guitar players are the worst

[Icehaven]

people deserve a medal for picking a rhythm instrument

I knew a guy as a teenager who was all into shredding and 'hot lixx' but didn't understand how to count in

And don't get me started on members who don't listen to the rest of the band (I'm looking at YOU guitarists and to a lesser extent singers.) I wish I had a quid for every time I've been in a rehearsal and we're clearly out of time or someone's playing the wrong section or something and everyone else has stopped/is stopping and looking at each other but the guitarist is in their own little world and carries on playing until they realise that they're playing to silence, rather like this;

[kngen]

Or teenager wants to be in a band with their mates and the band needs a bass player so that's what they do. That's how I came to it anyway, I mean I do enjoy playing but the whole point for me is being in a band, I find practicing alone a chore, playing along to backing tracks boring and when I've been in between bands in the past I went years without even picking one up. Fair play to anyone who enjoys playing it for it's own sake but I don't derive much pleasure from that and actually think it sounds bit shit unaccompanied anyway.

I have a mate who's a fantastic guitarist (of the widdly-widdly sort) and plays in a fairly popular metal band but is fairly indifferent about the whole thing. However, he LOVES playing the bass - it's absolutely hands down his first love in terms of making music, and he started a side project so he could play bass instead (and it's not like he's doing Geddy Lee stuff. His hero is Lemmy.) Not at all common, I realise.

people deserve a medal for picking a rhythm instrument. I knew a guy as a teenager who was all into shredding and 'hot lixx' but didn't understand how to count in

When I was a kid, my guitar teacher told me: 'Good lead players are ten a penny; a good rhythm guitarist is worth their weight in gold.' - stood me in good stead, that. (Although I sometimes wish my lead playing wasn't quite as remedial as it is ...)

[The Culture Bunker]

I took up bass at 16, after I heard Joy Division for the first time and it made me think "oh, that sounds like something I want to do". However, whatever style I developed is nothing like Peter Hook's - I got a more D-list Duck Dunn thing going on, doing normal bass stuff. Never had any interest in picking up a six string guitar, though I do wish I'd bothered picking up some keyboard/synth knowledge back in my 20s.

As an aside - I wish YouTube would stop pushing me videos of guitar types making videos with headlines like "this music is CRAP! Guitar player SLAMS modern pop!" - I blame Rick Beato for all that kind of nonsense.

[kngen]

As an aside - I wish YouTube would stop pushing me videos of guitar types making videos with headlines like "this music is CRAP! Guitar player SLAMS modern pop!" - I blame Rick Beato for all that kind of nonsense.

Youtube will not leave me alone about Stevie Ray fucking Vaughn - I've not thought/listened to/watched anything to do with him for about 30 years (when I heard a bit and thought: 'Blues-rock? Nope. Not interested.' But I get recommended videos and shorts all the fucking time, like a 'now that's REAL music' version of the alt-right rabbit hole algorithm. Very irritating.

 

[Wonderful Butternut]

Not true. The bassist in the first band I ever played with used to insist on taping fireworks to the headstock of his bass before each gig, which he would set alight during his one solo, foot up on the monitor with all sparks shooting out the end of his instrument.

That individual is clearly some sort of wanker.

[Wonderful Butternut]

And don't get me started on members who don't listen to the rest of the band (I'm looking at YOU guitarists and to a lesser extent singers.) I wish I had a quid for every time I've been in a rehearsal and we're clearly out of time or someone's playing the wrong section or something and everyone else has stopped/is stopping and looking at each other but the guitarist is in their own little world and carries on playing until they realise that they're playing to silence, rather like this;

I don't think that's confined to any one sort of musician though. Obviously, it's less likely a gigging bassist or drummer would last too long in the trade with no sense of rhythm (although if you're ever watching an amateur band, record them and then compare the start and middle of the songs to see did they speed up during the song - that's usually on the drummer), but a shit musician is a shit musician and can strike in any part of the band.

[poodlefaker]

my big hendrix what if is ... what if he'd heard early dub?

Dennis Bovell says that "Third Stone From the Sun" was the first dub track he ever heard.

[PlanktonSideburns]

That individual is clearly some sort of wanker.

Genuinley used to play with a lad who ended our set with a flametheower trombone, is that allowed?

[purlieu]

Bass guitar appears to be the instrument I'm best at, at one point I was the bassist in a band that never got off the ground and it was all very fun and I came up with some good bits, but ultimately I'm more interested in making tracks than performance and I've never fully pursued it.

[gilbertharding]

I agree with the premise of the thread... those people who post 'lists of the greatest guitarists ever...' and it's always the same names. It's not to say I don't love Led Zep and the Stones and Hendrix (hell - even Eric Clapton had his moments), but the veneration of the canon. Boring.

As for Guitarists On Youtube, I make an exception for one called JamesJames (aka Privettricker - his avatar is Nigel Tufnell, which is obviously great) because he brilliantly demystifies the whole thing, especially regarding tunings and playing like Keef.

I've never actually tried to follow his lessons with an axe (ugh!) in my hands, but I always mean to.

And also for this guy:

[Agent Dunham]

My exception to the rule for guitar youtubers is Anyone Can Play Guitar who sometimes picks the usual subjects but mostly looks elsewhere without being obscure (albeit still mostly some form of rock, although some authentic blues originators get a look in).

