Guthrie Govan Discussion

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

It's funny to see how some people are so quick to dismiss players with great technique (such as Guthrie) as lacking feel and taste. It's actually happened more than a few times when I showed videos of Guthrie to some people. "Yeah, he's got great chops, but he doesn't have the feel." Rolling Eyes

They'll watch maybe 5 minutes of it and go, "It's all speed. No tasteful phrasing or down-to-earth feel." Rolling Eyes

"He sounds like all these other shredders like Satriani and Vai. They can play but have no feel." Rolling Eyes

To me, the issue is not even debatable. When jazz pianists and classical violinists throw more notes at you than a horde of locusts, it's "art" and it's great, but when great rock guitarists play fast it's "lacking in feel". I get so tired of reading this over and over again in so many other guitar-oriented forums. If they say, "Well, the music and the playing just isn't my cup of tea.", fine. But how can they say that it lacks feel or taste only because there's good technique involved?

Personally, I think Yngwie plays with a lot of feel. His playing can get kind of repetitive at times, but I just don't buy into the constant criticism that his playing lacks feel. And Satch or Vai for that matter. They play with great feel as far as I'm concerned. And how about Shawn Lane? People like to criticize him a lot for playing so fast. Lane has played some of the most beautiful slow feel-laden pieces I have ever heard, but so many are quick to dismiss him as just being a "speed freak".

I suppose some things will never change. I'm sure there has been this kind of talk since the days of Bach or earlier. We all know the stories about composers like Mozart and Beethoven. They sure played or composed a lot of notes. Charlie Parker was frequently criticized in his day. The truth is that there are so many out there who play purely for speed's sake and I suppose they're the ones dragging down the ones with both technique and feel, taste, musicality, etc. All I know, and I'm sure all of you agree, technique and feel (along with other factors of great musicianship) are not mutually exclusive. Guthrie is as good of an example as any! Very Happy

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Donnie B. · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Chula Vista, CA

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

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

I was quickly browing through this tired same ole thread about "musicality vs. technique" in this forum and I see this:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52689&perpage=15&pagenumber=4

Shocked

Some "shred hater" lops in Guthrie along with Yngwie, Satch and Vai! Man, am I doing a good job of promoting Guthrie out there or what!?!?! Cool

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Ed Yoon
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BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
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Carlo · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 408

I think Kronosonic articulated this debate very well, imo

http://www.station185.com/kronoson/kronosonic/papers/Praxis%20Papers/notes%20on%20technique.pdf

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

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

Well, here's another example of Guthrie playing slow and tastefully:

http://www.online-discussion.com/GuthrieGovan/Photos/I_Didn't_Do_It.mp3
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Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

frankus · Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 9:16 am Post subject:

I kinda think anyone who thinks Guthrie is all technique simply hasn't heard him play. There's a definite sense of fun in some and a Jeff Beck-like intensity in more emotive tunes. I say Jeff Beck like as I'd class 10 on the emotive scale as the violins in "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" from Rimsky Korsakov's Sheherezade (I've only got an old Naxos CD)
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Will · Joined: 09 Oct 2004 Posts: 89

I couldn't read that gear page forum for more than two pages it was so mind torturing.

Some people drive me crazy.

Its a large piece of wood with strings on... now just go and bloody play it and shut up!!

frankus · Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:56 pm Post subject:

shredrulez · Guest

yes, what a tiring subject it really is! Mad

that forum is populated by jealous old farts. why even bother with that place? Evil or Very Mad

let those bald-headed men wax lyrical and nostalgic about their old bygones. Rolling Eyes

what they don't want to acknowledge is that guthrie can play with more feel and taste than most of their tired ole (and dead) heroes put together. couldn't care less... as you like to say, ed, it's the future that matters and guthrie defines the future.