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Mixing It All Up and Holding Your Attention

 
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Chino, CA

PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2005 11:02 pm    Post subject: Mixing It All Up and Holding Your Attention Reply with quote

I think one of the many great appealing aspects of Guthrie's playing is that he mixes up his vast array of techniques, styles, musical vocabulary, etc. during a song or a solo and holds your attention throughout them all. He doesn't stick with one device for very long. Yes, he does have his bag of licks and patterns that he'll draw from like anyone else, but that bag is surely the biggest I've ever seen! Laughing

Many other great players often stick too long with given patterns or stock runs. They're great at what they do but they tend to lose the interest of listeners who aren't hardcore fans of what they're doing. Guthrie always seems to take you on a ride on which you're not sure exactly where you're going to end up, so you follow what's going on with a lot of interest. His solos often make detours you don't expect. He'll play a legato section that's quickly followed by mad alternate picking and vice versa. He'll vary dynamics. He'll add familiar quotes. And on and on and on...

All these different things that he does have been discussed before, but we haven't discussed yet how he strings all these things together in a very musically cohesive manner. I think the coolest thing about listening to or seeing him play is that you really don't know what to expect. He never plays a solo the same way twice and he'll constantly shift things inside and out, up and down, side to side or whatever way possible to put a new twist on what he's played before. And by doing so, he gets our undivided attention for two hours straight - and that of the audience who had never heard of him before...
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shredrulez
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PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2005 11:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ed, you sure have a lot of interesting things to say about gg and what he does. i've never seen anyone analyze one player so thoroughly as you have. so when are you going to write a book about guthrie? Wink Laughing

and you're absolutely right. he just keeps throwing new stuff at you and they're all great. it's like going to a real fine restaurant and they keep bringing you out great tasting stuff over and over again and they're not the same stuff you've had elsewhere. what a chef guthrie is and he's got the widest pallette of the finest ingredients! Laughing
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Chino, CA

PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2005 1:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just articulating the obvious... Wink Yeah, one day I'd love to write a book or two about this biz. Cool
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Ed Yoon
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James W



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 191

PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2005 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, all agreed with as usual.

Are you doing a Phd dissertation about Guthrie Govan?


J
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Chino, CA

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2005 4:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

James W wrote:
Yes, all agreed with as usual.

Are you doing a Phd dissertation about Guthrie Govan?


J


I could do something like that, but Guthrie would not approve of himself being the subject of such rigorous academia. Laughing
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M@



Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 214
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2005 6:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, each solo is a "Magical Mystery Tour"...


Laughing
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Delicato



Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 80
Location: Uppsala Sweden

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2005 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just listened to Guthrie's playing on the last episode of GT's blues mutations articles(Steely Dan style)
and I've come to the conclusion that evetything you have said on the topic of Guthrie is dead on.
And he manages to deliver with such exellence on what is a lesson type track.

I know it's been said before but he makes it sound sooooo easy.

He really is the kind of player that makes himself hard to listen to cause he inspires you so much that
you just want to pick upp the guitar and play/practise.
I hate the guy Twisted Evil Very Happy Twisted Evil Very Happy
/Oskar
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shredrulez
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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2005 9:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

alexkhan wrote:
Just articulating the obvious... Wink Yeah, one day I'd love to write a book or two about this biz. Cool


ed, you're great at reaffirming what the rest of us see and hear but can't quite put into words in writing like you do. seems like you'll be the perfect autobiographer for gg when he's finally established himself as a living legend. Very Happy
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Carlo



Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 408

PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2005 7:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

it's so cool how Guthrie melds everything into one big style. It comes off so naturally and doesn't sound forced.

I don't think we can call it a bag of tricks anymore, more like a big giant sack...or a crate Laughing
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M@



Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 214
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 4:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, dig that cowbell Carlo!!!
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