile. It also helped motivate me as a musician and become more proactive, so it's fair to say a few positives have come out of it. But yes, it's a shame to see that, in this years comp at leats, they went for the obvious and chose the most over the top technical guitarists they could find. Will these guitarists go on to be famous and forge a successful career? Highly unlikely because the demand for over the top guitar based albums is simply not there as evidenced by the small handfull of well known ones (Vai, Satch, Johnson and Malmsteen).
On a final note.... Most of my demos are guitar instrumentals but this is not by choice. I'm no singer and I currently don't know any decent ones.... But once I do then all my tracks will have vocals on. I love the interaction between guitar, vocals and other instruments. I get bored writing purely guitar based songs and find it difficult to sustain interest in a song that is essentally a 5 minute guitar solo... One of the reasons my musical output is few and far between. So if anyone would like to do a collab and and vox to one of my trax do let me know.
www.myspace.com/mikegarvey78
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
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jonmy7 ( 96)
Moderator
Gold Member
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 1977
United Kingdom
Bedfordshire
| | Posted: Sat 02 Aug 2008 20:40 | |
"...'Guitar Buyer' ,...Licklibrary.com and Alloutguitar.com,...
My entry can be heard / viewed in the 'Share your music' column.... entitled 'The Journey'."
Link please to your entry please! I'm not even sure what website I should be looking on!
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Sun 03 Aug 2008 10:34 | |
All old stuff now. Comps long finished and they're already preparing for '09! They want Youtube vids only so not sure i'll be entering. I entered with 'The Journey' but people said it sounded too much like Marooned by Pink Floyd, which I agree it does, so I changed it to 'Layback Blues' as it was more original. Joke is the guy who won it had apparently already been thrown out of a comp for cheating in Brazil and the song he played at the final sounded suspiciously like someone elses tune too.... So I needn't have bothered worrying.
Anyhow, both songs can be heard at....
www.myspace.com/mikegarvey78
And on the Musofinder media player here.... When it works!
The guitar Idol comp can be viewed / heard at....
www.guitar-idol.co.uk
As I said, old stuff now and the comps long over with. Was a bit of fun if not slightly irritating how one dimensional it was.
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jonmy7 (96)
Moderator
Gold Member
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 1977
United Kingdom
Bedfordshire
| | Posted: Sun 03 Aug 2008 22:45 | |
Oh yeah, didn't notice your original post date.
Regarding the politics around guitar idol... people are free to epxress themselves in whatever way they like so in that respect, it's a good thing!
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jonmy7 (96)
Moderator
Gold Member
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 1977
United Kingdom
Bedfordshire
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hammyhamfist (  9)
True muso
Gold Member
Joined: 09 Feb 2005
Posts: 318
United Kingdom
Tayside
| | Posted: Mon 04 Aug 2008 17:26 | |
Wish i hadn't done that, gustav !!! biggest load of crap i've seen in a while, the tone is wrong, overprocessed rack crap. hey lets hear the other 9 finalist a suddenly you find out that there has been an experiment going on to produce satriani, vai etc etc clones going on across the world is it a plot by aliens. Ahh lets switch to selected entries see if i can find someone who entered summit resembaling a choon but no even more clones each with the same tone and playing style. Curiousley all the supplied pics seem to confirm my cloning theory !!!. At the end of the day its a victory for style over content, music devoid of any emotional content, music as a branch of mathematics where if i know the chord then according to modal playing theory this is da scale to play. there is no self expression exhibited anywhere, whereas Mr gilmour choon does show someoneone trying to express themselves by actually taking on the hardest !!! geetar to play, the blues ( easy to learn but difficult to master) and doing a pretty good job too nice tone to the geetar even if it is a wimpy Fender. Anyways hammy will enter geetar idol 2009 with a proper choon we can't let the clones take over the wurlde after all lol.
Crispy, nile rodgers you are indeed a man off good taste, don't know why rythum geetar is held in such low esteem after all what is angus young without his brother malcom.
Hammy Rocks !!!
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noodle (201)
Forum legend
Joined: 09 Dec 2005
Posts: 6001
Australia
Fremantle
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Fri 29 Aug 2008 20:11 | |
Well I don't have sour grapes tha he's more technically proficient than I. We have totally different styles anyway. My only 'beef' with the comp was that it was one-dimensional.... The view that your'e only a good guitarist if you can play super fast with all the modern techniques, etc. I practice everyday with what very little time I do have to practice and write, but I practice what I want to practice..... Usually learning songs or writing my own as opposed to getting as fast as I possibly can. Good luck to him / them, there's plenty of room for all types of guitaists... and all types of music for that matter, but in terms of the competition it should have been a bit more open to all types of guitarist. Methinks they'll get that right for the new comp which starts mid September.
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sonson_prest (2)
Regular user
Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 111
United Kingdom
Liverpool
| | Posted: Sat 30 Aug 2008 6:42 | |
I think that playing as fast as possible is stupid - just because you can play 100 notes a second doesn't mean that it sounds good - quite the opposit in fact. There's no feeling to it, it just sounds like a technique showcase rather than a guitar part that fits the mood and feel of a song. One dimensional is right!
I can play fast but choose not to 'cause it sounds crap - same with singing - Pop singers seem to do the same with their voices and it sounds terrible! It also sounds as if the player/singer in question has no idea what phrasing is...
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Gilmour1978 (8)
True muso
Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Posts: 446
United Kingdom
Warrington
| | Posted: Sat 30 Aug 2008 8:37 | |
That's it. Phrasing and dynamics or 'feel' are two of the most important techniques in guitar playing. Without that you've got nothing.
Music is a language.... It has to communicate something. Sometimes just playing fast is the musical equivelent of talking fast and randomly..... Or Bollocks as we know it! It doesn't mean a great deal at the end of the day. However playing fast can be usefull as a dynamic tool, i.e. pausing for a few beats, throwing a fast line in then slowing down again, building tension, etc....
There's no doubt that there is some very technical guitarists out there who also ooze 'feel' - there where a few on the Guitar Idol site (Check out Danielle Gottardo), but just playing a succession of speedy licks because you can is ultimately pointless and without soul.
Anyhow this whole argument about technique versus feel, fast versus slow, Clapton or Satriani or Hendrix or... (enter your favourite here) argument has been going on for decades and will continue to do so. There's a million and one different types of guitar player out there, from the indie kid, the barre-chord strummer, the folkie, the blues guy, the jazzer the rocker and indeed the shredder. Perhaps all fantastic guitarists / musicians (You should be both) in their respective genre. As I've said, if you're going to call a comp 'Guitar Idol' then it's silly to just focus on the fast ones..... There's far more to it than that.... Isn't there?
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You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest. - Rowan Atkinson. |
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sonson_prest (2)
Regular user
Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 111
United Kingdom
Liverpool
| | Posted: Sat 30 Aug 2008 10:14 | |
Bravo! Well said!
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