Also Guitar Moves (look at his beaming smile, sitting in the room and playing with James Williamson):

[the hum]

I had a cognitive dissonance issue in my teens of loving early Simple Minds whilst simultaneously branding Charlie Burchill as incompetent. I now view his industrial light chugging and reverb-drenched semi-complex chord stings as incredible and integral. Part of the death of Simple Minds as an interesting act is when he succumbed to a rockist instinct. Their 1991 re-recording of Theme For Great Cities being a case in point (oooh slide guitar bits!)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtyD4pZO1U8

[idunnosomename]

Shredding is fun and sounds good. is that a CRIME!!

it's not like I've monopolised live acts on TV and particularly the new years eve slot with my big studio show with all the biggest acts on (and the Ladysmith Black Mambazo choir) yet insist on accompanying them all with my two-handed tapping, pinch harmonics, runs I play above the neck for no good reason and sweep-picked arpeggios.

[Norton Canes]

I've put reggae chops on the back burner and am now trying to learn gothic melodies in the B-minor scale. HOW IS ANYONE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS SHIT

[idunnosomename]

its easy to fuck shit up in Bm. Tornado of Souls and Comfortably Numb!!

[kngen]

I'd love to be able to do sweeps for my own amusement, but I'm old now and, let's face it, it's just not going to happen.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

I can do very passable sweeps on 3 (maybe 4) strings because I was into all that stuff in my early 20s and now I wish I'd spent that time learning how to songwrite and do production and drums

[Reg Tits]

This thread is polluted with total filth. So here's Johnny Winter to show you why at its best the guitar sound is as good as any that has ever existed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQPlU5q1CBI

[Agent Dunham]

Part of the death of Simple Minds as an interesting act is when he succumbed to a rockist instinct. Their 1991 re-recording of Theme For Great Cities being a case in point (oooh slide guitar bits!)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtyD4pZO1U8

That is a very wrong version of the song overall, with the guitar being only part of the problem. It's the throwaway attitude of the original that makes it stand out (the only Simple Minds track in my collection; I usually play it with the tempo tweaked up a little).

[kngen]

I can do very passable sweeps on 3 (maybe 4) strings because I was into all that stuff in my early 20s and now I wish I'd spent that time learning how to songwrite and do production and drums

Always thought it was amusing/irritating when I'd watch a band and it was obvious that the guitarist - who'd probably spent countless sleepless nights practicing his sweeps - would try and crowbar them into the body of the song, rather than silo them off in the solo section. It rarely, almost never, works (unless they were tech death metal ... and even then), but god love 'em, they'd spent all those hours on sweeps, so by Christ they were going to be used.

Using your sweep skills as a metric, I'd (generously) say my songwriting skills are probably a 3 - very occasionally 4 - out of 6, but I don't have much use for them anymore. We could set up some kind of neural skillswap. I'll get Elon on the blower.

[gilbertharding]

Re sweeping, this guy:

had some quite funny videos I'm pretty sick of, but he seems to have gone all instructive. Now, I have no interest in playing or listening to music like this, but YMMV

[dontpaintyourteeth]

the only good guitarist is the man, the myth, the legend...

JANDEK

[kngen]

Re sweeping, this guy:

had some quite funny videos I'm pretty sick of, but he seems to have gone all instructive. Now, I have no interest in playing or listening to music like this, but YMMV

Interesting tattoo yer man has got there:

Spoiler alert

[close]

[gilbertharding]

Interesting tattoo yer man has got there:

Spoiler alert

[close]

OOof! I wonder what that is also an ancient Hindu symbol of.

His is a bit different - the little hook bits branch off from the diamond halfway along the sides, not at the point... it's pretty close though.

(what is that symbol by the way?)

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

the only good guitarist is the man, the myth, the legend...

JANDEK

I like to believe that JANDEK can execute flawless 600bpm speed picking and four fingered tapping runs but simply chooses not to

[Sean Ymphs]

OOof! I wonder what that is also an ancient Hindu symbol of.

His is a bit different - the little hook bits branch off from the diamond halfway along the sides, not at the point... it's pretty close though.

(what is that symbol by the way?)

I'd say your guitar man's tattoo is more likely to be this:

[kngen]

OOof! I wonder what that is also an ancient Hindu symbol of.

His is a bit different - the little hook bits branch off from the diamond halfway along the sides, not at the point... it's pretty close though.

(what is that symbol by the way?)

The nazi one is a winged othal rune apparently - although, as you say, his is a bit different AND upside-down. If it isn't that (and it quite possibly isn't) he must be very confident of what it actually is to get it tattooed on his bloody hand!

Edit: Although if it is the same symbol(ish), then - by the parameters of this thread - he could very well be the 'worst guitarist', as he is very adept at the whole sweepadiddlydiddlescreeweee! stuff AND is a member of the Croatian division of the Waffen-SS in the latter part of WWII. There's no coming back from that, unfortunately.

[Paul Calf]

Genuinley used to play with a lad who ended our set with a flametheower trombone, is that allowed?

Can't see the trombone lasting long. I used to play one and they lose their finish and go out of tune and generaly misbehave if you accidentally kick their cases too hard. They're not the most resilient of instruments.

[Agent Dunham]

I'd say your guitar man's tattoo is more likely to be this:

I'd say definitely a Twin Peaks fan, as this symbol is used either way up in the series.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Can't see the trombone lasting long. I used to play one and they lose their finish and go out of tune and generaly misbehave if you accidentally kick their cases too hard. They're not the most resilient of instruments.

It could only play three and a half parpy oompa notes by the time he had added the flamethrower mod, but thats all you need to play a punk version of Hungarian Dance apparently. The longevity of the trombone was the last of my worries, it had a plastic bottle full of paraffin as the fuel tank