Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:20 am Post subject: Questions for Guthrie - Thread #2
We all hate really long threads, don't we? So when Guthrie answers some leftover questions from the first one, let's post the new questions here and we'll try to keep these threads to no more than 4 or 5 pages. This should allow you to enjoy reading the threads at a leisurely pace and also, hopefully, prevent you from asking questions that have already been answered in the previous questions thread(s). Thanks! _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 8 Location: Chelmsford, Essex, England
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:23 am Post subject: Jealousy
Are you secretly jealous at my shouting of "Go on Seth" and "Slap it" down at the Bassment in relation to your brother, Seth? Would it make you feel better if i maybe shouted "Scratch it" during your percussive playing in build-ups and solos, or maybe "Whammy it" when using your digitech, or how about "Roll it" when you somehow roll a smoke whilst still playing a better solo than i'll ever be able to in years?
Praise indeed, for thou art the keeper of the faith and his holiness, who sat upon a hill for years learning every available scale and mode, who then created your own (the Govanian as my friends call it). For your is the six-string, the piezo and the unexpected modulation up an augmented sixth followed by an inpromptu harmony between you and Zak and a major-minor 7th shifting to a diminished 7th dominant and then...
ARRRGGGHHHHHH!! It's too hard to think about it, just let the groove take me!
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Highcation; it's all the same really...
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:37 pm Post subject:
Guthrie, myself and a couple of mates bomb down from Scotland every year to watch you play at MusicLive in Brummington. I very quickly came to the conclusion that when it comes to improv, you're pretty much what they call an "open channel" - in other words there are no repeats, stutters, errors or pauses for thought (although you do know when to let things breathe musically speaking). I was wondering what goes through your mind when you're improvising? Are you at the enviable stage now where you just feel-think-play almost instantaneously, or do you still go through the process of thinking "....and when that chord comes back round again, I'm gonna play XXX?"
It's this that really inspires and depresses me in equal measure when I watch you play; the way everything, regardless of technical difficulty, is so damned fluid. After 12 years of playing I still find that getting a good flow to my improv is difficult. I own your Creative Guitar books and have found them to be most beneficial in this and other areas, but sadly I still lack the imagination to create spontaneously for any longer than a few minutes. This is perhaps due to my intake of jazz cigarettes - I'm not sure.
How does one jump to that next level with improvising? Is it primarily through continuous jamming to everything and anything, by oneself or with other musicians - or are crossroads to be visited late at night?
Also, just how much am I hindering my progress by regularly practicing to "fresh air" - ie totally unaccompanied? (Looking at that written down I guess the answer is obvious, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter nonetheless). _________________ I before E except after C? Man, what a weird society.....
Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Chula Vista, CA
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:49 pm Post subject:
Duncan M wrote:
How does one jump to that next level with improvising? Is it primarily through continuous jamming to everything and anything, by oneself or with other musicians - or are crossroads to be visited late at night?
Also, just how much am I hindering my progress by regularly practicing to "fresh air" - ie totally unaccompanied? (Looking at that written down I guess the answer is obvious, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter nonetheless).
Guthrie, I am with Duncan on this question. Two things I've been trying a bit lately that seem to be opening some new doors are watching TV while I'm playing and trying as hard as possible to concentrate on the show while not stopping the stream of notes. The biggest thing I've noticed doing this is that some of the things I usually work on in separate "practice" chunks like, 4NPS licks, hammer ons from nowhere, wide interval stuff, seem to blend together without me trying. And the other thing is playing while forcing myself to keep my eyes closed and only relying on my ears while forming lines. This is the only way I can come close to pulling off jazzy type lines that contain tension and release. Mind you, I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing but it does sound good _________________ What would we all do without guitars............. take up knitting?
Joined: 12 Sep 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Lincoln UK
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:32 pm Post subject:
In answer to the two previous questions before Guthrie comes along, I do improv clinics (I might add that I'm not up to Guthrie's standard but then not many are) and the main point to get across is to relax and go with the flow. It's a point of view that comes across in all areas, not just guitar. I play golf (no comments) and my best games are always the ones where I've had a good day/week, I'm feeling relaxed and confident and I'm not thinking too much about the game. Obviously on guitar you need to have the learning so ingrained that it's operating at the subconscious level, you shouldn't really be having to think consciously about what to do, it should just come, but breathing and state of mind are paramount when it comes to good improv. I really think that when you are improvising well you are operating at a higher level of thought or state of mind if you like. Bear in mind that IMHO we only improvise at the most about 25% of the time though, the rest of the time we are 'fitting the bricks' as I like to call it. Nothing wrong with that, it's how we work as humans. I would be really interested to hear Guthrie's viewpoint on this. _________________ It is the height of bad manners to light one's cigar from a burning hat.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:03 am Post subject: Acoustic Guitars
Guthrie, do you play much acoustic at all? I think you mentioned that you had some beat-up acoustic of some sort?
