Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2005 5:23 am Post subject: Govanesque
The more I listen and watch Guthrie and then compare his playing to that of other players, the more I come to see that he's got his own thing going. He really doesn't sound like anyone else in particular. He sounds like himself even if it's not the most original sound and style out there (but then, who does these days?).
His picking doesn't sound like Gilbert, Petrucci or Morse. His legato lines don't sound like Holdsworth or Greg Howe. His vibrato has its own distinct character. He's got his own signature string bends. His taps are his very own as well. Yes, he's versatile and can cop every style known to man, but ultimately, he still sounds like himself. His lines also blur the line between diatonic and outside/chromatic. It's as though he finds those lines separating genres and techniques and he blurs them out! That's what I call "Govanesque". _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
ed, you come up with new things to talk about gg like he comes up with new lines! once again, i have to agree. it's really cool how he can saddle two worlds or more in one setting. he confuses you sometimes - it's like is it jazz or fusion or rock? is he tapping or is he picking? or it's simply, " what the f*#k is he doing now?!?"
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:59 pm Post subject:
There are many aspects of his playing that we could call Govanesque, but I guess the thing I enjoy the most is the sophisticated technical aspect of it that is still laden with feel and creativity. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
I don't know about that... going just on the live DVD I've seen and heard, I hear a ton of Steve Vai in his playing... not to say he's a Vai clone, cuz he's not, and not to say sounding like Vai is a bad thing either, since Vai is one of the all-time greatest...
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 8:27 am Post subject:
AJ Love wrote:
I don't know about that... going just on the live DVD I've seen and heard, I hear a ton of Steve Vai in his playing... not to say he's a Vai clone, cuz he's not, and not to say sounding like Vai is a bad thing either, since Vai is one of the all-time greatest...
I used to be a huge Vai fan and have seen him live a bunch of times. I'm still a fan, but I skipped his recent tour show when he played in town. For whatever reason, I can't really get into Vai anymore and this was happening from the Ultra Zone days. I don't know... To me, Guthrie has certain mechanical devices in his playing that make him sound like Vai at times, but then, Guthrie is as much of a Zappa fanatic as Vai is. They share very similar influences, mainly Jimi and Zappa.
Guthrie continues the lineage of a style of playing popularized by Satch and Vai - no doubt about that. But, to me, Guthrie takes it all much further harmonically, stylistically, technically, and feel-wise. Guthrie's vibrato is completely different from that of Vai's. Guthrie doesn't use the Lydian scale so much. Guthrie's absorption of country, jazz, and blues is much deeper than Vai's, IMO. In fact, it's my opinion that Vai really has no grounding in those styles at all and isn't a very good improvisor from the jams I've seen him do. Vai, having been around much longer as a seasoned pro, is certainly a better composer and producer at this point in time. But, to me, Guthrie strikes me as a much more well-rounded player with superior skills in improvisation.
On the surface, I can see why some would say that Guthrie sounds like Vai. To me, they don't sound anything alike in their choice of notes, in their phrasing (except some cases that do sound similar), in their tone, in their vibrato, in their soloing style, in the ways they meld their various techniques, etc. Guthrie's tapping is wholly his own. His tapping runs in general sound nothing like Vai's. Guthrie's alternate picking runs also sound nothing like how Vai would play 'em. I know I'm probably splitting hairs as I've been a big fan of this type of playing since the early-80's, but that's just how I hear it. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Thanks for your reply. I'll listen more for the differences. I didn't mean to sound like I think he's a "Vai clone", cuz I don't. Just that the Vai influence seemed very overt and obvious at first listen
I'm coming from the outside looking in in regards to those styles, as I am mostly into Albert King
again, thanks for the perspective. I'll keep listening
yeah, guthrie doesn't sound like vai to me either although it's easy to understand why some people would think so initially. it's like a lot of people thought satch sounded like vai or vice versa when they both burst onto the scene, but they really don't sound like each other if you dig a little deeper. same with guthrie when comparing him to vai or satch. but i agree with ed that guthrie takes everything up a notch in terms of playing and versatility.
it's too early to compare the songwriting since satch and vai have been around 20 years with around 10 albums each while guthrie is still working on getting his first out. you listen to satch's not of this earth or vai's flex-able and they don't strike you as having great songwriting. i think guthrie's tunes i've heard to date are better than most of what satch and vai came up with before surfing and p&w, respectively.
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