Too many guitars

yenoah

It's all been done. Every Joe on the planet plays the guitar. Almost without exception, the average band consists of drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. And we wonder why music has lost its way.

Too many young fellas showing off; "Look how fast I can play". Yeah - eh what about the music? what about expression? what about emotion, beauty, harmony, creativity, what about playing something slowly, softly and moving an audience to near tears ?

Too many mediocre players. Everyone thinks they have a right to be labelled an artist. In reality it takes a great skill that is developed and honed over years.

Too many singers. All sound the same. You know the ones, they over emphasize to try and sound like Mariah Carey who in turn is a bad singer.

It's all so predictable. Everyone copying everyone else....badly. "Oh yeah, we're in a band". Who isn't?

Reading the above back, it occurs to me that its an argument poorly constructed, it's all over the place and very negative. But honestly that actually sums up rather nicely - how I feel about music and the way we abuse it in our droves. And yea I am a miserable depressed old person. Weary and worn out. I wish there was some beautiful new music to listen to.

rp

yenoah wrote: »

But honestly that actually sums up rather nicely - how I feel about music and the way we abuse it in our droves. And yea I am a miserable depressed old person. Weary and worn out. I wish there was some beautiful new music to listen to.

Same as it ever was.

yenoah

rp wrote: »

Same as it ever was.

I honestly don't think so. The 60's saw mainstream use of new electric instruments to create popular music based heavily on black soul. It was musically infantile with he odd gem here and there (Beatles, Mamas & Papas for eg).

The 70's saw a new wave of creativity with these new instruments mixed in with older instruments. A golden era of music, experimental, progressive, operatic etc. Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin etc This was coupled with a folk movement in West Coast USA and New York that gave us some of the most beautiful spiritual and creative music and lyric of all time.

The 80's saw a repeat of this creativity based on new digital instruments. Amazing waves of creativity and experimentation. Gary Numan etc.

I dont credit punk with anything really. IMO ot was not a great catharsis. It was awful and short lived TG. It just happened to fill the gap between one wave and another rather than leading to anything special.

Since those times, we seem to be on a downward spiral. Once you demonstrate the allure of fame, fortune and glamour and the ubiquity and affordability of technology, the result seems to be a deskilling and stiffling of creativity, sadly.

I am of course limiting my argument to modern popular music. There are whole other worlds out there of sheer brilliance in fields such as jazz, blues, country, classical etc. These genre's seem to escape somewhat this dumbing down and de-skilling I refer to.

Ironically, wrt an artform that is essentially dead; the last thing it needs are these Saturday night karaoke shows where each contestant declares "I was born to do this, this means the world to me, it's my life!"

iMADEtheBBC

"Guitar Groups Are On Their Way Out, Mr. Epstein"

not yet

rp wrote: »

Same as it ever was.

Talking heads circ: 1982

skelloggs

They use all acoustic instruments with just a backing track of some samples and odd drum beats and it is probably more original than most things you will hear these days, you just are not looking hard enough for something original.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs6JRxk1BNs this is probably their best introduction, but they get progressively more creative after this song introducing more crazy melodies and samples.

yenoah

That's your counter argument ??? really ???
Listened to about 2 minutes, can't really take any more......

skelloggs

I was not starting an argument, I was linking you to something I thought you might like. If you want to listen to something completely new you might have to create a new range of instruments and create a new theory of music separate to the influences of western music.

there just isn't going to be anything these days that is completely new and mind blowing.

Doomeus

nostalgia was better in my day...

Martyn1989

skelloggs wrote: »

I was not starting an argument, I was linking you to something I thought you might like. If you want to listen to something completely new you might have to create a new range of instruments and create a new theory of music separate to the influences of western music.

there just isn't going to be anything these days that is completely new and mind blowing.

Judging by the way yenoah responded to your post hes just here to argue.

raindodger

While I do agree with you to some extent, there is still some good stuff out there, especially on Youtube.

Just have a look at this pair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v88QvA5Juv8

CheezePleeze

Hey! The guitar is so popular, not because people are unimaginative, as you suggest, but because its a GREAT instrument! Sure, every generation produces new, fresh, different stuff. And the best of it lasts through the generations.

(My seven year old LOVES Touch Me by the Doors...)

Get that cranky dude off the Boards - I'm sure there's a Darby and Joan club somewhere he can spend his time bellyaching.

And now, for your enjoyment, some rockin' guitar from someone (me) who isn't a spring chicken anymore, but loves his rock n roll :-) http://youtu.be/8Le_24XJnnY

Meehanmeehan

Really? More soft teary-eyed music. Like there isn't enough Adele on the radio.

There's plenty of lightning fast, beautiful guitar playing out there.
Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4yzYKIiV9Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcmz_-hUmSQ&feature=related
Both Dream Theater^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nY-XDF_Ask
Devin Townsend^

Calling your playing 'emotional' just because it's soft and slow is an excuse to cover up bad technique and musical sensibility.

Everyone plays guitar because it's the most accesible and affordable instrument on the planet behind the triangle. Who doesn't enjoy playing music?

Want to hear new singing? Why not branch out from what's on the radio and use your internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DKs0qfdEk&ob=av3e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16hgOn1lVI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3I88wsFKao&ob=av3n
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLpNvwYgdn8

CrimsonSounds

I don't think there's any shortage of anything right now.

The real challenge today is sifting through the vat's of music out there to find something you like.

+1 on the Dreamtheater btw.


@yenoah - what's your favourite song ?

friendofbatman

I do think that some guitar players are too keen on fast playing, not able to inject feeling into a single note the way some of the great players do!
but there is a lot of good music out there and even some bands taking songs and making them their own, by slowing down or rocking up or doing acoustic versions of songs.