Do you play classical guitar at all? I remember you mentioning that you like the sound of the nylon-string but that you like to play more in a jazz-like setting with a pick?
Who are some acoustic/classical players that you admire and enjoy listening to?
Would you be up for playing in a McLaughlin/DiMeola/DeLucia trio sort of setting a la "Friday Night in San Francisco"? That'd be so awesome! _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
what other instruments do you play? i think i read somewhere that you stopped playing guitar for a few years and just played bass???
It's true - I got a little disillusioned with guitar playing for a while after I'd decided to do it for a living, and subsequently realised that flipping burgers very badly (my previous, er, career!) was actually a more dependable way of paying the rent than playing guitar fairly well. Well - at the time, it really seemed that way
About a month later, I found myself playing fretless bass in a local funk band - I guess I was trying to avoid the whole guitar issue, but I found I couldn't avoid music altogether, because I liked the stuff too much. That's probably when I realised that music didn't owe me anything, and that the CORRECT reason for playing is, of course... because you love it!
(Wasn't it Steve Swallow who came up with that great line, "If you WANT to do music for a living, don't bother. If you HAVE to, it's the best job in the world!" Or words to that effect?)
Aside from that - I used to play violin at school, and I recently treated myself to a cheap 6-string banjo - loads of fun! - but that's about it...
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Highcation; it's all the same really...
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:04 pm Post subject:
Greg wrote:
Hey Guthrie,
My friend would like me to ask you a question:
What do you think of John 5's playing?
By the way he is a huge John 5 fan.
Also, here are questions from me if you don't mind answering them:
Who are your favourite Guitarists?
Assuming they found out about you and liked your playing, would you ever do a G3 with Satch and Vai if asked?
Do you ever visit Scotland?
Thanks
Greg
Greg, Guthrie's already answered the G3 question, and talked about his favourite guitarists on the other thread! Pay attention at the back! _________________ I before E except after C? Man, what a weird society.....
No idea - I've never got round to investigating it. I've been hearing good things about him, though - I should check him out, I guess. Where would I start?
btw, I'm sure no one would mind if your friend signed up here and started asking his own questions - this seems like a shiny, happy kind of forum to me!
Greg wrote:
By the way he is a huge John 5 fan.
Thought he might be!
Greg wrote:
Also, here are questions from me if you don't mind answering them:
Who are your favourite Guitarists?
Far too many to name. The most recent guitar albums I've had in the CD tray were by Chet Atkins, John McLaughlin, Derek Trucks and Mattias Eklundh - so there really isn't any pattern to it...
Greg wrote:
Assuming they found out about you and liked your playing, would you ever do a G3 with Satch and Vai if asked?
Well... who wouldn't?!
Greg wrote:
Do you ever visit Scotland?
Not nearly enough - as you may have gathered from my silly name, I'm half Scottish - my dad hailed from a particularly unpleasant part of Glasgow called Maryhill (it was so nice there, they demolished it and gave it a new name!) Still - Glasgow's a great place to gig; I particularly enjoyed the Barrowlands, where the bouncy floor seems to bring out the best in the local rock crowds!
Greg, Guthrie's already answered the G3 question, and talked about his favourite guitarists on the other thread! Pay attention at the back!
I missed that little intervention when I was replying to Greg's questions! Duncan, sir - although I'm generally a diplomatic fellow, it has to be said that you make a good case there. I feel bad about ignoring YOUR questions now but I just wore myself out on the "playing outside" thread - some of which seems vaguely relevant to your musings.
I'll try and tackle a few more of the inquisitive posts later - the problem is, I've just blagged a copy of Sibelius (music typesetting program) from the school where I teach, and I've been trying to figure it all out without wading through the 500-page manual... v time consuming, v frustrating but presumably worth it in the long run.
Duncan M- I actually altered the question about the G3 as when I asked him about it the 1st time round he said they wouldn't know about him so when I asked him the 2nd time I made sure I said "Assuming they know who you are" now you pay ATTENTION!!
I'm not a big John 5 fan but I quite like his new Album Vertigo. I'd recommend you buying that.
Greg _________________ Guthrie Govan
Matthias IA Eklundh
Rusty Cooley
Steve Vai
Tom Morello
Michael Angelo
Yngwie Malmsteen
Buckethead
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So when Guthrie answers some leftover questions from the first one, let's post the new questions here and we'll try to keep these threads to no more than 4 or 5 pages. This should allow you to enjoy reading the threads at a leisurely pace and also, hopefully, prevent you from asking questions that have already been answered in the previous questions thread(s). Thanks!
but I just wore myself out on the "playing outside" thread - some of which seems vaguely relevant to your musings.
